Have you ever lived or considered living abroad?

Not sure about moving full time abroad tbh but i usually spend four weeks in Goa from mid-December and have always been jealous of the retirees who go out for 4 months. Something I will be doing myself when I get the chance.
I can see the advantage of escaping a North European winter for 4 months.

I saw a winter cruise of £900 Italy to the Middle East - food and fuel saved would have paid for most of that cruise.
 
Lived in Singapore in the past. Back to (post pandemic) a few months in London, a few months in Brasil. May shift the emphasis to Brasil. Great place, great culture, great people ..... as vezes um pouco perigoso ....
Does living in the Smoke count as abroad ? :LOL:
 
Lived in Kazakhstan for 5 years, Brunei for 2 years and Moscow for a year and a half. Recently moved to Thailand.

Absolutely love living abroad, getting to see new places and cultures. There are of course things from the UK I miss but I don’t want to return anytime soon and I’ve enjoyed every country I’ve been in. Even though Moscow got a bit hairy at the end I don’t regret going there and I had a fantastic time.
Kazakhstan & Moscow as a single person could be dangerous - I have been to both...
 
USA - Portland , OR ; Buffalo , NY ; NYC & Long Island , NY - would love to have spent some time living in S America / Mexico just to really learn the language & experience the food etc .
Equally I would love to live back in Europe but that is prob' not going to happen .
Actually just typing Mexico made me think about MexicanMan who used to post on here , now sadly deceased . He seemed to love it there & had , I seem to recall also had a great time in Barcelona .
 
People that have moved abroad a lot seemed to have improved their careers by doing so and be able to do things like send their children to private schools, live in the better parts of the places they have gone to. Which suggests part of the improvement in moving overseas is increased opportunties. So if Buffalo moved to Richmond upon Thames and earned £80k a year, from say Acklam on £20k a year or unemployed, he might say Richmond is a great place.

This afternoon I walked from Goodrich Castle to Symonds Yat and back over Coppits Hill (like Eston Hills). The views were breath taking, including the river Wye, limestone cliffs in a gorge above the river with peregrine falcons, 30 miles to the Black Mountains, Malvern Hills, stunning trees in yellows. reds, and greens, ruined castle, mainly sunny about 15 degrees (not hot but not cold), I saw 3 people in 3.5 hours, more fallow deer than people in the woods, a carpet of pink cyclamen flowers, ate wild damsons and apples. collecting hazel nuts, acorns and beech nuts. I have come back physically glowing. I know I am lucky to have the time thius afernoon and to have such a location near me, But today I could not think of a better walk to do.
 
Lived in Germany just short of a year now. Love it.

They do so many things better IMO than the UK. Some are subtle, small thing’s and some are big improvements. The sum all of parts makes a huge difference for me.
 
16 years in Dubai. Thought it would be good to come back (ageing parents etc) but it has been really tough getting back into the groove. There is something v oppressive ( I can’t put my finger on what it is) living here. I would move away again but it gets tougher as you get older and now it’s harder to move tp places that we used to take for granted, in europe

Genuine question with no offence meant. Does that refer to bring back in the country or being back in the North East?

I ask because as much as I love back home and visiting, I get a similar sense after 3/4 days in Teesside. Up until recent years I have really enjoyed being in the South East and for such a small distance the weather, quality of living etc were really enjoyable.

Thats changed a fair bit over the past 5 years though and I would give serious thought to moving abroad though our kids are 7 and 4 so not the easiest move to make
 
Genuine question with no offence meant. Does that refer to bring back in the country or being back in the North East?

I ask because as much as I love back home and visiting, I get a similar sense after 3/4 days in Teesside. Up until recent years I have really enjoyed being in the South East and for such a small distance the weather, quality of living etc were really enjoyable.

Thats changed a fair bit over the past 5 years though and I would give serious thought to moving abroad though our kids are 7 and 4 so not the easiest move to make
No not the North East in particular - The UK.

To be honest mate, your kids being 7 and 4 - it's the best time to leave. I did it.
 
People that have moved abroad a lot seemed to have improved their careers by doing so and be able to do things like send their children to private schools, live in the better parts of the places they have gone to. Which suggests part of the improvement in moving overseas is increased opportunties. So if Buffalo moved to Richmond upon Thames and earned £80k a year, from say Acklam on £20k a year or unemployed, he might say Richmond is a great place.

This afternoon I walked from Goodrich Castle to Symonds Yat and back over Coppits Hill (like Eston Hills). The views were breath taking, including the river Wye, limestone cliffs in a gorge above the river with peregrine falcons, 30 miles to the Black Mountains, Malvern Hills, stunning trees in yellows. reds, and greens, ruined castle, mainly sunny about 15 degrees (not hot but not cold), I saw 3 people in 3.5 hours, more fallow deer than people in the woods, a carpet of pink cyclamen flowers, ate wild damsons and apples. collecting hazel nuts, acorns and beech nuts. I have come back physically glowing. I know I am lucky to have the time thius afernoon and to have such a location near me, But today I could not think of a better walk to do.
Just a small point, if you earned £80k a year you couldnt afford to live in Richmond on Thames ;)
 
I guess it depends what people are interested too.

No disprespect to some overseas places but I think I would find them a cultural desert.

To me the UK for its geographic size has the greatest variety of things to do and visit in the World. Where in the World would you find a major Salvador Dali and El Greco paintings in a place like Bishop Auckland?

Just look at the football leagues - is there anything quite the same in the World looking at the number of professional clubs and the depth of competitiveness. All overseas managers comment on it when they come the England in particular.

I am surprised posters think the UK is oppressive, to me there is great freedom here that you can say almost what you like and London must be the most cosmopolitan city in the World.

When the Aussie Government had the £10 Pom scheme running - around one third of Brits came back to live even though they had to pay their own expensive fare back.

I would not put people off trying it and of course many on here have benefitted from moving away from Teesside because of the greater employment opportunities overseas and elsewhere in the UK.
You're right about the Brits that returned, my family was one of those that did. The reason was solely through my parents missing their parents
rather than life being better back at home and it wasn't long before they realised that they had made an enormous mistake.
Fortunately the Oz government gave us a second bite of the cherry by allowing us to return, again on the ten pound scheme mainly due to the fact that my sister
and I were now of working age. ( 15 & 17 )
I would imagine that many others that returned home may well have regretted that decision.
 
People that have moved abroad a lot seemed to have improved their careers by doing so and be able to do things like send their children to private schools, live in the better parts of the places they have gone to. Which suggests part of the improvement in moving overseas is increased opportunties. So if Buffalo moved to Richmond upon Thames and earned £80k a year, from say Acklam on £20k a year or unemployed, he might say Richmond is a great place.

This afternoon I walked from Goodrich Castle to Symonds Yat and back over Coppits Hill (like Eston Hills). The views were breath taking, including the river Wye, limestone cliffs in a gorge above the river with peregrine falcons, 30 miles to the Black Mountains, Malvern Hills, stunning trees in yellows. reds, and greens, ruined castle, mainly sunny about 15 degrees (not hot but not cold), I saw 3 people in 3.5 hours, more fallow deer than people in the woods, a carpet of pink cyclamen flowers, ate wild damsons and apples. collecting hazel nuts, acorns and beech nuts. I have come back physically glowing. I know I am lucky to have the time thius afernoon and to have such a location near me, But today I could not think of a better walk to do.
I think that you are correct - surely that has to be a main driver for most or why bother ( unless romance etc ) . That said, I always that that it would be a cool idea to make all kids aged 18 spend at least a year out of the UK - maybe some type of scheme so that everyone could do it -- pie in the sky I know , but I wonder how peoples views may have changed if they had had that chance.
 
Had a couple of video interviews for a job for BASF in Qatar years ago, they offered to fly me out to seal the deal and I bottled it. No regrets if I’m honest.
 
Genuine question with no offence meant. Does that refer to bring back in the country or being back in the North East?

I ask because as much as I love back home and visiting, I get a similar sense after 3/4 days in Teesside. Up until recent years I have really enjoyed being in the South East and for such a small distance the weather, quality of living etc were really enjoyable.

Thats changed a fair bit over the past 5 years though and I would give serious thought to moving abroad though our kids are 7 and 4 so not the easiest move to make
Don't let your kids age put you off.
Kids are able to make friends and learn languages far quicker than their elders, particularly at that age of your kids.
It would be far more a difficult move for the kids if they were to be teenage.

I had just turned eight when we came to Oz and I was running around the ship playing hide and seek with kids from
Greece and Italy that didn't know a single word of English but that mattered little to us and we had a great time and formed lasting friendships.

Once at school those kids were soon doing better than me. They would go straight home and do their homework, I would go
straight to the beach and it wasn't long before they were teaching their parents words of the English language.
Our friendships grew and was educational for both parties. I helped teach them the language and they taught me such things that it was wrong and
sacrilegious to eat spaghetti from a tin.

My father gave me many words of wisdom but it was my father in laws words that were to be the wisest and most meaningful to me.

After informing him that my wife and I had decided to spend our large deposit on a house on a one year trip around the world instead and fully expecting
a gobfull after he had spent and wasted so much of his time driving us around the Sydney suburbs.

His immediate response.

" Well son when you get old like me and you look back through your life, You never regret the things that you did
but you will always regret the things that you didn't do "

I think that we should all keep that thought in mind when attempting to make an important decision.
I'm glad I did, I have no regrets whatsoever.
 
I think that you are correct - surely that has to be a main driver for most or why bother ( unless romance etc ) . That said, I always that that it would be a cool idea to make all kids aged 18 spend at least a year out of the UK - maybe some type of scheme so that everyone could do it -- pie in the sky I know , but I wonder how peoples views may have changed if they had had that chance.
I agree experience different lifestyles etc is generally a good thing.

Some UK citizens move overseas to be nearer children and grandchildren, some say they want more sunshine etc, some want to live in a cheaper place, some say they want to drop out and its easier to do it in a places miles from anywhere.

A lot of young people do have gap year, travelling round say Australia and Asia - not sure if that counts as living overseas.
 
After living in London for 24 years, moved to Bermuda last November. Place is great. Expensive but you sort of get used to it. Get homesick sometimes but don’t regret it. As others have said, can always come back home. Great experience working with other cultures. Makes you realise the rest of the world is catching up with the uk and may soon overtake us if we are not careful.
 
Germany for a fair chunk of my childhood (army brat) and in adulthood my job has helped me get around and keep that wanderlust going. I became accustomed to upping sticks every 2 or 3 years with my dad's postings.
Taiwan for 9 months or so in 2002/3
Dubai for a year in 2006/7
Other places I've had short stints in include USA (Minneapolis) for 4 months. Could have been longer, but the wife wasn't keen. Also Cambodia, Holland, Libya (friendliest people ever), Qatar, Bulgaria, Cyprus.
Favourite places have been Berlin (was only 10 but have good memories and have been back twice), Taiwan and Cambodia. Not all been good, though. Missed my family when I was away, especially my 2 kids, and I fell too easily into the expat drinking culture sometimes. Good times were had but I've paid a price with my health.
I don't know if I'd move abroad again. As bad as this country is becoming, I'm settled more now and I'm hopeful it will turn around again soon (if people wake up). It does have a lot to offer in terms of culture and scenery and decent people (mostly). If I was to move, it would maybe be to Scotland or Europe.
Completely agree with your sentiment regarding people of Libya — hard to believe they’ve been discarded in such a way that probably will mean theylll be locked in poverty and insecurity for many years to come.
 
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