What if you didn’t have to quit your job or wait for retirement to live abroad with your family? What if your dream summer in Europe was more possible than you thought—with kids, a full-time job, and all?
In this episode of our Toolkit Series, host Barbara Mighdoll shares exactly how she and her family lived in Portugal for nine weeks on a program called Boundless Life—without pausing her career, disrupting her children’s routines, or completely blowing their budget. If you’ve ever fantasized about living or working abroad but immediately shut it down because of kids, school, or work commitments, this episode will shift your mindset and give you a step-by-step framework to make it happen.
This isn’t just a travel story. It’s a tactical deep dive into how to pull off a working family summer abroad—whether you want to go through a program or plan it yourself. Barbara walks through five key pillars every working parent should consider before packing their bags and the exact conversation starters you need to get your partner and your company on board. From managing childcare in a foreign country to navigating coworking setups and budgeting the true costs—this episode is your one-stop resource for transforming your “someday” dream into a “next summer” plan.
🌍 The 5 essential pillars to making a summer abroad work
Barbara outlines five core areas you absolutely must plan for if you're going to live and work abroad as a family: school/childcare, housing, coworking, transportation, and community. These aren’t just logistical hurdles—they're the foundation for feeling settled and successful abroad.
“The whole point of this is that you go to a destination so that you can feel like a local, you can feel settled and you can actually live your life. You want it to be comfortable and you want it to feel like you can get into a steady routine. And so I break it down into five pillars to help you get there.”
💼 Work logistics: How to stay fully employed while living overseas
Working abroad while managing kids isn’t just possible—it can be incredibly productive if you’re strategic. Barbara discusses how she and her husband navigated time zone challenges, shifted to East Coast hours, and created space for deep focus work without sacrificing family time.
“You need to think through what kind of school and childcare setup you would need based off of the hours you plan on working while you are abroad. We brought our au pair with us because we knew we had to work U.S. hours… We didn’t even start work until 2:00 PM, and so we needed that additional coverage.”
💰 Real numbers: What a family summer abroad actually costs
This episode doesn’t shy away from the budget talk. Barbara offers a clear look at what to expect for flights, housing, camp costs, coworking, and more—along with tips on how to save big by planning early or renting out your home while you’re gone.
“Flights to Europe for a family of four is going to cost you anywhere from, let’s call it $7,500 in economy to $25,000 if you’re flying business… Summer camp in Europe can cost 50% less than what it does here in the U.S… If you plan far enough in advance, you can actually gain a ton of savings, which is what we do.”
🧠 Mindset shifts to make this dream feel doable
So many moms shut down the idea of living abroad before even exploring it. This episode encourages listeners to think differently—Barbara shares how to reframe this as a trade-off, not a luxury, and how to get your partner and employer on board.
“Don’t think of this as a sunk cost. Think of it as a trade-off. What would you be spending on camps or flights because you plan on taking a vacation during the summer? If you can make it work for your job and make it work financially, this really can happen—and you will never regret the experience.”
🔍 A Program vs. DIY: Which abroad approach is right for your family?
Barbara compares her two experiences: going through Boundless Life (a structured program) vs. planning everything independently for their upcoming trip to France. She explains who might benefit from each approach, and why booking your own housing can be a game-changer.
“We did Boundless last summer and they handled a lot for us, but this next trip to France, we’re doing entirely on our own. I booked housing separately and saved 30% by going through the property manager instead of Airbnb. If you’re willing to do the legwork, you can absolutely do this DIY.”
Get €400 off your program with Boundless Life with code NEWMODERNMOM.
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[00:00:00] Hi everyone. Welcome to the toolkit series from the new Modern Mom podcast. I'm thrilled to bring you this bonus series in between seasons. Each episode will be a quick, actionable deep dive into some of the most important themes from season one. Plus we'll explore a few niche conversations that didn't quite make the cut, but are just too good not to share. [00:00:20] My goal is to help you build the tools you need so they're ready and waiting in your toolkit, the ones you're going to reach for to calm the chaos of career in motherhood. So let's get started. Today's episode is something that I get asked about all the time, and that is how to work and live abroad with kids. [00:00:40] So this past summer, I spent nine weeks in Portugal with my family on what I can best describe as a study abroad program for families. The program was called Boundless and. Essentially what it was was a cohort of 30 families with kids, ages one to [00:01:00] 12, and we all select a boundless destination. [00:01:03] And it was for four weeks of the summer, we did two cohorts back to back. We are there July in August, and they take care of everything for you. Your kids are in school together through this incredible education center, and there is a coworking space where you can cowork with other families [00:01:23] So we had a lot of learnings for the first time living abroad, going through a program like this, and it really opened up our eyes to how doable it really is to live abroad for the summer with your family. [00:01:39] We had a lot of reasons why we pursued this. We actually booked this trip a full year and a half before we ended up taking it because we were that enthusiastic about wanting to pursue this opportunity. Our why. Really stems from the fact that I think both me and my husband had a huge desire [00:02:00] to be able to live abroad we used to daydream about this before we had kids. We looked at job opportunities that could maybe carry us abroad,And life just didn't work out that way, [00:02:11] But when we found out that we could go just for the summer, we instantly made a move on it. [00:02:16] There's a lot to cover on how to actually make this happen, and we are going to focus this episode on the five pillars on what to look for in a program or what to look for if you decide to do something similar by yourself. We're going to break down how to approach this conversation with your partner and I want to emphasize before you are like, no, Barbara, this is ridiculous. I can never do this. It is doable. And if you continue to listen, I'm going to show you exactly how you can make this happen for either this summer or for next summer, because if you're like me, you wanna plan well in advance to have more control over the options and possibilities you have in pursuing. [00:02:59] [00:03:00] Something like this. So this is an episode you are going to want to take notes on. [00:03:05] Let's jump into those five pillars. So like I said, last summer, we did a program that essentially took care of these five pillars for the most part for us. This next summer, we are spending it in France and we are actually doing our own version of this program. By ourselves. So we booked all of this on our own, knowing what we know from our last summer experience. [00:03:29] So let's start with pillar one, which is school and childcare. If you are going to do this on your own, what we realize is there are international schools everywhere throughout the world, and all of those international schools host summer programs in the months of July and August. So. Search for international schools in a destination that you're looking for. [00:03:53] The things you wanna look for are what is the schedule set up and what is the structure of those days? Are you [00:04:00] looking for a more academic experience or are you looking for something more like a summer camp? Then very important, you need to figure out, based off of that schedule, are you going to need additional childcare coverage? [00:04:11] Are you going to need it before school? Are you going to need it after school? You need to think through what your ideal work life balance is going to look like while you are abroad. We brought our au pair with us because we knew we had to work US hours, so our kids were in school until three, but we didn't even start work until 2:00 PM and so we needed that additional coverage. [00:04:31] So bottom line, think through what kind of school and childcare setup you would need based off of the hours you plan on working while you are abroad. [00:04:39] The second pillar is housing, so you need to find long-term furnished housing in your destination. Trust me, you do not want to have to move around. If you're doing a long-term stay. The whole point of this is that you go to a destination so that you can feel like a local, you can feel settled and you can actually live your life. [00:04:58] Other things to think about for [00:05:00] housing, depending on the ages of your kids. Do you need to worry about baby proofing? [00:05:04] What gear do you need? Do you need a crib? Do you need a high chair? Do you need a potty? Do you need step stools? All of these things you're going to have to account for because it's not just a quick trip. Oh, we'll make do. You are living your life there. You want it to be comfortable and you want it to feel like you can get into a steady routine. [00:05:18] And then lastly is, can you access a cleaning service? Yes, you wanna live your life there, but you also want to live it up, and so you don't wanna be spending your time. Doing all of those mundane tasks that you're typically doing at home. So if you can swing it, can you get a cleaning service that can come once a week to kind of help you with those deep cleaning moments? [00:05:39] Because you don't wanna buy all that supplies. You don't wanna spend your cherished few weekends deep cleaning this house. [00:05:45] The third pillar is coworking space. Ideally, you are not working from home when you are abroad. You want to feel like you're getting out in that environment, you are seeing the streets, you are seeing the people. You are immersing yourself in that culture, and you [00:06:00] will not feel that way if you're cooped up at home working all day long. [00:06:04] Not to mention, if you are working US hours, that can be very difficult with your children home for dinnertime and bedtime while you're trying to conduct meetings or have deep focus work. So what is your ideal? Working not from home set up look like when you're living abroad. Are you looking for a dedicated coworking space? [00:06:23] Are you comfortable working from coffee shops? Figuring out kind of what your ideal setup is and what the necessities are and what you need to plan for is gonna help you also determine where you may wanna live or what kind of city or rural setting are you interested in going to. [00:06:38] And to further that point, you need to think through what specific things you might need for your job function. Do you need private call rooms because you are presenting to clients? Do you need a recording space because you're like me and you record podcasts? Are you needing somewhere with good lighting because you are constantly on video? [00:06:54] Think through these factors because again, you want to feel like you're living there and not like you're having to make do [00:07:00] that don't make it as enjoyable for you at the end of the day. [00:07:03] Next is transportation. Are you looking for a walking city or will you need a car? Are you comfortable popping in and out of Ubers or whatever? The local on demand taxi company is there day to day. How do you plan on dropping your kids off from school? Do you want to walk? Do you want to drive? Do you wanna take public transportation? [00:07:20] Think through what does this dream month or two months or entire summer abroad look like for you? And finally, the last pillar is arguably the most important and often the most overlooked, which is community The biggest benefit of going through a dedicated program like Boundless is that you inherently are set up with a community from day one, and I cannot stress enough how important it is to not feel lonely when you are trying to build a life and a routine living abroad. So if you decide to do that all-inclusive type of program, great. [00:07:57] You really don't need to stress about this. But if [00:08:00] you. Do decide to do something on your own, like I'm doing this upcoming summer. You have to think through these things. So for example, if you are enrolling your children in a school in a metropolitan city, it's higher likelihood that you are going to meet other expats that are willing and interested in connecting. [00:08:18] finding our community in Portugal. Made this experience what it was for us. We had constant girls lunches, couples dinners, coffee meetups, networking, social plans on the weekends with and without the kids, and it truly just made it feel like we were living at home versus on a trip. [00:08:41] Okay, let's address the elephant in the room, which is how do you actually pull this off? How do you get your partner on board? How do you get your work on board? How do you actually make this a real thing? [00:08:54] there are two big barriers to entry to talk through between you and your [00:09:00] partner. The first is financial planning. Can you make this work financially? Here's what you should expect to spend. but I want to urge you not to think of this as a sunk cost. Think of it as a trade off. [00:09:12] What would you be spending on camps or flights Because you plan on taking a week long vacation during the summer. So let's get line item by line item on the budget that you need to start thinking about. This is a substantial investment but if you plan far enough in advance, you can actually gain a ton of savings, which is what we do. Okay. let's go flights. If you book more than 90 days out. That is going to need to be your goal to save as much as you can on flights. [00:09:39] Flights to Europe right now are expensive. I think it is highly unlikely, even if you do book a year in advance, that you find an economy ticket to Europe for less than 1200. And if you're like us, we prefer to use our miles or splurge a bit to get flat seats because for us, getting that sleep with our [00:10:00] kids is. [00:10:00] That important to us. But you certainly do not need to go that route depending on how many kids you have or kind of where you would prefer to spend your budget. Next line item is housing. There are massive ranges here, as you can imagine when it comes to housing. It depends how updated the place is, the exact location, the number of bedrooms. The one thing I will say here is I use Airbnb to find our housing for this upcoming summer, [00:10:26] But what you can do is if you go through Airbnb, you find a listing that you're really passionate about, that you're like, this is the one I wanna book. See if it's being managed by a larger property management company, and typically if you go directly to that site, you can find the listing for a lot cheaper, which is exactly what we did. [00:10:43] So I contracted directly with the property management company instead of going through Airbnb, and I saved probably 30%. Next is transportation. So are you planning on renting a car for a few weekends? Are you planning on renting a car for the entire time? What do you need to do about parking if you have a car? [00:10:59] [00:11:00] We are actually considering renting electric bikes with child seats on them for the entire duration. We're in France so that we don't need to deal with a car and drop off because we are not walking distance to the school that we booked. [00:11:12] Next line item is of course, the school that you're enrolling your kids in. I will say, and this is maybe relative to pricing in San Francisco, Summer camp in Europe can cost 50% less than what it does here in the us and that was absolutely true for what I just booked my kids in, which is an international Montessori school. [00:11:34] Next is coworking. This is also a very, very reasonable line item. When we were in Portugal, we had coworking built in as part of our community, but that was in the smaller town of Centra, which is where we were living, and we spent about half of our days of the week in Lisbon. [00:11:49] So we actually found a coworking space there that was super cheap. It was $25 per day for us to go and use the space, and it was really quiet, had lots of [00:12:00] amenities, and it was just perfect for those kind of. Days where we really needed deep work. My husband always needed to be in there when we were co-working because [00:12:07] He had constant meetings. He needed the wifi to be rock solid for those meetings. Whereas some days I would prefer to work from a coffee shop because again, I wanted to like immerse myself in the culture. you can really get a really solid setup coworking in another country. [00:12:20] You just have to do the research and find the right spot for you. [00:12:22] So all of these items certainly add up to a much larger cost than if you were just going on a week long vacation. Other things to think about though are like, can you offset these costs by. Renting your house, can you rent your car while you're away? [00:12:36] So that is also a trade off to consider as well. [00:12:39] the other really key factor you have to discuss with your partner is your work flexibility. How can you make this work for work? What are the hours that you have to work if you're living abroad, is it US hours? Maybe you live in the Pacific West Coast, but you can get away with working East Coast hours. [00:12:59] That's what [00:13:00] we did last year. [00:13:01] Another really key factor here is thinking through what is your ideal work life balance situation for this short period of time over the summer? [00:13:09] Are you going to continue to work your nine hour days or can you get away with doing six hours most days of the week and maybe a flex day here and there? When you are abroad, there are certainly going to be so many shiny objects, so many things you wanna do with your time, and you're going to feel like it goes by in a flash, and that's because it will. [00:13:27] And so I do think it's important to be realistic with yourself and see if there's a way that you can work in either several vacation days or taking one whole week for vacation while you're there so you can see all the sites, do all the things and not feel like you lived there and didn't get to do any of the stuff that you wanted to. [00:13:42] Okay, so we've gone through the five pillars that you need to consider when planning a trip of a lifetime like this. We've also gone through those big barriers, those topics that you have to figure out in order to make this work. My perspective on how. [00:14:00] You can live abroad and really bring the stream to life has completely changed. [00:14:05] I thought it was so inaccessible. But after being there it really opened up my eyes to the fact that you can make this happen pretty easily for yourself. [00:14:15] If you just do the legwork, I would absolutely recommend pursuing a summer abroad with your family. I will remember our nine weeks in Portugal for the rest of my life. It was extremely transformative, not just for me and my outlook on life, but it was transformative for me and my husband. [00:14:34] It was transformative for me and my kids. My son to this day still talks about pash de d Nadas, and he asked us to tell him stories about Portugal all the time. And I've said this once, I'll say it again. Traveling with your kids. Even while they're young is 100% worth it because you will remember all of those incredible memories and you are shaping their character for life. [00:14:57] let's get into those tangible tools that [00:15:00] you can put in your toolkit to actually make this happen. Here's exactly what you need to do. Next one, schedule 30 minutes with your partner. [00:15:09] This needs to be separate from your weekly meetings, those ones that we discussed in our last Partner Communication Toolkit episode. Step two, send him this podcast to open up his mind and world to the fact that this is doable. Make that required before your meeting. Step three is have that meeting and discuss these three things. [00:15:30] Can you actually make working abroad for an extended period of time work for your job? That is first and foremost, the non-negotiable in the room. If you cannot, that's okay. Maybe a few years down the line, you'll be in a different role, a different position, a different company, and maybe the stars will align then. [00:15:49] But if it can, the second thing you need to discuss is can you make this work financially this year? Can you maybe make it work financially next year with enough planning? [00:15:59] Here's some [00:16:00] rough ballpark numbers just to put out there in your conversation to really temperature check if this is something you can do. Flights to Europe for a family of four is going to cost you anywhere from, let's call it $7,500 in economy to 25,000 if you're flying business. [00:16:14] Housing for four weeks is going to cost you anywhere from six K to 10 k. Summer camp costs, depending on the number of weeks you're going for, are about $300 per week. And again, I just want to remind you and bring this up in your conversation, that these aren't all sunk costs because it is more of a trade off. [00:16:33] What would you be spending on childcare for that same stretch of time over the summer? Were you planning on taking a vacation and flying somewhere anyway for a week What would that cost? Are you open to renting your home while you're away to recover some of those housing costs? And if you are considering Boundless for a four week program, that cost is about 6,600 Euro plus housing on top of it. Which again, you can go through them or what I would highly recommend is [00:17:00] finding it on your own And then the third thing to talk about with your partner is what kind of lifestyle do you want? [00:17:06] Describe your ideal day to each other. Keeping in mind what your required work schedule's going to be. Do you want a rural setting where you can go on hikes after dropping off the kids, or would you prefer a city setting where you can explore a more vibrant restaurant or culture scene seen? and very important will you need after hours childcare. [00:17:27] If yes, is there somebody from the US that you want to bring like a grandparent? We had friends who did that Do you have an au pair you can bring? That's the beauty of having an au pair. We did that. Or are you interested in finding a local sitter, which also is a very good option. [00:17:43] Once you discuss this, and if your decision is yes, we want to do this, your next step is to define if you wanna explore going through a program like Boundless or doing this on your own. Honestly, I think you should evaluate both, but know that you are paying a premium [00:18:00] price going through Boundless. In exchange for less upfront planning. [00:18:03] I do have a promo code for you to get 400 Euro off if you use code New Modern Mom one word that can help with some of that increased pricing versus doing it on your own. However, I want to stress, you should book your own housing if you book Boundless, because from my personal experience, the experiences of my friends and experiences of people I don't even know, but I have visibility into. [00:18:27] You are going to be much happier booking your own housing than going through the boundless housing. If you do this on your own, you'll likely be able to do it for cheaper, but you need to do your own research and coordinate everything on your own. Then define where in the world you wanna go. Pick three places. Start researching them against those five pillars we talked about, and you are going to narrow it down to your perfect spot. [00:18:50] Make this happen for you and your family if it is part of your why. [00:18:54] All right. Thanks for tuning in to this toolkit series on the new Modern Mom podcast. I hope [00:19:00] today's tips help simplify the chaos of career and motherhood one tool at a time. If you found this episode helpful, don't forget to subscribe. Give a five star rating and leave a review. You can always connect with me on LinkedIn. [00:19:12] Follow new Modern Mom on Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter. I would seriously love to hear from you. My dms are always open, and I wanna know if this toolkit was helpful. Did you decide that you wanna do a month abroad with your family? What locations are you considering? What's your biggest concern? [00:19:29] Let me know. Your support means so much as I continue my mission to help more moms find work life fulfillment. Until next time.Author
