Our Relocation Timeline
Our relocation timeline: Seven months to Montpellier.
We are doing this. We are really doing this.
For months, moving to France felt like something we talked about over dinner, a dream we shaped and reshaped with each conversation. But lately—especially when we started discussing plane tickets—it's begun to feel startlingly real. The timeline is no longer abstract. It's May 2026. It's seven months away.
Some people ask us if we're nervous. The honest answer? We're excited, occasionally anxious, but mostly just ready. We've learned through our relationship that we're good at rolling with uncertainty, at trusting each other and the process. Whatever comes, we'll handle it together.
Still, there's something grounding about writing it all down—the practical steps, the milestones ahead, the emotional checkpoints we know are coming. So here's our timeline, as it stands today.
Where We Are Now: October 2025
Right now, we're still in Belfair, Washington. Lelaine is deep into her student teaching, working toward finishing her master's degree in English education. Andras is sorting through pottery pieces and possessions accumulated over a life lived in many places. We're both beginning the slow process of letting go—not just of things, but of routines, familiar landscapes, and the version of life we've known here.
We've started talking seriously with Valerie, a contact in France who's helping us navigate the apartment search from across the ocean. Our budget is around €700-850 per month, ideally under €1,000 with utilities included. We need at least one bedroom, good public transportation since we won't have a car, and we'd love to be in the heart of Montpellier or nearby with easy access to the city. Valerie seems confident this is doable. We're trusting her expertise and hoping to have a place secured before we leave.
The Visa Situation (Or Lack Thereof)
One of the biggest questions people ask: "What about visas?"
Here's where we got lucky. Andras was born in Hungary and holds an EU passport alongside his U.S. one. That means we can move to France without navigating the long-stay visa process that many Americans face. Lelaine will enter as Andras's spouse, which simplifies things considerably. It's one less bureaucratic mountain to climb, and we're grateful for it.
What We're Bringing (and What We're Leaving Behind)
We've made a radical decision: we're taking only what fits in five to six suitcases between us.
That's it.
Everything else will be sold, donated, or given to family. It's liberating and a little heartbreaking at the same time. Andras is letting go of knife-making equipment and woodworking tools he's used for a long time. Lelaine is sorting through her craft supplies, her student work, mementos from raising four kids.
But we both know: this move isn't about bringing our old life to France. It's about stepping into something new with as little baggage—literal and metaphorical—as possible.
The Major Milestones Ahead
Between now and May, here's what we're focused on:
October: Buying our plane tickets. We'll most likely fly into Paris, then take the high-speed train (TGV) to Montpellier. Once those tickets are purchased, there's no turning back. That's when this stops being a plan and becomes inevitable.
Winter/Spring 2026: Lelaine finishes her student teaching and completes her master's degree. This is huge—not just because it's the culmination of years of work, but because it represents closing one chapter before opening another.
Early Spring 2026: The hardest part—saying goodbye. We'll visit close friends and family, have final dinners, last walks in familiar places. Lelaine will spend time with her mom, her kids, her grandchild. Andras will say farewell to the Pacific Northwest landscapes he's called home for over three decades and his closest friends in Sequim and Belfair. These goodbyes won't be easy, even though we're choosing this adventure.
April/May 2026: Final preparations. Pack those five suitcases. Close bank accounts, cancel subscriptions, tie up loose ends. Take one last look around.
May 2026: Departure. Paris, then Montpellier. A new country, a new language for Lelaine, a new life for both of us.
What's Still Uncertain
Not everything is mapped out, and we're okay with that. We don't know exactly when we'll secure our apartment in Montpellier, though we're hopeful it'll happen in the first couple of months of 2026. We don't know what our first weeks in France will actually feel like—jet-lagged, exhilarating, overwhelming, probably all three. We don't know how long it will take to feel at home there.
But here's what we do know: we're in this together. We've already navigated long distance, illness, life transitions, and the merging of two very different lives. France is just the next chapter.
Why We're Sharing This
We're writing this blog partly for ourselves—a record of this wild, wonderful leap we're taking. But we're also writing it for family and friends who want to follow along, and for anyone else who's ever dreamed of moving abroad and wondered what it actually takes.
The truth is, it takes planning and improvisation in equal measure. It takes letting go and holding on. It takes practical steps (budget spreadsheets, suitcase inventories, train schedules) and emotional leaps (trusting that you'll figure it out, that the unknowns will reveal themselves in time).
We'll keep you posted as things unfold. Seven months from now, we'll be writing to you from Montpellier.
For now, we're still here in Belfair, counting down.