American Family 2 Years After Leaving the USA: Is New Zealand Home Now?
🇳🇿FREE 5-DAY LIFE in NZ VIDEO GUIDE HERE ➡️ www.nzahead.com/free
Today, we reconnect with Ben, an American dad who immigrated with his family from Missouri, USA, to Auckland, New Zealand, two years ago.
When we last spoke, Ben was in the thick of the transition. Now, the dust has settled. His daughter is thriving in school. His wife, Kira, is loving her job as a nurse. They bought a house, made friends, and started building a life.
But then came the trip back to the States.
Today, Ben opens up about what it felt like to return to the country he once called home, only to realise that "home" now means something completely different.
We also dive into:
-
What life in Auckland, New Zealand really looks like after the honeymoon period
-
The surprising challenges of buying a house in New Zealand
-
How Ben and Kira saved aggressively to make the move work
-
Why work-life balance in NZ has been a game-changer for their family
-
The beautiful (and sometimes uncomfortable) process of immersing in Māori culture
-
And Ben's simple, powerful advice: "A goal without a plan is just a wish."
Links & Resources:
-
Join our free NZ Ahead community on Slack by taking the 5 day video guide: www.nzahead.com/free
-
Get our free 5-day video series on life in New Zealand: www.nzahead.com/free
-
Catch Ben's first appearance on the podcast: https://youtu.be/W8n-pfQ5nQ8?si=jsN8w0IFHs6R_eym
Links:
Here’s how you can learn more about our private NZ Ahead community. Your first step to moving to NZ: www.nzahead.com/free
🇳🇿If you are thinking of MOVING TO NEW ZEALAND and want to know more about the country, SIGN UP HERE for our FREE 5-DAY VIDEO GUIDE To Life in New Zealand. This leads to details on how to join the private, very world-famous, lovely NZ Ahead Slack Community that Ben and many other adventurers are part of! www.nzahead.com/free
🛑 WE cannot offer immigration advice. The company we love and trust (and are also part of our NZ Ahead community) is New Zealand Shores. NZ Shores offer a FREE eligibility test. Click below, answer a few questions and see if New Zealand is for you https://www.newzealandshores.com/ea-nzh/
🐕🦺 Pet Relocation: We only recommend one company for pet relocation: Starwood Pet Travel. Hundreds of people in our community have used Starwood, and their reviews are glowing. Click the link below, and don't forget to mention Liz and Brian @ NZ Ahead Podcast! https://itsadrama.com/starwood-pet-travel
💰 Transferring currency? We love and trust TorFX. If you want a fabulous personal service and unbeatable rates (they will match anyone else), we've done the homework for you. We use them, and people in our community use them. These guys are FABULOUS! ➡️ https://nzahead.com/torfx
🚗 Looking for the best DEALS on car hire? We use love and trust Discover Cars. They are consistently good and find us the best deals. Check out car hire here: https://itsadrama.com/NZcars
Please assume that all links on this page are affiliate links. This means we will be paid a commission (at no cost to you) if you choose to use any of the above services through our link. We will only ever recommend companies that we know, love and trust. Always.
We love housesitting. We have been housesitting around the world for a decade, and it has given our family the chance to explore the world and has saved us THOUSANDS of $$$.
Check out these housesits in NZ: https://itsadrama.com/trusted-nz
⛑️Safety wing Nomad Travel insurance.
We use Safety Wing. They have been brilliant and offer us everything we need at a great price: https://itsadrama.com/safetywing-insurance
Love the show? Please rate and review the NZ Ahead Podcast HERE!
This is a free way to support our show: leave it a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
It’s a chance to tell us what you love about the show, and it helps others discover it, too. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, select the star rating and hit "write review".
Thank you!
Kia Kaha,
Liz and Brian x
Want More New Zealand Content? Go to our NZ Ahead Blog where you will find a mass of NZ content!
https://nzahead.com/blog/