3 Reasons Our Family Moved Out Of the US (& You Should Too)

Yes, I said it. We all already know it… 

The US healthcare system is alarmingly broken and incredibly expensive.

Remember that near-death experience I mentioned before? I was actually 35 weeks pregnant and suffered a heart attack. (You can read more about how event this changed our ideas about travel in our origin story here!)

Despite our great healthcare coverage, I was transferred to a hospital out of network (nobody wanted to admit a pregnant lady having a heart attack!) and it wasn’t long before the medical bills started rolling in.

Suddenly, all of the news articles we’d read about people losing their entire livelihoods over a health-related incident that left them broke and bankrupt became all too true.

Living in the US is like rolling the dice and praying that maybe, just maybe, today won’t involve any completely unpredictable accidents that turn your life upside down.

Things are much different living in Europe, however. 

In fact, better healthcare became our primary motivation to move out of the US. And it’s not just our family, either! The idea of moving out of the country to gain access to better health services has been gaining steam.

According to the US International Trade Commission, at least 150,000-320,000 people travel outside of the US for medical tourism each year! Medical tourism is traveling to another country for better and/or more affordable medical services like surgeries or for easier access to specialists.

So what’s healthcare like here in Spain? 

Our healthcare coverage is 100% inclusive. We don’t have co-pays. There are no bills that come in the mail after an unexpected visit to the ER.

We pay a set fee monthly, and everything else is covered for our entire family of 7, for less than 500 euros per month. (See the health insurance we got for our visa!)

Once you live in Europe for long enough, you can even apply for permanent residency and get healthcare covered for FREE. Yes… entirely and completely for FREE. Prescriptions, although not free, are also insanely affordable compared to the US. 

There are no $700 epipens in Europe. And insulin can cost as little as $5-10 bucks!! If that’s not a motivator for moving out of the United States, I don’t know what is. 

Now, to be honest, we didn’t realize education quality would be a big bonus for moving out of America. We found that out AFTER we moved. It actually turned out to be one of the BEST reasons for moving abroad with children that we’ve experience so far!

Hear me out on this…

While I know that not every country has a great education system, there are quite a few countries (including the majority of Europe) that have far surpassed the United States in the quality of education.

We were so surprised when we enrolled our children in Spanish public schools and learned that they DON’T take multiple choice tests!

Most of the kids’ school tests are fill-in-the-blank or essay form tests.

This means that the kids need to actually KNOW and UNDERSTAND the things they are learning each day.

(Can you imagine a country with doctors, engineers, and teachers who never saw a scantron? Who actually had to RETAIN all of the information they learned?! Talk about a great reason to move out of the US!)

But it’s not all about the testing…

There are a lot of other reasons the schools are better as well. Many European countries have a great balance between learning and play. This gives kids more opportunities to absorb information in a fun and engaging way.

But most of all, the way that teachers and school staff have helped our children in a kind and compassionate way has given our kids an experience that can never be duplicated. 

They’ve learned to overcome the challenge of adapting to a new culture with love, patience, and encouragement from teachers who were dedicated and supportive. I was so excited to see how amazing the teachers were at helping our kids adjust to moving outside of the US, adapt to their new surroundings and learn a new language!

This is a big difference from the school systems in America. Our US teachers are often underfunded, overworked, exhausted and burned out. 

Even the best of teachers are leaving the profession in droves, because they are paid pennies for such an important (and stressful) job.

Side note: there are MANY teach-abroad programs for teachers wondering how to move out of the US.

I know, I know, this sounds like 2 reasons to move out of the US. But BOTH of these issues are plaguing our bigger American cities. And BOTH create an unhealthy and downright dangerous environment for our children.

Many European cities have far lower crime rates, fresher foods, and more regulations on chemicals and additives, making them healthier in general. Not to mention advancements in the energy industries to curb pollution and improve quality of life.

What you end up with is a greener, cleaner lifestyle and much lower stress levels.

Add to this the fact that most of the crime in European cities is petty crime like theft, it really starts to build a stark contrast. As a mom with 4 girls, this was a great motivator for researching how to leave America.

Coming back to the subject of food for a minute, let’s talk about produce. FRESH foods.

After moving out of the country to live in Spain, we discovered that our produce only lasted a few days. At first, this was really frustrating. Until we learned that most people here shop every day or two, and that the produce is grown in significantly better conditions with WAY less chemicals involved. 

Not only is the food better for you, it’s flavorful in a way I cannot even describe. It’s also WAY cheaper to eat healthy, good quality food! 

I still remember clearly the first time we went grocery shopping after our move out of the US. There was an entire bag of granny smith apples for just a couple of euros! There was even an entire 2lb flat of strawberries on sale for 2 euros. I was amazed.

Even after living in Spain for several years now, I still get excited to have a constant rotation of blueberries, avocados, and other fresh fruits and veg for my kids to snack on.

And just in case I still haven’t convinced you to consider a move out of the US yet, let’s talk about GREENERY.

Right now, we live in Valencia, Spain, which was awarded the Green Capital of Europe. We walk through the central park (called the Turia) almost every day. AND we only use a car once or twice a month. (Most people don’t even need a car here!)

Our lifestyle is far more active while also being much more relaxing and rewarding than ever before. 

This means that our move out of the US has also extended our life spans. (Hello, Mediterranean diet!) 

I haven’t even mentioned the accessibility to travel that we get to enjoy here! We’ve vacationed in multiple countries on a VERY reasonable budget! This is partly due to our reduced cost of living here, and partly because we’re just so close to everything!

And I know, I know, at this point I’m just rambling. I just get so excited when I start talking about all of the benefits for moving out of the country that our family has experienced!

Already convinced? Check out our post about planning to move abroad with family in 8 steps here!

Final Thoughts About Moving Outside of the US

There are a LOT more reasons I could list to convince you that moving outside of the US is an amazing opportunity. 

But I remember those first few days of considering our own move abroad with family! The idea of such a big change was scary. We didn’t want to leave our home, our family, or our friends.

Luckily, though, we took the leap despite our fears, and we have never looked back. It hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows. But our futures here have been brighter than ever! I can’t wait to see why my children grow up to be in this new, beautiful world abroad.

If you’d like to see more posts about HOW to move out of the US or leaving the United States permanently, please comment below! (And don’t forget to grab our FREE visa preparation spreadsheet!)

I want our blog to be as helpful as possible with ALL of the best information about moving abroad, living abroad, family travel and everything in between! Until then, catch you in the next post!