In 2016, my family and I left Chicago to start a life outside of the U.S. We spent two years in Mazatlán, Mexico, and now live in Antigua, an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea.
A lot of people dream of doing what we did, but don't feel ready to make the jump. They often ask what it's like to live the beach life. I tell them about how much we enjoy the slower pace of life.
We've since fallen into a beautiful flow centered around our children and passions. While it's impossible to document everything, here's what we do, eat and spend in a typical week:
With kids, the weekdays are pretty busy
Once my alarm goes off at 5 a.m., I try to start my day with either a walk or a jog along the beach. I love the cool island breeze and watching the sunrise.
A morning walk or run>Work and housekeeping
My husband is a professor at The American University of Antigua College of Medicine, the largest medical school>Alone time with my husband
As parents, we believe it's important to connect with>My husband and I love our day dates at cafes like The Bakery Lab.Photo: Gabriella Lindsay
If we decide to go out at night, we'll do an early dinner followed by a walk>We love our Friday night pizzas
No matter where we are in the world, we never skip out>Beach time with the puppy and kids
The weekend, as most parents know, is when the real fun begins!
After our kids' Saturday swim lessons, we go to>Sundays are for hiking
With more trails than I can count, Antigua is the perfect place for people who love the outdoors. We've already explored several trails, and because hiking is so popular, new routes seem to pop up every season!
The view from Monk's Hill is incredible.Photo: Gabriella Lindsay
A simple, slow-paced life
While our day-to-day life might seem pretty basic, it's a far cry from the 90-minute work commute and daily hustle and bustle of life in Chicago.
With activities like movie outings ($5 per ticket for adults, and $3.95 per kid), live concerts ($20 to $100 for the family), scuba diving ($100 for the family, although there are some "free days"), dining out and more, we have the best of everything — plus plenty of time to enjoy it all!
My daughter learned to scuba dive under the close watch of Dive Carib in English Harbor.Photo: Gabriella Lindsay
Living on an island makes every day feel like an adventure. Even though we've been in Antigua for three years, there are still so many places to explore and things to do.
I feel very grateful. We wanted a simpler life full of new experiences where we could prioritize making memories — and by moving abroad, we got just that!
