We love that this family just up and moved to Spain. They decided seeing their kids on weekends and evenings was not enough. So they quit their jobs and moved abroad with no plan, but just to start living life with their kids. Living The Dream is not always constant travel, Living The Dream can just be a change in environment enough to spark a change within.

Living The Dream: Look Out, It's Addicting

Living The Dream By

Heidi Wagoner

What was the first country you visited? Who with and why did you choose it?  

I want to say it was Mexico for Spring Break in College. Several Sorority Sisters and I took the train from Tijuana to Mazatlan and oh was that an adventure with chickens running around on the train. We chose Mexico because it was cheap, close and had great food. Essential items on a college budget. I want to say it was a total of $300 for 8 days/7 nights. Now keep in mind, this was in the 80's.

When did you start a travel lifestyle? What inspired that change?

I have started it several times in my life. The first in my 20's went backpacking through Mexico and Central America for 6 months with 2 cats, my car and a boyfriend that is so not in any picture anymore.  In my very early 30's I married Alan and he and I lived in London, England for nearly 3 years. Now in my 40's, Alan and I have been living in Spain for a year.

This was all inspired by my 14 month post college job for my Sorority. I was a National Consultant and about every 3-4 days I was in a new place in the US, coaching and helping others. I loved meeting new people and seeing different places in the U.S. I couldn't stop there, the world was waiting for me. I have now been to 35+ countries and keep on going.

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Do you have a base you travel from? Or is it continuous travel? And why do you choose that style?

We live in Southern Spain and travel Europe as much as we can! We are hoping to keep that going and make it last for as long as possible. Since living here, we have also been to Portugal, Gibraltar, Italy, France, Switzerland, Andorra, and Austria.  

We wanted to really immerse ourselves in the culture and language. The kids are now fluent in Spanish and us adults need to be a little more disciplined. We chose this style to keep some sort of routine in our lives. Who knew that routine was to take road trips each month, enjoy a siesta each day, eat dinner at 10 pm and keep the kids up late at night?    

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How do you fund your travel lifestyle? Is it something you do when travelling or are you a saver?  

We have been living off of savings we set aside for about 18 months of living abroad. We are now beginning to make money on line with remote work and advertising for our blog. Hopefully that income will grow and we can extend our travel to something a little more "unlimited". 

If you could tell yourself one tip before you started your travel lifestyle, what would it be?

You can do anything and go anywhere, just stop making excuses and DO IT! Look out, it is  addicting.

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What does 'Living The Dream' mean to you?

Living the dream means we are free and the world is ours to explore, if we choose. We have learned that we don't need to live within the boundaries and ideals that we were raised to live within. We can do what we feel is good for us. We can raise our children with a global mindset and the gift of.culture, diversity and international friends. I know travel isn't for everyone, but living our dream is priceless to us. 

You Can Find Heidi Here -

Website: Wagoners Abroad

Twitter: @wagonersabroad

An American family of 4, living in Spain, embracing the world, sharing our experiences and hoping to inspire.

Reader Comments...

"I respond to every comment by direct private email. I look forward to your feedback" -

Thanks for including us!

Heidi Wagoner Nov 1st, 2013

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