A waitress who left London with £1,000 in her bank account to start a new life overseas says she will never return to the “depressing” UK.
Kelly Wickramasuriya was just 21 when she decided to ditch her job and life back home for an exciting adventure in Thailand – though she didn’t expect to last more than a month or two with her limited funds.
But after finding work online as a user-generated content creator – filming videos for brands to post on their social media pages – she quickly built up an income which she claims brings in up to £10,000 a month.
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Ever since, the 24-year-old has split her time between Bali and Dubai, enjoying warm weather, a luxurious lifestyle and, according to her, a huge boost in her mental health.
“I find the UK super depressing,” Kelly, who is originally from Essex, told What’s The Jam.
“People are always complaining and have a victim mindset, whereas in places like Dubai and Bali, the mindset is so different.
“People are happier and friendlier, and it creates a more positive environment.
“I experience summer all year round now, which also definitely helps.
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“The UK is cold most of the year.
“I would never want to experience that again.
“Those are the biggest things for me living abroad – the people and the weather.
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“Both have such a massive impact on your mental health.”
Kelly’s adventure started after she left university in June 2022, and she decided to spend the summer travelling.
She flew to Thailand with £1,000 in her bank account – which she estimated was enough to last her a month or two.
She said: “I was thinking I would most likely have to fly home back to the UK after a couple months and crash on someone’s sofa until I found somewhere to live.
“I didn’t want that to happen, so I started looking for ways to make money online.”
That was how she came across content creation for brands.
Kelly claims she is now making five times her old salary, having previously worked in an Italian restaurant in Covent Garden.
Now, her office could be the beach, poolside in Bali, or on the balcony of her Dubai rented apartment.
She also spends time travelling around other countries, including Thailand, Australia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Her lifestyle is entirely different as a result.
She said: “Back when I lived in the UK, I woke up everyday to an alarm clock, I rarely went out for dinners – they were only for special occasions – and it was never warm enough to just sit on the beach as an afternoon activity.
“I couldn’t afford the amount of hobbies I have right now.
“The prices of everything was crazy and I didn’t make much money as a waitress, so I couldn’t afford much more than just the average lifestyle of making dinner at home all week long and going to the pub for an outing on the weekend.
“Now, a typical day for me includes waking up to no alarm – [just] whenever my body wakes me up – meditating for one hour first thing before even checking my phone, then I either hit the gym or go out for breakfast to one of my favourite cafes.
“I usually work for a few hours during the day and then in the afternoon or evening I have a bunch of hobbies I go to classes for, like singing, learning new languages, learning acroyoga and a bunch of other cool stuff I always wanted to try to learn.
“I’ll usually watch the sunset on the beach and then grab dinner with my boyfriend or one or my girlfriends, then chat with them for the evening or watch a movie and get some rest.”
Kelly says she never sees herself living in the UK again, despite missing her friends and family.
She added: “We always FaceTime and they love coming over to stay with me when they have time off from work as a holiday.
“I usually come back once a year to visit so it doesn’t feel like I have any less of a relationship with them.
“I also have best friends in other countries as well now which is really beautiful – people that feel like family all over the world.
“The UK is known as one of the most depressing countries in the world, and after spending time living abroad, I can 100% see why.
“I’ll go home to see my family for a month once every year or two, but that’s about it.
“I plan to live abroad and I honestly don’t know which country I will settle down in for good, but I plan to travel around and see my options until I decide.”
She added: “It’s really not hard to change your life and try something you have wanted to try – and, worse comes to worst, and you don’t like it, you can always go back.
“I flew my brother out to live with me for five months, and he enjoyed it but preferred the UK – and that’s OK.
“He’s glad he came and experienced it.
“My mum also started UGC the same as me and she started making money online and has been able to fly herself over to visit me.
“She did that all by herself – with my help, of course – and she’s 55 and has a full-time job in the UK, so there’s really no excuse.
“If you want to make something happen, there’s always a way.”
