By the time the rain-soaked winters, spiralling bills and endless greyness of British life finally broke her, Renae Wąsik knew she couldn’t do it anymore.
“I felt like I was going crazy,” says the 43-year-old PR boss.
Renae and her husband Pawel left for Greece last November
“Grey skies make me feel sad, bleak and trapped. I didn’t want my baby growing up in that.”
So in November 2025, Renae and her husband Pawel made the decision together to pack up their life in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, and move with their two-year-old daughter, Rocca, to a tiny village most Brits have never heard of: Vasiliki, on the Greek island of Lefkada, tucked between Corfu and Kefalonia.
Just months later, she says the change has been life-altering.
“In the UK, we were paying close to £3,000 a month just to live, that covered rent, council tax and utilities, for a suburban home with a tiny garden,” she says.
“It was wet, miserable and exhausting. Now we’re renting an off-season Airbnb for €800 (£690) a month, I can walk to the sea, and I wake up feeling free.”
Renae, founder of the Atticism PR & Brand Development, has built a successful career over more than two decades and regularly shares her new life on TikTok, where her videos have racked up more than half a million likes, but not everyone has applauded her move.
While some viewers dream of following in her footsteps, others have accused her of being ‘privileged’, ‘out of touch’, or even ‘stealing housing from locals’.
Renae isn’t having it.
Renae, founder of the Atticism PR & Brand Development
“People say it’s ‘not that easy’ to live and work overseas, and they’re right,” she says.
“It’s not easy. But it’s also not impossible. If it’s truly your goal, you’ll work for it. Nothing falls in your lap.”
She also bristles at the suggestion that she’s taking more than she gives.
“We’ve been really conscious about contributing,” she says.
“I work in PR and I help get the island press exposure for free. Pawel is a painter and decorator and has been helping locals who are desperate for skilled labour. We’re living in an off-season Airbnb that sits empty all winter, and when we build our house, we’ll hire local trades. This isn’t a ‘take, take, take’ situation.”
The emotional shift, she says, was immediate.
“The moment we arrived, my husband and I looked at each other and said, ‘Oh my God, we escaped’,” she laughs.
“The UK feels like a rat wheel. You work to live, and by the weekend you’re so exhausted you just want to order Deliveroo, which is so expensive you have to work even more. Here, the pressure just lifted.”
Renae is quick to point out that Greek island life isn’t a glossy holiday brochure.
“If you’ve done Santorini or Mykonos and think that’s real life, you’re in for a shock,” she says.
From the end of March, the family will move into a two-bedroom home for £430 a month, a short walk from the seaFor two-year-old Rocca, the move has been transformational, says mum Renae
“It rains, a lot. There’s no food convenience. I’ve lost three kilos because I can’t just snack whenever I want. Sometimes I honestly can’t look at another courgette.”
But she shrugs. “I sacrifice convenience for peace.”
And this isn’t a temporary adventure. “Oh yes, this is forever,” Renae says.
“We’ve bought a 4,600-square-metre plot of land overlooking the sea for less than the price of a one-bedroom flat in Bedfordshire. We’ll build our home here.”
From the end of March, the family will move into a two-bedroom home for €500 (£430) a month, a short walk from ferries, beaches, a marina and fresh fishing boats, with a balcony bursting with orange, lemon and mandarin trees.
“Our neighbour gives us all the olive oil we need, and we’ll help him with the harvest,” she smiles.
“Everyone helps everyone. It’s a real community.”
The family has bought a 4,600-square-metre plot of land overlooking the sea for less than the price of a one-bedroom flat in Bedfordshire
Renae still travels back to the UK for work and to see her two older daughters, aged 22 and 23, but Britain is no longer home.
“I’ll always come back,” she says. “But this, this is where we’re building our life.”
And for anyone watching from a grey British sofa, wondering if it’s possible?
“I’m not saying everyone should do it,” she says.
“I’m saying I did, and I’m finally happy.”