When Alyssa Bolaños told her Cuban immigrant family that she was leaving the United States, the very country they had fled to for a better life, they couldn’t understand it. Why would she leave the “land of opportunity”? Why would she take her two young boys and move abroad when her family had sacrificed everything to get here?
But for Alyssa, the answer was simple: it was time to make her own radical choice for her kids.
I had the privilege of sitting down with Alyssa on the Viva la Mami podcast to talk about her family’s journey from Florida to Uruguay, and what it really takes to leave the U.S. as a Latina mom. Her story resonated with me deeply because, like Alyssa, I recently made the decision to move my family to Mexico. We’re both rewriting the script of what’s possible for our families, and we’re doing it on our own terms.
The Breaking Point
Alyssa had always dreamed of living abroad. Growing up as a third culture kid – born in Tunisia to a Cuban mother, raised in New York City – she never quite felt like she belonged anywhere. That “ni de aquí, ni de allá” feeling followed her throughout her life. But when she met her husband and they started a family in Florida, the dream of leaving seemed to fade into the background.
Until the 2024 election.
“It is a very scary time to be Latino in the U.S. right now,” Alyssa shared with me. “Seeing the way that the country was going, fearing for our kids’ future, even their safety in school, finally, my husband was like, ‘Okay, you win. This is not the place to be.'”
For Alyssa, it wasn’t just about politics. It was about looking at her sons and realizing that the America she was raising them in wasn’t the America she wanted for their future. The constant fear of school shootings, the rising costs of childcare and healthcare, the lack of work-life balance, it all became too much.
“It’s not about us anymore,” she told me. “It’s about our kids and their future.”
Facing Family Pushback
Making the decision to leave was one thing. Telling her family was another.
Alyssa’s family literally fled Cuba during a dictatorship, leaving everything behind to start over in the United States. To them, America represented safety, opportunity, and freedom. So when Alyssa announced she was leaving, they were confused and hurt.
But Alyssa had a powerful realization: “My family thought leaving Cuba was the best choice. My mom made the choice to go to Tunisia and then come back to the States. They made those choices, so it’s time to make mine for my kids.”
She explained to me that honoring her family’s sacrifices didn’t mean she had to live the exact life they envisioned for her. It meant recognizing that they made brave choices for their children, and now it was her turn to do the same.
“Every person is gonna do what’s best for them,” she said. “I couldn’t live in my head for my family, where they might not necessarily take me into consideration for a lot of their decisions.”
That gave me chills. Because how many of us carry the weight of our parents’ dreams on our shoulders, even when those dreams no longer fit who we are or what we want for our own children?
The Practical Side: How They Actually Did It
One of the biggest questions I get from mamas in my DMs is: “How is it even possible to move abroad?”
Alyssa’s answer? “We just did it.”
She reminded me that when our parents immigrated to the U.S., no one asked them “how” they did it. They just figured it out as they went. And that’s exactly what Alyssa and her husband did.
From January to August 2025, they sold everything they owned through Facebook Marketplace and multiple estate sales. They kept only what they could fit in two suitcases per person and shipped two large boxes to Colombia (her husband’s home country, which serves as their home base).
“We’re not rich by any means,” Alyssa told me. “We have no generational wealth. We just needed to make it happen.”
The process was overwhelming. In fact, Alyssa got Bell’s Palsy from the stress of it all – her entire face was temporarily paralyzed. But even through that, she pushed forward because she knew what was waiting on the other side: freedom, adventure, and a better life for her boys.
The key, she emphasized, is making sure you have a way to support yourself. Both she and her husband work remotely, which gave them the flexibility to move. She also acknowledged the privilege of having her husband’s Colombian citizenship, which made the legal process easier.
World Schooling: Giving Her Kids the Literal World
Now, Alyssa and her family are in Uruguay, participating in a program called Boundless Life, a world schooling community where families spend three, six, or nine months living abroad while their kids attend school with other international children.
World schooling, Alyssa explained, is essentially homeschooling but using the world as your classroom. Instead of learning about marine biology from a textbook, her boys visit the world’s largest aquarium. Instead of studying sustainability in theory, they’re experiencing it firsthand in Uruguay, one of Latin America’s most progressive countries.
“I’m giving my kids literally the world,” she said, her voice full of emotion. “They’re so empathetic and open-minded. Sometimes they’ll say something and I’m like, ‘How did you know that? Where did you learn that?’ And I realize, this travel thing is really working.”
For Alyssa, world schooling isn’t just about academics. It’s about raising global citizens who understand that there are many ways to live, many cultures to learn from, and many places to call home.
The Reality of Living Abroad
Of course, it’s not all perfect. Alyssa admitted that adjusting to life in Uruguay has had its challenges. The lack of diversity compared to Orlando and New York City has been noticeable, and she misses the easy access to Cuban cafecito and foods from her culture.
“You get what you get here,” she laughed. “If I want rice and beans and tostones, I have to go the extra mile to search for those ingredients or cook them all myself.”
But even with those adjustments, she has no regrets. The trade-off of safety, quality of life, work-life balance, and the ability to be present with her kids is worth it.
Permission to Dream Bigger
At the end of our conversation, I asked Alyssa what she hopes Latina moms take away from her story.
Her answer was simple but powerful: “Take the risk. You can always go back, but you don’t know what you might be missing or what you might be able to give your kids somewhere else.”
She’s right. So many of us have been conditioned by the “immigrant mentality” – go to school, get a degree, get a good job, buy a house, stay put. But what if there’s another way? What if the life we’re searching for isn’t in the U.S. at all?
Alyssa is living proof that it’s possible. That Latina moms can make radical decisions for their families. That we can honor our parents’ sacrifices while also forging our own paths. That we can give our kids a childhood filled with adventure, safety, and belonging—even if it means leaving everything we’ve ever known behind.
If you’ve been sitting with that whisper of “what if we just… left?” This is your sign. Your permission slip. Your reminder that life is too short to wonder “what if.”
As Alyssa told me: “If you needed permission, here’s your permission. Go see the world. Do what makes you happy.”
Show Notes
In this episode of the “Mamis Abroad” series, I sit down with Alyssa Bolaños, the Latina mom behind @casabolanos, who made the radical decision to leave the U.S. with her family and embrace world schooling abroad. We dive deep into what it really takes to uproot your life, sell everything you own, and create a new future for your kids outside of the United States. Alyssa’s story is raw, honest, and incredibly inspiring, especially for those who’ve been feeling that whisper of “what if we just… left?”
What You’ll Hear:
- How the current administration pushed Alyssa and her husband to make the move they’d been dreaming about
- Why Alyssa chose to honor her family’s sacrifices by making her own radical choice for her kids
- The overwhelming (but doable!) process of relocating internationally
- How Alyssa is giving her kids a childhood filled with real-world learning, language immersion, and experiences that go beyond traditional schooling
- Finding home as a third culture kid and embracing life as a “citizen of the world” while living abroad
Resources Mentioned:
- Boundless Life: World schooling program for families (use code: ALYBOL94 for $450 USD / €400 EUR off)
Follow Alyssa’s journey:
- Website: www.casabolanos.com
- Instagram: @casabolanos
- TikTok: @casabolanos
- YouTube: @Casa_Bolanos
About Our Guest
Alyssa Bolaños | Casa Bolaños
Alyssa Bolaños is a Latina mom, advocate, and creative who is redefining what it means to raise a family abroad. Born in Sfax, Tunisia to a Cuban mother and raised in New York City, Alyssa grew up navigating multiple cultures – Cuban, Italian, Colombian, and Spanish influences, which shaped her worldview and identity as a lifelong “citizen of the world.” After becoming a mother, she made the radical decision to leave the United States with her husband and two young sons to embrace world schooling and sustainable living.
Now based between Colombia and traveling through Latin America, Alyssa shares her family’s journey through her platform, Casa Bolaños, inspiring other Latina families to take the leap, reclaim their homelands, and give their children the gift of the world. She is passionate about environmental sustainability, cultural preservation, and raising empathetic global citizens.
