To think if you have enough money to travel frequently, the UK is the best place in the world to live

We're still looking for a home @CorporaINobbyNobbs - would love to hear where you think is the best place in the British Isles.

Same.

I love the UK but despair of the direction it’s taken in the past 10 years, per everything in @Honeycottage125’s post. It breaks my heart that my kids (and everyone else’s) have been been so thoroughly dicked over and stitched up by Brexit, nationalism, wealth disparity, crumbling NHS, the gutting of so many towns because small businesses can’t survive, increasing knife and drug crime, ridiculous levels of antisocial entitled behaviour, crappy expensive transport systems, filthy polluted waterways and coastline, and the utterly unsustainable cost of living, versus wages that have stagnated for decades.

I’ve not to travelled to anywhere in recent memory - including Japan and much of Scandinavia, traditionally ‘expensive’ places to visit - that’s felt anywhere near as pricey, or as bad value, as home.

Every country has its problems and there’s still much to love about the UK. But when families with two parents in full time employment can’t afford to buy a home and are topping up at food banks by the end of every month, you have to wonder how much more fucked up things need to get honestly.

It’s no longer a country you can happily exist in if you don’t have a substantial cushion of wealth and privilege. And that’s absolutely not the case in many other European countries, which are much cheaper, better served for healthcare, transport and general infrastructure, are as well connected and easy to travel to and from, have better weather and offer the possibility of living a simpler, happier life in safer, cleaner, community-minded environments.

The problem with this argument is that UK salaries are so low compared with places like the US (where I'm from) that frequent international travel isn't exactly affordable for everyone. And I'm not sure why you think having a sense of humor, beautiful countryside and restaurants serving international cuisine is somehow unique to Britain. If you've got enough money to regularly escape the country in search of better weather, I'd imagine you could have a better quality of life in plenty of other places.

As the world hots up, the UK looks more tempting than ever.

I dislike: the litter, the poor health-care service, not a very entrepreneurial environment. Hate increased racism. It was better in the early 2000's.

I like: the humour and general chitchat, the lack of formality, moderate weather, beautiful countryside, basic tolerance of all types despite some racism (worse elsewhere in Europe)

I can't live elsewhere; I don't fit in, and my jokes don't land.

True. But boat or train travel abroad is really much the same story. Nearly all options are via Dover or Folkestone or central London, with the main exception being boat travel to Ireland is from the West.

If you take the Glacier express then consider Pontresina, or Flims.

I’m been here a while. Good standard of living. Very expensive but good salaries. Excellent roads but terrible traffic. Excellent public transport in the towns. Abundant healthcare that costs me and my spouse £1,000 a month with a £2,400 excess. Swiss do not accept foreigners into their communities so migrants gather together. Their sense of humour is not the same as British.
A lot of Brits who live here are up their own arses about living here, decry the UK but travel ‘home’ multiple times a year. Same as the Americans.
Buying a house in an urban area is beyond the reach of most. There’s a lot of poor Swiss scratching by. Summers are brutally hot and dry. Not much crime. Not much or any litter. Right wing mentality is everywhere. That’s my experience anyway. Other opinions are available.
I preferred Bavaria. I’ll move back to the UK at some point.

You think that you can judge how good a place would be to live in just by holidaying there for a few days or weeks? That’s ridiculous. And how many other countries have you actually visited? You sound very narrow minded. It’s great you love the UK so much but you don’t have any experience living elsewhere so it’s odd to think there is nowhere better to live, to say the least.

By air is not the only way to travel

I would say it has things I like , but so do other places within Europe. I’ve lived in Copenhagen, that was pretty splendid too ‘if ‘ you had decent money/income , same goes I feel for Sweden, Netherlands, Germany if you want a ‘non hot’ country -

I go away 7 times a year and have visited almost 70 countries, I am very happy to live in the UK.

doesn’t it depend where you live? It you live between Heathrow and Gatwick, you can very easily get a direct flight to almost anywhere in the world. If you live in Wales, Cornwall or northern Scotland, it must be a much bigger undertaking.

Berlin is a completely dysfunctional city. Great to visit but residents are leaving if they have the chance - many to Switzerland. Munich is a beautiful city but horribly expensive!

I’ve spent 30 years in France and brought up my kids here. I think it’s way better than the UK. Not for everything but it’s really worked for us.