Like so many others, I moved to New York City chasing success, reinvention, and the fantasy of living in a Nora Ephron movie.
But after the 2024 election and the rise of anti-Latino sentiment, I felt lost as a woman of Hispanic descent. Suddenly, the US didn’t quite feel like home — beyond that, life in New York was becoming unbearably expensive.
Even as DINKs with decent incomes, my fiancé and I still felt the financial strain of living in a high-cost-of-living city that was only getting pricier.
Then, while doom-scrolling one night, I came across a video of a couple who had moved to Spain with their cat. I started following their journey, then stumbled into a rabbit hole of others who left the US for a new life abroad.
If they could do it, why couldn’t we?
We chose our first destination and settled a few logistics
Sandra Salathe
My fiancé could work remotely, but for our plan, I’d have to leave my corporate job in the US.
It was scary to give up the health benefits and a steady paycheck, but what once felt like a dream role had left me burned out and deeply unhappy. So, I left.
From there, we set our sights on Mexico as it’s where my grandparents were born, and I’d always felt a pull to connect with my roots and learn Spanish. It also didn’t hurt that the cost of living there seemed lower than in many other places we researched.
We planned to spend just over six weeks in Mexico before returning to the US.
The trip would be a trial run of sorts to see if we could handle living abroad and, more importantly, if we liked this lifestyle enough to make it permanent.
After figuring out the paperwork we needed to fly our cat to Mexico and putting most of our belongings in storage, we gave up our Brooklyn apartment and took the leap.
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Our first stop was Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca, then Mexico City.
Our time in Mexico felt like a reset
Nestled along the Pacific, Puerto Escondido was magic with its turquoise waters and warm air.
Locals and expats seemed to blend together seamlessly, and the pace of life invited me to slow down. The lower cost of living was a welcome change, too.
At the local market, I could get a week’s worth of groceries for about $35 — a fraction of what we’d been spending before.
Even better, dining out didn’t break the bank. We were able to eat at some amazing restaurants for a fraction of the cost of what we would’ve spent in NYC for similar meals.
Sandra Salathe
Soon, this tiny coastal town began to heal me in ways I didn’t know I needed.
It was heartbreaking to leave a job I’d once dreamed of and to realize it was slowly breaking me apart. But in Puerto, I felt my creative spark return.
Thanks to my savings and a fiancé whose income covered us both, I was able to take time off without the immediate pressure of figuring out my next move.
I started my days at 8 a.m., with no office to rush to. I’d swim in the Airbnb’s pool, make breakfast, do freelance work at a nearby coworking space until 3 p.m., and then hit the beach to watch the sunset.
Though our travels weren’t always smooth sailing, they’ve only made us stronger
After two weeks in Puerto, we packed up and headed to Mexico City.
When we arrived, my fiancé had a health scare. I found an urgent-care clinic nearby, and our limited Spanish and the staff’s patience got us through.
We were seen quickly, and the visit cost about $250 after conversion rates, without insurance. In the US, we’d probably have paid 10 times as much.
Thankfully, my fiancé quickly recovered, and making it through this experience felt like more proof that we could tackle whatever obstacles life abroad may bring.
However, this wasn’t the only difficult part of our travels.
As excited as I was to bounce around, I didn’t fully grasp how isolating it can feel to not have a permanent home base and be far from our community.
That loneliness started to seep into my relationship with my fiancé. No matter how solid and healthy we are, he became my only support system — and that’s a lot to place on one person.
When I was stressed, he bore the brunt of it, and vice versa. Back in New York, we each had close friends to grab coffee or a drink with to vent. When we’re traveling, it’s just us.
But through tough conversations and some much-needed self-reflection, those challenging moments just became opportunities to understand each other more deeply.
We’re in the US for now, but we’re making plans to keep traveling
Sandra Salathe
After spending just over six weeks in Mexico, we headed back to the US.
While we’re here, we’re connecting with friends and family in ways we couldn’t while we were traveling and wrapping up plans we’d made before our trip.
Though we’re currently hitting pause, we’re not giving up our plans of being full-time nomads. The first taste of this life has pushed me further than I imagined and taught me so much about myself.
Our time abroad came with new challenges and moments of clarity each day. It taught me to give myself grace and lean into growth, even when it’s uncomfortable.
I wouldn’t trade these lessons for anything, and I look forward to seeking out more of them.
Though there are many logistics, like visas, to navigate if we pursue this lifestyle full-time, our current goal is to continue our travels in the fall. Now, we just need to decide where to go next.
