True Story: We quit our corporate jobs, sold our house, and moved to a village in Spain

Dropped out of the rat race
Do you ever want to run away – even though you’re (allegedly) an adult? I think a lot of us fantasize about a shedding the B.S. of modern life and starting again in a life that’s cheaper, easier and more in tune with who we are.

Betsy and Warren actually did it

Tell us a bit about yourselves!
I (Betsy) am 45 and Warren is 44, a difference he never lets me forget. We are avid hikers and you can find us walking the hills around our village in Spain every day. A few times a year we pack up the tent and head out for longer hikes around the world. This summer we’ll be in the Pyrenees for 3 months, something we have been looking forward to all winter!

As for work, we are the co-hosts of An Uncluttered Life, a podcast and website for busy people who want to create more time, space, money, and energy in their hectic lives. Learning to let go of what wasn’t working in our lives has allowed us to achieve what does, and we teach other people how to do the same through our podcast, weekly free guides, courses, and books.

What did your lives look like 10 years ago?
Ten years ago we were overweight, overworked, overspent, and on the verge of divorce. We were living in the suburbs of Boston, traveling every week for work, and trying to maintain a home that was too big and expensive for us to manage. We were exhausted, and it showed.

Did you have a specific ‘aha’ moment that led you to reconsider the lives you were leading?
I was flying west for a training session, and Warren was flying back home to Boston after a work trip to California. We met up at the Denver International Airport for the saddest date in history. It was there that we finally admitted we were at rock bottom, totally out of control of what we were doing and not enjoying a minute of it.

I can’t imagine that totally transforming your life is something that happens over night. How long did it take to get from where you were to where you are now?
When we were both back home in Boston, we sat down at the table and asked each other if we wanted to try to make this work. When we both agreed, we then asked what we were going to change to make that happen. Change for us meant letting go because there was absolutely no room to add anything new.

Once we started letting go, doors opened to opportunities we wanted. Within a few months, we moved to Seattle, took jobs that fit better within our lifestyle goals, made new friends, and reconnected with life and each other. And a few years later, when another idea bubbled to the surface to travel the world, we were in a place to make that happen.

After saving and downsizing for 2 years, we left in 2010 with just 2 backpacks and traveled the world for 4 years. In 2014, we bought a house in Spain, and that’s where we live today.

What were the first steps you took?
The first step was making a list of everything that wasn’t working in our lives: long commutes, business travel, no time for each other, nonexistent social life, debt, Boston winters, etc. Making this list felt like losing 10 pounds! And afterward, when we started eliminating those things on our list? We felt more in control than we ever had before.

There was no dream or goal out of reach, because we’d discovered the secret: it isn’t what you add to your life that makes it great; it’s what you take away.

What changes did you make career-wise in order to make this new life possible?
When we left on our travels in 2010, we planned not to work, just to share our journey on the blog until the money ran out! But the blog took off, and people kept asking us questions about our process. How did we do it? How did we do it as a couple, especially.

We started writing e-books, which turned into regular books, which turned into a podcast, which turned into e-courses. The business has grown by reader demand, and as we’ve turned the same focus to our business as we did our life, we’ve been able to create some powerful tools for other people who want to clear away the excess in their lives to achieve something different.

How did the people in your life react to the changes you’ve made?
At first, they were a little doubtful we’d do it, but since we documented it all from the first day on our website, people sort of grew into the idea with us. They had 25 months to watch us save money, downsize, and sell our house, and then they watched as we encountered political coup attempts, erupting volcanoes, storms at sea, and thousands of less dramatic experiences.

People feel like they know us because we’ve been so open sharing our lessons and insights from constant togetherness, growing a business, and adjusting to life in a new country when you don’t know the rules.

We’re still in touch with many of our old friends (some of whom have been to our house in Spain!), and we’re lucky to have made many new friends in the last few years.

These days, you live in a village in Spain. Tell us about that! How did you choose that village? Are you fluent in Spanish?
We came to this village in December 2013 to housesit. We’d just come off a month-long trek in Turkey, and were looking forward to some quiet time, finishing a book, letting the blisters on our feet heal, and generally soaking up relaxing Spanish lifestyle. Falling in love with the village was never in our plans, but it happened.

We’d been considering buying a small place as an investment for about a year, and we’d looked in various countries without any luck. But this place felt perfect, and within a week, we made an offer on a house. We’ve never even rented it out. It feels too much like home to us, even when we’re away.

What does your day-to-day life look like now?
Today you’ll find us walking every morning at sunrise in the hills around our village. This is where we hash out the day’s projects, work through any problems, or plan new adventures. It is a mental and physical reboot for the day. Then we work in our offices until 2, when we either go out to a sunny cafe terrace, or Warren cooks something delicious. Then we do a little admin after lunch before finishing our day with a glass of wine on the rooftop terrace or going out with friends.

The old us would have never imagined this possible. We accomplish more in fewer hours, have less to distract us, and enjoy plenty of time for exercise and socializing.

dropped out of the rat race interview

dropped out of rat race

What are the trade-offs that come with dropping out of the rat race?
We don’t have a movie theater in our small village. And the only kind of food you can buy is of the Spanish variety. When you choose to live a simple life, there are trade-offs. That’s the thing most people resist when making a big change, the idea that they have to give up some things they may like to get what they love. And they stumble over this.

Do you miss anything about your former life?
We miss our friends though we stay in touch over Skype. We also miss Mexican food. God, do we miss Mexican food.

What are three small things ANY of us could do that would make our lives feel a bit free-er and more authentic?

  1. Create a Stop To-Do list. You are doing a lot of things that don’t fit with your bigger goals, and the sooner you stop doing them, the sooner you’ll get where you want to be. And that is the ultimate freedom!

  2. Say no. If you say yes to invitations, friendships, favors, and more because you feel guilty or don’t want to be a jerk, then it’s time to stop. Those emotions are the opposite of freedom, and learning to say No to the wrong things allows you to say YES to more of what you love.

  3. Move your body every day. Exercise and play remind you what freedom feels like, even if you don’t have the level you want every day. Take a 15-minute walk on your lunch break, find an empty conference room and do some yoga stretches midday, or bicycle to work if you live close enough. Those endorphins will carry you through and keep your body in top form to handle your upcoming freedom.

Thanks so much for sharing your story, Betsy and Warren! Do you guys have any questions for them? 

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about how Betsy and Warren made these big changes happen, check out their latest e-course Clarity Clinic!

P.P.S. If you’d like to move abroad but you have kids and it seems impossible – True Story: I moved my family of 6 from Arkansas to Scotland and How to backpack with a toddler.

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16 Comments

  1. Melissa

    This is wonderful! Such a great story to share. Thanks for posting it!

  2. Sarah M

    I love this! I wish my husband could work location independent because I would 100% travel with nothing but a backpack (and, ahem, our two kids) if we could. I love the before/after pics, as well. Not that you both didn’t look happy before, but the second photo (up top) just seems so much more authentic. Best wishes!
    Sarah M

    • Sarah Von Bargen

      Doesn’t it look like they aged backwards?!

      • Warren Talbot

        Not sure if we’re going backwards, but we can honestly say we’ve never had more fun in our lives. The first image is from our wedding day and the second over 10 years later. We’d completely disagree with the old adage that your wedding day will be the happiest of your life. For us, we always believe our happiest days are in front of us.

  3. Michelle

    This is awesome. What a great story!

  4. Calluna

    How did you just buy a house in Spain and move there? I have been researching different ways to move to Europe and immigration/green card laws are so complicated. It seems like if I were to just up and buy property overseas, they still wouldn’t let me move in… just curious as to how you did it.

    • Anonymous

      I have the same question! Thanks for asking it.

    • Warren Talbot

      Hey Calluna, buying a house in Spain is relatively easy. We paid cash so it sidestepped any of the complexities of mortgages which may make it more complex. You need an NIE (it’s essentially your national ID number which is used for almost everything here) which anyone can obtain.

      However, as you mention buying a house has no bearing on your visa/residency. There are a few different ways you can receive residency in Spain, but the most common would be through the Non-Lucrative Residence Visa. This allows you to stay but NOT work here in Spain. There is a great article here (http://wagonersabroad.com/where-oh-where-is-that-spanish-non-lucrative-resident-visa/) that goes through the process quite nicely.

      Best of luck as you embark on the adventure.

      Warren

      • Calluna

        Thank you very much!

      • Heidi Wagoner

        Congrats to you! How exciting. It is so nice to see others taking the leap into a crazy and incredible life. It is like no other to be in control of your life and just making things happen. Thanks for mentioning us as well. After we took the leap in Aug 2012, we have knowingly and unknowingly helped hundreds move to Spain. So glad you are living the dream! 🙂

  5. Stephanie

    This was a great read- I’m fascinated and jealous and intrigued. And hope to do the same some day. 🙂

  6. Kristen

    Before I even read the post I just looked at the two top photos and thought, “God, they just look so much happier.” Real happy smiles from the eyes. 🙂 This is a fantastic story and just so amazing how it all worked out. Congratulations Betsy and Warren!

  7. Britta

    Great article! I hope it encourages many to at least take the first baby step, and then another, and another … I have given up everything 3 times and am at the point in life when that to-do list needs to be done again! How appropriate I should read this ?

  8. Kaylee

    I’ve listen to Warren and Betsy’s podcast for a while now, but haven’t gotten through all the archive yet so it was fun to read the summary of how they got to where they are and put faces with the voices. And I love the idea of a Stop To Do List!

    • Warren Talbot

      Hey Kaylee, thank you for following us and listening to the podcast. We truly appreciate you and always happy when we can share more of our story to inspire others to create an uncluttered life.

  9. Jessica

    Wonderful article. As others have said, Betsy and Warren look like they’re really happy and not faking it like so many other people still in the rat race. Their words of sacrifice for the things you want are very inspiring. I’m practically in my mid-20s (turning 25 this year) and I realized for a while now that my life isn’t going anywhere. I’m estranged from most of my family and friends, most of whom don’t like me anyway. I want to get as far away from Baltimore as I possibly can only returning briefly once my dad pass away. With me, I have an idea on what to do sometimes I just don’t know how to implement it. But, I’m definitely down with the sacrifices. I don’t have much as it is.

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