Your move. For real this time.

Abroad AF

Stop researching. Stop waiting. Start actually moving.

👩
Who's behind this?
3 international moves. 12 years. No BS.
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Tool 1 — Free

Find Your Real Match

Not the country you're romanticizing. The one you can actually get into.

Got it — we'll show you what income you'd need instead.

All sources: salary, freelance, rental, retirement, etc.

Be honest. This is just between you and the app.

👆 Pick your job situation to continue.
👆 Tell us who's moving with you.
👆 What's happening with your stuff? Pick one.

Tool 2 — Full Access

Your Move
Roadmap

Every task. Every deadline. Nothing missing.

👆 Pick a target move date so we can backdate your tasks.

Tool 3 — Full Access

Your Move
Budget

Project your Leave costs free. Unlock to track actuals, store receipts, and manage Land + Live budgets.

Fetching live exchange rate...

✈️ Leave
$0
$0 actual
🏠 Land
$0
$0 actual
📅 Live
$0/mo
$0 actual
Free

Project your Leave costs — visa fees, apostilles, legal. Enter your projections free.

One-time costs when you arrive — flights, deposits, temp housing, setup fees.

Set your monthly budget plan, then log what you actually spend each month.

👩
Hi. I'm the one
who actually did it.
3 international moves · 12 years abroad · still going

My actual story

I've moved abroad three times in 12 years — and I grew up moving with the military, so I'm not new to this. I know what the process actually feels like from the inside, not from a blog post written by someone who moved to Bali for three months.

My first international move was to Basel, Switzerland in 2013 — with my husband, two cats, and less than $2,000 in the bank. We borrowed money from family to cover the rental deposit. It was tight. We figured it out.

Then Vienna, Austria in 2018 with a baby and no job lined up. Then Luzern, Switzerland in December 2020 — in the middle of the second COVID lockdown — with a job offer in hand.

Three different visa situations. Three different financial realities. All of them worked.

2013
Basel, Switzerland — transferred job from NC. Less than $2k in bank. Cats in tow.
2018
Vienna, Austria — family reunification visa. Baby. No job lined up.
2020
Luzern, Switzerland — job offer in hand. Peak COVID lockdown. Still moved.

Why I built Abroad AF

Because I keep watching people get paralyzed by research, fixate on countries that don't match their situation, and convince themselves they need $20,000 before they can even start planning.

None of that is true. You need a plan, the right information, and someone who's been through it to tell you what actually matters — and what doesn't.

I'm not pep-talky about it. I don't think moving abroad is for everyone. But I do think the people who want to do it are more capable of making it happen than they realize.

Part of the AF suite

Abroad AF is part of a product family built for people who are done waiting and ready to actually do the thing.

📋 Only want the roadmap? ↗ 💼 Hireable AF ↗ ✈️ Abroad AF

Resources & FAQ

Real
Answers

The questions everyone asks. Answered without the fluff.

💰 Money myths
Do I really need $20,000 to move abroad? ▼
No. This number gets thrown around constantly and it's not based on reality for most destinations. Mexico's Temporary Resident visa requires ~$1,620/mo income or ~$27k in savings. Portugal's D7 visa just needs ~$1,070/mo. The real number depends entirely on where you're going and what visa you're applying for. I moved to Switzerland with less than $2k in the bank. It was tight, but it was possible because we had a relocation package and a job transfer. Know your actual situation — don't use someone else's round number.
Can I move abroad if I have debt? ▼
Usually yes — with caveats. Student loans don't disappear when you leave. Neither does credit card debt. What changes is that your cost of living in some countries can drop enough that you can actually make progress on debt while living abroad. The countries that require proof of income (not assets) care about your monthly cash flow, not your debt-to-income ratio. Mexico, Portugal, and Spain don't ask about your Chase credit card balance. What they want to know is: can you sustain yourself here without needing to work illegally?
What about taxes? Do I still pay US taxes? ▼
Yes — the US taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where you live. You'll still file a US return every year. However, the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) lets you exclude up to ~$120k/year in foreign earned income from US taxes if you qualify. You may also owe taxes in your new country. This is one area where I strongly recommend getting an expat tax accountant — this is not a DIY situation. The penalties for getting it wrong are significant.
🛂 Visas & legality
Can I just work remotely on a tourist visa? ▼
Technically no — but this is a gray area that varies wildly by country. Germany, France, and Sweden have zero tolerance for this and working without authorization can void your ability to apply for residency. Portugal and Spain have digital nomad visas specifically because they recognized the gray zone and decided to formalize it. Mexico is the most relaxed — enforcement is minimal for remote workers earning in foreign currency. That said: the risk isn't usually deportation, it's that you can't prove legal status if something goes wrong (medical emergency, car accident, etc.). Get the right visa.
How far in advance do I need to start the visa process? ▼
Minimum 3 months. Realistically 6. For some visas, 9–12 months. Germany's freelance visa can take 4–6 months. Portugal and Spain both have backlogs. Appointment availability at consulates in the US can be the bottleneck — some cities have 3-month waits just for the appointment. If you have pets and you're moving to an EU country, you're looking at a minimum of 3–4 months just for the microchip and rabies titer test process. Start earlier than you think you need to.
🐾 Pets
My dog is microchipped. Are we good for Europe? ▼
Probably not. EU countries require an ISO 15-digit microchip. Most US vets implant a 10-digit chip. If your dog has a 10-digit chip, they need a new one — and the rabies titer test has to be done after the new chip is confirmed. The titer test takes about 4 weeks for results, and needs to be done at an EU-approved lab (not all US labs qualify). From start to legal entry into an EU country, you're looking at a minimum of 3–4 months. If you're moving to Sweden, add a tapeworm treatment within 1–5 days of entry for dogs. Mexico is much simpler — your current chip is fine, no titer test needed.
👨‍👩‍👧 Families
Is it harder to move abroad with kids? ▼
More paperwork, yes. Harder overall? Not necessarily. Kids adapt faster than adults — genuinely. The paperwork adds up: school records, vaccinations, custody documentation if applicable, visa applications for each child. The bigger challenge is school placement — international schools can be expensive, local schools require language skills, and the calendars don't always line up. Research schools before you pick your neighborhood, not after. The best neighborhoods for families abroad are often determined by school catchment areas, just like at home.