Hello, amazing community of living abroad legends!
Welcome to the very first edition of Living Abroad Discussions! I’m so excited to kick off this new feature where we can come together every week to share our experiences, insights, and stories about living abroad. Today, we're diving into a fun and inspiring topic to get the ball rolling:
🎉 What’s the Biggest Break You’ve Gotten from Moving Abroad? 🎉
When my husband and I moved to Koh Phangan, we had nothing but $200 between us. I borrowed money from my parents to buy a second-hand scooter, and Fraser was earning $50 a day doing manual labor in the scorching heat while I was figuring out how to make money through marketing.
Fast forward to today, we own a property development company, are building a villa, and are growing so fast that we’re considering taking on a partner. Our success is something we could never have achieved back in Canada or the UK.
Share Your Story ✍️
Now, I want to hear from you! What’s the biggest break you’ve gotten since moving abroad? Did you land a dream job, start a successful business, or find a supportive community that changed your life? It doesn’t have to be something money-related! Maybe you found a weirdly-shaped pebble that talked to you and became your best friend? Share that!
Why Share? 🤝
Inspire Others: Your story could be the motivation someone else needs.
Connect: Find common ground with fellow expats and build new friendships.
Learn: Gain new insights and perspectives from others’ experiences.
How It Works ⚙️
Every Tuesday: I’ll post a new topic for discussion.
Join the Conversation: Jump into the comments and share your stories, tips, and questions.
Stay Respectful: This is a supportive space. Let’s keep it positive and supportive, respecting everyone’s experiences and perspectives.
A Few Guidelines 📋
Be Honest and Kind: Share your truth, but always be respectful of others’ experiences.
Be Mindful: Remember, not every break or success story looks the same. Celebrate diversity in our journeys.
Bonus: I’ll incorporate the best tips and stories into upcoming articles and guides! (With the poster’s permission, of course.)
Who can participate? I’ll keep threads public for the summer season, until September 22. This means anyone can comment, including free and paid subscribers. From September 22 onwards, however, it will be reserved strictly for paid subscribers.
If you like what I’m doing and would like to support me and gain access to all articles and features on this site, you can subscribe or upgrade your membership here:
I can’t wait to read your stories and see the vibrant, supportive, and insightful discussions that will unfold in our weekly threads. Your participation will make these conversations rich and engaging, and together we’ll create a wonderful resource for anyone living or thinking about living abroad.
Let’s make this journey even more enriching together.
With excitement and anticipation,
KKxx
I love love LOVE these stories…so many of them resonate with me! For me, I think I’d have to agree with Georgie that the biggest break was just getting here - sometimes that’s the biggest obstacle many people seem to face and after that, it’s all kind of gravy. I mean - I’ll be honest - I’ve had some of my toughest, darkest, loneliest times while living here…but in the end, I feel like I probably wouldn’t have experienced that back in “the world” because I would’ve been too preoccupied with mortgage payments and car payments and laundry and day care expenses, etc., etc., etc….When I first moved to Koh Phangan someone that had been there a while told me, “Your shit comes up and at you fast here because there’s nothing else to distract you so get ready to deal with it!” I have definitely experienced some of the darkest, loneliest times of my life here…but in the end, they lead me to be more of the person that I have always aspired to be and I honestly don’t think I would have had that opportunity or gift if I was still back home.
I've lived abroad for many many years, in Asia and Indonesia. For me just living away from the Western system and mindset is the biggest brake, to live free. I've always had the most incredible luck when it comes to houses and land. Really beautiful and ridiculously cheap. I'm always lucky!! So many breaks 💔