33-year-old mom sold everything to move family from Texas to Greece

After falling in love with their first experience living abroad, West and her husband arrived back home with a singular focus: moving out of the U.S.

But to move abroad and travel full time, they would need money. The couple had already downsized from a two-bedroom apartment to a one-bedroom unit to cut down on their housing expenses. From there, they began selling as many of their things as possible, including furniture and one their cars, West says.

“We had to think outside of the box because of the fact that we didn’t have a home that we could sell, or really, any assets that we could sell,” she says.

The couple used the money they raised from selling their stuff to help pay down her husband’s debt. And this allowed him to step away from his full-time job and become a stay-at-home dad. Meanwhile, West continued to work remotely and earn money from content creation, she says.

Their sacrifices eventually paid off. Once the lease term for their Texas apartment ended in July 2023, they packed up for Belize, their next stop as digital nomads. After living nomadically for almost a year, the couple decided to make Syros, Greece their home base in June.

“I wanted to be somewhere that was by the water that was really calm and peaceful,” she says. “And that’s exactly what we’ve had here in Syros.”

West says the slower pace of life and lower cost of living in Greece has made a “huge difference” in her family’s life.

“In the United States, it’s all about hustle culture and your worth is tied into your productivity,” she says. “But here in Greece … rest is really valued.”

The family enjoys exploring the island, trying new foods and traveling to various countries, including Albania and Italy.

“It’s really easy to get around the country. You can take the ferries, you can take flights,” West says. “Overall, our life is just so much more fulfilling here in Greece.”

Plus, the language barrier isn’t too much of an issue since many locals speak English.

As a Black woman, West says she feels freer to be herself in Greece without worrying about encountering the racial microaggressions she faces in the U.S.

“I just get to exist in peace and I’m not worried about someone following me around at the store or treating me differently because of my skin color,” she says. “I’m just seen as an American here.”

Her family’s sense of security contributes to that peace. “I realize every single day as I walk the streets here in Greece with my daughter of just how safe we are. And that to me is the most important.”

West and her family have experienced one notable downside: missing holidays and birthdays with relatives. “It’s been tough having to miss big moments with our family,” she says. “But, honestly, I would give everything for us to be able to live this lifestyle.”

Here’s how West and her husband spent their money in June 2024.

• Moving expenses: $5,880 toward first and last months rent for their apartment in Greece, flights, digital nomad visa application and attorney fees
• Credit card payment: $4,221 toward credit card bills
• Food: $1,952 on dining out and groceries
• Housing and utilities: $1,428 for rent, Wi-Fi and utilities
• Medical: $1,278 for international health insurance, doctor visits and prescriptions
• Discretionary: $446 for clothing and makeup
• Subscriptions: $131 for gym memberships, Netflix, HBO Max and Apple storage subscriptions
• Phones: $192 toward phone bill
• Transportation: $78 for a rental car and gas

Since they officially moved to Greece in June, the family’s spending for the month was much higher than usual, West says.

In addition to needing to pay for their flight to Greece and first and last months rent for their apartment there, they paid an attorney who helped them apply for their digital nomad visa.

The couple carries a little over $60,000 in credit card debt which felt nearly “impossible” to pay down while they were living in the U.S., she says.

The lower cost of living in Greece helps. Now, “I try as much as I can to put that extra income to paying down our credit cards as much as possible,” she says.

After lowering their credit card debt, the couple plans to begin saving for retirement and working with a professional.

“Next year is going to be such a huge transition for us in being able to have the resources to put towards getting the assistance that we need [and] having a financial advisor who can tell us where to start putting our money so that our money is working for us,” she says.

Although West doesn’t foresee her family being nomadic forever, she doesn’t plan to ever permanently move back to the U.S.

“It is truly such a more fulfilling, more richer life abroad,” she says. “Just being able to see the world, to meet new people, to experience a new language, cultures, traditions — it’s just so special and something that we aren’t really exposed to enough in the United States.”

Now that they’ve made Greece their home base, West looks forward to growing her family.

Once their daughter is old enough for school, the couple plans to register to homeschool her and connect with educational centers around the world that cater to nomadic families and their children.

“This is a really great way for her to have that social engagement, but also be able to still learn through travel,” she says.