The French are selling their châteaus for cheap. Americans are discovering why.

Tech Insider : Travel
Chateau Avensac
A California couple bought Chateau Avensac for $1.2 million — then discovered it needed another $1 million in updates.

Astrid Landon/BI

Three years ago, when Mark Goff and Phillip Engel had their first viewing of Château Avensac in the south of France, only one thing prevented the California couple from putting in an offer: Was it old enough?

I spent a week in a hospital in Ecuador when my lung collapsed. It confirmed that moving here was the right decision.

Tech Insider : Travel
A woman wearing sunglasses in Alausi, Ecuador, with Andes in the background.
Sinead Mulhern started having trouble breathing one day while walking near an Andean town.

Sinead Mulhern

I bought a house in Cork. My Irish husband lives there full-time, but I'm still going back and forth between the US.

Tech Insider
cian and julia posing for a selfie in cork ireland
I met my husband in Ireland and bought a house there.

Julia Skinner

I moved back to the US after 6 years abroad, but the comforts of home feel more isolating than ever

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
Katie and her friend stand in the Sahara Desert at dusk.
After living abroad for six years, transitioning back to life in the US was difficult.

Katie Lemon

I lived in NYC with my 6 siblings during undergrad. For graduate school, I was determined to go abroad.

Tech Insider : Travel
A girl poses at a cafe
Omarni Webb left New York City to pursue a master's degree in Sweden

Omarni Webb

At 26, I set off on a yearlong adventure to South America. It's been 6 years, and I have no plans to leave.

Tech Insider
Woman in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Sinead Mulhern is happier after relocating to Cuenca, Ecuador.

Sinead Mulhern

I couldn't afford retirement in the US on $3,000 a month, so I moved abroad. I've lived in 43 countries and am happier.

Tech Insider : Travel
Norman Bour (left) and his wife, Kathleen Plumley (right), enjoying a moment by the Pacific Ocean.
Norman Bour (left) and his wife, Kathleen Plumley (right), enjoying a moment by the Pacific Ocean.

Courtesy of Norman Bour

She felt trapped in her corporate job in NYC, so she quit and moved to South Korea. Now, she lives alone in a $640-a-month loft.

Tech Insider
A top-down view of the living area, as viewed from the loft.
Chen Teng's loft-style apartment in Seoul.

Chen Teng.

They moved to Scotland from California with their 3 kids. It's safer, slower, and they have a better work-life balance.

Tech Insider
A couple taking a selfie in front of a stall at a fair.
Zack and Annie moved to Scotland from California with their three kids.

Zach and Annie/Simple Scottish Living

A Gen Xer quit his corporate job in SF and moved to Colombia. He said Medellín is more affordable and he's been able to launch 2 startups.

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy
Photo shows Jason Bennett in Medellín, Colombia.
Jason Bennett, 46, moved to Medellín, Colombia, from San Francisco in 2018.

Courtesy of Jason Bennett

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