Mr. Scribbles and I love to travel!
Meeting new people. Experiencing a different way of life. It’s intoxicating.
We traveled the world until we had babies and bought into the “American Dream.” Two tech jobs, long commutes, two kids, three cars, a big house in the suburbs, and all the stuff!
We put off travel in lieu of new jobs, saving more money, and it never being the “right time.”
Then along came 2020… COVID-19 | Racial and Civil Unrest
The events of 2020 served as a wake-up call for us, and many others. That’s why we’ve decided to take action on our dream to live abroad. Tomorrow is never promised.
In 2020 we survived COVID, talked to loved ones about racism, and brought another child into the world. We took a hard look at ourselves and decided what kind of life we wanted to lead.
While America is a great country, we left because of…
- Gun violence
- Racism
- Political extremism
- High cost of living (HCOL)
- Diminishing quantity and quality of services
Let’s be clear. No country is perfect. Every country has its problematic histories and current-day struggles. Thankfully, we were in a position of privilege to be able to choose our hard.
- It’s hard to be obese. It’s hard to be fit.
- It’s hard to be poor. It’s hard to learn new skills, save, and stick to an investing strategy.
- It’s hard to stay in the US where things aren’t getting better. It’s hard to move to another country, learn a new language, and build a new community.
- It’s hard to change. It’s hard to stay the same.
We came up with criteria for our new country and then visited our top picks in the summer of 2021 – Spain and Portugal.
If you are not consciously choosing, you are still making a choice. Be intentional about which path you choose. What hard are you choosing?
