About MumAbroad
Trusted Online Resource to Family Life Away from Home
Established in 2008, MumAbroad has evolved into a premier online destination for the international community residing in or relocating to key cities and regions across Spain, France, Italy, and Germany. Renowned for our reliability and wealth of insights, we’ve become the go-to resource for parents navigating life abroad, offering a wealth of information on birthing options, child-friendly activities, healthcare, family services, bureaucratic procedures, international schools, online education, specialized educational services, studying abroad, therapists and more.
Our community is characterized by its adventurous spirit, open-mindedness, and reliance on peer recommendations. We pride ourselves on delivering meticulously curated listings tailored to the needs of our diverse and discerning readership.
In addition to our invaluable resources for parents, MumAbroad has emerged as a vital platform for female entrepreneurs. Our Work Life directories provide a platform for women across the work spectrum – from solopreneurs to CEOs – fostering connectivity, empowerment, and collaboration.
With a robust presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we’ve cultivated an engaged online community eager to connect, share experiences, seek advice, and offer recommendations. At MumAbroad, we’re dedicated to facilitating meaningful connections and empowering women living away from their native lands.
The MumAbroad team also played a pivotal role in establishing 4Voices, an innovative platform dedicated to fostering empowerment among teenagers through the art of public speaking
Jane Mitchell
Partner & Head of Content
Jane Mitchell boasts three decades of living abroad, accumulating a diverse array of experiences as a mother, educator and writer. Her journey began with eight years in Cairo, followed by the pursuit of a PhD from SOAS, University of London. Since 2003, Jane has called Catalonia home, and currently resides with her son in Vilassar de Mar a vibrant coastal town on the Maresme coast near Barcelona. Jane’s two other children are both studying in the UK.
In 2012, Jane joined the MumAbroad team as a partner and now works as the Head of Content, specializing in crafting compelling content and covering various facets of family life and overseas experiences. Jane also conducts insightful interviews featured on the MumAbroad YouTube channel.
Furthermore, Jane contributes to The Good Schools Guide International, offering independent reviews of international schools in Barcelona. She writes of her experiences on finding her identity after divorce in a chapter for the anthology #LivingTheDream.
Carrie Frais
Founding Partner
Carrie Frais is an experienced former BBC and Sky News British TV & Radio journalist, copywriter, podcaster, events host and writer who has made Barcelona her home since 2006.
A year after the birth of her first child in 2007, Carrie founded MumAbroad where she currently heads up business development, strategy and sales. As one of the founding members of Bremain in Spain, Carrie actively champions the rights of British immigrants. She also edited and co-authored the anthology #LivingTheDream, a compelling exploration of the challenges faced by those living away from their native home.
Known for her engaging presence, Carrie is a sought-after events host for prestigious gatherings like The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and South Summit in Madrid.
Carrie is also the co-founder of 4Voices, a public speaking platform for teenagers, Maresme Connect and No20, a co-working space in Vilassar de Mar (Barcelona) . She currently lives in Premia de Mar and has two children in further education in Spain and the UK.
A message from the Founder
I was living in the beautiful city of Barcelona, having each just given birth to my first child. With no extended family to help with childcare, I looked for other resources to help guide us through this challenging period of our lives. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find easily accessible information about activities and services for parents and their children. It soon became apparent that there was a growing niche for an English language website which would offer parents from the International Community valuable information such as child-related services, schools, family activities, shops, family holidays and restaurants.
After extensive research and the help of hundreds of mothers, ‘Barcelona Mum’ was born, offering a comprehensive and personalised guide to family life in Barcelona. Within a few months, the website was changed to ‘MumAbroad Spain ‘ to incorporate Catalonia, Madrid, Andalucia, Valencia & the Costa Blanca and the Balearics. As the site gained momentum, MumAbroad France, MumAbroad Italy and MumAbroad Germany were subsequently established.
I believe that, in the majority of cases, parents are the best judge of anything child-related, so that is why our site is based mainly on recommendations. Every service, group or activity on our website has been recommended by at least one local Mum or Dad. On our blog, MumAbroad Life, you can read about other women’s experiences of living away from ‘home’ as well as interviews with a host of childhood experts from multilingualism to applying to University. In our Work Life section, we’ve showcased some inspirational women who have established successful businesses and created a life for themselves, many of whom have had to juggle work and family life alongside the challenges of living abroad. Our instagram pages give parents a forum to share concerns, offer advice, buy & sell items and meet in a dynamic and growing online community.
We hope that you will find the information on our site useful and that you can also help us with our goal to constantly improve them by continuing to send us your comments and recommendations.
Best wishes
Carrie
Founding Partner & Director
For collaborations & advertising please contact carrie@mumabroad.com
Listen to an interview with MumAbroad founder Carrie Frais