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The honest guide to moving abroad — from someone who actually did it.
I left Chicago at 42 and moved to Chania, Crete. No husband, no job transfer, no relocation package. Just me, my dog, and a stack of bureaucracy I had to figure out the hard way.
This is the guide I wish I had.
70 pages, no fluff, no influencer “follow your dreams” energy. Just the actual frameworks, decisions, and order-of-operations that move you from “I want to” to “I live here now.”
What's inside:
The visa landscape — including citizenship-by-descent, digital nomad, retirement, and student pathways
Finances before, during, and after the move (banking, taxes, multi-currency accounts)
The logistics nobody warns you about - phone, healthcare, address registration, shipping vs. selling
Moving with pets (yes, your dog can come
How to find your community without getting stuck in the expat bubble
The emotional side — what reinvention actually feels like at 35, 40, 50+
My exact playbook: what I did, in what order, and what I'd do differentlyWHO THIS IS FOR: You’re seriously considering a move. You’re done romanticizing it and ready for the spreadsheet. You want a real person’s experience, not a Pinterest board.
Written by Nicole Shubalis. Former Chicago chef, now writing from a balcony in Greece. 🇬🇷
The honest guide to moving abroad — from someone who actually did it.
I left Chicago at 42 and moved to Chania, Crete. No husband, no job transfer, no relocation package. Just me, my dog, and a stack of bureaucracy I had to figure out the hard way.
This is the guide I wish I had.
70 pages, no fluff, no influencer “follow your dreams” energy. Just the actual frameworks, decisions, and order-of-operations that move you from “I want to” to “I live here now.”
What's inside:
The visa landscape — including citizenship-by-descent, digital nomad, retirement, and student pathways
Finances before, during, and after the move (banking, taxes, multi-currency accounts)
The logistics nobody warns you about - phone, healthcare, address registration, shipping vs. selling
Moving with pets (yes, your dog can come
How to find your community without getting stuck in the expat bubble
The emotional side — what reinvention actually feels like at 35, 40, 50+
My exact playbook: what I did, in what order, and what I'd do differentlyWHO THIS IS FOR: You’re seriously considering a move. You’re done romanticizing it and ready for the spreadsheet. You want a real person’s experience, not a Pinterest board.
Written by Nicole Shubalis. Former Chicago chef, now writing from a balcony in Greece. 🇬🇷