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Living Overseas -- merged threads


Realistbear

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HOLA441

interesting thread with many good posts.

My own take is that I'm happy with staying in the UK. Sure things aren't perfect, but they ain't broken either.

I've returned after a spell abroad and appreciate the UK all the more for what it has, its beautiful countryside, its heritage, its culture, its oddities and rarities.

My advice (FWIW) is to try and let out your property in the UK to cover your mortgage. Then move overseas. Try it and for some its wonderful. From my own experience though, there are many more who fall in love with the dream and tv inspired panacea's that simply don't exist for the majority. The number of people I used to know who were always on a knife edge of moving home (to the UK) was incredible.

Good luck to the first poster if he / she moves. I hope it works out well. But if it doesn't and you return back to the UK. I promise you, you'll enjoy the UK alot more.

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HOLA442

Sold my house in the UK in 2005 and bought a motor home.

I fancied moving to France, but a few months there scouting around for somewhere to live changed my mind.

I'm now back in the UK and relieved that I didn't buy somewhere in France or Spain.

The people who'd successfully expatriated themselves were in two groups - those that emigrated early on in their careers and those that did so for retirement.

I think it's difficult if you are in the middle - as I was.

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Guest mattsta1964
interesting thread with many good posts.

My own take is that I'm happy with staying in the UK. Sure things aren't perfect, but they ain't broken either.

I've returned after a spell abroad and appreciate the UK all the more for what it has, its beautiful countryside, its heritage, its culture, its oddities and rarities.

My advice (FWIW) is to try and let out your property in the UK to cover your mortgage. Then move overseas. Try it and for some its wonderful. From my own experience though, there are many more who fall in love with the dream and tv inspired panacea's that simply don't exist for the majority. The number of people I used to know who were always on a knife edge of moving home (to the UK) was incredible.

Good luck to the first poster if he / she moves. I hope it works out well. But if it doesn't and you return back to the UK. I promise you, you'll enjoy the UK alot more.

I'm with you on the countryside thing. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in spring and summer

I think our culture is overrated......because it has become so diluted. Even our music is dull these days. There's no fire in the belly in our culture. Everything is mediocre. Our young people in particular seem sodull compared with the characters I grew up with.

You can't even smoke a fag in a pub anymore for chirrsakes!! LOL Jeezzz! Things are BAD!

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HOLA444
I am giving increasingly serious thought to returning to the US as I do not like the look of post-Gordon Britain with or without a massive HPC.

I have a US permanent resident card that expires in June so I have to make my mind up relatively quickly as it is an enormous hassle to get another one!

Colorado, Vermont are at the top of the list as of today. Nice houses can be bought for around $250k in countryside that is not too bad with property taxes to match. Affordability, friendly people, a new Audi A4 2.0T for $26k after discount, no sense of being financially raped everytime you go out to dinner, most of my family emigrated there and haven't ventured back to the UK like I did 2 years or so ago,

I think I have had enough of rip-off Britain, Gordon Brown and his ilk, overpriced houses, crowded conditions and ever increasing taxes.

Anyone else at the brink and making plans to sod off somewhere? Where?

I headed back to Sydney as a dual national in November (as posted previously). I had a return work ticket that would have run out otherwise so it was use it or lose it.

Reasons: better place to grow kids, less claustrophobic, much less stressful (although my background is in the City and medicine which may have made life in the UK more stressful than it should have been). Plus you're away from the sh1t fight that is the EU, middle east etc

Downsides: healthcare systems the world over suck - and the NHS is not that bad when you've sampled what the rest of the world offers the sub-wealthy; I'm not a billy no mates (despite spending time on HPC) so I miss my friends and family; nice chocolate; decent telly (really); house prices in the nice bits are trading on UK multiples; politicians are the same the world over; more punitive tax rate if you earn a few quid (really); La Nina etc. If you strip out the "Marmite in Marbella" issues, there's also that strange feeling of being away from your roots / culture that's hard to describe.

On balance, you can't beat being able to take jnr to the beach three times a week but on the other hand living here is like lotus eating: you look at the clock and suddenly realise that five then ten years have passed.

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HOLA445
It is indeed a big decision that needs to be thought through very carefully. I have a friend who went to live in Canada in 2004, thinking it would be easy to adapt and adjust to a different life. It was not to be. Basically he found it hard to get a job, didn't know anyone in Toronto or anywhere else in Canada, and found it difficult to socialise and fit in with their way of life. He returned to the UK in 2005 before sinking into deep depression. He was on antidepressents for much of 2005 and 2006 before moving to Bulgaria towards the end of last year. He bought an old house there as a renovation project, but once again he found himself with no job or friends so returned to the UK. Needless to say, he is now clinically depressed once more.

It might sound harsh, but the reality for most is that there is a very good chance that a life abroad may not work out. If you only want to live abroad to be able to afford a house, then I would say that is no guarantee of a happy life at all. And don't think things are necessarily better elsewhere.... the grass is almost not always greener on the other side.

You need a structure to help you settle, be it a university course or a job. Very difficult otherwise.

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HOLA446
My own take is that I'm happy with staying in the UK. Sure things aren't perfect, but they ain't broken either.

I'm somewhere between that sentiment and the sentiment of "I can't wait to get out of this place."

I'm stuck here until Summer 2010 for business contractual reasons - I can't really do anything before then without incurring exit charges of £50,000+ from the contracts the business is currently obliged to meet.

I love Britain in many ways - I really do. Everything from its architecture to its sense of humour, its inherent beauty to its increasingly-dwindling geniuses that make our lives better, its countryside to its arts & culture, Britain really can't be bettered. I consider myself lucky to be an Englishman and am proud of such much of our history, heritage and flexibility.

What's drawing me abroad? The sense that life is getting harder and harder here - no matter what I do or think, I'm wrong. A lot of the time, they'll just "warn" me about my inherent crapness, other times they'll legislate against it. We have to pay more over to the government than ever before, we have to obey thousands of more bogus and ill-considered laws than we did 10 or 20 years ago, we're no longer in control - they are.

Who are they? Our elected and employed moral guardians. Those brave and committed souls that will exaggerate and lie to us to keep us under control. The people ready to rule and victimise us while slagging the population off if they dare try the same. It's probably always been this way, but there's something about New Labour that takes it to a different level. They just can't leave well enough alone.

For over 1,000 years, this industrious and creative people, the Britons, have achieved greatness all on their own. We haven't needed to be dictated to - as a society, sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly, we muddled our way into fantastic inventions, achievements and excellence. Now, our lives need to be micro-managed by elites at national and local level who feel they need to intervene on our rights to make us even more 'perfect'.

The terrible thing is that their meddling makes us less perfect, less ingenious, less tolerant and less free. They hate us and they'll do everything to make sure we live a 'perfect' New Labour life.

These are all negative reasons for wanting to leave. I do want to leave. I've had enough. They've won. I've lost. All I need to do now is find a country I could fall in love with and move there for all the right reasons.

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HOLA447
Going to Oz tomorrow for a month to check it out.

If we like it we will leave hopefully within a year.

Reasons for leaving?? where do you begin there is so much you could point to.

If I had to condense it down I'd say a lack of integrity or honour among those that we have elected and the lack of space. More people crammed into the same space more traffic and no sign of it ending.

Corruption and sardines filters into your life in a variety of ways and the future looks very bleak. GB has said we are the financial hub of the world and we all know money does not bring happiness yet this is what the country is set up to chase - money. We're not going to manufacture anything anymore.

I hope we all like OZ cause don't know where else I like that is far enough away from it all.

Unfortunately, the previous govt here made Australia rather more similar to the UK than you may think. Perhaps the new guys will change that and look at total happiness rather than total wealth when making decisions affecting the country.

It's a shame - in the late 90s you could live in a nice shared house here, eat and drink well and, if it was your thing, see live music across the city on a few dollars. GST, pokies and a few other changes saw that come to an end. You really need to get a true handle on the house prices over here too to make an informed decisions. Renting is very cheap, but I'm guessing you'll be looking to buy. If you haven't looked already, check out domain.com.au and realestate.com.au.

Good luck with your visit.

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Guest vicmac64

Just stay a little longer in the UK and you may well feel like you have emigrated!!

Everyone will be speaking polish or some other eastern european gobbledegook!

You'll feel very shortly that you are not in your home country if you stay.

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HOLA4411

imo, it's importnat to learn from RB's experience that speculating everything you have on a single country's currency may well end up with you being forced to live in that country if you bet on the wrong side.

I've bought in Switzerland - the CHF was so cheap in relation to sterling, UK health insurance covers you here with an EHIC card, commmunal/cantonal/confederation tax is low, you can retain UK citizenship, ISAs & SIPPs etc. whilst living here for 6 months pf the year, low post peak oil travel costs back home, cheap skiing whilst the snow lasts, very cheap petrol for euro travel, etc... Will probably buy a place by the sea in Portugal or Spain when they've crashed in a few years - there are huge possibilities for retaining UK citizenship, but spending your life in far better parts of Europe.

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HOLA4413

QUOTE (The Masked Tulip @ Dec 27 2007, 06:41 PM)

Most of my male friends in their 40s and 50s are the same and will not go near a British woman again for a relationship let alone marriage

This reveals you as someone with an imbalanced attitude because of one failed relationship. I hope you do leave the country.

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HOLA4414
Everyone will be speaking polish or some other eastern european gobbledegook!

It's beyond me why anyone would waste more than a second of their life learning to speak completely pointless languages that aren't spoken anywhere else in the world. If it isn't French (Africa, former French colonies, etc.), Spanish/Portuguese (S. America, etc), Mandarin (language of the future), why waste your time?

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HOLA4415
QUOTE (The Masked Tulip @ Dec 27 2007, 06:41 PM)

Most of my male friends in their 40s and 50s are the same and will not go near a British woman again for a relationship let alone marriage

This reveals you as someone with an imbalanced attitude because of one failed relationship. I hope you do leave the country.

How on earth do you come to that conclusion? What a stupid ill-informed comment!

I simply comment that most of my male friends will not go nead a British woman again and you somehow conclude that I have an imblanaced attitude and conclude that I have a failed relationship. Tosser!

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HOLA4416
Guest Mr Parry
Are they aware that there is an assault weapons ban in the state of California?

Here's the list of banned firearms.

(btw please stop spamming your other link - that IMF related link is offtopic...)

Who care's, if so, some guy at HPC will just move it. I screwed up on the date anyway, made me look like the myopic fool I most certainly am.

People in other countries don't take what all their so called rulers say, so seriously in comparison to the British. Anyway, I don't think they were automatic, you know ba ba ba ba bang. Just Bang, click, Bang!

Personally I hate firearms. If they were not maunfactured people would not get shot.

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HOLA4417
How on earth do you come to that conclusion? What a stupid ill-informed comment!

I simply comment that most of my male friends will not go nead a British woman again and you somehow conclude that I have an imblanaced attitude and conclude that I have a failed relationship. Tosser!

Also: you forgot to mention no sense of humour (ie the posting about getting rid of politicians in Pakistan).

Anyway, does the current situation in Pakistan mean that the price of a chicken tikka masala is going up? :rolleyes:

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HOLA4419

Dr House, while I commend your criticism of the tactless joke about Pakistan, there was no need to duplicate my post to that effect back on p. 3.

QUOTE (The Masked Tulip @ Dec 27 2007, 06:41 PM)

Most of my male friends in their 40s and 50s are the same and will not go near a British woman again for a relationship let alone marriage

This reveals you as someone with an imbalanced attitude because of one failed relationship. I hope you do leave the country.

Can you count past one?

Are you female by any chance?

What's for sure is you'll not be liking www.nomarriage.com much.

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HOLA4423
QUOTE (The Masked Tulip @ Dec 27 2007, 06:41 PM)

Most of my male friends in their 40s and 50s are the same and will not go near a British woman again for a relationship let alone marriage

This reveals you as someone with an imbalanced attitude because of one failed relationship. I hope you do leave the country.

If you`d met as many stupid, ignorant, tattoo`d, tartish, semi alcoholic, braying, foul mouthed "English Ladies" as the rest of us you might not be so quick to judge :D .

Just count yourself lucky.

There is one exception I can think of but that`s another story :(

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Guest Mr Parry
I've seen this site before. Mainly from an American view, but unfortunately what I read rings true about many British girls also.

Exactly why I can't see the why the 'stereotypes' are applied to Thai women. I have a more stable happy marriage than anyone I know in the West.

I also have friends who are happily married to Thai's.

Kind of goes against the grain, no?

Edited by Mr Parry
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HOLA4425

Just a quick reminder to those seriously thinking of permanently emigrating.

Please find positive reasons for going to the country of your choice. If you are going, just beacuse the grass is greener, it probably won´t work out for you.

Spain - Great Climate, healthy outdoor lifestyle, loads of space, fantastic scenery, great food, friendly people, cheap to live etc that's all I can think of off pat.

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