Emigrating?

[Lady_H]

Everyone is so different aren’t they. I do think people think that moving to NZ or Aus in particular is going to solve all their problems / boredom / being fed up with the weather / not knowing what to do with their life. It doesn’t, if anything it creates more complications particularly if you’re close with your family and have kids there. But that definitely doesn’t mean it isn’t a good thing to do or you shouldn’t give it a go! If nothing else you’ll find out that the U.K. either is or isn’t as bad as you’d thought.

 

[barmcake]

How about India? It's so vast that you will be able cater to your needs in terms of weather and climate. Sea, mountains, desert, city, village. There's culture, beautiful architecture, great food, good accessibility, nice people.

I went to Australia to study for a few months. It was amazing, but I don't think I'd be okay with living there. I think I'd be quite lonely and bored. Yes the weather is exceptional, but I need more. Australians are also quite straightforward and this can be seem like a positive, or you could just say they're pricks lol. And as other posters have said: it lacks that historical/cultural aspect. It's difficult to get there, and difficult to get out. The main cities are also getting very crowded. Sydney is full of people. Brisbane is starting to hike up house prices because now everyone wants to live there.

I'm thinking about getting a job somewhere in India and trying it out. I have considered a lot of countries including Mexico, Canada, European countries like Portugal. The thing is each one has its unique drawbacks. I haven't really found one for India (except far from my mum, but that's going to be everywhere).

Downside of India:
paying bribes to policemen or even a hospital;
no one keen to help you, unless you got your money in your pocket but living on next to nothing is still easy;
being able to cope seeing poverty at a level never seen before;
one price for foreigners and one for Indians.
Upside:
unbelievably cheap with great dentists and doctors;
never a dull moment but peace and quiet found easily, wildlife breathtaking;
lots of expats who will give genuine help;
Indian people warm and friendly.
Have your wits about you and you can have a great life. Make sure there is always enough money in the bank to get back home.

 

[Notworthy]

I lived in the US for 7 years but came back to the UK after the birth of my Son. If you have no ties then go for it, if you can move away then you can move back just as easily, honestly, I've sold my furniture about 5 times so far. I love the UK in the Summer and as my mortgage finishes in June I'm hoping to find a way to be in the Caribbean in the winter from now on. My only warning is that if you do move abroad it's very likely that for the rest of your ife you will be torn. There's pros and cons to everything. Oz and Nz aren't on my radar as too far.

 

[Libbylulu]

Can see this thread hasn’t been used since 2022, but I’ll post anyway.

me and my partner are seriously thinking about Australia. We don’t feel like our children will have the opportunities / lifestyle we want for them in the UK. My partner is on the skilled list so we know we’d get in via him. But it just feels daunting. We’ve floated the idea to family, his side said they wouldn’t blame us if we went, which was surprising as he is an only child, so the only grandkids they have would be going too, where as my side told us not to.

I would feel incredibly guilty about taking the children from grandparents, friends etc. but it’s also an itch we can’t scratch, if we don’t try we’ll never know, if we decided then it wasn’t for us then we couldn’t say we hadn’t tried. We are very tempted to visit Aus first. And go from there. But we know the UK isn’t where we want to raise our children, but to take them from everything they know, I just don’t know.

ETA - we are both mid 20s. So have years before we’d be too old to get in.

I’m older now but emigrated in my late 20’s with the intention of returning. We are still away 27 years later. Things to consider, looking back.
- if you have parents, there will come a time when they won’t be able to travel to visit you due to age and so you’ll feel guilty. The guilt is huge
- my children have a decent enough relationship with the grandparents but that’s about it.
- after a while people you know will forget about you and your friendships will drift to almost nothing. The internet makes contact easier but people are busy aNd life gets in the way.
- consider the distance. Australia is far and traveling back to see family is costly and a big distance

These are things I am much more concerned about as I’ve got older and my parents have aged. Positives, you put down new roots, quality of life is better, weather isn’t so depressing.

 

[yogiessexdubs]

shes got like 14 years of experience and has been in Dubai for 10 years tbf and has some further qualifications, but yeah it’s dizzying. I heard a pint is like £11. How much is e.g. a mango (trying to think of something they might be able to grow there)?

Mostly everything is imported. Unless you want camel's milk! Ha! .. Fresh produce goes stale very quickly (as it has been imported), as a result people tend to gain weight here. People lack vitamin D here which is hilarious. We spend most of our time inside. We also work longer hours here, work is pretty long & stressful. Of course, everyone's experiences are different.
The cheapest mango I could find (single pack?) is 24.50aed (5.00 British pounds). Stuff like toothpaste, shower gel etc. is $$$

 

[TheGlossy]

How about India? It's so vast that you will be able cater to your needs in terms of weather and climate. Sea, mountains, desert, city, village. There's culture, beautiful architecture, great food, good accessibility, nice people.

I went to Australia to study for a few months. It was amazing, but I don't think I'd be okay with living there. I think I'd be quite lonely and bored. Yes the weather is exceptional, but I need more. Australians are also quite straightforward and this can be seem like a positive, or you could just say they're pricks lol. And as other posters have said: it lacks that historical/cultural aspect. It's difficult to get there, and difficult to get out. The main cities are also getting very crowded. Sydney is full of people. Brisbane is starting to hike up house prices because now everyone wants to live there.

I'm thinking about getting a job somewhere in India and trying it out. I have considered a lot of countries including Mexico, Canada, European countries like Portugal. The thing is each one has its unique drawbacks. I haven't really found one for India (except far from my mum, but that's going to be everywhere).

India sounds like a great option and would love to visit one day, but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with living there long-term. I know a few people who visited and they said the most difficult was facing true poverty. Also, I don't want to sound biased, but violence against women seems to be quite preeminent over there and safety would be a big concern of mine.

 

[Littleelf]

My dad has been in NZ for 5years now and he loves it and says he will never come back.

He does say the cost of living is pretty high though, but I think for him the lifestyle he now has compared to back in the UK outweighs it. He is a very outdoorsy guy and so spends his weekends surfing, skiing, walking, biking, canoeing and loads more. For him that is the dream to do that, and he couldn't do it in the uk really.

For me the distance is too much, he has never met his grandkids other than over video call which I know upsets him. But its too far to go without it being a big planned trip, and now we have young children its not something we will be considering for quite a few years until they are older.

I suppose everyone is different and each country is different too...I am fed up of the uk and am really starting to hate the way this country is run. But just not so sure I'd want to live anywhere else

 

[Notworthy]

Mostly everything is imported. Unless you want camel's milk! Ha! .. Fresh produce goes stale very quickly (as it has been imported), as a result people tend to gain weight here. People lack vitamin D here which is hilarious. We spend most of our time inside. We also work longer hours here, work is pretty long & stressful. Of course, everyone's experiences are different.
The cheapest mango I could find (single pack?) is 24.50aed (5.00 British pounds). Stuff like toothpaste, shower gel etc. is $$$

Same as the Cayman Islands, a friend moved there and said stuff like toiletries were eye wateringly expensive

 

[Colin]

I moved away twice. To Thailand for a year and had a fantastic time working in Bangkok and spending weekends as a beach bum.

Then quite a few years ago I moved to Romania and stayed there. I love it in so many ways and I wouldn't go back to the UK. However I miss things about the UK, cycle lanes, Jaffa cakes, proper tea..

Getting itchy feet now and considering a move to Barcelona.

 

[xbxbx]

Yep I’ve also been thinking about moving to Australia! I don’t currently qualify for any visas except the working holiday one but only for another few months before I’m too old for it lol. I’m hoping that in a few years time I’ll have a career that will allow me a more long term visa, possibly with the option of permanent residence. I know so many people that moved out there when we were in our early 20s and I kick myself for not doing the same. I do love Scotland but the winters are really taking its toll on me now. Just feel like there’s not a lot to do here either which sounds silly but we’re such a small country I feel like I’ve ‘been there done that’.

I’m single and don’t plan on having children so we’ll see what the future brings!

 

[Snippysnips]

Am honestly tempted as well, I can't stand being here anymore, towns a dump, transports ridiculously overpriced if you want to get out the shit hole, my folks almost went to Australia when we were younger an my dad at the very last moment couldn't do it, now I wonder just how much life would have been different if he did an if it would have been better than living in this place where clearly mental health is a problem for company's since they are happy to close the door on your face

 

[yogiessexdubs]

For me, it's been a great experience, some things are super easy here (having everything you can think of delivered to your door, doctor's appointments, it's SO safe, taxis are inexpensive etc.) but some things are very hard/annoying here (renting an apartment, government related things, everyone's constantly trying to have you over, despite being tax free it's very expensive).
It's very much a 'Peter Pan's playground'. It's very hard to make meaningful connections here. I have one close friend who is moving back to her home country, I pretty much keep to myself other than that.

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

Can see this thread hasn’t been used since 2022, but I’ll post anyway.

me and my partner are seriously thinking about Australia. We don’t feel like our children will have the opportunities / lifestyle we want for them in the UK. My partner is on the skilled list so we know we’d get in via him. But it just feels daunting. We’ve floated the idea to family, his side said they wouldn’t blame us if we went, which was surprising as he is an only child, so the only grandkids they have would be going too, where as my side told us not to.

I would feel incredibly guilty about taking the children from grandparents, friends etc. but it’s also an itch we can’t scratch, if we don’t try we’ll never know, if we decided then it wasn’t for us then we couldn’t say we hadn’t tried. We are very tempted to visit Aus first. And go from there. But we know the UK isn’t where we want to raise our children, but to take them from everything they know, I just don’t know.

ETA - we are both mid 20s. So have years before we’d be too old to get in.

Try it and give yourselves a good year or two to settle in and if you hate it then come back!
Nothing is final and if the culture and way of life doesn’t work for you then nothing stops you coming back “home”.
I say this easily only because I’m the type of person who jumps in and don’t feel like a failure if things don’t work out. I always feel rather take opportunities and “fail” than always regret the untrodden path. I’m in my 40’s and would still try something like this

 

[Notworthy]

Personally I love the UK, it's certainly not perfect but any country is what you make it. 3 months away in the winter will do me other than thaat I consider myself bloody lucky to be British. It's perfectly possible to live an outdoorsy life in the UK. Even living 15 miles from the centre of London, i can still walk to what feels like the middle of nowhere. Took myself off for a walk a few weeks ago, found a sunny spot and sat and read my book for an hour and a half and saw 1 person the entire time and that was a walk that was listed in The Times 20 best walks a few months ago.

 

[barmcake]

Where would you go and what’s influencing your decision on where to go next?

I feel too old to make a big move now. My sister lived in Goa for 29 years. She took £35,000 with her and managed to live like a queen for 34 years on that money. Her flat was £80 a month and meals cost £1 at the local beach cafe. I spent 6 months there and loved never feeling cold and the lively atmosphere. I met lots of people that were stuck there though, as they were unable to meet the cost of coming back. Many ragged 60s hippies who had grown old there. Would probably go there.

My dad has been in NZ for 5years now and he loves it and says he will never come back.

He does say the cost of living is pretty high though, but I think for him the lifestyle he now has compared to back in the UK outweighs it. He is a very outdoorsy guy and so spends his weekends surfing, skiing, walking, biking, canoeing and loads more. For him that is the dream to do that, and he couldn't do it in the uk really.

For me the distance is too much, he has never met his grandkids other than over video call which I know upsets him. But its too far to go without it being a big planned trip, and now we have young children its not something we will be considering for quite a few years until they are older.

I suppose everyone is different and each country is different too...I am fed up of the uk and am really starting to hate the way this country is run. But just not so sure I'd want to live anywhere else

I think NZ is ideal those that love the outdoors and crave space. I think we all get that fed up feeling by the end of February. The cold and damp, not to mention all the other disasters.

Yes, that’s another thing my SIL said. Unfortunately their daughters who were about 10 and 8 never really settled and pined like crazy for the UK.
A couple of years before they emigrated they had moved to a lovely village near a very nice town. Their house was beautiful and the girls loved their little village school. And suddenly out of nowhere the emigration plan was announced.

Culture is something we take for granted in this country. Good that you experienced living in NZ though.

 

[Be kond]

Can see this thread hasn’t been used since 2022, but I’ll post anyway.

me and my partner are seriously thinking about Australia. We don’t feel like our children will have the opportunities / lifestyle we want for them in the UK. My partner is on the skilled list so we know we’d get in via him. But it just feels daunting. We’ve floated the idea to family, his side said they wouldn’t blame us if we went, which was surprising as he is an only child, so the only grandkids they have would be going too, where as my side told us not to.

I would feel incredibly guilty about taking the children from grandparents, friends etc. but it’s also an itch we can’t scratch, if we don’t try we’ll never know, if we decided then it wasn’t for us then we couldn’t say we hadn’t tried. We are very tempted to visit Aus first. And go from there. But we know the UK isn’t where we want to raise our children, but to take them from everything they know, I just don’t know.

ETA - we are both mid 20s. So have years before we’d be too old to get in.

 

[FlipFlop0706]

Do you not have spiders in the UK? We have plenty of other more deadly things here - like the rental market. Make sure you have somewhere to live settled as they're very hard to come by nearly everywhere.

We have spiders but any tv show that shows Australia tends to show Australia as a place where the spiders are HUGE and will basically kill you, lol.

I've lived in Dubai for past 2.5 years. I am hoping to return to the UK this year.

How did you find Dubai? There’s quite a large ex pat community over there- was it easy making friends etc? Or on the flip side, did you ever find it hard to make Dubai friends because there’s such a large ex pat community?

Why are you moving back to the UK?

 

[Justwishfulthinking]

Do you not have spiders in the UK? We have plenty of other more deadly things here - like the rental market. Make sure you have somewhere to live settled as they're very hard to come by nearly everywhere.

We do have spiders but not deadly. Honestly if one is “big” so maybe a couple of inches long they’ll be posting it all over Facebook and booking themselves in for counselling

Seriously it will make the news https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/ne...ed-cambridgeshire-homes-pictures-16873523.amp

 

[barmcake]

I sold my flat and came back. Inspite of the bad experience I would do it again if I was younger, but somewhere different.

 

[yogiessexdubs]

I've lived in Dubai for past 2.5 years. I am hoping to return to the UK this year.