To leave UK due to weather and cost of living

Not very easy since Brexit. Difficult without any language skills as well.

YANBU to want to leave for those reasons - also shit government is a factor - but it has to be an ambition: knowing what you want to do, learning the language, I mean having a basic destination! It isn't a last resort because things are bad. I used to feel that a lot of Brits treated places like Spain and the South of France like that: oh well, the weather's bad here, let's go somewhere where we can't speak the language but the food is nice. No longer an option for us and I am sure they are relieved in those places!

A quick Google shows a yearly regular guaranteed income of 28K euros per year required for a visa for older uk citizens for Spain. In France you need to prove you have money, pensions, investments, regular income or have a skill they want, though it doesn’t say the amount. DH has relatives that have retired to France and I have a friend who has also retired and his sister lives in Spain. But the retirees have significant pensions and his sister moved there as a very young woman and has full residency.

No language skill is a big issue it’s not like just going on holiday and ordering from a menu. DH speaks multiple languages as does his sister, I have a little French but would struggle to manage the sort of level needed for official documents where you can’t mess up.

More manageable would be to have a long break in Europe under the 90 day rule in January, February and March which is exactly what DH and I will be doing when retired.

You do realise that Brexit ended freedom of movement for UK citizens, not just for EU citizens? Unless you want to move to Ireland, the days when British people could just decide to retire abroad are over.

You would need to apply for visas, demonstrate how you would support yourselves, figure out how you would access healthcare etc etc. Not to mention learn to speak the language unless you wanted to live in some ghastly ‘Brits Abroad’ enclave on the Costas.

Send us a postcard

Just to add some perspective... We've moved to UK for the better (warmer, sunnier!) weather and lower taxes 6 years ago. Still consider it to be the best decision of our lives. UK can be worse off than SOME countries, but is far better than MOST.

Lots of people thought that voting for Brexit would stop immigration into the UK, whilst not realising that it would severely limit our freedoms to live and work elsewhere in the EU. Because of course we don’t regard ourselves as ‘immigrants’. Yet another Brexit’ win’ 🙄

You could dip a toe in by renting or buying a small place in Europe.
You could spend 90 days out of a rolling 180 days but this would give you an idea of what life abroad is like, before fully committing.

I ways thought I'd do this retire somewhere with better weather now ice decides I'll stay in the UK and go away for the dreary mo ths. Rent my place out and spend winter elsewhere for 90days come back and go away again. Avoids all the tax and state pension issues etc. Maybe you should look into something like that?

Well...You can't just live there anymore. You know, Brexit?

I agree, with everything else being shit, even shitter weather means very few reasons to stay.

Agree. Go for it op but be realistic about more than weather

• Rent out your UK house for income
• Buy a small flat in the UK
• Buy a nice but modest sailing boat in a Mediterranean marina
• Live aboard that boat for the 90d duration you’re allowed to live in Schengen
• Sail it around if you’re adventurous
• Return to the UK flat after 90d
• AirBnB the boat while away
• AirBnB the flat while away

What are you hoping to get from the thread OP? Tips, or a genuine AIBU?

I don’t think you’ll get many people saying YABU to want to essentially retire abroad, even if they don’t want to themselves. A lot of people used to retire to Spain pre-brexit.

But it might not be achievable.

“Some savings” meaning what? £50k, £100k, £300k?

if you are quitting work at 50 with no pension I really hope you’ve got at least £500k otherwise you’ll be stuffed with no U.K. benefits to bail you out if money runs out.

I think we're all feeling quite discontented atm. Not sure if the answer is to up sticks though. For starters it's hard to do so now we're out of the EU, it's harder for you to do so now you're over 50. Also at close to 60, you must have built up friends, family, people who you care about, over the years. As you move into the later stages of life, do you want to lose all of that?

I get that you don't like how life is rn and I don't blame you - life in the UK is pretty piss poor. But, you do have some options. You own an asset, you have savings, you have community ties. These are all very valuable things. What do you want your life to look like? How can you utilise these things that you have, to get your life how you want it to be?

I love the changeable seasons ! Would hate to live in a country where its hot all the time - I walk in all weathers- The Lake District would be my go to place to live - would never leave the UK

I don’t think you’ll find that’s an easy task, unless you like swealteringly hot weather.

Your best bet is probably mid France.

Weather everywhere is screwed up and it’s not as affordable to live overseas as you think. You need to consider visas, language, and healthcare as you age. What happens if in 20 years time you get dementia? Will you come back, or will you be stuck in a Spanish care home like some of my friends parents have been.

I’m sorry to say you may not find it that easy, particularly at your age, unless you are quite wealthy.

Where are you considering?

So it sounds like you mean Europe then. Except you don't speak any other languages and we no longer have the right to go and live and work in any EU country. So it might be quite hard.

Sorry to be a bit doom and gloom but if you plan to move away "forever" then you need to consider if you'd be happy widowed etc and "alone" in a foreign country.

If you plan to return to the UK for your later years you should also factor this in, and whether you'd be eligible for care support vs. be able to cover fees yourself.

You do often people make big life decisions (move to the country / coast / abroad) as they approach retirement, but then don't move back soon enough.