Why We Moved to America (and Why We’re Still Here)

When people hear that we moved to the United States, they often assume there was one clear reason: work.

And honestly, that’s partly true. Most international moves start with a job opportunity. One partner is offered a position abroad, and the family relocates, often for a temporary period. That’s how it started for us as well. My husband was offered a promotion that made the move to the U.S. possible.

But the reason we said yes was bigger than that promotion alone.

An Opportunity That Went Beyond One Job

We’ve both always been interested in an international environment. Working with people from different countries, gaining experience in another culture, and challenging ourselves outside the environment we grew up in.

When we moved, I consciously chose not to focus immediately on my own career. I had the freedom to take time to build our life here first. Moving to another continent isn’t something you do overnight. There is a lot involved in finding your way in a new country, building a social network, and creating a home for your family.

That flexibility was incredibly valuable to me. I didn’t have to take the first job that came along. Instead, I had the opportunity to explore what I wanted and what possibilities were available. Later, I returned to work, but in a way that felt right for me.

As a result, this move ultimately became more than just a career opportunity for my husband—it became a valuable experience for me as well.

Money Played a Role Too

As Dutch people, we don’t always like talking about money as a motivation. But it wouldn’t be honest to pretend it wasn’t part of our decision.

Yes, many costs are higher here. Healthcare, childcare, and other expenses are structured very differently than they are in the Netherlands. At the same time, salaries are often higher and taxes are lower. Overall, we’ve been able to save more than we likely would have in the Netherlands.

That wasn’t the main reason we moved, but it has certainly been one of the advantages. Financial flexibility creates opportunities and choices, both in the present and for the future.

Travel: Experiencing a Different Part of the World

Traveling wasn’t a new hobby for us. We loved traveling long before we moved to America.

What changed was having access to a completely different part of the world. Since moving here, we’ve explored many parts of the United States. We’ve visited incredible national parks, discovered new cities, and experienced places that might otherwise have remained on our bucket list for years.

One of the unique benefits of living abroad is that your perspective shifts geographically. Destinations that once felt far away suddenly become accessible, and you get the chance to experience a region of the world in a much deeper way than you would as a tourist.

Why Are We Still Here?

That’s probably the question we get asked most often. Especially because you also hear many Americans talk about wanting to move to Europe. But I think there’s an important lesson in that: the grass isn’t greener on the other side. It’s just different.

When you move somewhere new, the positive differences stand out first. At the same time, you become much more aware of the things you miss. Eventually, the new place becomes normal too. The advantages become part of everyday life, and the disadvantages don’t magically disappear.

The question of whether we stay isn’t something we’ve answered once and never revisited.

We evaluate it every year. Are we still happy here? Does this life still align with what matters to us? Are there other opportunities we want to explore?

Right now, we’re both building something here. We have jobs that we enjoy, our children have built lives of their own, and as a family we’ve created a sense of home.

At the same time, we think about the future. As children get older, stability becomes increasingly important. Moving brings opportunities and new experiences, but it also affects their friendships, routines, and sense of belonging. That’s something we take into consideration more and more as they grow.

That doesn’t mean we know where we’ll be in five or ten years. Maybe we’ll stay here. Maybe we’ll return to the Netherlands. Maybe another opportunity will take us somewhere entirely different.

For now, our life is here.

We’ve built careers, routines, friendships, and a home for our family. That doesn’t automatically make America our final destination, but it does make it the place where our life currently unfolds.

We didn’t move because we wanted to leave the Netherlands. We moved because this opportunity aligned with what matters to us: gaining international experience, growing professionally, creating financial opportunities, and experiencing a different part of the world. Not because America is better, but because it fit our goals at that point in our lives.

And perhaps the same is true for why we’re still here. Not because we know we’ll stay forever, but because this is where our life is today. Whether that will still be true in a few years, we don’t know. We revisit that question every year, taking into account what’s right for us and for our children. That’s probably the most honest answer we can give.