On that first day that I decided to make the executive decision to become an expat rather than stay in my apartment in LA, two things were at the forefront of my brain.
One was how the hellI was going to pack my entire apartment in less than three weeks. Two was how I was going to get the only actual possession I have that I care about to my mom…my dog, Oscar. I immediately called her to see if she could come to LA from Florida last minute.
She of course dropped everything and opened her schedule to come. She’s the best parent in the world like that. So I used all of my Chase reward points to get her a roundtrip flight (would have been $600).
Turns out the weekend was more fun than productive, but I’m happy to at least have gotten Oscar to his second home in Florida safely and last minute. That being said, there’s a lot of wine-drinking and me crying in this episode!
But I promise there’s informative parts as well! Such as:
- Mom’s opinion on my moving and moving in with a boyfriend
- Best cell provider for expat life (and worst)
- Foreign Real Estate investing conversation with a luxury realtor
- How to decide what to store, trash, or give to someone you trust
- What it’s like giving up things you love and are comfortable with to chase your dreams
- Which companies I use to store my things and my car (see below!
So without further ado, here is Episode 2! (I know it’s long but if you’re binge-watching Netflix, please squeeze me in to one of your time slots!!!)
Information on places or companies I mention in this episode:
Favorite Restaurants in order they appear:
- Rooftop at Dream Hotel, Hollywood
- The BLVD at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills
- Villa Blanca, Beverly Hills
- PUMP, West Hollywood
Companies I Used for Storage:
- Clutter: $135/month for about 20 boxes of storage! Plus free movers for 2 hours, boxes, and 2 pick up and delivery of boxes per month! GET $100 OFF use this code: RJDRTN
- Car Storage: Spot Hero app monthly parking ($150/month for covered parking garage)
And now my usual sob story: I am not profiting from making these videos! I am doing them because I want to show you the process of taking the leap to fulfill your dream of moving abroad and because I like creative projects! If you enjoy my content and/or appreciate my hustle, PLLEASSEEE share my content, peruse my website (I get ad revenue just for you clicking around!), and leave me some comment love on here and social media!! My gratitude is enormous for those of you who do!!!!
Love these Project Expat videos!! It’s cool to see the behind the scenes of what it takes to move to a new country. I honestly had to look away though when you were leaving Oscar because it made me cry to! Leaving my kids (dog + cat) is the hardest thing to do before going away for a long time, so I totally feel ya.
Awww yeah I can definitely relate!!!
So excited to follow along with you in the process! I’m interested to see how you are getting around Visa’s while living in Spain! Unfortunately, we have limited internet right now, and can’t be watching youtube videos or movies, but once we are out of our limited internet when the world opens back up, I’ll be binging your channel!! Excited for you and this new adventure!
Thank ya Heather! I got my visa extended thanks to the lockdown, but will need to go back to the US to get my non-lucrative visa, so that might be a while!
I’m a travel agent, who because of covid 19 essential lost all my potential income for the foreseeable future. I’m commission based, so I only get paid when people have travelled. I’ve done photo editing as a hobby, mostly making videos for memories of trips, so if you’re still looking for some help please let me know!
Hey Alyssa,
I saw your post on Ig about looking for an editor and I wanted to reach out! I have 12+ of editing experience and experience in producing travel films. I would love to help you create some unique and fun videos for your social media and blogs! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Thanks Nick! I’ll DM you!
Hey Alyssa! I saw your post on ig about needing an editor and wanted to reach out! I have 12+ years of editing experience and experience as a travel filmmaker. I would love to help you create some unique and fun videos for your social media and blog! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Saw you were looking for a video editor. I’ve done a bit of editing, and now being stuck at home with not much to do would be up for it.