Austin Willingham, 30, grew up in Decatur, Alabama, and knew from a young age that he wanted to leave home as soon as he turned 18.
While studying in Sweden during his junior year at Troy University, he visited the Netherlands for the first time. Now, almost 10 years later, Willingham and his partner live in Rotterdam in the hope of obtaining permanent residence or EU citizenship.
It was a move that Willingham admits had been in the works since returning from his semester abroad in Sweden.
Willingham left the United States just two months after graduating from college.
Austin Willingham
“Once I returned from Sweden, I was determined to return to Europe and I had reverse culture shock. I asked my parents if I could transfer to another university and complete my degree abroad,” he tells CNBC Make It.
“Being a first-generation college student in my immediate family, my parents were very adamant about me going ahead and finishing my studies.”
Before moving to Rotterdam, Willingham lived in Ireland, traveled through Southeast Asia and was in and out of Australia for five years.
“We thought it would be a good break. It would be a good change and transition from life in Australia. We also thought it wouldn’t be such a difficult change because 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 very warm and immediately welcomed us.”
An estimated 5.5 million Americans live abroad, according to the Association of Americans Living Abroad (AARO). That number continues to rise: An estimated 1,285 U.S. citizens expatriated in the first quarter of 2025 alone, a 102% increase compared to the same period a year earlier, according to a report from CS Global Partners, which analyzed statistics from the U.S. Federal Register.
Life in the Netherlands
Willingham officially moved to Rotterdam in June this year, on a DAFT (Dutch-American Treaty of Friendship) visa. That visa stipulates that you must be self-employed or work only as a freelancer.
To satisfy visa requirements, Willingham works as an event planner and does business modeling, but his ultimate goal is to grow his relocation services business, Willing World.
Willingham and his partner live in a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate. The couple splits 430 euros or $498 a month for rent, paying 215 euros or $249 each, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
Including rent, Willingham’s monthly expenses in Rotterdam total approximately $680, covering utilities, transportation, health insurance, food and a cell phone bill.
Willingham and his partner plan to stay in Rotterdam for at least the next five years.
Austin Willingham
“I like the freedom. This comes from a privileged place, but I really feel like anywhere outside of the United States, it’s about being able to breathe and having a balance between work and personal life. That’s what I like most about living abroad, even though I work for myself, there’s still this balance and there’s not this social pressure of having to prove myself all the time.”
Willingham began sharing his trip abroad on TikTok and says that since moving to Rotterdam, he has enjoyed building a community both online and in real life. He’s excited to see what the future holds, he says, but returning to the United States just isn’t in his plans right now.
“I would love to live. I would love to be a homeowner. I would love to say yes at some point, but not in the current situation we have. It would be a long time before America finally achieves some change,” he says.
“I want to be able to be there for my parents, so maybe I wouldn’t come back permanently, but I would spend a lot of time there.”
Willingham says leaving the United States has taught him that he is capable of anything.
“I’ve learned that I can do it even when I’m afraid, because it still needs to be done,” she says. “When you live abroad, especially alone, you don’t have anyone to depend on, so you learn to depend on yourself and trust yourself.”
Euro to USD conversions were made using the OANDA conversion rate of 1 Euro to 1.16 US Dollars on October 14, 2025. All amounts were rounded to the nearest dollar.
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