How to Move Abroad: Because Getting There Starts With Getting Hired

If you’ve been pacing around your house trying to figure out what the hell you’re supposed to take with you when you move abroad, this episode is the sanity you need.

We’re not talking about “decluttering.”

We’re not talking about “sparking joy.”

We’re talking about what actually needs to go in the boxes when you move your entire life across an ocean.

This is the straight-to-the-point, no-Pinterest, no-fantasy guide to choosing what comes with you, what stays behind, and what you should absolutely stop feeling guilty about letting go. I’m walking you through the real questions, the real logistics, the emotional traps, and the “why did I even pack this” regrets you do NOT need to repeat.

If you want a grounded, practical “how to” episode without the pep-talk energy — this is the one.

By the end, you’ll know exactly what deserves space in your suitcase…

and what’s just taking up space in your life.

Find out more about the Departure Lounge here: https://www.mistellegodlewski.com/departure-lounge

This episode is not a pep talk.

It’s not a motivational countdown to midnight.

It’s not a “new year, new me” vision-board moment.

This is the real conversation most people avoid at the end of the year — the one where you look honestly at your life and admit whether it’s actually working for you.

Because the holidays have a way of showing us the truth: who we’ve become, what we’ve outgrown, and what we’re still pretending we’re okay with.

And if you’ve been telling yourself, “next year will be different,” for the third, fourth, or tenth year in a row… this episode matters.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Why the “fresh start” feeling of January is a trap we return to every year
• Why waiting to feel ready is the exact reason nothing changes
• How to recognize when you’ve already outgrown your current life
• The difference between wanting change and deciding to change
• The grief, honesty, and courage involved in becoming someone new

No resolutions.

No pressure.

No performative growth.

Just the truth you already feel — finally spoken out loud.

If you’ve ever felt the quiet ache of “I can’t do another year like this,” this one is for you.

Departure Lounge information: https://www.mistellegodlewski.com/departure-lounge

Everyone thinks they can “just Google” their way through a move abroad… until they’re eight tabs deep in contradictory visa articles, three breakdowns into Reddit threads, and somehow watching a YouTube video from 2014 about moving to Spain that hasn’t been accurate since Obama was in office.

In this episode, I’m breaking down why Google cannot and will not give you the roadmap you think it will. We’re talking outdated info, missing context, bad advice, and the reasons the algorithm has no idea who you are, what you qualify for, or what country won’t immediately reject your poorly formatted resume.

If you’re stuck in “I should be able to figure this out myself” guilt, this is the episode that frees you from that nonsense. We’ll get into what Google can tell you, what it absolutely can’t, and how to actually get clarity without losing your mind, your time, or your entire weekend to visa blogs with broken links.

If you want real answers — not search results — let’s talk about why Googling isn’t your enemy, but it sure as hell isn’t your guide.

Want support?  Join the Departure Lounge.

Last night, the U.S. crossed a line that a lot of us have been quietly watching for years.

A nationally framed “Patriot Games” competition — one high school boy and girl per state, competing in an athletic showdown — sounds harmless on paper. But if your stomach dropped when you read that headline, this episode is for you.

In this episode of ABROADly Speaking, I’m talking about why moments like this aren’t isolated, why they feel eerily familiar, and why so many Americans are experiencing a low-grade panic they can’t quite explain. This isn’t about partisan outrage or dramatic predictions — it’s about pattern recognition, power, and what happens when spectacle starts replacing substance.

We’ll talk about why “you’re overreacting” is the most common response right before people regret not acting sooner, how cultural signals matter just as much as laws, and why waiting for a clearer sign is usually how people miss their window.

This is a quiet but ruthless conversation about trust, safety, and agency — and why for many people, the question isn’t if they’ll leave anymore, but when.

If you’ve been feeling unsettled, exhausted, or like you’re watching your country turn into something you don’t recognize, you’re not crazy — and you’re not alone.

And no, you don’t need another sign.

In this episode of ABROADly Speaking, I break down why most people who say they want to move abroad never actually do — and why it’s not because they “don’t make enough money.”

We’re talking about paying yourself first — not in a Pinterest, envelope-stuffing, aesthetic-budget way — but in a real, grown-adult way that actually funds your future instead of reacting to exhaustion, convenience, and emotional spending.

If you keep telling yourself you’ll start saving after things calm down, after you do more research, or after there’s money left over (spoiler: there never is), this episode is for you.

I explain why your move abroad isn’t a hobby — it’s an exit plan — and how starting with as little as $10 can shift your priorities, your behavior, and your timeline faster than any perfect budget ever will.

We cover:

• Why “not enough money” is usually a priority problem, not an income problem
• How paying yourself first actually works when life is already expensive and overwhelming
• Why waiting to save “what’s left” guarantees nothing ever happens
• The simplest way to start funding your move abroad without blowing up your life

This is a grounded, practical episode for anyone who’s done Googling, done spiraling, and ready to stop performing planning energy — and actually move.

Departure Lounge

This is the episode where I say the quiet thing out loud:

You’re not thinking about moving abroad because you want adventure or aesthetics or to live your “best life in Europe.” You’re thinking about moving abroad because something deep in your body has realized you can’t keep living the way you are now.

This isn’t escapism.

It’s Maslow’s hierarchy.

Your foundational needs aren’t being met anymore — safety, stability, belonging, identity — and your nervous system is trying to move you toward someplace where you can actually breathe.

And yes, it’s scary.

And disorienting.

And you probably feel guilty for wanting something more.

But you’re not crazy.

You’ve outgrown your life.

This episode is the grounding.

The “you’re not alone.”

The “you’re not making this up.”

The “you’re allowed to want the exhale.”

We’re talking about how the body knows before the mind does, how to listen when your life starts feeling too small, and why moving abroad scared is still moving abroad.

No hype.

No fantasy.

Just truth.

Today we’re talking about money.

Not budgeting tips. Not “stop buying coffee.” Not manifesting abundance under a full moon.

We’re talking about the sentence everyone throws around when they think about moving abroad:

“I just can’t afford it.”

And we’re going to look at whether that’s actually true… or whether it’s the excuse that feels safest to say out loud.

Because sometimes? The math is the math.

But a lot of the time, “I can’t afford it” really means:

“I’m overwhelmed. I’m scared. I don’t know where to start. I don’t want to look at the numbers because the numbers make everything real.”

This episode is your call-out and your relief:

• If money isn’t the real problem, you’ll finally see what is.
• And if money is the problem, you’ll walk away knowing exactly how to approach it — without panic, self-blame, or pretending you’re going to suddenly become a different person on January 1st.

No shame. No delusion. No “someday.”

Just honesty, clarity, and your next move.

Today we’re talking about money.

Not in the “stop buying coffee” way (absolutely not), but in the real, strategic, let’s-actually-do-this way.

If you’ve been waiting to hit a “perfect savings number” before you move abroad… this is your episode.

Because that number you keep chasing?

It’s probably not based on math — it’s based on fear.

Which means it will always move.

Which means you will always feel like you’re not ready.

In this episode, we break your move abroad into three actual financial phases — before, during, and after — so you can see what things actually cost, where your money needs to go, and how to stop saving for a fictional scenario no one is living in.

We’re letting go of panic-savings and replacing it with clarity, pacing, and a timeline that makes sense.

No shame.

No overwhelm.

Just a real plan that lets you start.

If you want 2026 to be the year you actually go — not the year you “think about going again” — this one matters.

Join the Departure Lounge

People love to assume you need $20k in savings, a remote job, and a color-coded shipping spreadsheet to move abroad.

Cool. Cute. Not my story.

In this episode, I’m walking you through exactly how I moved to Switzerland in 2013 with $2,000 in the bank, two cats, cancer recovery still happening, and absolutely zero idea what I was doing — including the part where we had to borrow money because we needed three months of rent upfront and had no clue deposit insurance existed (yes, I will be screaming about that forever)

I also talk about moving again — to Austria with a baby, then back to Switzerland during the pandemic — and what those moves cost too. (Spoiler: both under $1,200 out of pocket.)

If you’ve ever thought, “I can’t move abroad until I save a huge amount of money,” this episode will challenge that — in a real, non-delusional, no-manifesting-required way.

Yes, moving abroad takes planning.

No, it doesn’t have to take a lifetime of savings.

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That fancy title you’re proud of? The one that made you sound important at home?

Yeah, it doesn’t translate internationally — and it’s probably the reason you’re getting ghosted.

In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly why U.S. résumés fall flat overseas, how your job title is confusing recruiters, and what to actually do instead if you want to get noticed (without rewriting your entire career).

If you’re serious about landing a job abroad, stop praying to the LinkedIn gods and start speaking the language employers actually understand.

Let’s make your résumé make sense — before it ends up in another black hole.

Join the Get Hired Abroad Challenge.