So bored of 'we left our life in the UK' influencers

If you do apply gorgeous citizenship of that EU state, will you be able to live and work in any other EU state as a result? If yes, then you will have de facto 'EU citizenship'. This is why my US born DCs have all claimed their Irish passports (which come with the added benefit of the potential to freely live and work in the UK even despite Brexit).

I have friends who moved to Spain, Dubai, China, Germany, Switzerland, the US.

The friends in Spain have been there 8 years and are coming home this year. Had enough of the tourist lifestyle.

Those in Dubai are just there for work but return to the UK for holidays every year and will return home later in life after benefitting from the huge Dubai salaries.

The friends in China are split into 2 camps. Those who have fully British spouse and children who will eventually return to the UK. And those who have married Chinese spouses, one particular couple I think will settle permanently in China.

The friends who moved to Germany are committed to staying there for life.

The friend in Switzerland is there for work and will retire to Spain where she owns property despite being British.

Swiss brown cows❤❤ with their beautiful milk which makes beautiful cheese and chocolate. I would love to go to Switzerland

Which part of Switzerland?

Nothing wrong with wanting to move of course…

Do you have dual citizenship somewhere or fit the required visa criteria for that country? What about family, friends, commitments?

Where would you want to move to and is it doable?

I just scroll past tbh. People always think the grass is greener buts it's just another country but same day to day things.

Indeed. We’ll come crawling back when we want to join a 2-year waitlist to get treated. Instead of, you know, utilise our insurance and get seen by a specialist the same day.

I’m so excited that autumn is happening soon. Not yet, still want summer right now, but it’s close!

I love my country, but hate the way it’s being run into the ground by our government. I’ve just returned from the Lake District, and look at the beautiful countryside and rolling hills and it makes me feel happy to be alive. Came back from Tenerife a couple of months ago, and whilst I enjoyed the back to back sunshine, the landscape inspires nothing in me. Like a lot of European hotspots. I enjoy that our seasons are split. Love Spring when everything is starting to brighten up and bloom after Winter. Love Summer with the sunshine, and occasional showers. Love Autumn with the changing colours and Winter bringing cosy dark nights and Christmas. There’s nowhere else quite like it.

Agree, especially the ones who move to Dubai and go on about ‘family values’ 🤮

I think it's probably your algorithms OP. I imagine alot of influencers are posting as its their source of income.
I was born in the UK, lived their for 35 years then moved to Switzerland and there is no way I'd move back. I loved my life when I was in the UK but I didn't know what it was like to live abroad then. Had I not left I would be none the wiser. I'd say UK feels like a 3rd world in comparison to Switzerland. Expat life requires alot of effort and isn't easy but the pros outweigh the cons. I have been able to set up a business in Switzerland, earn 2.5/3 times what I used to, pay 20% tax instead of 45%. My quality of life is so much better. Healthcare is amazing as are schools. Love that I can go skiing for the day. Spend the summer at the beach on the lake, drive to Annecy. It's clean, safe and everything works and the canton really put taxpayer money to good use. When I bring my 4 year old back to the UK he asks me why there's so much rubbish everywhere, why it's dirty, why the playground is broken etc.
I love coming home but there's no way id move back.

I don’t get all the competition about it though. I don’t publicly say how I felt about moving away, only here and between close family etc. I don’t think other countries are bad or that everyone who moves away will dislike it, I think it’s just not the easy dream some people portray it to be, well it wasn’t for us. I won’t mention where we loved to either because it’s a great place in general, just hard to move to and live in for a migrant, in my opinion (yes migrant, not ex-pat).

But all this ‘we moved to so and so and it’s SO MUCH BETTER than x country’ is really pathetic and it gives people a bad feeling about their lives. But then, that’s social media. If you’re happy where you live then be happy, but you don’t need to slag off the U.K. or the British or anywhere else or anyone else. It’s not necessary. Just enjoy.

I emigrated from the UK due to stagnant wages, but I loved everything else about living there. London will always be home.

Brits just like to moan which makes it seem like the UK is so much worse than other places. It’s weird now being surrounded by people who don’t whinge as a pastime - took some getting used to.

You say that, but all my relatives who at first emigrated to the UK from Jamaica and after living here a couple decades, emigrated to different regions of the US.

Not a one of them would move back to the UK.

Similarly, all my born and bred in the UK late Bloomer to late Millennial relatives who have made the move to the US.

If Saudi is a haven I dread to think what a hellish place is. No money in the world would get me stepping foot there.

I left my life in the UK for the sunny dream!

It was shit.

I came home and I never want to leave again. I know several families who have also returned. It isn’t one long happy sunny holiday. We lost money.

I wouldn’t tell someone else not to do it, but I wouldn’t be in a hurry. to do it again. Influencers are trying to sell a dream lifestyle, but life can be tricky to navigate wherever you are.

The UK is crap I'm almost 40 I want out by 50 55 .there's nothing to stay for 🤷🏻‍♀️
Get a bigger better property , nicer weather ,less stress

I thought this too…if you weren’t bothered/affected, why be so het up and invested..

They got the best of both worlds then didn't they? A few years in the sun, then back home when it suits. Good for them.
If it's making you angry you obviously are a little bit jealous. If you didn't care, you wouldn't care...

I agree @Prenoden I don't give a shiny shite if someone claims to be happier in another country, sipping cocktails on a balmy beach. Fact is, they will still have to work for a living (probably full time) and pay taxes, and a mortgage or rent, and they won't have half of the benefits they had of living in the UK. So I don't envy them one iota.

I've had people I know move abroad (Australia/Portugal/Spain/South Of France, Florida etc) and send me photos 'to make me jealous' - (their words,) and I am like 'why would I be jealous? How odd for you to think that and say that.' They were like 'ha ha yes you are ha ha. 😆'

4 out 5 of them come back to the UK. And the ones who stay are not necessarily happy. Some have had children with a citizen of that country, and they're not allowed to bring them back without that person's permission. So they're forced to stay in that country. OR come back to the UK without the children.

I also think 'well, if you have to keep banging on about how amazing it is, and how wonderful your life is in said new country, who are you tryna convince babe?!'

You keep seeing this stuff because you're watching it. The algorithms can't differentiate between rage watching and enjoying the content.
But everywhere has it's pros and cons. People are allowed to choose different compromises than you and to have different priorities than you.
I think the UK is pretty great, but I've lived abroad and we're moving again next year. There's no singular best place in the world. Our passports and careers allow us some level of mobility and we will enjoy it unapologetically. Don't take it so personally.

Just to add I agree with the poster upthread. Those who make a success of it integrate fully. Friends who have stayed in Spain and France are fluent in the national language, they stay out of the mid day sun and the like. Likewise those who have settled in Australia, New Zealand and The USA and Canada, are fully emerged in the culture.

Yes I agree op.
Each to their own.
For reasons unknown I keep seeing threads along the same lines.
All of the posters saying how wonderful it is to sit outside in the sunshine drinking cheap alcohol. Every single one of them mentions the cheap alcohol, as if that is what they use to wash, clean and heat their homes with!
I have friends who live abroad and I can tell you in Spain for example, you had better hope you don’t get old and infirm. The cheap alcohol will not replace carers which are virtually non existent where my friends live.
Neither do they mention the exhausting temperatures which mean they stay indoors with the air con on until evening time.
There are pros and cons wherever you live.
Ex pats will often state that they managed to move before Brexit, and it is a lot harder to move now and gain citizenship.

Yeah Dawn Ward ( Real Housewives of Cheshire) and her family moved out to Dubai, can't understand it, it seems such a shallow lifestyle. You couldn't pay me to go out there.