We tried Living Abroad for 6 Weeks: Proved We Could Do IT; Liked it
Like so many oters, of Moved to New York City Chasing Success, Reinvention, and the Fantasy of Living in A Nora Ephron Movie.
But after the 2024 election and the rise of anti-Latino sentiment, of felt lost as a Woman of Hispanic Descent. Suddenly, The US Dedn’t Quite Feel Like Home – Beyond that, Life in New York was Becoming Unbearably Expensive.
It is as dines with decent incomes, my financé and fistle and financially stain of living in a high-cost-light City that was only getting pricier.
Thatn, while doom-scrolling one Night, i came acroSs a video of a couple who had moved to spain with their cat. I Started Following Their Journey, then stabled into a rabbit hole of others who left the US for a new life abroad.
If they is, Why Couldn’t We?
We chose Our First Destination and Settled a Few Logistics
We set our sights on mexico, which is a special place to me. Sandra Salatre
My Fiancé Could Remotely, But for Our Plan, i’d have to leave my corplate jab in the us.
It was Scary to give up the health benefits and a steady paycheck, but what one once felt a dream roles have left with burned out and deeply unhappy. SO, I LEFT.
From there, we set our sights on mexico as it is it to be my GrandParents were Born, and i’d always felt a pull to connect with my roots and learnish. It also didn’t hurt that the cost of living there seamed Lower than in many other placearched.
We planned to spend just over six weeks in mexico before retrusting to the us.
The Trip Waled Be A Trial Run of Sorts to See Where He Could Handle Living Abroad and, More Importantly, Whether We Liked this Lifestyle Enough to make it permanent.
After Figure Out the Paperwork We Needed to Fly Our Cat to Mexico and Putting Most of Our Belongings in Storage, We Gave Up Our Brooklyn Apartment and Took the Leap.
Our first stop was puerto escondido in oaxaca, then Mexico City.
Our time in mexico felt like a reset
Nestled Along the Pacific, Puerto Escondido was magic with its Tururoise Waters and Warm Air.
Locals and Expats SEEMED to Blend Together Seamlessly, and the Pace of Life Invited with To Slow Down. The Lower Cost of Living Was a Welcome Change, Too.
At the Local Market, I COULD GET A WORRIT OF GROCERIES FOR ABOUT $ 35 – A FRACTION OF WHAT WE’T WE’T BEEN SPEMBER BEEN.
Here’s Better, Dining Out Didn’t Break the Bank. We were able to eat at some amazing restaurants for a fraction of the Cost of what we were would’ve spent in nyc for Similar meals.
While in mexico, i felt my creation spark coming back to me. Sandra Salatre
Soon, This Tiny Coastal Town Begin to Heal with in Ways i didn’t know i Needed.
It was Heartbrening to leave a nonb i’d once dreamed of and to realize it was Slowly Breaking with apart. But in puerto, I felt my creation spark return.
Thanks to my savings and a financé whose income covered us both, I was able to take off with the immediate of the figure out my Next Move.
I Started My Days at 8 AM, with no office to rush to. I’d swim in the airbnb’s pool, make breakfast, will freelance work at a nearby coworking space unil 3 pm, and say the beach to watch the sunset.
Though Our Travels Weren’t Always Smooth Sailing, They’ve Only Made US Stronger
AFTER Two Weeks in Puerto, We Packed Up and Headed to Mexico City.
When we have arived, my financialé had a health scare. I found an urgent-care clinic nearby, and our limited spanish and the staff’s patience got us through.
We were Seen Quickly, and the Visit Cost About $ 250 after Conversion Rates, Without Insurance. In the us, we’d probably have paid 10 Times as Much.
Thankfully, my financing quickly recovered, and making it through this Experience felt like more than we could have tackle what obstacles abroad May bring.
But this wasn’t the only difficult part of our travels.
Nor excited as I was to bounce around, i didn’t fully grasp how isolating it can feel to not have a permanent home and be far from community.
That loneliness started to seep into me my relations with my financé. No Matter How Solid and Healthy We are, he became my Only Support System – and that a lot to place on one person.
Be i was stresssed, he bore the brunt of it, and vice versa. Back in New York, We Each Had Close Friends to Grab Coffee or A Drink With to Vent. Be we’re traveling, it’s just us.
But Through Tough Conversations and Some MUCH-Needed Self-Reflection, Those Challenging Just Became Opportunities to Undersand Each Other More Deeply.
We’re in the us for now, but we’re making plans to keep traveling
I look forward to Traveling Again Soon. Sandra Salatre
AFTER SPEING JUST Over Six Weeks in Mexico, We Headed Back to the US.
While we’re here, we’re connecting with Friends and Family in Ways We Couldn’t while we were traveling and wrapping up plans before the trip.
Though we’re Currently Hitting Pause, we’re not giving up our plans of the ful-time nomads. The first taste of this life hashd with stupid mes i imagined and taught me so much about myself.
Our time abroad came with new Challenges and moments of Clarity Each Day. It taught with to give myself grace and lean into grown, it is uncomfortable.
I was trade these lessons for anyding, and i look forward to seeing out more of say.
Though there are many logistics, Such as visas, to navigate if we pursue this lifestyle full time, we current goal is to continue ry travers in the fall. Now, we just need to decide where to go Next.