Starting Your Journey

Moving Abroad? 5 Best places to move with kids

Moving Abroad? 5 Best places to move with kids

Last updated: October 26, 2026. This update clarifies selected Singapore import and language information; the family’s relocation reflections remain historical. It does not assess individual visa eligibility. Date information added October 28, 2026.

First published August 11, 2019. This article records places our family was considering at that point in our travels; it is not a current ranking, cost guide, or immigration guide.

Thanks to our IG followers for voting this week on the blog post! Sometimes, I need a little inspiration on what to put to paper for the week, so I appreciate the votes and love that you all are interested in our hopes of moving abroad! (If you haven’t already followed us and seen our stories, be sure to! @7wayfinders)

I’m never sure how much people would be interested in the topics that plague us and consume most of our free thoughts: Where will this journey end? When will it end? What will life look like on the other side of this travel rainbow? Are we moving abroad?

*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Opinions shared are my own, and I only endorse products I support. By clicking on any of the links below, I may get a small commission if you purchase at absolutely no additional charge to you. I appreciate your support.*

Our original family video: Kauai: A Great Place to Raise a Family.

When we left on this worldwide moving abroad adventure, we tried our best to detach from our previous life as much as possible. We sold our house and our cars and got rid of as much as we could (OK, I could) emotionally part with. It was tough, I’m not going to lie. Packing up your life and not knowing when, if ever, you might see it again is no joke. It’s hard enough to leave the people and places you know as love. I had to hold onto a few possessions, even though they just sit and cost us money each month in the meantime. We may never really see or use them again anyway if we were to actually go forward with moving abroad.

Is that a real possibility? To settle ANYWHERE in the world? If you’d asked us 14 months ago when we left, I’d say definitely not. Now? I’d say most definitely. I dream of it constantly. How would it really be, though? What about all the little details I can’t anticipate? I’m not sure.

I will say the longing for home has started to begin for us. The inkling to settle down is growing, month by month. We all love the adventure of it still and don’t want to stop, but the driving hunger to get out of our life and see something new is tampering. Like a dying fire, we are learning from the remaining coals what holds value for us. What still drives us, and when will it be time to stop?

We are in a strange place in our lives because we don’t know where home is. Pretty much anyone you meet can give you an answer about where home is. It’s sort of a basic part of human nature, right? You always know where you can go back to if things get to be too much. We don’t really feel that anymore in any one place, and it is a little uncomfortable. We are itching to have a place to call that again.

As we ponder and discuss the future, nearly daily, certainly weekly, we dream about the following places. We have much left to explore, specifically Europe (since we don’t plan to settle in Africa or Central or South America). Our list will likely expand a bit with European possibilities, but after nearly a month in Portugal, I can already see how much easier it will be to see our life in Europe over our time in Asia.

1. Kauai, Hawaii. This was our first stop outside the continental U.S., a place we had never been to or heard much about beyond the usual “IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL!” It lived up to its reputation. Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands and felt remote to us. We loved its lushness. The road does not circle the whole island because of the Nā Pali Coast, which we found magical. Beauty alone would not be enough to make it our “forever” home; we see beauty in cities, wine country, lakes, and rivers, and appreciate how different places can be beautiful.

Why, after nearly a year, did we find our hearts drawn back to this island? For me, it was the people and the culture. I loved the idea of a more relaxed kind of outdoor parenting. I imagined my boys playing in mud, surfing, and hiking, then returning covered in dirt, saltwater, or whatever they had found outside. My girls had a different kind of energy. In our little townhome Airbnb, our kids made friends with neighbors and spent hours in the small courtyard chasing chickens, picking fruit, playing games, and enjoying sudden rain showers.

We received serious backlash for a few things we shared on social media. I had mixed feelings about it, but I understood why residents might want special places kept quiet.

What do I worry with Kauai?

• The smallness of it. Would we get island fever? Would it start to feel too small?
• The expense of having to fly out of there anytime we traveled. Travel will never be a stranger to us (I hope), so planning out what airport will serve us is a real concern.
• A few conversations gave me pause. I spoke with people, especially young men who were not Hawaiian but had grown up there, who told me they had been picked on or even beaten up by local people. Those stories worried me as I thought about where our children might grow up.
• Overall lack of amenities. We’ve been to some of the biggest cities in the world and LOVED all there is to see and do. Would the magical nature of Hawaii weigh these kinds of amenities out?
• Expense. Food and property costs were concerns for us when we considered living there during our 2019 travels.

2. Singapore was what we called “Asia Light”, a gentle introduction to Asia for our family. English is one of Singapore’s four official languages, along with Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil; the Singapore Constitution lists all four. We found Singapore incredibly clean and modern, and it felt very safe to us during our visit. Locals told me stories about a purse left at a restaurant and a stranger helping with a train fare. I’d say the culture felt reserved to me at first, though I imagined people might warm up once you got to know them. That was my impression of Singapore, not of all Asia.

3. Bangkok was one of my favorite cities. I loved the range of things I associated with it: shopping, fine dining, things to do with kids, and cultural experiences. In our experience, restroom customs around flushing paper differed from what we were used to. Street food seemed very affordable to me during our 2019 travels, but that old impression is not a current price guide. I found people warm and welcoming during our visit. I still wasn’t sure whether I would want to live there.

What do we worry about with these two?

Distance from family.   Those flights to Asia are prohibitive both for time and money.

Singapore felt expensive to us during our visit.

Bangkok felt like a city of contrasts to us, with modern amenities alongside infrastructure we were less used to. At the time, we thought medical services looked promising in both Bangkok and Singapore, but a move would have required us to research health-care access in detail.

Air quality was one of my concerns when we considered Bangkok; current conditions can vary over time.

Singapore’s rules were one of my concerns. Chewing gum is restricted as an import: Singapore Customs’ current list excludes HSA-approved oral dental and medicinal gum. That is an import restriction, not a general ban on chewing gum.

We always worry about friends for the kids, but expat communities are strong, especially in Singapore. 

4. Portugal.  OK, let’s be honest, we are often a bit in love with where we are at the moment.  We are currently in Portugal, so we are a bit biased.  However, we did a good amount of research, and this is a very viable place for us when it comes to Europe. 

What we love and what makes it a good fit:

Chris already speaks the language.  This is our first experience with speaking with locals and it is SO NICE.  A huge appeal for me would be to learn another language (for both me and the kids) and having Chris already do so would be super helpful.

Portugal seemed comparatively affordable to us during our 2019 stay, especially for rent and food. At that point, we expected to keep working remotely in our business, so we were not depending on local employment.

At the time, we wondered whether buying a house above a certain amount could qualify us for Portugal’s Golden Visa. Current AIMA ARI investment guidance excludes investment directed at real estate. I also spoke with an acquaintance whose husband had a job in Spain or Portugal—I can’t remember which. Their family had six-month visas and moved into an apartment expecting the employer would help renew them; when six months came, they were denied. They were out of work and could not return to empty the apartment. That story stayed with me, but it describes one family’s experience, not a rule for every applicant. Those conversations made us think carefully about the uncertainty of moving to another country.

We felt warmly welcomed in Portugal. People we met gently touched our children’s hair or offered sweets and hugs. We were invited to big dinners three times and welcomed even when the kids ran around and cried. The people hosting us were patient with the children, and that helped me relax.

We loved the Brazilian food we found and the local favorites we tried. Some of the meals we encountered were heavy on dairy and meat, and we also found gluten-free choices.

We found the landscape stunning. The beaches were long and beautiful, and we loved the wine country. Peneda-Gerês is Portugal’s only national park; Visit Portugal describes its waterfalls and medieval castles. During our stay, the weather reminded me of Southern California. It was enough for us to fall in love 🙂

What do we worry about?

Petty theft, such as pickpocketing, was one of our concerns when we thought about living in Portugal.

Porto is stunning, but we aren’t sure if it is a “enough” city for our craving.  It is so charming, but does it have enough variety?

Medical care.  This is important to consider when moving abroad. I don’t know enough about this to weigh in.  We did pop into an ER downtown Porto and were shocked to see the wait time, probably around 4 hours, just to be seen.  This was a one-time thing, but it gave me a little pause.

Schools.  The forever question of what to do about school. Part of me wondered whether a year in school might help the kids build Portuguese, but I knew we could not assume a particular learning timeline. We also felt uneasy about getting tied to a school calendar again. Starting over in a new language and place could be difficult, and I worried that the kids might feel lonely or isolated for a while.

5. New Zealand. We hadn’t been there yet, but conversations with people had made us excited about the landscape, people, and culture. We were eager to visit, while knowing that our likes and dislikes would have to wait until we actually made it there. At the time, we were considering it as a possible final stop before choosing a place to settle.

Familiarity and Comfort. Colorado or Utah.  These are the closest things we have to “home” when we think of it.  I’ll be honest with you… I’d be nervous to go back.  We have changed so drastically, and these places have not.   I’m afraid we wouldn’t fit in anymore.  This may be totally unfounded, or it may be legitimately hard to try to find something we had before. Which is why I often lean towards moving abroad.  I will also put a small plug-in for Portland just because I fell madly in love with it 🙂 . Chris doesn’t think he could handle the weather, which is a big concern.

So how will we pick somewhere?  To be honest, we don’t know!  We hope that inspiration and prayer will make this choice clear to us someday.  I know that we are all so hungry for friends that whatever place we pick first will likely be our home forever.  Which is why we are carefully weighing our options for moving abroad. No place will be perfect and no place will check all the boxes.  People are what make a place a home.  As soon as we all make friends, we will be set.

We have toyed with the idea of doing a “Phase 2” of trying on these locations for six months at a time, before settling on a permanent location for moving abroad.  This would give us a good sense of what it would be like to live there.  However, I think it is unreasonable.  I think we will settle wherever we land first and find a new happiness we won’t want to leave soon.

There is a real joy and value in being able to pick your next home from the entire world, as well as a big weight and overwhelming choice.  Moving abroad is an opportunity we know we are blessed to have. No matter what, I’m so glad we have the opportunity to pair our life down to the basics and see what actually matters to us.  What do we care about the most?  We know we want to be careful about what we let into our future life, especially obligation-wise.  The freedom of our current existence is intoxicating and not something we want to hand over lightly.  We really only lack real connections- connections to family, friends, and the community.  This is the toll taken by full-time travel and it will need to be remedied.

Of our choices, what would be your pick if you were moving abroad?!  I’d love to hear!

XOXO,

Leslie

Additional Reading

What Mom Should Pack for Full-Time Travel

7 Wayfinder’s Full-Time Travel FAQs

How Full-Time Travel Has Changed Me