Moving Solo: Party of One
Three Americans who moved abroad alone share how they got past the fear and built a social life from scratch.
- Members only
- Recorded webinar
- 1h 17m
- July 10, 2026
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About this session
Expatsi's team hosts three Americans who moved abroad on their own. Kelly McCoy started in Albania and now lives in Romania, Rachel Mims lives in Barcelona, and Julie lives in Portugal. The session covers the mindset a solo move takes and how to build a life and friendships after you land. Polls keep the audience involved.
The panel is candid. Rachel's Spanish visa was denied three times, and what she expected to take 20 days took four months. Kelly and Julie describe downsizing and finding people through expat groups on social media before arriving. Audience questions range from getting airport help as a wheelchair user to shipping two large dogs and comparing living costs in Spain.
Key takeaways
- Start building community before you move. Kelly joined expat groups on social media and asked where to find cat litter, so people at her first meetup in Albania already knew who she was.
- If you need practical help on arrival, post your situation in an expat group for that country. Kelly found a dog-friendly cab driver for herself, her bags and her dog that way, and hired a driver to meet her at the airport in Romania.
- If you are self-employed, a Spanish visa office may ask for more than you expect. On top of a tax return and a translation, Rachel was asked for proof she is trained for her work, so she had her therapy license apostilled.
- Rachel shipped her two large dogs in cargo with Iberia Airlines, about $6,000 cheaper than American Airlines. Her booking needed someone on the plane with the dogs, so she bought her mother a ticket, which still cost less than any other service.
- Living without a car changes the math in Barcelona. Rachel pays $28 a month for the metro, which covers all her transportation, and her rent is less than her old mortgage.
- Before leaving, Julie worked out how much she needed up front to move and secure a place, then set aside a separate fund she has not had to touch.
Chapters
- 0:06Welcome and why moving abroad is hundreds of small decisions
- 2:36Meet the panel: solo expats in Romania, Barcelona and Portugal
- 5:38Poll: what's your superpower for a solo move?
- 8:47Readiness, resilience and curiosity, and a visa denied three times
- 16:08Why the Spanish visa was denied, and how long settling in takes
- 22:58Why moving solo is different: decision fatigue and emotional support
- 26:16What holds people back: selling the house and letting go of stuff
- 34:45Building a fulfilling life: purpose, growth and asking for help
- 44:53Making friends as an adult abroad, before and after the move
- 52:32No quantum leap: small steps and one thing to do in 24 hours
- 58:18Q&A: the hardest month, daily life, airport help and money fears
- 1:04:49Q&A: solo life in Spain, shipping big dogs and choosing a country
Questions from the session
I use a wheelchair and am moving abroad alone. How do I get help with my suitcases at the airport?
Ask in an expat group for your destination country on social media. Expat groups tend to be the most resourceful, and a post explaining your situation often brings many replies from people who know someone who can help. Kelly found a dog-friendly cab driver for her bags and dog this way in Albania, and in Romania she hired a driver to pick her up at the airport with her things.
How can I move two large dogs abroad without paying for a pet relocation service?
Rachel put her two large dogs in cargo with Iberia Airlines, which often flies the same routes as American Airlines and cost about $6,000 less. Her booking needed someone on the plane with the dogs. You can pay someone to do that or ask a friend or family member; she bought her mother a ticket. Another panelist warned to plan around the heat embargo when choosing your travel dates.
What surprises people moving to Spain on their own?
Housing in Spain's larger cities moves fast, and having dogs limits where you can rent. That pushed Rachel into an unfurnished apartment in Barcelona, with no car to bring furniture home. You can pay someone, or use the local trick: take the bag off a shopping cart, load the furniture on it, and ride the metro.
Is it cheaper to live in Spain than in the US?
For Rachel it is only a little less expensive, because she moved from a very inexpensive place in the US to Barcelona, the most expensive place in Spain. Her rent is less than her old mortgage, she has no car costs, and $28 a month for the metro covers all her transportation. Moving from an expensive US city to a cheaper city abroad makes a much bigger difference.
I've narrowed my list to four countries. How do I pick the right one?
Stay flexible. Your first country can be a foot in the door, and you don't have to commit to it for the rest of your life. Kelly moved to Albania first, then moved on to Romania, where she is happier and pays about half her US rent for an apartment she loves.
How do I stop over-researching the money side of moving abroad?
Work out how much you need up front to move and secure a place, then set that money aside before you leave. Julie kept a separate fund untouched as financial backing and hasn't needed it. Her costs in Portugal turned out lower than at home: an MRI paid out of pocket was under $500.
Transcript
Auto-generated from the session’s captions and lightly corrected; it may contain errors.
0:06Hi everyone, welcome. Thank you for waiting with us. Good morning, evening, afternoon wherever you are in the world. I'll go ahead and get started. Um, Vanessa, maybe um, when this has happened to me in the past, I have restarted my computer. Typical answer, but it it actually works. So, maybe try that and I'll I'll get started. Okay.
0:42All right, everyone. Well, hi everyone. My name is IKEA. Um, Vanessa is on screen, but she's having some audio issues, so she she'll join us in a moment. uh we work with expatsy and we love working with expatsy because we get to meet so many of you and help many of us make our dreams come true by moving abroad. Uh so we created this webinar because we know that moving abroad is exciting but also at the same time intimidating and so um we want to help each other along that journey. So today we'll come back to one simple idea.
1:18Moving abroad isn't one giant step. It's hundreds of small decisions that uh are made with courage and consistency. Oh, Vanessa, is that you? Not quite. Okay, I heard something. I got excited. So today is one of those steps that we're going to do together. Uh so let's see. joining me is a wonderful host of panel who you will meet soon and we hope that this is a conversation and not just a lecture. So feel free to ask questions and share your thoughts, join the discussions. We hope that this is really a collaborative experience where we all learn from one
1:59another and ultimately that uh you leave today feeling more informed, more confident and more connected. All right. So, like like I said before, I think we can all agree that moving abroad is one of life's biggest adventures. It's exciting. It can be overwhelming at times. And uh if you've ever wondered, can can I really do this by myself? Then you're in the right place. We're here to discuss that.
2:36So let's actually today we're going to move uh and explore the both practical sides of moving abroad but also the emotional sides of moving abroad including building confidence, building meaningful connections, creating a fulfilling life once you arrive and so on. And with that, I'd like you to meet each of our panelists who bring a unique perspective to the solo expat experience. Uh, if I could have each of you introduce yourselves, starting with Kelly.
3:11Sure. Uh, my name is Kelly McCoy. Uh, if you've been around Expatsi for a while, you've seen my face several times. Um, if you come to the chats on Tuesday nights, sometimes you see me, but uh, I'm currently in Romania. I moved to Albania first. Uh, I'm a look before you leap leap before you look person, not a look before you leap person. So, I'm the complete opposite of some of these folks here.
3:35Nice. Thank you, Rachel. Over to you. Hey, I'm Rachel Mims. Um, you may have seen me on the expat readiness videos that are on ExpatsiGo. And, um, I am currently living in Barcelona, Spain, and plan to stay here long term. Um, I don't know what else should I say. That's great. That's that's perfect. We'll get into it in more details later.
4:02Uh, and Julie, how about you? Um, I'm currently living in Avora, Portugal. Um, I'm in between Kelly and uh, people that make plans. I picked a spot and went to some place I didn't even know anything about. So, I took a big jump, but um, did a little research. So, uh, landed in a pretty good spot. Beautiful. Wonderful. Well, I can't wait for you to learn more about each of our panelists in our discussion today.