Mama Juliette lives and works with her family on amazing Ibiza!

Juliette lives in Ibiza with her husband and two children

Fay (3 years old) and Quin (1 year old). Over 5.5 years ago, she left the Netherlands because she was looking for a more adventurous life. She certainly found it.

It all started after a vacation in Ibiza. I always knew that I wasn't too attached to the Netherlands and wouldn't have a problem with moving. Having moved six times during my childhood, I always found starting anew somewhere exciting and could adapt quite well. But after that one vacation in Ibiza, both my partner and I had the same feeling: Ibiza felt like coming home.

We lived in a beautiful family home in Amersfoort, both had permanent contracts at work and great jobs. No children yet and all the freedom to build a future together. But adventure was calling. We wanted to live more outdoors, in a beautiful environment, and dreamed of starting our own business. Many dreams at once that seemed impossible at first. We decided to both take a month to think about it, list all the pros and cons, and after that month to discuss whether we would dare to embark on the adventure.

Figure out step by step

We did that, and after that month, we naturally saw disadvantages such as no longer having family and friends nearby and giving up everything for a still uncertain future. Yet, we longed for the dream of living on Ibiza. We decided to find out step by step if it was possible. We visited the mortgage advisor to ask about the implications of subletting our house, sought permission from our bank, applied for a permit from the municipality to rent out our house, and started to establish connections to find an apartment on Ibiza. This has been a very exciting phase because we hadn't discussed it with anyone yet. We first wanted to know if it was really possible. Step by step, sometimes with a lot of effort, we got the approval to sublet our house.

Tell the family

The holidays were approaching and it felt like anything but the right time to announce that we wanted to move to Ibiza. We didn't want to spoil the Christmas spirit after all. On January 1st, after the New Year's toast, the moment of truth came out. I just couldn't keep it to myself any longer. The reaction was emotional, but also very sweet and enthusiastic. They didn't see it coming, but thought it was a great challenge. Without having a job or a house in Ibiza, we decided to sell all our belongings. Actually, we didn't have much trouble with this. I didn't place much value on our possessions. Then came the step of quitting our jobs. They were shocked by this as well, but they also thought it was very brave of us to do this.

A month before we were supposed to move to Ibiza, we had planned a weekend trip to apply for a residence permit and to view an apartment we wanted to rent. It was a large apartment with a sea view and two bedrooms, which meant we also had a guest room for family. Fully furnished in Spanish style, with brown tiled floors and a bright orange sofa, but for a very reasonable price. We didn't really have much choice, as it's quite difficult to find an apartment in Ibiza from the Netherlands. You really need to know the right people. So this was the one we went for.

The move

A month later, the time had come. Three cubic meters of moving boxes went by truck to Ibiza and we said goodbye to our family. Fortunately, everyone would soon come over for a vacation. Since we had sold quite a few items, we were able to start with a small buffer. In Ibiza, we began networking and soon started freelancing. My boyfriend built websites and was a graphic designer for a number of Dutch clients. With my background in communication, I started by writing a lot and then working on events. For example, I was also able to continue coordinating a project for my former employer. Over the past few years, I have worked on incredible events and productions. From the Best Singers of the Netherlands to events for footballers. I have also written a travel guide for Ibiza in my name. Things I would never have been able to do if I had kept my previous job or continued living in the Netherlands. After living in Ibiza for a year and a half, we got married on a small beach in the presence of our close friends and family. A year later, our daughter Fay was born and last year we had our son Quin. We took quite a risk by leaving for Ibiza without any certainty, but I dare say that it has enriched our lives. I see how much my children enjoy the beautiful island, even though it is absolutely hard work. The summers are long and intense because a large part of the income has to be earned then, but every moment we are free we enjoy to the fullest and it still feels like a vacation.

Would you like to read more about Juliette's adventure? Next time she will write about what it's like to give birth in a Spanish hospital on Ibiza and how her children are growing up.

JULIETTE (click here for her Instagram)