Austin Willingham, 30, grew up in Decatur, Alabama, and knew from an early age that he wanted to leave home as soon as he turned 18.
In 2013, Willingham attended Troy University, three hours away, and spent each summer working odd jobs as a camp counselor, orientation leader and in the school’s study abroad department.
“It felt like I was at a superhero university with people from all over the world in the same place doing the same thing. I was able to meet some lifelong friends that I still keep in touch with today,” Willingham told CNBC Make It.
“We shared meals, learned about each other’s cultures, and traveled together. It was a truly life-changing experience and really opened my heart.”
Willingham spent his junior year studying abroad in Sweden. While abroad, Willingham traveled throughout Europe, visiting Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands for the first time.
“I got to see a lot of different places, and I realized I loved them all,” he says.
Willingham left the United States just two months after graduating from college.
austin willingham
After his semester in Sweden ended, Willingham returned to Troy, Alabama to complete his degree, but he was already making plans to return to Europe.
“When I returned from Sweden, I had decided to move back to Europe and suffered a reverse culture shock. I had asked my parents if I could transfer to another university and get a degree abroad,” he says.
“I was a first-generation college student in my immediate family, so my parents were adamant about me going ahead and getting my degree.”
Goodbye Alabama, Hello Ireland
Willingham spent his senior year researching his options. He decided to apply for a working holiday visa to Ireland. This visa allows US citizens to work and travel in Ireland for up to 12 months.
Willingham graduated in May 2017 and two months later boarded a plane across the Atlantic to start a new life in Dublin.
“It was filled with lots of Guinness, multicultural friends, community, and weekend trips. It was an overall great time,” he says.
While in Ireland, Willingham interned at a publishing company and later worked in the human resources department.
Willingham fell in love in Ireland and decided to leave the country with his then-partner and spend time traveling.
“It was time to either continue to focus on building my career or take a gap year and travel and see the world like so many others who studied in Europe, so I decided to do that,” he says.
While living in Ireland, Willingham decided that he wanted to continue traveling the world.
austin willingham
After leaving Ireland, Willingham backpacked through Southeast Asia with his then-partner. He taught English as a second language class while the two traveled to countries such as Vietnam and Myanmar.
Willingham moved to Australia in 2019 and lived intermittently Down Under for five years. The couple broke up that same year, and Willingham returned to the United States in 2020 to visit her parents. Just days before he returned to Australia, the country closed its borders due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was in the United States for a year, and a month after I moved back to Alabama, I realized that COVID-19 was really going to happen, so I decided to look for a job in a bigger city nearby,” he says.
“Growing up where I’m from, a lot of people never leave it. They never really experience a lot of things. And I knew from a young age that I was different. I just thought there had to be more to life outside of that, and once I knew there was, I started wanting to touch on it and explore that as well.”
From Australia to Netherlands
Willingham returned to Australia in 2021 and met his current partner. When the couple’s visas expired, they decided they wanted to move to Europe. The pair wanted a country that offered an easier path to permanent residence or EU citizenship. This is how they landed in the Netherlands, specifically in Rotterdam.
“We thought it would be a nice break. It would be a nice change and transition from life in Australia. We also thought it wouldn’t be too difficult of a change since Rotterdam is still the second largest city in the country. We are definitely city people so we thought this would be the best space for us,” he says. “As soon as we got here, the people were so warm and welcomed us right away.”
Willingham and his partner plan to stay in Rotterdam for at least the next five years.
austin willingham
Willingham officially moved to Rotterdam in June on a DAFT (Dutch-American Treaty of Friendship) visa. The visa stipulates that he be self-employed or work only as a freelancer.
To meet her visa requirements, Willingham works as an event planner and does some commercial modeling, but her ultimate goal is to grow her migration services business, Willing World.
Willingham and his partner live in a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate. According to documents seen by CNBC Make It, the couple splits the monthly rent of 430 euros, or $498, and pays 215 euros or $249 each.
Willingham’s monthly expenses in Rotterdam total about $680, including rent, utilities, transportation, health insurance, groceries and cell phone bills.
“I love freedom. I come from a privileged background, but I really feel like being able to breathe and have a work-life balance anywhere outside of the United States is what I love most about living abroad. Even though I’m working for myself, I still have this balance and don’t have the social pressure of always having to prove myself.”
Willingham started sharing his international travels on TikTok and says he has enjoyed building a community both online and in real life since moving to Rotterdam. Although he’s looking forward to what the future holds, he says a return to the United States is not on the cards for now.
“I want to live. I want to own. I’d like to say yes someday, but the current situation doesn’t allow that. It will be a long time before we finally get any change in America,” he says.
“I might not go back permanently, but I plan on spending a lot of time there because I want to be with my parents.”
Willingham says leaving the United States taught her that she can do anything.
“I learned that even if it’s scary, you have to do it,” he says. “When you live abroad, especially when you live alone, you learn to rely on yourself and trust yourself because you have no one to rely on.”
Conversion from EUR to USD was performed using the OANDA exchange rate of 1 EUR to 1.16 USD on October 14, 2025. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.
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