Hi there!
If you’ve ever looked at someone living abroad and thought “I wish I could do that but I can’t afford to”, hi, you’ve found your place. Because I used to think exactly the same thing.
My name is Liv. I’m Brazilian born and raised and I left my country at 18 on my own, with very little money, zero connections abroad and absolutely no idea what I was doing. I just knew I wanted to see the world and I’d grown up assuming that was something other people did. Richer people. People with a plan and connections.
Turns out, you don’t need any of those things. You just need a starting point.
Mine was the au pair programme. It sounds small but it changed everything. As an au pair I lived with local families in three different countries, learned three different ways of doing life and slowly built the confidence to keep going. Post au pair, I went back to university, built a career in the music industry, found a home, made a life and eventually got British citizenship. All starting from a girl in Brazil who thought travel was for other people.
I’ve now lived in 4 countries and travelled to nearly 40. And I still can’t walk through a new city without thinking “hmmm, should I move here?”. Do you have this (first world) problem too?
So what is this blog?
This is the resource I wish I’d had at 18. It’s for the person who wants to move abroad but doesn’t know where to start. It’s for the person who travels on a mid-budget and wants to actually experience a place; the food, the neighbourhoods, the culture, not just tick off the landmarks. And it’s for the person who’s already living abroad and is figuring out the rest as they go.
Mostly it’s for you if you believe, like I do, that seeing the world changes you in ways nothing else quite can. That it’s worth the uncertainty, the homesickness, the bureaucracy and the occasional disastrous language barrier moment.
Here you’ll find:
- Travel guides built on first-hand experience, especially across Europe and Brazil
- Moving abroad guides: au pair, digital nomad, visa routes, real talk about what it’s actually like
- London guides from someone who actually lives here; where to eat, what to do, where to stay, how to make it yours
Planning a trip to or move to London? Start here → The Ultimate London Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Plan Your Trip in 2026
A few things about me:
I’m really talkative when I meet people but genuinely quite introverted. I speak Portuguese, English, some Spanish, a little Italian and German which I have been learning for nearly 20 years and remain stubbornly not fluent in. My favourites are reading, hiking, coffee shops, sharing food and good chats with people I love, and going to the cinema alone which I think is deeply underrated.
I hate leaving my house but I love leaving the country. In a past life while studying I worked in retail and I think it should be mandatory for everyone; it would make the world significantly more tolerant (or not tbh…).
Some of my favourite cities are: Edinburgh, Seville, Cádiz, Copenhagen, Rio, Seattle, NYC, Sydney, Stockholm and London.
Now, who are you? How did you end up here? Tell me in the comments, I’d love to know.
2 comments
You mentioned that you used to think living abroad was something only richer people did, and I must say, I’ve had similar thoughts, especially when it comes to affording a place with good weather. I’ve recently returned from a trip to the French coast, where I was struck by the number of beautiful beaches with exceptionally clean water. The parallel between seeking out new experiences and being willing to take the leap to live abroad is something I have been thinking about because, in my case, travelling to new places has always sparked a desire to stay longer and truly immerse myself in the culture. I think what’s important is to start small, like you did with the au pair programme, and be open to new opportunities, even if it means sacrificing some comforts, like paying a bit more for a place with a sunny climate. Now, I wonder, how do you think one’s perception of affordability changes after having spent time living abroad?
Hey Lars, thanks for your comment! I have the same issue: travelling to new places and wanting to stay longer…I wish I could live in so many different countries! Where are you from? Your name indicates Scandinavia where people have much more spending power than Brazil, where I come from, especially because of the strength of the currency. Even after many years of living abroad I think my perception of affordability hasn’t changed that much. My partner is British and we have very different ideas of what’s cheap or expensive 😅 What I find myself worrying about at the moment is a lot of people from richer countries going to countries where too many people can’t afford their lives and making it even more expensive to locals. Many countries and their respective people are struggling with it and I’m not too sure how we can solve this issue. Are you thinking of moving to France or somewhere else?