Family Abroad

READ OUR STORY

Edith and I (Don) have been talking about doing something like this for several years. Our plans have gone through many revisions, including moving to Edith’s hometown in Guanajuato, MX, to moving to Spain or Portugal to deciding to slow travel around the world. I believe that Edith can more accurately pinpoint the moment we decided to stop just talking about moving and actually start the moving process, but I can tell you that it took the death of a close friend to realize just how short life really is. We finally took to heart the words, “tomorrow is not promised”.

So, here we are, just trying to figure everything out one step at a time – which is very unusual for Edith and I as our lives and activities have always been very planned out. And just like the parents, the kids are also undergoing great change. 

Our oldest child, Natalie, is off to college and it tears us apart to be leaving her behind. And while Nathan and Bethany are excited, they are going to miss their family and friends. We have discussed with each other that we should all expect to feel homesick at different times and to expect a range of emotions as we make major changes to both our life and our lifestyle. Basically, we all agreed that “it is ok to not be ok” as we make these huge changes.

“Travel is not Reward for Working,
It’s Education for Living.”
Anthony Bourdain

Bethany learning about the Titanic at the Titanic Museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Nathan learning about WW2 in Dachau, the first concentration camp built by Nazi Germany

OUR FOCUS

We believe that our children will be getting an education that very few people ever experience. Besides classes taught online by teachers with expertise, we will be teaching our children through travel itself. History, geography, social studies, religion, finances, entrepreneurship, and more.

For example, as we travel through Europe, we can learn about WWI and WWII. I look forward to visiting Normandy, France, and showing my children where their great-grandfather landed following D-Day. And when we are in Germany, we will study how Hitler got into power and go to the concentration camp that their great-grandfather helped to liberate. When we go to Thailand, we can learn about Buddhism, in Rome we can go to the Vatican and look at Catholic history and when we go to Turkey, we can learn more about the Muslim faith.

I cannot wait to learn more, along with my children and wife. We all realize that most of our days will be spent doing things we do back home. School & work. This is not a vacation for us, but a way of life.

We are going to be doing this through slow travel. Slow travel is about getting to know a small area better in contrast to seeing a little of a lot of places. The purpose of slow travel is to really experience the people and places – not so much as a tourist – but more as a local. While slow travel can mean different amounts of time for different people, for us it means a month in each country. 

We are hoping that a month will give us a good introduction to each destination and will leave us wanting more. And while slow travel can mean taking the scenic route, it is more about a mindset that reminds us to slow down and enjoy every moment of the adventure.

WHY WE SOLD OUR STUFF TO TRAVEL THE WORLD

Why, was more often than not the answer to our new lifestyle announcement. The response was understandable, after all, it’s hard to imagine the process of dropping everything you got going on to start over in a different country.

We love to travel and this is common knowledge with our friends and family. The idea of “moving” has been in our minds off and on for a few years now. However previously, we have been able to talk ourselves out of the idea. Our reasons for not doing it earlier were: not wanting to move away from family, not having permanent housing, kids’ schools, our business, and money. These “reasons” were more like excuses because the idea of abandoning our current lifestyle was, and still is, scary. 

All these excuses went out the door when we found ourselves living in a pandemic due to COVID in 2020. We were forced to work from home, kids had to attend virtual school, and we were not allowed to visit with family. We slowly adjusted to our new way of life and did our best to keep ourselves and our family safe.

On September 11, 2020, we lost a dear friend of ours due to COVID. Ricardo was like a brother to Don. He was an amazing person and we often joked around that if anything happened to Don, he would have to take care of me and my kids. I never imagined a future without Ricardo. It was hard to lose him so suddenly. He was a Vietnam war veteran and had recently retired after being a very successful criminal defense attorney. His death was like a rude awakening to our new reality. I started thinking about how many times we had planned a trip to my home state in Guanajuato, Mexico with him. And how many times Ricardo talked about traveling back to Vietnam. Neither of those plans ever happened, because life and other things got in the way. This was the deciding factor for me. I didn’t want to look back one day, knowing that the universe had given us the perfect time frame to make this life change happen. I started to get excited about all of the possibilities and for all of the opportunities for our family.

I told Don I was ready to move and this time I was certain of my decision. I asked him to give me time to get mentally prepared to tell my parents and to “detach” from all our physical belongings. By November, I finally got up the courage to tell my 80-year-old dad and 76-year-old mom that we were selling everything and moving abroad. I was very scared of their reaction and even more afraid of feeling guilty about my decision. I was pleasantly surprised with their positive reaction and this gave me the final approval I needed to move forward with our plan.

By January 2021, I started a private group on Facebook with about 70 of our closest friends and family. I told them we had decided to sell everything and move. We didn’t say where we were moving or when. We asked for their support and started posting and selling household items. We had a huge garage sale by the middle of March and our house started to look pretty empty.

I love my small family and the thought of leaving without Natalie breaks my heart. We have a very special bond and moving away while she is finishing college will be very hard for her and me too. We have made plans to have her travel with us every chance she gets.

In May 2021, we listed our house for sale and set our departure date for July the 8th. Our first destination living abroad is San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico for 30 days.

WHERE ARE WE HEADING?

How fitting that our first stop will be in Guanajuato, Mexico. My wife was born and raised in a small “rancho” in Guanajuato and it is one of the most amazing places we have ever visited. Specifically, we are attending a wedding in Guanajuato City and then we are heading over to San Miguel de Allende.

I cannot wait to get there and share with you the natural beauty of colonial Mexico.

After Mexico, we are heading to Europe!! Our first three countries will be England, Ireland, and Scotland. Bethany has been practicing her accents and I am wondering if the world is ready to see me in a kilt (just kidding).

The McClures with Edith’s dad

MEET THE FAMILY

DON

My name is Don and I have been a lawyer in Texas for the past 28 years. Wow – I had to double-check my math because the years have gone by so fast.

I truly feel that I have made an impact in my community and I appreciate the many friendships (many with clients) I have made over all of those years. But, I have to admit, I was not ready to see my office pretty much empty of all furniture. Now, I am working on a small metal table and I’m the only worker in the office where I once had 5 employees. 

For years, I talked with Edith about moving. Sometimes it was about moving to another State, and at other times, it was about moving to Mexico. And occasionally, we would discuss moving to somewhere in Europe.

However, it wasn’t until a few years later that Edith said she was ready. After the death of a lawyer whom I considered a brother, Ricardo Rodriguez, Edith and I realized the truth of the saying that “tomorrow isn’t promised”. The other factor that influenced our decision was the realization that everything I was doing in my practice could be done through the internet. About a year before Covid-19 hit, we invested in fantastic software that allowed my staff to work from anywhere. Also, I realized that the clients were glad that they didn’t have to come to the office and that they could simply text or email us if they had any questions.

I will continue to practice personal injury law no matter where we are located in the world and I am looking forward to serving my clients all over the world. But most of all, I am looking forward to spending time with my wife and kids as we explore the world.

EDITH

I was born in a very small town called La Labor de Valtierra near Salamanca, Guanajuato in Mexico. I came to the USA when I was 13 years old. I have 2 brothers and 4 sisters. I’m the “fun aunt” to most of my nieces and nephews.

I became a US Citizen in 2008 and now I have dual citizenship as a USA/Mexican citizen. I am fluent in English and Spanish. I have an associate’s degree in Business Administration.

I’m all about taking opportunities and trying new things. My work experience includes some retail sales, receptionist, customer service representative, customer service supervisor, bank teller, tax preparer, office manager, accounting, Public Notary, HR, IT, rental property manager, networking, and spokesperson for my husband’s law firm.

I have been a school board member, and a member in a PTO and an HOA. I’m a proud member of Unidos X Amor, a non-profit group that has hosted numerous events to raise money for cancer patients, to help people with financial hardship, and to help pay for funeral expenses.

I also started a Facebook page for my hometown that is the go-to source where people from our community can get information about current events and news from our hometown.

I recently started my affiliate marketing program and I consider myself an upcoming social media influencer, especially on Facebook.

NATHAN

Hi everyone! My name is Nathan McClure. I am from Houston, Texas and have lived here for 15 years.

Ever since I was a little boy, I have traveled to many states and to other countries in Central and North America.

My favorite places I’ve been to are Costa Rica, where I saw baby turtles hatch, and Washington State, where I plan to live in the future. So far, I have lived a very fortunate life, but I am ready to roll the dice on life.

Today, May 31 of 2021, I am getting ready to travel all over the place with my family. As much as it is difficult to leave everything I know and love behind, the world outside of Houston is calling me and I would love to experience everything I don’t know.

I am most excited about Paris because a rat made me fall in love with it.

Some things I love to do are swimming, gaming, socializing, and traveling (obviously). I’m looking forward to this new adventure that I am embarking on and I am hopeful to meet new people and inspire others to do the same.

Thank you for following along on this journey and I am eager to share with y’all my life 🙂

BETHANY

I am pretty sad about leaving my family and cousins behind. I will be sad, but I will have my parents, siblings and Panda Bear to keep me company.

I am excited to see France (DisneyLand) and Germany (Neuschwenstein Castle AKA the Disney Castle), but I am over-the-top excited to see where the Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland as well as the Titanic Belfast Museum.

I love learning about the history of the Titanic. If you see me, be sure to ask me for interesting facts about this ship!

I can’t say that I am excited about school, but I can say that I am looking forward to having more flexibility as to how and when I attend school (3rd grade).

One thing that I am looking forward to doing is going to the places that I am learning about. Not only to learn about the places we visit, but also to learn about the people, culture and traditions of the people we meet.

I currently enjoy playing Roblox and Minecraft. And someday, I hope to have a pet cat!

My biggest accomplishment to date is being born, but I hope someday to become a YouTuber!