Putin’s offering citizenship if you sign up to the army for a year. It’s a tempting offer.

It really wasn’t. I could have probably done it for under 1000 quid if i’d really wanted or needed to.

For anyone in a professional field or a home owner, it was almost as easy as moving house/job in the UK.

i’m guessing that you didn’t take a family and being in a professional field instantly makes you one of the better off people

on the topic of grand parents not seeing their grandchildren, if they offered to cover some of the costs of travel to visit them then they may get more visits. taking your family around the world is not cheap.

though i enjoyed my last visit to the uk it wasn’t really a holiday and i’d have rather spent the time a couple of hours drive from home with my bike.

it’s amazing how when people visit us it’s assumed that we’ll collect them from the airport, but when we visit the uk we’ll hire a car! i think they believe that we are stinking rich because we left the uk.

that all sounds a bit harsh

Lat. Same when you move north in the UK

haha. or south, in the case of my parents!

i’m guessing that you didn’t take a family and being in a professional field instantly makes you one of the better off people

Actually, i was effectively unemployed, couldn’t access much in the way of cash, as my house wasn’t sold until i’d already been in sweden for 6 weeks.

Cost of living in the UK at the time had ensured that i had virtually *no* buffer either, maybe 500 quid, including my much abused overdraft and no job to go to. Once i’d paid for all the various bits of travel and some rent, i was basically reliant on my next months salary arriving (about 2 weeks money, less tax of course) to tide me over until the house was sold and the funds cleared. No kids, but did bring a wife, about a dozen bikes and 2 cats though.

We both lucked out and had jobs within a fortnight though.

The amazing thing is, despite taking lower paid jobs, buying a house, the famed (and fictional) high taxes in sweden, we both had immediate increases in disposable income.

brave move! we were in a similar situation when we finally permanently left the uk. exciting times

Speaking from Germany, I would say, it all depends on your priorities.

Germany is easier to live in but harder to love. But, having seen the other side of the fence over here, it certainly puts some perspective into living in the UK.

The UK is weird at times – a lot of Brits seem to think the UK is a freer place, but you are only allowed to use footpaths and bridleways etc. In the east of Germany (and Scandinavia) at least, unless a path is blatantly private, people will use them. A lot of Brits talked about getting out of Europe to cut red tape, but the UK has more or less a similar amount of red tape and jobsworth officials as Germany. The class system in the UK still creates more social barriers than in Germany.

Having said that, the UK is more welcoming in general than Germany, and Brits are mostly less self-obsessed (with a few exceptions of course) than Germans. And I still get homesick for the British countryside.

Before you move, do your homework though – Lots of Brits seemed to come here to get away from the racism of Brexit, but seemed to be oblivious to the fact that in some parts of Germany the vote is over 25% for the extreme right and casual racism here is actually pretty bad (whether it is intended or not).

But why not give it a try – travel broadens the mind after all….

I came to Oz for a year in 2009 That year turned into… I’m still here.

The grass isn’t greener. Its largely very dry and a huge fire risk.

You’re just a flight away if you need to go back to the UK for emergencies. I’ve done it twice now.

Just done 6 months in Europe with the kids but we’re back home now.

Dont sit back and wonder. Try it. Nothing is permanent if you don’t like a different country. Maybe skip Russia though.

I came to Oz for a year in 2009 That year turned into… I’m still here.

I’m on holiday in Oz at the moment. If it wasn’t for the fact that I have a brand new (and relatively good) job lined up starting next month in the UK, I’d be seriously looking at doing whatever it takes to stay out here.

Depressing how low the UK has sunk in the last 10 years and other than aging parents, I have no real ties there.

My mates son went over to NZ in January 2020 with a visa/work permit or whatever it was but no job. It was more of a recce but he’s a digger/360 driver so got a job within hours. He subsequently & luckily got stranded there due to covid. He came back a couple of weeks ago for the 1st time & is heading back to NZ in a couple of weeks with plans to stay there.
Young single lad though, living the dream riding trials motorbikes, fishing, shooting & driving diggers. Oh, & having his end away with his bosses daughter.

If i didn’t have the trouble of ageing parents coming my way, i’d be out of here like a shot – not entirely sure where thought to be honest – everywhere seems to be in turmoil. I’d fancy Switzerland, but i’m not a multi millionaire unfortunately!! 🙂 …..and with the slide of Sterling i doubt i could afford Vietnam now!!

brave move! we were in a similar situation when we finally permanently left the uk. exciting times

Yeah, did have a couple of wobbles over the last 3 months in the UK and the first few months in Sweden, because there were so many things that had to go right (or right enough) for it to work. You know, if the house sale had fallen through, or i hadn’t been able to find a job, or a flat to rent.

Anyway, over a decade and a half later, got no intention of ever going back to the UK. Even visits are getting less frequent, last one was a weekend for my mums 75th, slotted into various relaxations of COVID rules.

Also, I don’t know if you have family, but people I know who’ve moved to Oz and NZ are enjoying life there, but can’t afford to come back to visit family and family here can afford to go and visit them.

Sounds absolutely ideal!