Seriously thinking about leaving the UK

We’re in exactly the same situation as you. No grandchildren but won’t be long. We’re weighing everything up. If we move we will probably keep a small flat here so we can come and visit regularly.

In our situ, dh earns in top 0.1%, always happy to pay our taxes but if they go up anymore it really isn’t worth his while. Whilst happy to support those in need, we are increasingly resentful of supporting those who choose not to work. And the hate in this country for high earners from them is comical.. You are right, and along with the regular hate marches we see in London, the country is sadly broken.

Yes I do. Because I am one and so is dh. But dh is in a highly specialised role and was headhunted without knowing the local language. So it’s important that you secure a job, otherwise visa is almost impossible.

I fancy Scotland if I didn't have to consider my elderly parents and when my child has flown the nest.
But I don't like the dark and the cold, and midges so not sure what I'll do 🤷

@Glystl there’s an awful lot of this going on and big money behind it too - just read the posts by Beth Rigby on Sky - it’s almost as if they are pushing Farage as the only alternative - do people actually look at the bunch of self interested weirdos they already have in positions , the same ones who were busy telling us all how prosperous we would all be if we could just get rid of that pesky EU - how we held all the cards- no we didn’t , however a lot of people can’t see the wood for the trees - don’t think about how they can afford the fanciful back of a fag packet ideas and really aren’t finely attuned to bullshit - you could indeed have Swiss style system - folk would be going nuts about prices, scandi system- folks going nuts about tax ,

I was in your shoes 5 years ago OP. Desperate to leave the UK (hence my name!). Myself, my then ex-partner and DC did just that. We moved to Thailand with a view of never returning, with eventually settling in Aus. Less than a year later, I returned to the UK with DC. Our jobs and working conditions were poor, our relationship broke down (he was very abusive anyway, but that's a whole other story!) money was tight, my DC was out of school for months and life was incredibly stressful. We were also constantly renewing our visas too with no certainty about the future. My mum also missed and cried about DC for months.

Fast forward a year, I came back to the UK in miserable, grey November. It was awful - life was fucking miserable and hard, But I realised that life elsewhere can be miserable and hard too. In hindsight, if I had money - and plenty of it, I would return to Thailand in a heartbeat. Absolutely loved the country, the people and ease of life - but without money and security - you are screwed. I can't stress that enough. If you're going to make the move, please make sure you have a backup plan if your job(s) do not work out. Your DC are sick - or don't like their school. You have appropriate healthcare in place. You have flexibility with your visas. There is so much to think about, that I wish I had.

Off you pop, then. You won't find the grass is any greener, but the UK is better off without negative types.

My late DF worked in Nova Scotia for a couple of years @RafaFan and he really loved it.

He worked in loads of different places during his career, and he always said that Nova Scotia was the one he'd most like to live in.

You say you contribute through your taxes? That’s good. I also have always paid my taxes and would be happy with higher taxes IF it made a meaningful difference to our quality of life. My DH even gets taxed on his pension that he has saved for his whole working life. However there are far too many people in this country who contribute nothing at all to the economy.I think one of the reasons Scandinavian countries have such good services and contented people is that everyone pays some tax. Even those on lower incomes pay a very small amount of tax I believe? It’s a much fairer system. Every single working person in this country should be paying some tax. Even benefit payments should be taxed by a tiny percentage. Instead we squeeze the current limited number of taxpayers till the pips squeak. I can understand why some people are fed up with the system as it is.

Probably moved onto the next big (read:attention seeking) idea.

That sounds awful, @lifeonmars100 , and I'm truly sorry. What the fuck are the police and council doing about it? No-one should have to live like that.

I looked up the local crime map and we had 9 incidents here last month, all minor. Six of those were a bunch of drunk teens celebrating the end of their exams by getting pissed and raucous up on the downs. Then I looked up the crime map for where I used to live in Croydon: 154 incidents.

I moan about the lack of services here (no buses in the evenings or on Sundays, generally have to go into the city if you want to buy clothes or household stuff, nightmare journey to get to a hospital appt by public transport, no DIY/hardware shop etc) but I wouldn't swap it for city life.

Oh yes. Friends of ours left the U.K. ‘for good’, only to find after X years that they wanted to return after all. But property prices here had shot up, while where they’d moved to (Spain) they’d been static. They had a devil of a job to sell their house even for what they’d paid, and on their return couldn’t afford to buy anything like the home they’d sold some years earlier.

@AlphaApple I honestly blame our electoral system for this - politicians are so frightened of alienating certain sections of voters and the media that at the moment is right wing dominated that they end up pleasing no one or making sensible policies that the Mail/express /sun will hate - we have vast amounts of people who as someone said above want Scandinavian levels of service and Dubai taxes -

I can assure you that we have been here before, more than once, and survived. There will be a period of calm before the next crisis. Every country has ups and downs but on the whole it's pretty good here. I say that as an elderly person; I would not live anywhere else.

Your children may not want you to up and leave. I do know some people who spend a few months at a time abroad and enjoy that, their children join them for holidays sometimes. However not everyone can do that or would want the responsibility of a second home (I wouldn't), so am not suggesting that for you.

Don't do anything hasty, do lots of research before you seriously make a move. Every country has its bad patches.

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Do you have any neighbours you get on with? Maybe someone could help you arrange a neighbourhood Watch? I know it’s not amazing but at our place the police came round and we have a street meeting and have us stickers and tips on keeping safe. There’s also signs on lampposts. We’ve not had any crime since - but street is small but we are always all looking out and have numbers for local police x

@LaudCodec language was no issue when we lived in Copenhagen 98% speak great English - I learnt a bit of Danish but really got by fine in English ,my friend in Utrecht in Netherlands is the same- thing is though post Brexit you can’t just go there and stay without jumping through a lot of hoops if you don’t have an EU passport - even if you have plenty of cash

@thecookiecrumblesthisway I'm a Brit who's lived in Nova Scotia for more than a decade. I can confirm that I'm also laughing at the "can't go outside in the winter" comment. There's a reason that Canada is a world leader in winter sports! Canada has issues like everywhere else - we moved here partly because property prices in the UK were so high, but we're seeing the same here now. Also lots of discontent about immigration (and I would venture to say racially motivated). Healthcare is a mess. Where the UK goes, Canada follows.

I envy you, I have been burgled twice, and I was seriously sexually assualted by a drunk stranger while walking home from work. My adult child was attacke and beaten up in an unprovoked attack by two random strangers. I wouldn't leave my back open ever, only do it when popping out to the bin, I have had my back yard broken into twice this year already despite having a high fence and a high locked gate, people just jump over the fence. I only peg washing out if I am at home and can keep an eye on it from the kitchen window. Flytipping is an almost daily issue and I am too ashamed to invite people to my home. A walk to the local supermarket means encountering drunks and beggars and it is not uncommon to see drug deals going on. Too poor and too old to move, I get really down and sometimes feel that I am just waiting to die and for it all to be over. Can't even fantasise about a lottery win as I gave up playing it years ago!

The health care has been amazing. I get gp appts on the same day, regular check ups as a previous cancer patient (in a totally different part of the country). No school issues, no one is getting an NHS dentist anymore.

Do we even know what OP’s intentions are with a move abroad, working, retirement?

That is sort of true, but it's mainly wealthy or high earners who consider emigrating. Funny how nobody on benefits wants to move.

For all we know OP or her DH/DW might have no-UK passport

Our kids have enjoyed university and thrived there. But they have still valued our input, practical support and a place to come to in the holidays. Of course they are adults and could have coped without us. But I am glad we were able to be there for them when needed. I wouldn’t up sticks at this stage of life really unless I really had to.

I agree with everything here

DS starts uni next year (DD already there) and I will be looking at my options tbh.

I've lived in a few hot countries and can tell you it's much worse here as we don't have air conditioning anywhere so you never get a break from it.

But it's much much worse for things like health care, educational needs, public transport, jobs, investment, infrastructure and good luck getting an NHS dentist in the next decade.

The scenery might be pretty, but that means nothing if you need other things in life.

Move to the nicer parts of Devon or Cornwall. On a sunny day you’ll feel like you’re abroad. Compared to the big cities it’s relatively safe, calm, and beautiful.

You don't need to move abroad to get away from violent crime though.

I live in the SE, in a town of approx 20k people. We have a low crime rate, low enough for me to feel comfortable leaving my back door wide open during the recent hot nights. Violent crime is very rare and I never worry about walking home late at night, even though I'm 69 and far too old and decrepit to run or fight back. People are mostly polite and helpful: when I was loading my car with stuff to take to the tip the other day, the teenage lad along the road stopped and gave me a hand. And people look out for one another.

And my town isn't special, there are other towns of similar size in this and the next county that are just as safe. I think it's the difference between small towns and big cities, tbh.