It was not a light decision, moving to Europe. We had taken several trips there before, to Portugal, France, Belgium (okay, that could have been rethought), and Denmark. The history, the beer, the bulls, and the air just intoxicated us. We were certain. We were more than sure that we were meant to live there.

It was done in our heads, anyway. We moved there and what a move. We had lived in two states here in the U.S., but we had never had to hire an international auto shipping company just to get to our new home. You think for a second about all the stuff and nonsense that you can acquire in a lifetime and, on retirement, when you make a massive change like this to fulfill your dream, where does all that stuff go? Does it go away or do you just invest and make room for it?

We were worried about driving in our new home country, which would be Portugal. Rich in tradition and culture, known for its industry in textiles and such, and one of the most livable countries on that continent, we also knew that driving in Europe wasn't the same as here in the U.S. and we thought we knew that they drove on the left, like us.

In that case, we read, we could keep our nearly-new car and have it transported by an international auto shipping company, versed in duties, taxes, transport, and customs. Find that company, pronto This process could take months, weeks, a while anyway.

When we find the international auto shipper that we eventually chose, the rep greatly eased our minds by briefing us in detail as to the process, which seemed mostly paperwork completion and drawing blood to sell for favors.

But after completing said paperwork and getting the SVA and tax money together that were required, we found ourselves still on our feet and still enthusiastic about this life change. The international auto shipping process was not nearly as scary as the idea of our car, which we had just purchased 6 months before, taking the trip on its own. We were the most fortunate in that it was new but not too new; and it was the right kind to avoid too much tax and too much alteration by our new government.

Shortly after meeting with the international auto shipping company rep and handing over all the information on ourselves, our car, our ownership of the car, and most of our personal information, we left with our receipts and an extra key, just in case. I envisioned myself climbing over 18 other cars to get to mine in the hold of a ship, clutching my key because they had lost the one I'd given them. A needless paranoid vision that I'm happy to say remained a fantasy.