I’m pretty sure when it I landed in Perth 5 years ago it was just for a holiday. Had grand plans for the east coast and and New Zealand. But instead I bet a girl and stuck around. Looking to head home soon though which is rather exciting!

Similar. Arrived in Perth almost 10 years ago to the day on a working holiday visa. Plan was to work for 6 months, do a lap and go home. I have been back to the UK once since then (2 weeks of rain 4 years ago). I have married a local, become a citizen, fathered two aussies and moved as far as the nation’s mighty capital city (TM). No plans to leave.

OP,I,m in Devon now just having the same thoughts.But I am from Middlesbrough and therefore I,m easily pleased.Anybody got anywhere pleasant and affordable to rent in Exeter?

I guess I should probably end up as a yes then….
Holiday in 07, long trip in 09/10 and now permanent resident applying for my citizenship. Made it from the glittering north of Tassie to the vibrant south.

Moved from Leeds to Suffolk 20 years ago, best desicion ever.

if you do this every holiday then maybe there is something about home?

It always wears off somewhere near Taunton Services.

Kind of, yeah.

Moved to the Isle of Wight nine years ago after enjoying visits to the in-laws and marvelling at an apparently perma-sunny climate over the preceding years. Turns out there are wet Wednesdays in November when you’ve got no money and everything’s rubbish here, like there are anywhere else.

Kind of, for me too..

A lucky friend of mine got a job in Switzerland working with another mutual friend. I visited three times (two summers and one winter) and on the third trip got offered a job. I moved out 3 months later and I’m still here 11 years later.

My parents had been planning to retire to Shropshire for some time and they moved away shortly after I left so that made it easier to leave. I don’t get to see my sister as much as I used to though.. 🙁

I went to the US on a visitors visa in 1986 and came back in 2005. Does that count?

Ah crap just seen the I bet a girl… she would’nt be impressed!

I think we are all missing a trick here, book a holiday somewhere utterly utterly shit, somewhere so grim by the end of two weeks you are ready to throw yourself off the nearest tall building then go home and spend 50 weeks realising just how lucky you are. Much easier and cheaper. 🙂

avdave2 – Member

I think we are all missing a trick here, book a holiday somewhere utterly utterly shit, somewhere so grim by the end of two weeks you are ready to throw yourself off the nearest tall building then go home and spend 50 weeks realising just how lucky you are. Much easier and cheaper.

Oh, how you jest……….

Nearly every year for the past 8 or so I have been on a package holiday to some Spanish resort/island/colony somewhere, just for a week. I’m normally desperate to get home!

Not really but I had a holiday a few years back where I came back and made some big changes. Within 4 months I had changed job, sold the house and moved 100 miles away and changed a few other things too.

I am not sure it was the holiday itself but a chance to relax and think for a few days that made me realise that I wasn’t all that happy and I needed to do something about it.

As my holiday draws to a close I get the traditional feeling of not wanting to go home.

I don’t get that any more, not in my adult life anyway. Generally 3-4 days is enough for me and the last few days of our holiday I mope about looking forward to going home. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t consider moving to another city / town / country but I’ve never been to one I liked more than where I live now ‘all things considered’.

I suppose the months I spent back-packing taught me that when the holiday is over and ‘real life’ starts most places lose their shine.

I genuinely believe that if you’re lucky enough to live in the developed world, one place is no better or worse than any other, different, but not better – you might find somewhere that suits you more, enough to leave behind your nearest and dearest – but a holiday is a terrible way to judge it.

Don’t wish to be pedantic but I thought it was ‘Foulmouth’ as in the endless references to ‘ kin forrrners, incomerrs and emets ‘. I had the misfortune of visiting for 3 years and would steer well clear.

Married a West Norfolk girl, but at first when i visited i could never picture ever living here, too quiet, no “real” mountain biking and terrible transport links in West Norfolk, but with each visit to the beaches at Wells and Holkham and knowing that it would be a good place to raise my daughter, being able to ride on road for 50 miles barely seeing another car and being surrounded by fields, i know wouldn’t go back to my old life of London or it’s surrounding commuter belt, does my head in now every time i have to go to London or drive round the M25, a traffic jam in my village only occurs at harvest time and is one tractor behind another

a few years ago, I spent 2 weeks in surfing in Florida, in February. The weather was beautiful, the water was warm and the people were very friendly. Going back home to dark, wintry Helsinki was devastating!

When Hell freezes over, it will be renamed Helsinki.

Why o why didn’t I stay in Florida?!

I went on a 2 week cycle holiday 10 years ago around Cork and Kerry with a mate. On the final day he turned around and said that he was staying! He cycled off, went back to an island off south Cork that we’d stayed on, met a girl, and is still over there!
As his phone had died, it was 2 or 3 weeks before he contacted his brother and family. I’m sure they were convinced I’d killed and buried him for a bit 😀

Not long back from Sitges. Definitely felt a real and genuine wrench leaving the place. Would be back there at the drop of a hat.

I did things back to front….I lived in Greece…now I go back for holidays…

In the middle of attempting precisely that.

This:

Just as soon as someone buys my present English hovel…

Working abroad has been the best thing I’ve ever done. Should have done more of it. Still hanker after a move to Switzerland. Visiting and living/working is different of course. As for no supermarket thats a place you go once a week in the car or get a delivery and buy fresh veg / meast / fish locally.

West Country is great, easy to fall in love with the place.i I haven’t been to Dartmouth for a few years now having been almost every year for 15 and miss it.

Mr W moving to Greece now is very high risk. By all means go and rent but don’t buy anything. If (when) there is a default there could be a euro exit and immediate massive devaluation 30-50% ?

As an aside Portugal seems to be location of choice at the moment for stepping off the treadmill. Cheaper than even rural France or Spain, no tax for people retiring there ? Great vibe especially around Lison. I have two ex “banker” friends who have called and end to the rat race and relocated there. Also economically vulnerable but should survive a Greek default eurozone crises.

Went camping for a long weekend in Cornwall in 2011 and somehow couldn’t leave.

I went on a 2 week cycle holiday 10 years ago around Cork and Kerry with a mate. On the final day he turned around and said that he was staying! He cycled off, went back to an island off south Cork that we’d stayed on, met a girl, and is still over there!

^This made me smile a lot 🙂

Cork/Kerry had a similar effect on me – in many ways it feels so much like the West Country, yet moreso. I left a big piece of my heart in Murreagh.

Hardly. I don’t know if you noticed but much of the UK is expensive to live in, or a dump. Or both.

Or there’s no work.

I had no ties to the UK, not even a passport. Glad i did it.

Went to Arran for the first time in May, now looking at selling up and moving there. Hopefully it’ll happen.

Christ, not another one.

Went to Northumberland, not a million miles from home..

Visited Alnwick, making plans now, but it’ll be a few years yet, second seadog needs to be at least at University (5years!) before it happens. Plenty of time to really make plans and do it right. Might see if we can stretch to a holiday let (‘Ha!’ I hear the wife say from the other room..), then move into it later.

Moved to the Isle of Wight nine years ago after enjoying visits to the in-laws and marvelling at an apparently perma-sunny climate over the preceding years. Turns out there are wet Wednesdays in November when you’ve got no money and everything’s rubbish here, like there are anywhere else.

😆

Last winter was one long wet Wednesday.

🙂

As an aside Portugal seems to be location of choice at the moment for stepping off the treadmill. Cheaper than even rural France or Spain, no tax for people retiring there ? Great vibe especially around Lison. I have two ex “banker” friends who have called and end to the rat race and relocated there. Also economically vulnerable but should survive a Greek default eurozone crises.

Love Lisbon. It’s been discussed more than once.

jambalaya – Member
Mr W moving to Greece now is very high risk

Just as well I’m moving to Spain, then.

Went to Bolivia for an 8 month season, went home 2.5 years later!

Moved from Norfolk to West Yorkshire after many a holiday in Peaks/Yorkshire.

As someone mentioned, Norfolks a lovely place. If your old like everyone else there and enjoy boredom.

Moved to Sidmouth in Devon 5 years ago from Sussex after spending many holidays there, never regretted it a bit, smaller house, lower income but great quality of life, best thing we have done, ever.

Moved to Sidmouth in Devon 5 years ago from Sussex after spending many holidays there, never regretted it a bit, smaller house, lower income but great quality of life, best thing we have done, ever.

And you get the red arrows over the beach once a year! Did you catch them this evening – amazing 🙂

It always wears off somewhere near Taunton Services.

Yeah, I know that feeling…
I keep going down to South Hams, Devon, used to holiday there when I had just left school, and I love it there, but I really don’t think I could re-locate down there, as I get older, I can see more than a few issues with being able to get around easily.
My favourite village, Beesands, is just a bit too far from all the real conveniences, and I wouldn’t want to live in Kingsbridge.
Plus all my friends are here in north Wilts.

Yes 14 years ago.

Visited Cuba and ended up staying a bit over 2 years in Havana.

Christ, not another one.

Ah see, it’s the friendly, welcoming attitude of the locals that makes it so special 🙂

Nope, it’s the amount of people that move there from the south, blow the roof off the house prices, realise it’s a bloody long winter, especially when the ferries are off and you’re left with the coop for food, then they bugger off back south, leaving the house for sale for years at an unaffordable price for the locals, that make it really special….. 😆

Have a look at just how many houses are for sale on the island, only thing is that you can’t see that lots of them have been on there for 3 years plus.

*not a local, but live 20 miles away, and have holidayed there for a generation, so feel reasonably well qualified…

** if you want any info or advice on where to buy/live, I’d gladly assist by email though!.

Lake District..after many years visiting got the chance last year to move up. Loving it so far.

Keep toying with the idea of selling up and buying a B&B in Ambleside / Keswick, but would probably get board of doing cooked breakfasts every morning after a few weeks…

it’s the amount of people that move there from the south, blow the roof off the house prices, realise it’s a bloody long winter, especially when the ferries are off and you’re left with the coop for food, then they bugger off back south, leaving the house for sale for years at an unaffordable price for the locals

So true