Charlotte Rackett, known as CharlieinVegas on TikTok, is swapping the neon lights of Las Vegas for the market town of Bury after a series of personal events triggered a major life change. The 38-year-old mother-of-one moved to Nevada four years ago when her husband, Thom, landed a role in the Blue Man Group. However, following her mother's death during a visit to the UK and Thom's shoulder injury, the family decided to return to Greater Manchester.
A Turning Point in the Desert
Charlie told the Manchester Evening News that the decision crystallized during a return flight from the UK earlier this year. "My mum passed away when we went to visit the UK earlier in the year and then when we came back that literally was the first time when I didn't want to go back," she said. "Every other time when we've come back, from a holiday or wherever, I've always been so excited to get home. But that was the very first time where we were getting on the plane and I didn't want to go back. I just didn't want to leave, and I feel like that was the turning point."
Charlie and Thom moved to Las Vegas in 2022, settling just 15 minutes from the iconic Strip. Thom's role in the Blue Man Group was the catalyst for the move, but after injuring his shoulder, he stopped performing. "When Thom injured his shoulder as well, I was like, right let's go," Charlie recalled. "He was like, I'll get another job and we can stay. But we've been here for four and a half years, and it has been so fun, but I said, I think if you're not doing Blue Man I just don't want to stay."
The Challenges of Life in Sin City
Despite Las Vegas's reputation as the entertainment capital of the world, attracting around 40 million visitors annually, Charlie found the reality challenging, especially with a toddler and a dog. "It is really fun here, but it is hard. It's the literal desert," she said. "And we have a toddler and a dog and we don't have any support here either. So I was like we could just go back and live with our families and have support and countryside."
The extreme heat also took a toll. "Our dog is going to have the best life ever. We have to take her out for a walk at 6 o'clock in the morning here all through the summer and then she's stuck inside the whole rest of the day because of the heat," Charlie explained. "But when we get back, she'll be able to go up any time of day and there'll be so much grass and she's going to have a great time."
Longing for British Comforts
Charlie is looking forward to reconnecting with her roots, including the greenery and British food. "Honestly I'm really looking forward to just literally greenery. There's no greenery here and it is really hard living amongst rocks and sand," she said. "Also, I'm looking forward to so many of the food items. I feel like people think food in America is better and there's loads of more options, but I think you just really like the things that you grew up with. I keep thinking about stupid things like pickled onions and going to a country pub and a beer garden and all the stuff that we don't have here."
However, she acknowledged what she will miss: "We've made amazing friends and the strip is a 15 minute drive away. You're never bored here. There's so many things to do. So we'll miss having that split life of cute suburbia and the Las Vegas strip."
Support System and Childcare
The couple's daughter, Maisie, is nearly two years old, and Charlie is eager for the support network in the UK. "I'm so excited. We've been looking into it and it's amazing the support you get from the government when you have a child. It just feels like it's so much more set up for having children in the UK," she said. "There's so much more help and so many things to do. I mean, Las Vegas wasn't made for children, was it? In terms of having children, the UK is set up for it and it's going to be so much easier. I've already been looking into enrolling her for swimming classes and it's so much cheaper in Bury than in Las Vegas."
Charlie also highlighted the lack of childcare in Las Vegas: "Me and Thom have been out together without Maisie three times since she was born. We want to be spending more time together but because we don't have any childcare here we've only been out when people have been visiting and they've been able to watch her for the night."
Moving Forward, Not Backwards
The family will return to Bury on Tuesday, June 30, bringing everything with them in suitcases. Charlie is adamant that this move is a step forward. "My family are over the moon. They are so, so happy. They're all absolutely excited and I'm very excited to get my Bury accent back," she said. "When I posted the video explaining why we're moving some guy commented saying, 'some things just don't work out', and I read that, and I was like, but that's not us. We didn't come here forever and then go, oh, it's not worked out. We're not going backwards. We came for an experience, had a great time, and now we're moving forwards because we're going back to Bury and we're going to be with our family. To me that a huge step forwards."
