It's one thing to visit somewhere on holiday, quite another to move there permanently. Just about everywhere you go in the world, however, you're likely to find a British or Irish expat settling down to a new life overseas. We've tracked down 20 of them - some in traditional hotspots such as Sydney, Tenerife and Los Angeles, others in obscure corners of Africa and Asia - to find out what they like most about their new country of residence.
Could they inspire you to make the big move yourself? Find out as these Britons abroad reveal what's great about living elsewhere.
If you don't earn much or live on a pension UK is a very expensive place.
We moved to Spain a few years ago, and the country grows on you quite quickly. We like the culture, the sun, the sports (good football teams!)
In UK, all the utilities and Council Tax used to go up every year at well above inflation, banks were bailed out with taxpayers money and the bonus culture stayed. A good example of utility prices is our water works out at around 25 Euros per month and it doesn't rain here very often. In UK it was around £40 per month and the stuff falls out of the sky on a regular basis.
I don't understand why I should stay in a place which is overrun with illiterate drunken yobs, taxed to the hilt, germ ridden immigrants coughing and spitting all over. The roads are a joke, the government is a joke and anyone who criticises anybody who wants to move far from the UK is a fool. Why should I fund immigrants? I am not a traitor just because I moved away, I just want to have a better, more civilized life in nicer surroundings and pay what I consider to be a reasonable amount of tax without feeling like I have to pay through the nose. England was great, but it's had it's day !!!
To be 29 instead of 69 would mean I would be off to Aussie land - must be a wonderful place to be, what with the weather and the same language. Spent 10 years in Spain but if you need to work it´s not the place to be. Spain was going downhill quickly in 2009 when I returned. I´m glad to be back in the UK but yes, I do miss the sunshine and the large garden we had in Spain ... but you can´t have it all.
I think that many of the people commenting on this topic are not happy with their own life and surroundings and believe too much of the rubbish fed to them by the press.
I visited Vancouver, Canada a few years ago, and it is a great City with a beautiful backdrop. But I live in Cheshire at the moment and work in Manchester. I have beautiful North Wales and the Peak district on my doorstep, can visit Chester, Manchester, Liverpool at the weekends. Would not swap that to go back to Canada. Same is true down South, I have a friend who lives in Bath, beautiful ancient City, great architecture and London and Cornwall practically on your doorstep.
May I suggest that some of the people making negative comments about the UK on these pages actually have a look at their own lives, and get out of the house and be creative !
No such thing as boredom - just boreing people !
“who illegally planned and implimented (sic) a policy of making britain a multi racial country…”, etc.
Those responsible included the white slave owners who brought substantial numbers of black people to Britain and Enoch Powell, who was the health minister in the Conservative government who “oversaw the employment of a large number of Commonwealth immigrants by the understaffed National Health Service”.
I think the UK is a beautiful place and i dont dis credit that. Every country has foreigners living there (im one of them) but the problem is that you can fit about 3 islands the size of the UK into germany and the UK is far too over populated. Here there isnt all this constant building of new housing estates to accomodate the ever rising population, there is open space (mostly in our area rolling hills and farming), they dont offer benefits what so ever of any kind to foreigners in Germany you have to prove you are supporting yourself or you cannot stay family connections or not.
England offers asylum to all,dont get me wrong i feel sorry for those that need it but the UK is just too small.Everytime i go back to the UK its busy,clostrophbic,polluted,over developed,and over taxed to name but a few.It doesnt change the beauty of a few places but makes it harder to live there.
Our rents went so sky high, wages didnt increase, my benefits stopped when i remarried (and that is right,fair enough) and due to the cost of living could not afford to live as a family any more! this is wrong! no wonder there are so many single parents!
Here we pay 350 euros a month for a 3 bed flat that includes insurance and refuse collections and water rates.The country is bigger and am close to my family.Just hope that we can stay so i dont blame people for leaving the UK to be honest its not about being patriotic its about being a realist and doing what is best for your family.Dont think it would make any difference which government was in charge. There will always be a social divide which makes people argue the cause for government but the facts are there close the borders, stop building,improve the standard of living to a point normal people can afford to live, give us the same benefits of cheaper products that the EU have.Personally England are still up their own arse about WE WON THE WAR get over it england is not the best nation anymore its a completely different geberation now, so i dont know why everyone so patriotic half the UK are foreigners! and think that because of this notion the UK wont fully join the EU which is mistake and there fore allienate themselves to the rest of the world, leaving other countries able to offer a better life to most. Example... I was in Lidl in the UK and looking at a bottle of Gluhwein. It was triple the price as in germany (it was still cheaper for my mother to post it to me than to actually go into a shop in uk to buy it!!!) i moaned out loud and a woman next to me said..."dont be silly of course it should be dearer this is the uk and its correct???' someone tell me why do we think we are better than everyone else? this mentality and level of patriotism is nuts! and to expect people to pay more,earn less ,pay more taxes is a privilage of living in the UK??...i think not! hence why most sensible ones bugger off!
put the full signs up now before its too late
When I retire, I hope to spend a fair bit of time out of the UK, where the people are positive and mainly happy with their lot. This country is struggling due to over population. There are too many people here draining resources. Logic says we cannot continue like this. Are the flood gates closed yet I wonder? It saddens me that good old "England" has come to this!