How to Move Abroad: Your Guide to Start Living Abroad

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Podcast by Mistelle Godlewski - Move Abroad Expert

How to Move Abroad: Your Guide to Start Living Abroad

Welcome to How to Move Abroad (because Google is not a plan) — the podcast for Americans who are done “considering it” and ready to actually make the move happen. I’m Mistelle. I’ve moved abroad three times, I don’t have a magic second passport, and I’m not here to sell you a fantasy life on a cobblestone street. We’re talking the stuff that actually decides whether you can move: visas, budgets, timelines, jobs, kids, healthcare, paperwork, and the emotional chaos that shows up the second you try to do this with a partner (or a bank account that’s already tired). If you’ve been doom-googling, panic-saving Reels, and ending every research session with “well… that was horrifying,” you’re in the right place. Because moving abroad isn’t a vibe. It’s a project. And I’m here to help you build a plan that works in your real life.
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Latest episodes

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01 June 2026

What Healthcare Actually Looks Like When You Move Abroad

I had cancer at thirty. I've navigated healthcare in two countries with that history, including a high-risk pregnancy in Switzerland that cost me nothing beyond my regular insurance premium.

This week I'm talking about what healthcare in Europe actually looks like — how most of Europe's systems work for legal residents, what makes Switzerland different, whether doctors speak English, and what to do about the gap between leaving your American coverage and getting onto a new system.

Also: if you've been telling yourself you can't move abroad because of your health situation — please listen to this one before you make that call. It might not be the barrier you think it is.

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25 May 2026

You Left America. Your Vote Still Counts

Here's the thing nobody says clearly enough: moving abroad is not opting out. You still file US taxes. You still carry that passport and get the face when someone finds out you're American. You still feel the dollar losing value in your actual bank account. You are still affected by what happens there.

This week I'm making the case for why your vote matters more from abroad than you might think ... and why five million Americans living outside the US not voting is one of the most quietly consequential political facts nobody talks about.

FVAP.gov — official government resource for overseas voters

Democrats Abroad

Republicans Overseas

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13:05

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18 May 2026

American Moving Abroad? The IRS Is Coming With You. Here's What That Means

Nobody wants to talk about taxes. Until the IRS sends them a letter, at which point everybody wants to talk about taxes very urgently.

This week I'm giving you the heads up before that happens. The basics of what Americans abroad actually need to know about US taxes — why you still have to file even when you live somewhere else, why you probably won't owe anything, what FBAR is and why the penalties for missing it are genuinely alarming, and what to do about your state taxes before you leave.

This is not tax advice. I am not a tax professional and I will tell you approximately forty times in this episode to hire one. But this is the awareness conversation that nobody is having clearly enough in the move abroad space and you deserve to know this stuff before it becomes a problem.

Important disclaimer: This episode is general awareness only. Please consult a qualified expat tax professional for advice specific to your situation.

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11 May 2026

Going Back to School Abroad at 30, 40, or 50: The Moving Abroad Visa Strategy Nobody Talks About

Someone I know just got accepted into a Master's program in France. She's in her thirties. She's moving in September. And she is not doing this because she couldn't think of anything else — she's doing it because it is one of the smartest moves I've seen someone make in a long time.

This week I'm making the case for the student visa as a legitimate, strategic, completely underrated pathway for adults who want to move abroad. We're talking about what a student visa actually gives you, why earning a local degree dramatically changes your job prospects in that country, why you are not too old for this, and the practical things you need to research if you want to take this seriously.

Also: why the nineteen year old with the lanyard who lives in your imagination is not relevant to this conversation and needs to be evicted immediately.

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04 May 2026

You've Done Everything Right. So Why Aren't You Moving Abroad Yet?

This one is for the person who has been doing the work. Really doing it — hiring coaches, rewriting the resume, applying and applying and applying — and still not moving.

This week I'm talking about what's actually happening when the job-first strategy isn't working, why the problem is sometimes structural and not personal, and the questions worth sitting with honestly when you've been at this long enough that the effort and the results have completely stopped matching.

Also: the thing career coaches often don't say, why being on the ground changes everything, and why your first move doesn't have to be your forever move.

This is not a pep talk. It's a real conversation with someone who has been doing everything right and deserves an honest answer about why it might not be working.

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27 April 2026

Schools Abroad: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before We Moved

My daughter has been in schools in two countries across three different systems — a bilingual Swedish-German private school in Vienna, a German-English bilingual private school in Switzerland, and next year the local Swiss public school. Every single one of those decisions was made deliberately, for specific reasons, with real trade-offs.

This week I'm talking about what I actually learned navigating school systems abroad — the real cost of international school versus local school, what the Swiss tracking system at grade six means and why it matters more than most expat content will tell you, and the questions you actually need to ask about your destination's school system before you move.

Also: what gifted identification in Austria taught us about Swiss education policy, and why we're moving our daughter to local school before sixth grade on purpose.

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