iLegallyBlonde Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I've had a bad day too, we completed on our house yesterday so I thought I'd have a look around and see what if anything we "could" buy. Sweet FA and the rental's around here are pretty pants too. However the schools are good so we are between a rock and a hard place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
?...! Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Whatever your job is, go to the city that leads the world. learn as much as you can for a year or two then find somewhere cheap with job security. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mushroom Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 New Zealand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalstar Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 It depends on your situation of life. If with children then Canada or New Zealand. You simply cannot go wrong and although you will earn less, your quality of life will improve. However, if young free single/childless ?...! has the right idea. You will have a great time in any world city for a year or two and will (hopefully) improve your career no end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Darker Law Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 New Zealand or Canada. NDL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xurbia Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I am on the next plane out of this country. First stop Seattle and then on to New Zealand in 2 years. Christchurch is beautiful. Good beer, pubs, outdoors, utlra-friendly people and sense of humour. You can also **** loads of sheep if you like too! They do have rapid house inflation though but at least your savings account will have a good rate of interest. P.S. Don't tell anyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down with the BBC Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Possibly Australia. I heard that there are some bargains to be picked up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leodhasach Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Norway - get me out of the EU quicksmart!! Snow and pretty ladies... Would have to brew my own beer though - £4 for a bottle of 2.1%! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carabansity Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I lived abroad for a while and despite everything would still choose here (ask me again in five years though). Why? I speak the language. I understand the currency and what is worth in my pocket. I already have a job here that I like going to. I don't like driving on the left - its not natural (okay Oz and NZ is on proper side) My family all live here (except my aunts who are in Ireland and Spain, and my cousins in NZ, Oz and America, and my eldest who lives in Wales!), so okay my mum and my wife live here then, and my mother in law...so any flight out to anywhere will do then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashedOutAndBurned Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I'd stay in the UK and fight. It's a beautiful country. I'm a bit sick of the south east urbal sprawl traffic trodden 100-miles-an-hour life, mind you. So I'd probably choose to get back to my country boy roots, leave the smog, and grow runner beans or something. While fighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iLegallyBlonde Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 Australia is out for personally reasons and tbh I don't fancy NZ Cananda's interesting though, how come nobody wants to go to the land of the free USA then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Darker Law Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Australia is out for personally reasons and tbh I don't fancy NZ Cananda's interesting though, how come nobody wants to go to the land of the free USA then I think it's a sad reflection on what the US has become and the reputation it has now earned, that nobody has mentioned it. I kinda get the impression that if you asked (for want of a better expression) the boomer generation they would have considered the US as one of the first options. Personally I don't consider it an option for even a holiday nowadays, though I wish I could. NDL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boom_and_bust Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Australia is out for personally reasons and tbh I don't fancy NZ Cananda's interesting though, how come nobody wants to go to the land of the free USA then Hi, Canada is great! And the west seaboards are mild, gentle winters, nice long, hot summers. Friendly people, fantastic standard of living. If you have desire to escape the rat race then either Rockall ; http://www.therockalltimes.co.uk/policy/pe...s-republic.html Or maybe Hierro if Ryan air start going there. Boomer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Te Mata Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 If you don't like the US then don't come to Oz. NZ is the go in this corner of the globe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Costa Rica or Belize. Both stable democracies with a reasonable standard of living (by global standards) Warm weather....What more could you ask for? I believe English is the offical language in Belize too. I'm positive Spanish for Costa Rica. I think it's a sad reflection on what the US has become and the reputation it has now earned, that nobody has mentioned it.I kinda get the impression that if you asked (for want of a better expression) the boomer generation they would have considered the US as one of the first options. Personally I don't consider it an option for even a holiday nowadays, though I wish I could. I have a friend in NZ who passed up a trip to Canada. All the flights went through the US. Now you are finger printed, and have to go through immagration (and customs too I believe) even if you just get on another plane to Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamconfusedagain Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Costa Rica or Belize. Both stable democracies with a reasonable standard of living (by global standards) Warm weather....What more could you ask for? I believe English is the offical language in Belize too. I'm positive Spanish for Costa Rica. I have a friend in NZ who passed up a trip to Canada. All the flights went through the US. Now you are finger printed, and have to go through immagration (and customs too I believe) even if you just get on another plane to Canada. Amsterdam, a sure way to forget about hpi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) A rural part of Normandy for me - already started looking..... I've noticed a few younger members of the famille disappearing to E Europe recently. Have also been thinking of Australia recently - my Grandad is from S Australia (Welsh-Australian of course) - will they let me in??? Gruff As for S America - thought about it, then thought about Uncle Sam and his CIA scum p***** about in his 'back yard' - decided perhaps not. Edited January 31, 2006 by gruffydd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bart of Darkness Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 New Zealand. This would be my first choice too. Canada is a little too close to the Fourth Reich for my liking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpo Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Thailand - houses are less than 10 Grand a time. cost of living is also negligable. buy some Gilts to provide you with an income and chill out for a few years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gudz Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Costa Rica or Belize. Both stable democracies with a reasonable standard of living (by global standards) Warm weather....What more could you ask for? I believe English is the offical language in Belize too. I'm positive Spanish for Costa Rica. I have a friend in NZ who passed up a trip to Canada. All the flights went through the US. Now you are finger printed, and have to go through immagration (and customs too I believe) even if you just get on another plane to Canada. I second that! I was fortunate to have a honeymoon in Belize and it was the best place I've ever been, friendly people, they love the English, mainly due to the help they've recieved from our govmt in creating infrostructure. Easy Carribean attitude to life. Good weather, loads to do. Only downside was the cost of living, as everything is imported. Kinda like the UK in that regard then :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xil Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Norway - get me out of the EU quicksmart!! Snow and pretty ladies... Would have to brew my own beer though - £4 for a bottle of 2.1%! I'll take a ticket to Norway as well. Would love a proper winter with snow!! Xil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North London Rent Girl Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Have been seriously thinking about learning French and moving to Brittany - friendly people, great food, v. laid-back way of life. Although who said Amsterdam? Hmm, yes, could do that, too. Wouldn't even have to learn another language (although of course would have a stab at it out of politeness!). Swore when I last returned home that would never live abroad again but if a reasonable standard of living doesn't become more accessible here in a couple of years or so I'm offsky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockdoctor Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I've lived and worked in Netherlands and Oman. Wouldn't want to stay in either. Spent mucho time in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad. Nice for a holiday but too chaotic. US (Utah) looked nice, but the politics and religion would do my head in. Canada (Calgary) was too much like a ski resort - but I'm sure the rest of the place was nice. South Africa looked promising, but the future looks far too unstable for my liking. France, Spain, Italy are all appealing for the climate and culture, but it's not my culture... Germany is tempting - wife is German, we have a house there, and I'm sure I'd spreche Deutch schnell genug, but they have such a different outlook on the world to me (all that Angst). Never seen Oz or NZ - they sound nice, but the Ozzies and Kiwis I know grate on my nerves a bit. Far East comes highly recommended by friends.....but they have riots, and volcanoes, and tsunami, and corruption, and crime etc Basically I belong to Blighty and Blighty belongs to me. I'm here for the long term, like it or lump it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalista Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Well I actually did emigrate to the US. But not because I was pi$$ed of with the UK, I was just following a job opportunity. I'll be back to the UK in a year or two. The US is probably not the hell-hole that people believe. But on the other hand I do live in one of the nicer bits. The 9-11 stuff like fingerprinting etc. does not really affect you once you are here. The people are nice, and it is generally quite a bit cheaper to live here than the UK. The weather is more predictable and it is easier to get out into the countryside (on the other hand there are no decent maps and you cannot just go walking anywhere like in the UK). However, the downsides are that social attitudes seem really quite backwards compared to Europe, even in the so-called "liberal" cities. Some material aspects of life are actually quite backwards. Retail banking, compared to the UK for example. Also the roads are rather poorly maintained. Cities and towns are very ugly compared to Europe. It is a myth that personal taxes are universally lower in the US. It depends on your circumstances (a married homeowner with children pays less tax than in Europe, but a single renter pays more). The healthcare system is a mess. I get fantastic insurance from my work but I would still rather have the NHS. What's crazy is that most Americans still think they are miles in front of the rest of the world in every sphere and that people from every other country would rather live in the US. I have encountered numerous examples of this. It probably stems from decades of poor immigrants coming in and singing America's praises (a la West Side Story), plus widespread ignorance of the rest of the developed world. I also lived in Spain a few years back. I would definitely do that again, given half a chance. frugalista Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Luggage Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I've been living in Spain for a couple of years now in the 'non-Brit-ghetto' state of Catalunya, not far from Barcelona. I have to admit that I'm feeling 50:50 about returning to the UK. Many reasons but mainly financial - the cost of living here is pretty much the same as it was for me in Manchester. It's harder to earn a decent wage here even if you're fluent in the language (Catalan or Spanish). I think everyone who's cheesed off with their life in the UK should try a period abroad, even if it's just to appreciate what the UK has going for it. For example, I really miss fields where my dogs can properly run - Spain is mostly rocky scrubland even in the greener areas here up north. One thing has become very obvious to me - the endless sunshine is fantastic when you only see a few weeks a year and live under the lead skies of the UK for the rest, but try doing a full-time job (especially building, as I do) in the heat and it gets old very quickly. That being said, I can see the Med and a nudist beach from where I'm typing this and it beats a street in Manchester for interest! So, for me, the best advice is to give it a go if you fancy it, but see if you can keep a fairly easy way back if you don't enjoy it. Cheers LL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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