Todmorden

I'm sure you get some offers from folk on here...

I'm in an almost completely opposite situation and I can't even begin to think what to advise. but Sounds like you have pretty much every option open to you. Hope you enjoy whatever and where ever it all takes you 🙂

New Zealand or Canada

Somewhere with great outdoors? Peaks, Lakes, Highlands etc?

Not New Zealand! I've just come back from there and it's pretty dull underneath it's spectacular appearance

How old are you and what do you do? It will have a bearing on going overseas.

Devon or the Highlands

Wales we've got the lot

Canada! I did a summer in Whistler a few years ago and it was amazing. Would love to live there and I've been pining for it ever since 🙁 hoping to get a few more years experience in my work then try again in Vancouver or something.

Somewhere in the Alps? Ski a bit, ride a bit, enjoy life! Not sure what's you'd do for a job? Maybe run someone else's Chalet etc?

Swap you that problem for a mortgage free house, partner and two kids!

Where have you visited that made you wonder what it would be like to live there? Then go try it!

Canada.

What, err, Tom said.

French Alps, I'm in a similar situation but lacking the balls to do it.

New Zealand is where I would go. There or a tiny village in the arse end of the Alps.

Do you like beards? Syria?

Go wherever you can do the stuff you love more.

I ended up in a similar situation, living somewhere flat, feeling kind of flat, and freelance work depending on not much more than internet and the ability to travel. I moved to Calderdale after looking for places in the UK with decent public transport and where I could mountain bike without needing a car. Worked out pretty well 🙂

New Zealand or Austrailia. Canada gets very cold in the winter.

The company I work for has a plant in Edmonton. I've been twice, summer and winter. The summer was fantastic, but the locals did confess that it's only snow and cold free for 4 months a year. The winter visit coincided with a winter storm. 2m of snow fell over night and it didn't get above -25.

Campervan...........then you can move around to yours hearts content

Campervan + dog + bike = road trip across Europe, earn as you go.

If you are a loose end at any point over summer then you are both welcome to pop by down here for a holiday. Although I am very concerned at how much you will show me up on a bike!

I went to Vienna. I absolutely love it. I should have gone years ago.
You have Czech, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia all within1.5 hours. Italy is 4 hours.
Austria has amazing skiing and mountain biking and the health system is much much better than UK.
It's a very dog friendly city with many dog zones and your never far away from the Vienna woods.

the Highlands

Man cannot live by mountain alone, at some point your gonna need some company.

I've been lucky enough to travel a lot in my life, but I choose to live less than 20 miles from where I was born - so it must be good 😉

Ive thought long and hard about upping sticks - I don't like anywhere else in the UK enough to leave Cardiff, it's got the right mix of city for work opportunities and country for the sort of lifestyle I want, I'm not saying it's better than other places with the same sort of mix, but it's already home and nothing else is so much better I'd move.

I loved my time in Oz, but once it stopped being a holiday and I started to 'live' there it lost some shine - Sydney is great to look at, but like other big business and financial hubs it's a highly competitive, ruthless environment and stupidly expensive to live - once you get out of the city and into the burbs it's less stunning and like anywhere else really - plus despite what it looks like on Telly Sydney and Melbourne are miserable, drizzly places all winter. Out of the main cities there's almost no work for someone like me.

Canada was amazing, but Vancouver is just as 'big city' as Sydney and London for that matter, but even more expensive and more cold and miserable all winter and like Oz to get a visa is hard and expensive.

Both my Wife and I would love to move to France, we both love the lifestyle, we actually like all the 'daft' things they do like close for hours in the middle of the day and all day Sunday, it shows itself as a place where you don't have to be ashamed the say I live to work, not work to live - but, we both speak enough French to get by, we'd starve waiting to learn it well enough to work there.

That's an enviable position. I'm almost in the same one, just minus dog and with a job that I'm reluctant to relinquish. But in your shoes... I'd go somewhere to learn a new skill, using my hands not just for typing. Bill Buford (food journo) went to Tuscany to learn to cook for six months. Make it an adventure where you come away with something. House-building, cooking, mechanics, whatever - just somewhere amazing. I'd probably try cooking in San Sebastián.

Croatia

Campervan for me, the open road. Just keep on rolling until you stick somewhere.

I'm 32, worked in education for the last two years and will be a trained careers advisor when I leave.

There is a job advertised for St Andrews Uni, Fife so that could be good. Scotland is a place that since a child I've said I'd love to retire to, maybe I shouldnt wait until then. I could easily move to France and live with my parents, I'd then have 10k to last me til I learnt to speak French.... but I'm not sure I'd be able to get a job in France with that knowledge of the language.

Im renewing Zivas pet passport soon for a week away to see my parents and I've always wanted to tour around Europe, I may do that for a month before I decide what to do.

I could easily move to France and live with my parents, I'd then have 10k to last me til I learnt to speak French

Start an internet based company you can do from france with no language hindrance? Or see if you can find a job that lets you work from home in france.

Yeah that would be a fantastic idea... just need to find one or come up with one!

Slovenia if I was in your position even at my age....my daughter is your age with 2 kids and she and partner have considered Dubia!! She is a primary teacher and he is a rising management type in civil service with a law degree(she in art/material design)
Been to Canada(central-North), not convinced! Old colleague has gone & stayed but his wife got work long before he did!

Abroad, same shit different weather (speaking from the other side of the world)
Best job with proximity to good riding where you can afford to live somewhere nice and make good friends.

Your dog is called Ziva? Not as in Ziva David? 🙂

What mike ^^^^^ says! even if you do move anywhere else in UK as my daughter has found out 🙄

Ziva 😆
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I'd love to go and live in France, but I've no idea what work I could get there

I don't earn enough to save up anything either

If you come up with a cunning plan, let me know

The 10k you're getting could be a useful way to get settled somewhere and learn the language

There is a job advertised for St Andrews Uni, Fife so that could be good. Scotland is a place that since a child I've said I'd love to retire to,

P-Jay - Member

Both my Wife and I would love to move to France, you don't have to be ashamed to say I live to work, not work to live - but, we both speak enough French to get by,

Think you might have that round the wrong way?

Can't believe we've got this far into the thread without anyone recommending Swindon!

😉

Campervan, Europe - MTB in Alps, North and South Spain, party in Croatia, explore Albania. May to September.
Well that's what I'm doing anyhow!

Yes Ziva as in Ziva David. I always loved the name and figured if I ever get a cat I get to call him Gibbs!

If I went to France to live with my parents I'd only really have to chip in for food, they have suggested it before and converting their garage into a house for me and if I had a job that I could do online id probably be there!

I've also considering using the 10k to reskill and do something new but it seems a waste somehow.

yep, definitely in an enviable position 🙂

so youve been in education so far? you thought about taking a TEFL course and teaching english abroad? my bro's in that business and seems to me its a job you can do in pretty much any country you wish to visit/live. dont like the place youre at? move on to the next country you fancy 🙂

took one myself a few years ago with a view to emigrating, but too much going on here to have made it happen.

I'd have thought teaching English in the Alps might be worth checking out - there's probably a market. You'd have to learn French first of course but that's only reasonable.

But wait a minute - "trained careers advisor" and you're asking us?

Really? 😉 Us, with our knowledge?

China! Tis the future innit?

Teach English, learn Mandarin, and do a bit of travelling - do it while you're still young and I don't think you'll ever regret the experience.

The dog may be better left at home though 😉

And to add it's just been cold and wet all day today down here in this bit of Oz so at least it will be a bit greener...

Yes Ziva as in Ziva David. I always loved the name and figured if I ever get a cat I get to call him Gibbs!

Our daughter is called Abi, different spelling but at least partially inspired by. I refer to our son as G (we do actually know his name though) 🙂

I went to Vienna. I absolutely love it.

I went to Vienna. I absolutely hated it.

Beautiful city ruined by beautiful people who walk around with their faces tripping them and a bad attitude. Wouldn't go back, prepared to give the rest of Austria a chance but it's a big no-go for me now.

Bratislava on the other hand was awesome if small. Budapest would be my preference if it was a city on the Danube.

Golfchick - you're lucky, I know what you mean about 'wasting' money on retraining. I'd take the opportunity to get out and do some stuff you never had the time or money to do before without anything tying you down. Call it a sabbatical if you have to 😉

Visit GeordieLand or have a look around.

I can show you around, you can teach me to play golf in the GeordieLand or we explore the place together if you wish, I like dog (got plenty of dogs myself) and then we can date ... how hard can that be?

D'oh! Not sure if I am doing this correctly but how do you pull nowadays?

😛

p/s: as for other European countries I think I would prefer a place with fewer people and near to the sea ... Austria is fine when I was there. Nobody said anything about some funny looking foreigner ...

I'm currently in the eye of storm on my way to a similar situation as you GolfChick!

No dog for me though....and I love my job (self employed musician/guitar teacher) so I'm kinda reluctant to leave that.

Anyway, I plan on doing a ski season in the Alps this winter, straight to Nepal for a month trekking. Back home for 6 weeks to earn some cash. Then over to Indonesia for a month. Back home for 3 month to save some more cash....then will come the big decision....I'll either carry on travelling around the school holidays or give up my jobs buy a round the world plane ticket and selling everything that I own!

10k - coke and gigolos

About 10 years ago, I had an interview for the Marshall Islands, that I turned down, in retrospect still a good things to do, but it is always somewhere I have wanted to live for a while.

Don't know if this already exists but if not...I know you like baking so start an online blog/website doing English reviews of places to eat etc in France. go round in a campervan, take Ziva and your bike. Get plenty of advertising revenue from youtube and website adverts.

You could find a theme like diners, drive ins and dives. Cover nice cafes, places that sell food etc and aim it at tourists, ex-pats, people touring etc.

Use your folks place as a base.

I was reading the other day about the girl who started a fashion video blog on youtube and is doing very well out of the revenue from youtube.

oh and then branch out to other European countries on tour.

I went to Vienna. I absolutely hated it.
Beautiful city ruined by beautiful people who walk around with their faces tripping them and a bad attitude. Wouldn't go back, prepared to give the rest of Austria a chance but it's a big no-go for me now.

I can't say I find bad attitude here. I do find they don't tolerate fools but I have had mostly good people wherever I am.
Maybe they're nicer if you're nice to them? And the fact that if you learn their language (I am in the process but far from fluent) then they are much more open maybe?

teach me to play golf

For Austria, I would be off to Graz in a heartbeat if Mrs S would agree and we could find employment.

Graz is a great place. And close to Slovenia for day trips. The Austrian Slovenian border is beautiful among the vineyards.

chewkw - Member
Visit GeordieLand or have a look around.

I can show you around, you can teach me to play golf in the GeordieLand or we explore the place together if you wish, I like dog (got plenty of dogs myself) and then we can date ... how hard can that be?

😆

GC looks like you got an admirer. He needs a bit of help understanding the golf bit though.

andyl - Member
GC looks like you got an admirer. He needs a bit of help understanding the golf bit though.

If you are a bloke then you are on your own. Not homo me. 😆

Golf as the car or golf as in the swinging a stick against a ball?

Todmorden for sure

Came from Todmorden originally, now South of France.......tough call!

Bavaria.

If you are a bloke then you are on your own. Not homo me.

Golf as the car or golf as in the swinging a stick against a ball?

You're a sandwich short of a picnic aren't you! 😆

GC = golfchick ie I was warning her she has an admirer ie YOU!

and golf as the VW - hence the VAG jokes.

Do what almost everyone else I know who's had a mid life crisis has done...

Get a job in a bike shop!

Speaking of which, may I mention that currently I'm recruiting! 😉

Same situation as you a few months ago. Moved out of the South East Rat race, and relocated to West Yorkshire. Now live on Blue Pig descent in Heptonstall.

Second answer on the thread was pretty much bob on

I went to uni in St Andrews. As a place to live it is weird and a little expensive, however if you were to live in Dundee or Tayport you could ride in. It's an hour to the Highlands, you have the sea on your doorstep, it's the sunniest bit of Scotland and one of the driest, there are nice walks from the door along the coastal path and in tentsmuir forest.

The doorstep riding in St Andrews and Tayport is not superb, but the uni cycling club has managed to work pretty well with what they have and there's an exciting selection of trails built up in Kemback woods by both them and the locals, and tentsmuir passes.an afternoon. Gentress is just over an hour south and dundee has the sidlaws and ochils within riding distance.

Being up there has given me the love of mountains I have now, it's an easy drive up to the south east cairngorms around Glen Clova or the Perthshire Highlands around Blair Atholl and Dunkeld are a smidgen over an hour north.

Try it, Scotland is great. Abroad would be nice but realistically you are outside the age range most non EU countries.offer short term non skills based visas for so getting and Australian or Canadian visa may be tricky. If you can speak French however France is right there!

I went to Vienna. I absolutely hated it.
Beautiful city ruined by beautiful people who walk around with their faces tripping them and a bad attitude. Wouldn't go back, prepared to give the rest of Austria a chance but it's a big no-go for me now.

And that is all true. Been to Vienna twice and hated it. It was so bad the first time we left two days early. The rest of Austria is lovely though, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there.

San Diego.

Never judge a place based on going on Holiday there...

I lived In Australia and wouldn't want to recommend that either Mike 😉

fair enough, all of it?

Maybe don't immediately think about upping sticks and then re-settling - maybe think about upping sticks and travelling. With not much money at all you can travel all over the World by volunteering. Consider registering with Help Exchange (helpx.com)? You can live months at a time working on all kinds of projects in all kinds of,places. Check out the host profiles and reviews, make a plan. When I registered it was about 18 quid. Soon had an offer come in from Canada working out in the wilds. I have many friends and acquaintances who travel the World year round this way, and eventually some find somewhere they want to stay for good.

More importantly - many find just what it is that they want to do with the rest of their lives. After trying so many new things and using a wide variety of old and newly-learned skills, meeting a wide variety of personalities...you have a much better chance of finding what it is that makes you happy and fulfilled - rather than what you could simply do to make you survive. Footloose and fancy free can be a great place to be, but we often look to re-settle immediately...which can be like landing a big fish, but then throwing it back in the water and eating the tackle instead.

All the best, and may the road rise to meet you.

Yes female, Yes golf as in the car. I have contemplated moving up north though but just because my best mate lives in Darlington and I know I could live with him until I had myself a job or somewhere to go and do.

The working and travelling thing did occur to me yeah in terms of registering for things to go and do but the problem is Ziva and I wont abandon her. I've also considered winter resort jobs in the alps and then spend the summer doing whatever I like, go back and live with my parents, travel during summer etc.

It's not so much the career advice which of course I should know haha its more about some places everyone would love to go and what combinations can be achieved. I've not seen a great deal of Europe and have wanted for some time now to book a ferry ticket, sleep in the car and just move about.

My best mate is in a similar position, he has some savings, hates his job, has a big family but no partner and kids etc and I've told him whatever I do he can come, then there would be the two of us!

Sorry for the speedread tardy answer - please ignore*, I only read footloose and free, not the dog bit 😳

Since being a dog owner myself life is considerably less fancy free but he does snore me to sleep at night and is our boon companion.

*Wouldn't write off WWOOFing/volunteering with a dog though, as some hosts may welcome it. Pun unintended.