How we ended up living in a tiny French village with a Baguette vending machine

The American Dream…or Not.

2015 – We adored our daughter, lived in a beautiful home, drove two nice cars, and held two well-paying careers; we embodied the American Dream.

But one day, we recognized this dream wasn’t ours. The 90-minute commute, the nights and weekends filled with errands, yardwork, birthdays, sporting events, and various kids activities left us tired and unfulfilled.

We didn’t see our parents as often as we wished. We watched our daughter’s childhood flash by, fearing we might let precious moments slip away while keeping up with the pace of the busy American lifestyle we had created. 

One night, a spreadsheet and a bottle of wine in hand, we formulated a plan. We decided to take a year off to slow travel when our daughter turned 11 and finished elementary school. We had time, but we understood this plan required significant lifestyle changes.

Bold Changes We’ve Never Regretted

We sold our house and one of our cars, gave away or sold 50% of our possessions, paid off all our debt, and relocated to a small apartment with a pool located on Jason’s office bus route.

Raina left her job as a Registered Nurse to concentrate on a career change and to spend more quality time with Rose before her school years began. We used our newfound time at the pool, playgrounds, the fantastic Houston Zoo, a few extra Astros baseball games, and world-class museums around the city.

From that point on, we initiated an annual review of our lives.

We questioned what brought us joy, what we wanted more and less of, what our priorities were that year, and whether we were financially on track for our travel year or if we had strayed a bit.

As years went by, we made adjustments and gradually moved towards our goal. Over time, we recognized our love for the outdoors and understood that Houston, despite its charms, would never offer us the outdoor experience we craved.

Anyone who’s been there and nearly died of heat stroke packing the car for Thanksgiving in November understands why. 😂 Love to all our family and friends in Texas eating delicious Tex-Mex and sweating it out! 

We relocated to Boulder County, Colorado during the pandemic, where Raina’s unicorn brother pictured above already lived. 

By that time, Raina had earned multiple certifications and started a business in life and leadership coaching for business owners seeking to reclaim their lives.

Simultaneously, Jason felt burnout creeping in from his 15-year leadership role and made the tough decision to resign. The pay structure and succession path might have allowed him to retire in 5 to 7 more years, but he knew it was time to leave. Sometimes, the right decision doesn’t always look right on paper.

With Rose finishing elementary school, Jason freed from his job, and Raina’s business growing, we realized we were facing the moment we had planned for. Yet, we still had to make the decision to go for it. It was a mix of fear and exhilaration. So much unknown!

The French Dream Realized – And What Made Us Start This Site

After some research, we found out that Raina was eligible for a Professions Liberal Visa, which would allow her to work in France. We also discovered that living in Southwest France would cost us half of what we spent in Colorado. Suddenly, the dream of traveling for a year seemed more reasonable than not.

We decided to relocate to France for a year and see how things unfolded. We knew it was now or (probably) never.

Most information we found catered to childless, wandering digital nomads or young families who world-schooled. But that wasn’t us. Where was the information for families in our situation?

We had a school-aged child. We wanted to travel but also have a home base where we could have some routines, connect with a local community, immerse ourselves in the culture, learn the language, and legally run a business in France.

We’ve launched this site and our YouTube channel to share our experiences, the hidden gems of France, what we’ve learned, and aspects of the lifestyle you can enjoy without leaving home.

Thank you for being here. We hope you’ll join us on this journey!