Conversations with Lindsey Bybee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Bybee.

Hi Lindsey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up traveling a little and always enjoyed it. I found myself naturally drawn to exploring new places and trying new things. Right after I got married, my husband and I moved to Germany for his job. It was our first time setting foot in Europe, and we fell in love with it instantly.

We prioritized travel and did as many trips as we could squeeze in. Our first child was born in Germany and we were determined not to stop traveling. We learned how to travel with a baby, then a toddler, then two kids, then three, and we haven’t slowed down since.

My husband found a way to keep pursuing opportunities to live abroad through his career. Living overseas has truly been a transformative experience for our whole family. It isn’t always easy, but the way it reshapes your perspective and opens up such unique learning experiences makes it worth it. After our first stint in Germany, we went on to live in Ukraine, Georgia (the country), Germany again, and Turkey.

We recently moved back to the United States and plan to treat this time just like we would any other new country. We look forward to taking advantage of all our area has to offer and exploring new regions in the Americas. We don’t think we are done living abroad just yet, so we will see where life takes us!

Through all of this, I found photography and travel writing to be fulfilling creative outlets. I love sharing our experiences and encouraging other families to get out and explore, whether that means local adventures or bigger international trips.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many bumps along the way, but this life has taught us how to figure things out, stay flexible, and recalibrate when plans fall apart (and they rarely go as planned).

All of my pregnancies and births were complicated. I had three emergency C-sections, and two of my children spent time in the NICU after birth. The medical complications and resulting scar tissue have made navigating healthcare overseas more challenging at times.

As our kids get older, moving frequently has become harder on them emotionally. They’re remarkably resilient, but it’s still hard to say goodbye to friends and to maintain those friendships across different countries.

Another difficult part of living abroad is being far from family. It’s hard not to feel guilty that our kids don’t get to be close to their extended family.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My travel writing and content creation has focused on family travel in and around Europe. I especially enjoyed covering alpine destinations like Garmisch, Germany, and the Austrian Alps. My belief is that traveling with kids in Europe is not only possible but fun. I try to show the fun that can be had, while also showing the reality that things happen and kids are kids, whether they’re in Venice or at home.

Our family recently moved back to the Washington, DC area, so my content will be shifting to highlight family travel there and beyond. We’re looking forward to exploring more of the US, and hopefully the Caribbean, Canada, and Central and South America too. We’re also relearning what life in the US is like. My kids have been abroad for the last seven years, so this is a new experience for them as well.

I also work for Mountain Seed Foundation, a nonprofit that supports families living through war with healing programs designed for the family as a unit. Our programs are based in the mountains and combine mountain climbing with tailored therapeutic work. I’m proud to be part of the organization, and proud that I’ve been able to use my background in digital marketing to help families recover from the emotional trauma they’ve experienced.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
The quality I’d point to is a genuine desire to help people. That’s where everything starts for me, and it’s what sparked the idea to begin blogging and sharing on social media in the first place. I wanted to be genuinely helpful to other families who were interested in traveling but maybe didn’t know where to start. I knew how much I’d relied on other traveling families for information when planning my own family’s adventures, and I wanted to be part of that pool of people, the ones who could offer the tips and tidbits you might not find in a generic travel book.

I think coming from a place of service helps me relate to my audience and build a connection, and that’s ultimately what success in this space comes down to. That same quality carries over into my work with Mountain Seed Foundation too. I get to use my skills to help real people, and that’s more meaningful than I can put into words.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://abroadwife.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abroadwife
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abroadwifetravel