Our Story

We are two long-time friends who have many years of research and varied attempts to move abroad under our belt. Though on a similar path, our journeys have taken very different twists and turns. And while our situations have changed over that time, so has the world.

Resident permits and work visas are much more open and accessible these days. Our mission is to share valuable expat experiences—ours and others—as well as to connect our students with the experts they need to troubleshoot their international move.

We seek to streamline the process so that students can come to decisions faster and with more confidence. We want to help people determine if they are right for the expat lifestyle in general or for the country they’re interested in, and how to prepare themselves for the delights and challenges of a new international location.

If we can compress our many years from our international moves into a shorter timeframe for our students, we've been successful for them!

We know there are many reasons people wish to move abroad, from just wanting to be in an exciting new location, to needing access to cheaper living and healthcare costs, to being tired of politics and the atmosphere at home, and even just needing a fresh start altogether! We embrace and support everyone's goals and are ready to help with those in mind.

Meet our co-founders

Living Abroad Academy LLC

“Since my early 20s, I’ve been a nomad, always moving to explore new places. I’ve lived in 13 states and traveled to 43. In 2016 I was able to make the jump and begin exploring internationally as a newly minted empty nester and digital marketing nomad. I’m literally able to choose where I live, and while that all sounds free and easy, there were still many complicating factors that kept me from choosing any one place.

Between periodic employment for others (as opposed to being self-employed) and having to return twice to the states to help my daughter through illness, I’ve researched and experienced the possibility of living in Vietnam, Thailand, Portugal, the UK, and now, The Netherlands.

Last year I spent 7 months traveling throughout Western Europe while taking a sabbatical from work. I took various trainings and retreats to help me better define how I want to spend the final act of my life. I’ve spent the first part of this year planning and setting things up to acquire a permanent residency in the EU.

There are a myriad of reasons why I began looking for places to live outside of the US, but Quality of Life sums it all up best. I’m able to breath and enjoy myself while living a more active (i.e. walkable) lifestyle. So many aspects of life in the US is under considerable pressure. I simply don’t want to expend my energy trying to ignore or better navigate that environment when I can just choose to leave it altogether.

I’m more of an intuitive seat-of-her-pantser. I tend to make my choices based on how things feel and will bring that mindset to the classroom days. I like helping people to understand all the variables (the good, the bad, the ugly) and then get really clear about what is best for them, considering their personality and life situation. And I like building communities and hope to facilitate a thriving community of like-minded folks helping each other as they navigate their personal journey to a new life. ”

Michelle Hippler

Co-founder, The Living Abroad Academy

Living Abroad Academy LLC

“As a co-founder of the Living Abroad Experience, I welcome you and hope that we can help you in any way with your international move process!

Twenty-five years ago, I had fallen in love with an enchanting Spanish city by the sea while I was working with an international office branch – Barcelona. As a design leader in tech and marketing, there were many job options at that time, and I had been working to secure a role at that office. But then the economy crashed and any hopes for that were dashed.

Back then, if you were not quite affluent, the only paths to living abroad were either getting a job and work visa with a local company or marrying a local. Fast forward to now, and the times have changed! There are multiple visa options to access an international expat lifestyle.

Thanks to all these changes, 6 years ago my spouse and I began researching countries to move abroad. Italy, France, Spain–what a process. And now, we're back to my original dream, and are proud to call Spain our European home!

If anything, from this long experience–the thought processes, introspection, research, and red tape–we hope to greatly reduce all of that for those we support at the Living Abroad Academy. And as you'll find out, it's a passion of ours–we love to talk about it and help others!

I bring to many of our learners the shared experience of being an American, mitigating today's challenges of expensive healthcare, divisive politics, high housing costs, and more. Professionally, I've been in senior leadership roles for over 25 years, and if I've learned anything, it's how to provide a pleasant, respectful, and organized experience for a customer. I joke with my co-founder that "this is a business that launched itself" but that is indeed true! As I've shared plans to depart the USA and live abroad, there has been a deluge of questions from friends and colleagues about how to do it. Some are happy stories, while others tug at your heart strings. It's my hope that we can help our learners realize a smooth and streamlined transition to a new international home.”

Jeffrey Jones

Co-founder, The Living Abroad Academy