This story is part of CNBC's Make It's program Millennium money A series detailing how people around the world earn, spend and save their money.
After the birth of their daughter in 2022, Cara West and her husband, Harley, decided to sell all their possessions and try to live abroad.
A number of factors led to their decision. First, they paid a $10,000 hospital bill after their daughter was born. Furthermore, because West was under contract to a German company at the time, she was not eligible for the same year of paid maternity leave that her full-time colleagues enjoyed.
“There were so many things that came to light after I became a mother in the United States that made me really understand that the United States doesn't really support families, mothers, and children,” she told CNBC Make It.
West began looking at how other countries around the world could help parents, and toyed with the idea of moving her family abroad.
Kara West and her husband live as digital nomads in Syros, Greece.
Vicki Marcovilla for CNBC Make It
When the deadly mass shooting occurred at Rupp Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022, West knew it was time to make the move. She and her family lived about three hours away in Austin at the time.
It was “absolutely devastating,” West says, but “unfortunately, it was no surprise to me to hear about the school shooting.” “It was at that moment that I truly realized that I needed to get my daughter out of the United States for her safety.”
From there, she and her husband set out to live as digital nomads. About two years later, after visits to 14 countries, the family decided to settle for the foreseeable future on Syros, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea.
West works remotely as a luxury travel concierge and content creator.
Vicki Marcovilla for CNBC Make It
Now, West, 33, works remotely from Greece as a luxury travel concierge and travel content creator, and is on track to earn more than $136,000 in 2024. Her husband left his job as a restaurant manager in Texas and is residing in — Dad the home.
“(It's) a dream lifestyle that I honestly never thought would be possible, and I wouldn't trade it for anything,” she says.
First stop: Portugal
Before committing their entire family to expat life, West and her husband decided to try life abroad for three months through a startup called Life without limits.
The organization offers families fully furnished private apartments, co-working spaces and learning centers for children in a variety of locations, including Bali and Tuscany. According to its website. The West chose Portugal.
“It was the perfect solution for what we were looking for,” West says. “We can test that, and see if that's something we can see ourselves doing.”
West and her family first experienced living abroad in Portugal in January 2023.
Kara West
West was already working as a food blogger in addition to her full-time job, and she says they invested about $10,000 of her earnings from that into their savings.
Although they initially planned to live off of it, West landed her current role as a luxury travel portal just before they left for Portugal. So, she left her previous job and her husband decided to take unpaid leave from his job for the duration of their stay.
With the implementation of this plan, the family arrived in Portugal in January last year. The first thing they noticed was that the pace of life slowed down which allowed them to enjoy more time together as a family than they did in the United States.
She says the slower pace of life in Portugal has allowed the West family to spend more time together.
Kara West
“He (my husband) saw how happy I was, how glowing I felt, and how much time we were spending with each other and as a family,” she says.
West's husband, Harley, was born and raised in Texas and was initially reluctant to move his family from the United States, but by the end of their three-month stay in Portugal, he was completely on board.
Sell everything to leave the United States
After falling in love with their first experience living abroad, West and her husband returned to their home country with one focus: getting out of the United States.
But to move abroad and travel full time, they will need money. The couple had already downsized from a two-bedroom apartment to a one-bedroom apartment to cut down on their housing expenses. From there, they started selling as many things as they could, including furniture and one of their cars, West says.
“We had to think outside the box because we didn't have a house we could sell, or really, we didn't have any assets we could sell,” she says.
The couple used the money they made from selling their items to help pay off her husband's debts. 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 make money creating content, she says.
Their sacrifices finally paid off. Once their Texas apartment lease expired in July 2023, they packed up for Belize, their next stop as digital nomads. After living a nomadic life for about a year, the couple decided to make Syros, Greece their home in June.
“I wanted to be somewhere near the water that was really quiet and peaceful,” she says. “And that's exactly what we have here on Syros.”
Pros and cons of life abroad
West says the slower pace of life and lower costs of living in Greece have made a “huge difference” in her family's life.
“In the United States, it's all about the culture of activity, and your value is tied to your productivity,” she says. “But here in Greece… comfort has real value.”
The family enjoys exploring the island, trying new foods, and traveling to different countries, including Albania and Italy.
As digital nomads, West and her family have lived in several countries including Albania.
Kara West
“It's really easy to get around the country. You can take ferries or flights,” West says. “In general, our lives are more fulfilling here in Greece.”
Additionally, the language barrier is not a big problem since many locals speak English.
As a black woman, West says she feels freer to be herself in Greece without worrying about facing the racist microaggressions she faces in the United States.
“I just live in peace and don't worry about someone following me into the store or treating me differently because of the color of my skin,” she says. “I'm seen as an American here.”
West says she feels more at peace in Greece than in the United States
Vicki Marcovilla for CNBC Make It
Her family's sense of security contributes to achieving this peace. “Every day as I walk the streets here in Greece with my daughter, I realize how safe we are. This is what is most important to me.”
West and her family have faced a notable downside: missing vacations and birthdays with relatives. “It was hard to miss big moments with our family,” she says. “But honestly, I would give anything so we could live this lifestyle.”
How they spend their money
Here's how West and her husband spent their money in June 2024.
Uma Sharma | CNBC Make it
- Transportation expenses: $5,880 for the first and last months' rent for their apartment in Greece, flights, digital nomad visa application, and attorney fees
- Credit card payment: $4,221 for credit card bills
- food: $1,952 for takeout and groceries
- Housing and amenities: $1,428 for rent, Wi-Fi and utilities
- medical: $1,278 for international health insurance, doctor visits, and prescriptions
- My estimate: $446 for clothes and makeup
- Subscriptions: $131 for a gym membership and Netflix, HBO Max, and Apple storage subscriptions
- Phones: $192 for phone bill
- communications: $78 for car rental and gas
West says that since they officially moved to Greece in June, the family's spending for the month has been much higher than usual.
In addition to needing to pay for their flight to Greece and the rent for their apartment there for the first and last months, they paid for a lawyer who helped them apply for the digital nomad visa.
She says the couple carried just over $60,000 in credit card debt, which was nearly impossible to pay off while living in the United States.
The low cost of living in Greece helps. Now, “I try as much as I can to put that extra income into paying off our credit cards as much as possible,” she says.
West and her family enjoy trying new foods on Syros, Greece and exploring the island together.
Vicki Marcovilla for CNBC Make It
After reducing their credit card debt, the couple plans to start saving for retirement and work with a professional.
“Next year will be a big transition for us as we will be able to have the resources to get the help we need (and) have a financial advisor who can tell us where to start putting our money so that our money is ‘working for us,’” she says.
Plan ahead
Although West does not expect her family to remain nomadic forever, she does not plan to return permanently to the United States.
“It's truly a more fulfilling and richer life abroad,” she says. “Just being able to see the world, meet new people, experience a new language, cultures, traditions — it's very special and something we're not exposed to enough in the United States.”
Westerners feel that it is easier to explore the world and different cultures while living in Greece.
Vicki Marcovilla for CNBC Make It
Now that they've made Greece their home base, West is looking forward to growing her family.
Once their daughter is old enough to go to school, the couple plans to sign up to teach her at home and connect with educational centers around the world that meet the needs of Bedouin families and their children.
“It's a really great way for her to get that social engagement, but also to be able to learn through travel,” she says.
West and her family do not plan to return to the United States permanently.
Vicki Marcovilla for CNBC Make It
When West first started planning to move out of the United States, she didn't see many families who looked like hers or were in a similar financial situation. She hopes to inspire more people to explore life abroad and not be intimidated by the process.
“There will always be something that comes your way on your journey to becoming a digital nomad or expat living abroad,” she says. “But it's totally possible if you keep showing it and keep the goal in mind.”
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