Wonder why we’ve been spending so much time with our friends and family lately?
Well it’s official.
We’ve decided to take Renaud’s advice and enjoy mountain running more often. Remember the amazing images he captured back in February as we conquered Mount Saleve in Geneva?
Well, Bo and I will find ourselves running all over Europe for the next two years.
As of July 1st, we’re trading in our metro cards and driver’s licenses for European work visas! Things are still very much in limbo over here as we spend our days working through the details of global expat (what is an expat) relocation with my company, Bo works through his new role, and we come to terms with saying “see you soon” to our amazing group of friends who have truly become a second family for us during our time in New York City.
This was one of those decisions that was both so easy and so difficult for us. Every day is an emotional rollercoaster for us, wondering whether we’ve made the right decision or if we’re plain crazy. But, more than one trusted source told us that not moving abroad when provided the opportunity was their greatest regret. So, with the amazing support of our parents and our desire to live life to the fullest and experience Europe together before settling down and having children, we’re holding hands and leaping into the future.
There are so many things to be scared of if we give ourselves time to worry: leaving our friends and family in the United States, traveling frequently, possibly living in different European cities Monday through Thursday, learning French, learning the metric system again, training for a marathon alone, being a bridesmaid in a wedding that’s 5,000 miles away, figuring out how to maintain a healthy lifestyle amidst all the delicious wine, bread, Swiss chocolate, and travels, being utterly overwhelmed, and failure.
But, instead, we are choosing to think of this as a great adventure which will likely fly by. Before we know it we’ll be talking about other things like children, returning to the states, and settling down. But, for now, we hope you’ll keep on reading A Healthy, Happier Bear and following along as we embark in a little bit of chaos and a lot of incredible as we fulfill our dream of living and working abroad!
Any expats out there? Would love your advice.
What an exciting adventure!! Best of luck 🙂
Soooo exciting!! I’d love to do something like this but don’t think I have the nerve…Looking forward to experiencing it via your posts!
Wow! Congrats! What an incredible opportunity!
Congratulations!! Wow, what a wonderful adventure! So exciting!!!
Amazing. This is going to be incredible and I wish you ease in transition and calm in the midst of the temporal stresses!
exciting!!! Congrats on the new opportunity!!! You’ll have a blast, and I for one am looking forward to following your European adventures 🙂 🙂
Congratulations! I’m beyond excited for you and Bo! It’s a great adventure that will continue to bring challenges yet so many life experiences,
Such fun news, Ashley!! I am so excited to see what this chapter of your life brings for you and Bo!
That is SO incredible! Congrats and you both rock for living life to the fullest. I can’t wait to follow along.
Ashley, this is so exciting!!! I am so happy for you and can’t wait to hear more about how this came to be!
Also I want to hear about gyms and workouts in Europe!
So excited for you! My parents lived abroad for 10 years so I will ask them for their tips 🙂
Congratulations! This is amazing! I’m so thankful I had the chance to run with you back in October! Did you get a promotion? How in the world were both of you able to keep your jobs and move abroad? SO exciting!
Congratulations! I have been/ am in the process of trying to find the opportunity to work abroad for a few years. After studying abroad in college I knew this was something I wanted to pursue. Unfortunately the process in finding a job abroad is not as easy as it is here, but I am not giving up yet! Can’t wait to follow your journey. Best of luck to you and Bo!
So fun…I would move back to Europe in a heartbeat! So so so jealous….congrats!
Congratulations!! So very exciting!! Looking forward to following along on what sounds like an amazing journey!! =)
Such wonderful news! I look forward to reading about your European adventures.
This is awesome! I fell in love with Switzerland when I went there 3 years ago and I am hopefully planning a trip back next summer.
Oh how exciting! You gotta take advantage of this time when you can do adventurous things like this. So jealous.
So amazing Ashley!! Congrats! I can’t not wait to follow your adventures!!
Congratulations!! That’s so very exciting. I can imagine it’s a bit scary but you will have an amazing time.
This is awesome news!! So excited for you both. This is something I have always wanted to do, so I will be living vicariously through you and hope to get the opportunity to do the same. Can’t wait to see all of your amazing adventures!!
How exciting! I wish I was brave enough to do something like this before having kids. I can’t wait to following along with your adventures. Best of luck!
Wow! This is so exciting! I would love the opportunity to move to Europe, but it would freak me the heck out! Best of luck! You only live once!!
WOHOOOOOO way to take the leap!! This is a bit how we felt about moving to Miami, it was exciting and nerve wracking. Congrats to you for having and seizing the opportunity!!
Sounds like an amazing opportunity. I have been an expat in Sweden for three years now with my fiance. It is a little difficult in the beginning, but it definitely gets easier. If you are ever in Scandinavia let me know! It is always nice to meet other North Americans who are also living in Europe!
So exciting for the two of you! I cannot think of a better way to experience the world! I look forward to reading about your adventures. xo.
How amazing and exciting! I am so jealous. What an amazing adventure to experience before the “settle down” phase of your lives. I can’t wait to follow along in your European adventures!
so excited for you both! it is going to be an amazing adventure. looking forward to living vicariously and a visit for an international run!
Congratulations! You will be so glad you did it. I recently relocated from the Eastern US to Western Canada and while it’s still the same continent, it is entirely different and an adventure every day. While some days are rough I am so glad we made the move. My advice is just to take everything one day at a time, and remember why you made the decision to take on the adventure. Plus, with technology these days, it’s easy to feel so close to home 🙂
I’m excited for you, but worried you think that you need live life first to “settle down” before having children. My brother moved abroad several times and has a child in Europe right now (who speaks at least three languages at 7 years old!). I think life and children should co-exist 🙂
So happy for y’all. How very exciting!
Wow! What a neat opportunity! I can’t wait to follow your journey:)
Yay congrats Ashley this is so exciting! I’m an expat gal in Nicaragua! Central America is definitely different than Europe but if you ever have any general expat questions let me know! Best of luck 🙂
Congrats! Such exciting news 🙂 I can’t wait to follow your adventures.
omg how exciting!!!! can’t wait to read how it all works out. kudos to you guys for having a sense of adventure!
Wow congrats!! I definitely agree – not living abroad before having kids is one of my biggest regrets (possibly my only one). Best wishes to you guys as you figure everything out and make your big move – hope it’s a smooth transition!
I am so excited for you, you guys are going to have an amazing journey!
Wow, what an exciting adventure! I have been reading your blog for years and feel genuinely happy and excited for the two of you. Can’t wait to hear (read) how it goes!
Been a UK expat for the better part of 8 years throughout asia and now australia. Advice? Embrace EVERYTHING…the good and the bad. Say Yes. It will be thrilling/frustrating/amazing/incredible/sad/ all at once. But it also the one thing that has opened my eyes to the world, and makes me not only appreciate my country, but see it from a different perspective….and my American partner agrees. You’ll see your own country in a whole different light – for better AND worse. We’re in the process of actually moving to the US…a first for me. Good times! This is what life is all about. Europe is the best….enjoy it!
Wow!!! So exciting and crazy, I love it!! Best of luck out there you guys, I am really looking forward to reading about your travels and adventures. 🙂
So exciting for you!!! So glad we got to meet before you start your travels. Can’t wait to read more as you go on this adventure 🙂
Congratulations and good luck on your new adventure!
That’s so exciting, can’t wait to read all about it! Safe travels and safe adventuring!
How exciting, congrats!! Can’t wait to read about your adventures!
Hi Ashley, I have been reading your blog for quite some time now but this is my first comment… I come from France and I’ve been living in NYC for almost 3 years now. We (my husband and I) wanted to live an adventure in a foreign country if we could, and he had a opportunity to relocate to NYC… so we just went for it. It has been an amazing, eye-opening experience, and while we miss our friends and family, we feel very fortunate and we do not regret leaving Paris. I wish you all the best in this adventure and, knowing you from your articles here, I am sure you will enjoy these 2 years. (By the way, the metric system makes more sense, ha ha !) I can’t wait to read your impressions about my country 🙂
SO exciting. I can’t wait to follow along on this adventure!
That is so exciting for you! I used to travel abroad extensively and my boyfriend is currently an expat so I know all about it. I am sure it will be an amazing experience!
Who said training aloooooooone???? 🙂
See you soon!!!
Wow, congratulations ! I left New York City almost five years to give life in Germany a try and it’s been an amazing adventure. Life as an expat is definitely full of challenges, but so is anything that’s worth doing in life! My biggest piece of advice? Learn the language. It takes a lot of patience and won’t happen overnight, but the payoff is HUGE. There are also a ton of expat blogs all over Europe, so be sure to get hooked into that supportive network too. 🙂 And have fun gallivanting around Europe!
Wow, congratulations! I left New York City almost five years to give life in Germany a try and it’s been an amazing adventure. Life as an expat is definitely full of challenges, but so is anything that’s worth doing in life! My biggest piece of advice? Learn the language. It takes a lot of patience and won’t happen overnight, but the payoff is HUGE. There are also a ton of expat blogs all over Europe, so be sure to get hooked into that supportive network too. 🙂 And have fun gallivanting around Europe!
Long time reader, but never commented before. Just wanted to say; Welcome to Europe! 🙂 Lots of runners out here too and many amazing races!
So exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 I can’t wait to read all about it!!! Good luck with everything it will be absolutely amazing!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Congrats, sounds so exciting! I’m an expat in Singapore, and agree with Kat above about embracing everything – eat everything new/different, see new things/travel somewhere every chance you get, and so on.
A saying that’s helped me with cultural adjustments, is, “it’s not wrong, it’s just different”.
Have fun traveling!
Congatulations, such an exciting move for you. So will you guys be based in Geneva or will you be moving around?
So exciting! Best of luck to you!
Congrats!!! So exciting and so fun for you both!
This is SO awesome! Can’t wait to come visit 🙂 xo
Congratulations! This is huge!
Last year, I did a big move too, to Australia for a year.
My only advice is to say ‘yes’ to things you might not otherwise! You never know what great adventures lie ahead.
I hope you keep blogging, cuz you’ve got something good happening here!
I’m currently an American expat living in France and love it. Some random pieces of advice: be really mindful and organized about deciding what to bring with you (and documenting it – the insurance and customs forms can be a pain). Things can be different and frustrating and hard sometimes (even simple things like figuring out where to buy stuff) but every week it will get a little easier. Travel as much as you can! It is amazing to be able to get to so many places within a few hours on a train or airplane.
Awesome news! My husband and I were expats in London for almost 3 years – traveling all over Europe before we moved back to the NYC area to have kids. It was the BEST decision we ever made. I am happy to help with any questions – relocation OR travel you might have.
Congrats! My husband and I would love to do that before having kids. I can’t wait to read about your adventures!
Congratulations on the great news!
Embrace everything that the next two years will offer you and learning a new language in the process is always a bonus. I lived in Germany during my childhood and still speak German now.
Wonderful and exciting times
xxx
Oh gosh, congratulations Ashley – what an amazing opportunity for you guys. Where in Europe will you guys be? France and Switzerland are my favorites! Cannot wait to follow along with your journey!
What an amazing opportunity! Congratulations!
This sounds so exciting! I can’t wait to hear about healthy living across the pond! 🙂
So amazing, congrats! It’s a dream of mine to work abroad… I’ll be living vicariously through you!
What an amazing opportunity! I’m looking forward to reading about your travels and adventures!
Oh my goodness! How exciting!!!! I am so pumped to read about all of your amazing adventures!
I have lived abroad twice and will be doing so again this fall for a year. It is an amazing, life-changing experience and your trusted advisors were right on – it is an opportunity that you just can’t possibly pass up.
Very best of luck to you both! I’ll be reading along and offer advice whenever possible. 🙂
SO EXCITING!! Never done it, but would in a heartbeat. I can’t wait to hear about all of your fabulous adventures. Surely there will be ups and downs, but you and Bo will be together and what an adventure you will have to tell. Best of Luck:)
that is awesome!!! I can not wait to hear more about it!!
Congratulations. I grew up as an expat kid, living out the US the time I was six until my junior year of college. Geneva was actually our first overseas home. Not sure I can provide much Geneva advice since I was there in the early 80s with a six to eight year old’s POV. It’s an addicting lifestyle and I’m glad to have been raised with such a broad world view.
Just had to come by and say congrats to you guys! What a beautiful and exciting adventure you guys have ahead!! <3
Oh I am green with envy!!! My husband and I would definitely take the opportunity if presented to us!
That’s awesome! So excited for you and jealous! 🙂
I’m a long-time reader, but haven’t posted until now. This is amazing! Like many others, I’m excited to read your blog even more when you’re abroad.
I also live in NYC and am married to a guy in finance. Not sure how much you can share, but would love to hear more about how this opportunity came up and how you both thought about it as a couple. Did Bo get the offer first and then you tried to see if you could move? Did either of you consider switching jobs to be working in the same European city Mon-Thur?
I imagine there were many tough conversations and it’s wonderful to have arrived at such an exciting decision!
Congratulations, what a fantastic adventure! I have been a longtime reader, and have never commented, but I have to say this is a choice you will not regret. I was offered a 1 year contract to live in Australia, and it was, hands down, the best decesion of my life. I was terrified, and I remember I cried the entire flight (21+ hours!) there, but it was such a challenging, fantastic, unique opportunity. Looking back the year flew bye, and I walked away feeling so independent, and strong. I will tell you, living abroad is hard, a lot harder then people might imagine- there will be days where you miss American things, and the people back home, and you will be sick of the calculating the time change or currancy difference- but the time will fly by, you will be surrounded by interesting people, cultures, food and even on your toughest days you will be so proud of the choice you made and will have the time of your life. My only advice, be aware of your tax liabilities, specifically state taxes 🙂
Congratulations, again!
YAY!!! I’ve been waiting for you to announce it 🙂 SO excited for you… you never know if you may have a visitor. And yes, I just invited myself 🙂
What an exciting opportunity! I have been following your blog for the last two years. I stumbled upon it via Ali On The Run and have been an avid reader since the first day I popped on your site. Good things happen to hard workers and I am honestly so happy for you and your husband. This is an experience of a lifetime and although I don’t know you personally, I have a strong inkling that you two will really make the most of this. Best of luck to you all – I will continue to look forward to my visits to Healthy Happier Bear and hearing all about your European adventures.
Awesome! Can you share what do you do for a living?
I’m a long-time reader of your blog but this is probably my first ever comment here to say CONGRATULATIONS! What a gigantic, exciting step into a new adventure (or adventures I guess because I am sure there will be a ton for you and your husband)!
Not sure whether it counts as being an expat but after growing up in Germany and moving around a bit, I spent almost 10 years living in London, which was a terrific experience. 6 months ago I relocated to Rome for a while because of my boyfriend’s job. Like you, I was able to do so through my existing job, which makes a lot of things easier (especially on the admin side of things) but that still leaves the whole learning a new language, making new friends etc part! But it is exciting and I am glad I did it. So yes, best of luck to you two and give me a shout if you ever make your way to Rome!
big congrats! i’m very envious – my husband and i have a goal to someday be an expat! all of your ‘reasons to be scared’ sound like thrilling adventures (minus the leaving family and friends part!). and i bet you can get your trail running friend to do some marathon training long runs with you! looking forward to following along!
wow, great news! looking forward to following along on your adventures!
what an awesome opportunity! congrats! enjoy your time abroad!
Thanks!
Hey Ashley,
I’ve been reading your blog for a while, but have never posted before. I feel inspired to post now, however, because as it happens I am moving to Switzerland next week to start a new job in Zurich! I’m looking forward to sharing your journey with you as I experience my own. 🙂
Maybe we can even meet up at some point.
Good luck with everything!
Olivia
Welcome to the expat world! I’m an American expat who’s been in London since October 2007…to be honest, I haven’t travelled nearly as much as so many other expats do (especially the Aussies and Kiwis I’m around here), but that’s just the way my life/job is panning out. It can be hard being away, but I love facetime! Sometimes big things will happen while you’re abroad (my mom just passed away…I flew home, but not in time), and that can be hard to take, but you have to remember that you could be in the same country and still prevented from getting there.
I began my running journey after moving abroad, so all my marathons have been in Europe and the UK (Berlin, Liverpool, Barcelona, Rome; I was meant do NYC last fall, but that’s self-explanatory). I think the charity running scheme is much bigger in the UK, so it’s always seemed pretty standard to me, and I’ve been surprised to come across anti-charity-runner remarks about US races. My biggest advice would be to sign up for races all over–that’s what I do, so that means I HAVE to plan that trip and not just continue putting it off 😉
Cynthia I will definitely reach out to you with questions – i’m sure! In addition I’ll be spending lots of time in London and hope to meet up for a run!
A run? Yes please! I’m not the greatest tour guide in London, but I do know of a running path that has an awesome view of the city! 😀
Heck yes Cynthia! I can’t wait to run with you ladies!!
SO excited! You guys deserve it, girl!
Thanks Katie!!
Thanks!!
So happy you guys made this decision! My husband and I are Australian and we met while living in London. He was in London for 8 years and I was there for 7. We moved back to Australia, got married and spent a couple of years lapping up the sunshine. We decided that we hadn’t quite had enough travelling adventures and knew that we wanted to see some more of the world before we have a family. We made the decision, jumped and now we live in Amsterdam. We are SO happy here. So happy for you to be heading off on this adventure. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have questions or need advice!
Amazing! I would love to embark on an adventure like this. I’m based in London and love your blog- let me know if you come here and want to organise a run with other London gals! Running along the canals in summer is awesome.
Good luck!
Thanks Becky!