Why we started Exit Strategy

"What are we going to do if he wins the election?" my friend asked. It was 2016 and the question was meant rehtorically, but as it was for so many of us, the answer was honest and was either "Move to Canada." or simply "Leave." But we didn't go. We just put up with the chaos and sense of doom that hung like a cloud over daily life, scrolling and grinding our teeth. Living in the DC area, we also became pretty good at marching the streets of the capital in protest and in solidarity with the millions who felt similarly outraged. But Joanna and I had long-planned to take our kids out of the country for reasons completely apolitical. We wanted to expand their horizons (literally and figuratively, seeing as we moved onto a sailboat), and show them what 'the real world' looks like. (Hint: it's not the DC suburbs filled with highly-educated, well-off, ambitous climbers clawing over each other to grow their wealth and status). It had been a long term dream to travel with our kids like we had done in our 20's, and with the girls getting older (then 10 and 12), and with ageing parents, the time was right. The political and social mess of our country in 2020/2021 just added urgency to leave it all behind.

Getting out was hard. There were myriad decisions to make, and so many worries. Joanna was leaving behind a secure well-paying job and had to figure out how to do homeschooling. David fretted about accidentally drowning the family by sinking the boat, and wondered if he could simultaneously keep his market research business afloat. Once we were out of the country though, despite the new challenges of living on a sailboat and navigating from country to country, the knots in our backs began to ease. We read the news less often, focused more on our family, nature, the new friends we were making, and we were far more present in our daily life than we had been in as long as we could remember.

Things only got better from there. We improved our sailing skills, found a routine with homeschool, and the whole family got good at adapting to new countries. Our explicit aim was to "be" in each new place. That is, we tried to make local friends and participate in the daily life of the people whose country we were in, rather than hanging only with the other expats. Though we did that, too. When we spoke with countless other sailors and expats, the conversation would invariably turn to "How did you end up here? Why and how did you move abroad to end up in this place? We learned the many ways it can be done, and found it inspiring.

We ended up sailing 11,000 nautical miles from Baltimore to San Diego via the Eastern Caribbean, Panama Canal, Central America, and Mexico over 2.5 years. In October 2023, we sold the boat, bought a travel trailer, visited the Western US looking for a place to 'land', and then continued our journey with just backpacks, airplanes, and AirBnB. From December 2023 - July 2024, we "slow traveled" by staying a month or more in countries in N. Africa, Asia, the Caucasus, and Central Europe.

Coming back was hard, too. Nearly as hard as leaving. We arrived just in time for the chaos of the 2024 election, and now, facing another 4 years of anxiety and outrage, we know how important it is to stay above the fray. We can empathize with everyone looking to get out of the US right now and we're the first to encourage it. Our time living abroad, though, was rewarding far beyond just escapism. Our children have seen and learned so much that can't be taught in school. They see the bigger picture in a way their peers who haven't traveled just can't. We were fortunate to be able to live the way we did, but we know it's possible for so many Americans who don't believe they can swing it. Our experience shows they can. And we can help.

We're eager to put all the lessons we learned to good use by helping you get past the challenges of actually leaving, and then getting set up in your new life abroad. We want for you some of what we've had over the past few years. Leaving was the best parenting decision we ever made, but you don't have to figure it out alone. Exit Strategy is here to help.