Leslie

My old school friend says the same thing Lesley, I could do with a bit of all that too.

Les

Nido

Doesn't have to be, I'm in Spain and only knocking around the 30's - a bit like the temperature is today and the day before that, and the day before that etc etc

In fact the last time it rained was back in mid May, and that was unusally late. Living up the road from the driest part of Europe has distinct advantages!

As somebody posted earlier Spain is also very child friendly, it really is very family based. To take all your family (inc young kids) to a restaurant late at night is the norm, not the exception. Kids can still play out on the streets without worry about being snatched / mugged / knifed / sold drugs etc. Violent crime is next to nothing. Even the local police are armed, and you don't get much more of a deterrant than that

Flights to the UK are cheap for visiting the family etc. Wouldn't change being here for a second

speye91

Hope you had a nice holly, Leslie, hopefully within the next year i will be in Thailand living out there and teaching Diving

DCI Gene Hunt

No muff too tuff...... white sands .... sexy chicks ...

AudiLover

lol most people will want to emigrate after coming back from holiday as on holiday you see exciting new thins/cultures and you have no stress or responsibility. All that will change when you go there and thats why most people who emigrate eventually end back up where they origianlly came from.

Unless theyre polish

Nido

A good point that I meant to say earlier. Over the years seen many people come and go because they don't realise that even abroad you have to do things like earn money to pay for house / food / bills etc. They just think they will be on a constant holiday

AudiLover

yeah, I used to live in jamaica for 3 years. It had its positives and its negatives. A negative being my parents at the time had to workd 5 and a half days a week, not having all the nice shops that they have like over here, and the crappy cars.

A positive being the beaches, sunshine, pools, and having a maid. But it can be just as stressful as it is living in the london and we soon came back. You notice how many things you take for granted when you leave england. Had a stint in spain too and glad to firmly stay put in england. But I would encourage people to emigrate though(or have a year long holiday or something) Great life experience.

KiwiGTI

Unless, of course you come to the UK as an immigrant where all that stuff will be provided by the government.

Akuma

I don't think Spain is just for the retired, my sister in law & her hubby are out there now, both in their early 30's, working hard but loving it! Benidorm is NOT my idea of Spain - but it is theirs! Spain seems to have loads of young families looking for a better life for their kids, which is exactly what we want!

We're more into the slower pace of life with lovely family values, low crime, great food and a sense of community where our son can be a child for as long as he wants. Good weather would be a bonus, but I wouldn't move abroad just on the promise of better weather!

We can't affort to retire just yet so we'll have to make money, but after our stint in France, at least we know how much we realistically need to earn to live comfortably.

I've got lots of planning & research time out here in Japan, so it'll keep me busy until the other half's contract is finished!

Akuma

Lee247

All good points, thanks folks.
I go to France every year and every year I say the same thing. It's just getting the ***** to do something about it

Clarebabes

Lesley, we've just got back from my parent's house in Brittany which has been our holiday destination, (apart from the Ring) for the last 4 or 5 years. I love it there. Great roads, great beaches, great food and cheap beer and alcohol! If there's 2 tractors go past their house, it's rush hour and everyone is polite and welcoming.

I was just saying to Dave how much I would like to live there, but I think I would have to win the lottery to do so as there's no way we could get the same sort of salaries there than here.

I also like the way the French don't take any crap and if they don't agree with something, they kick up a stink. Think we should learn from them. I had to use their health service, (terrible ear infection) and though I had to pay 64 Euros for the doctor's consultation, I waited only 1/2 hour to see him, (he was at the supermarket ), and the drugs he gave me were less than 10 Euros for 3 different types. In France, you have to pay for all treatment, but get the money back through your green card. This means that they are aware at how much they are costing the health service and learn not to take the ****..... Good idea I think!

scoob_babe

Spent a year living in France (Grenoble) and at the time I would have been very happy to stay. Good places to work, close to the ski resorts, cheap places to live, very lively and decent public transport.
I would not move to quiet areas of Brittany or anywhere else that relies on tourists. Once the tourists have left, there is very little to do, most good restaurants close out of season and if you live in a quaint gite then going out at night is a nightmare unless one of you is prepared to drink coke all night.

The other problem is that some parts of Brittany are getting almost as expensive as SE England! Locquirec is THE place to be for French celebrities and what is usually a sleepy village of 2000 goes to 20 000 in August and the house / land prices are rocketing to match.

Grenoble or Tours are definitely on our list of places to move to!!!

Apparition

Sounds just like the part of Lincs where I live .
Yve

Nido

No welfare state culture here thank goodness

Well, a shed load of European grants built some very nice roads and things, but unfortunately now we are no longer the poorest country in Europe the economy is having to be a little more self-sufficent. Not doing too bad a job, but the cost of living has shot up, the Euro was the start of that