In Flight We Trust – An American Exodus
Seattle, Washington (December 2025).
Happy Holidays everyone. As I write this, the region where I live has become exceptionally saturated due to a weather phenomenon called atmospheric river. Years ago, it was often referred to as The Pineapple Express. Both terms connote heavy rains but with accompanying milder weather. What makes this current rain saturation unusual is we are receiving nearly two months of rain in the span of six days, something rather unprecedented.
Nonetheless, it is nice to be home for the holidays. I’ve been busy, almost in an incognito mode and that is good during the Northern hemisphere, hibernating mode we are so accustomed to. I recently travelled to Guatemala City, this time to explore and incorporate an initial look into what it means to be a global citizen searching out medical services with a rather significant price deferential/savings.
I’m using this information in a new film that is about a year-long process from beginning to end. Since the beginning of January, there has been a noticeable drop-off in interest in all matters pertaining to Central America from a U.S.A. perspective and although I am dismayed, my vision continues to be one of promoting this region of the world. It is and remains, a very vibrant area with the Mayan world that encapsulates Guatemala.
I’ve a domestic film team to help put together my first full, feature length documentary film. In draft form, we are titling it “In Flight We Trust: An American Exodus.” It is a play on “In God We Trust” and the story is about three American families that struggle financially with the cost of living in the United States. In the end, they reconcile their beliefs and decide to migrate OUT of the United States.
I pitched, got green-lit and received very generous soft and hard support that included camera equipment, funding, professional development and related in-kind assistance. Here’s where it gets very interesting; I set up an account to cast people in the Pacific Northwest who already had their visa/passport approved in hand and planned on migrating out of the U.S.A. between the months of January and June 2026. In the span of 48 hours, I received what I thought would be 20-40 responses, but instead was well over 1,000 American passport holders who were already in the process of downsizing, putting houses on market, searching out houses to buy internationally, and generally say goodbye to a country that just doesn’t seem to make financial sense to them anymore.
Suffice to say, I was shocked at the outpouring of not only support by people with a story to share but clearly desiring to be heard. My team and I narrowed our search, solidifying three very interesting families and have been deep in production since August. Although we cannot divulge where these families end up, we can attest the stories they share with resonate with many who decide to follow us to completion and a film that is entertaining yet thought provoking without passing judgement.
I’m excited to partner with a marketing team based in New York City to help begin promoting this documentary film. It is an improvement from my travelogue series on Central America yet has a domestic emphasis this time on American citizens who are joining the already five million who have emigrated out of the U.S.A. since 2016. I have no reservations about the critical reception of this film; it may resonate and generate a return on my investment…. or it may flop. Either way, I am okay as that is part and parcel with the current state of the film industry in the U.S.A. My bucket list dream is to have a limited theatrical release (meaning in some theaters).
Let’s see how I do. To keep current, please follow me on Instagram. As I always say, “Come along, travel with purpose. Life begins outside your comfort zone.”
Ron
