We were scared of living too far from our aging parents. Instead of either of us moving home, we found a compromise.

Direct flights have made it easier to go back to our hometowns and for our parents to visit us in Vancouver, too.

Courtesy of Susanna Kelly-Shankar My husband and I loved living in Munich, though his parents were in Australia and mine in Alaska.

As our parents got older, we wanted visiting them to be easier, but neither of us wanted to go home.

We settled on Vancouver, which offers decent flight options to where our parents reside.

Alaska is a bucket-list travel destination for many.

For me, it's the place I call home, but I found myself itching to leave as an adult.

After years of traveling, I felt like I was changing, while my hometown stayed frozen in time.

I was ready for a permanent adventure abroad, and so I set my sights on moving to Europe.

Then one fateful evening, while climbing the corporate ladder to finance my European dream, I met a traveling Australian who shared a similar vision of life abroad — it felt like kismet.

Through distance, we stayed connected, fantasizing about a move.

One day, I finally took the leap, packed my life into a few suitcases, and moved halfway across the world to Munich, taking the chance on an exciting new relationship and life in Germany .

The first few months were tough.

Our days were full of navigating visas, cultural differences, bureaucracy, language learning, and apartment hunting — but the challenges delivered big rewards.

Over six transformative years, Munich became our home.