If you're fed up with life in the UK, where would be a good place to live? Has anyone moved to Ireland or France or Portugal or elsewhere?

[MyMarmite]

DH and I were talking about how much we dislike this country right now and are considering moving abroad.

We both work, can support ourselves, could buy a property overseas, pay for healthcare (I think that's a condition in some countries), we both speak English and we have no dependents.

But where? Where would you go? Or have you moved and if so, where did you move to and how is it compared to here?

it would depend why you’re fed up. Many countries have the same sorts of problems, and also ones unique to them. How much better would your life have to be to make the upheaval worth it?
Pick a country, say, Canada. Then a location and read their local news and social media posts. Have all the things you dislike here vanished from view, or are there the same problems? Worse problems? Different problems? Can the things you’re fed up with be lessened by stopping watching/listening to/reading the news?

We moved to Portugal 22 years ago and am glad we did. It was much easier to make the move then though

Have you got much of a budget? Good transferable skills? Do either of you have an EU passport?

Ireland is much easier in that you can just move here and not worry about language or visa, but our big issue is housing costs - they’re ridiculous. Also be prepared to pay to see the doctor.

That being said, if you have the money to buy in a decent area I think it’s a great place to live, but I’m probably biased. I’ve lived abroad for years and am happy to be back, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have problems, like everywhere.

Could you look at a different part of the UK? The grass isn’t always greener, you still have to go work, pay your bills etc.

I’d go to virtually any other country - they’re all full of sunlit uplands and happy, smiling people who never gripe about their government or anything else.

Speaking English might not be that helpful in France or Portugal

Isn't France on the brink of bankruptcy? I thought they were on the verge of asking the IMF for a bailout. If you move, you'll probably find most of the problems are the same. Everywhere has its downsides. It's surprising, actually, how many people leave and then come back.

Scotland. Outer hebrides. Remote, less people, scenery to compete with anywhere in the world but still familiar enough. That's if you can work remotely and want to get away from it all.

OP we lived in Ireland for a few years and it was so expensive and is more so now. However out by the coast in South Co. Dublin is a brilliant quality of life. Very outdoorsy, healthy living, incredible seafood.

Lived in various countries - they all have pros and cons. eg. I live in Ireland right now because the education system is fantastic and my kids needed a few years in a stable place to get through secondary, but the weather generally sucks, and tax is high (although it's much better if you can employ yourself through your own company), and property cost if you want to be in a big city is insane. Life is easy though, no complaints, except that they don't have a Costco here.

It's a bit tougher after Brexit, since you'll have to go through a lot more paperwork is the other thing - but some countries make it easier than others - places like Malta and Ireland you can just move to, Canada, Portugal, Thailand, Malaysia(I think) have schemes, Singapore is just so organised it's easy anyway.

You'd have to figure out what's important to you, and find a country that matches those things.

Please don't come to Ireland under the impression it's England without whatever problems have driven you to leave, or that it's going to be largely the same as elsewhere on these islands, just because of a shared language and geographical proximity. Give it the same amount of thought and research as you would in contemplating a move to Portugal or Finland or Guatemala.

What is it in particular you don’t like about this country and what are you hoping to gain by moving overseas?

Nowhere is perfect but you’ll get better suggestions if you specify what you’re looking for. No point moving to Finland if you want better weather.

Do you speak French or Portuguese or any other European languages? I would want to pick a country with a language I could at least get by with. Do you need to work in the country again language and job opportunities.

Write down your exact reasons for wanting to move and see which countries offer what you want. It's easy to check things like cost of living, crime, weather, ex pat communities, whether you can actually buy properties as a foreigner, etc. etc. Just wanting to move to almost anywhere is a bit vague, the grass isn't always greener.

Thanks for these replies. We don’t speak any other languages.
We like the rain so aren’t after sunnier climes.

😂

I love the sound of that

So, relocating elsewhere in the UK would suit you?
Where do you live now?

Things we hate about the UK

this labour government
shoplifting
jingoism
high taxes

We live on the outskirts of London

Right. So is it the outskirts of London that are the problem?
Would you just like to live somewhere less populated?

Wouldn't you get that in Scotland?
France?
Portugal?
etc?

Unless you can get a job abroad I think this is going to be pretty tricky post Brexit. I would be tempted with Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.

Some countries might be relatively easy to relocate to if you have plenty of money. I think Cyprus, Malta. Portugal and Greece and New Zealand might fit into this category.

I've lived in Portugal for 18 years, before that I was in Dublin for 12 years. Not lived in France though 😊

Higher taxes in Scotland. Probably still shoplifting too in the Hebrides. Certainly a lot of alcoholism .

I think anywhere rurally in this country would suit you. Having lived rurally for the last 40yrs it is a different world. We do have local issues in line with national problems but on a very different level. The local sm groups are predominantly full of missing cats and issues with dog excrement. Car theft is usually by out of town gangs and there is a strong sense of community which can be positive and negative. When everyone one knows everyone’s business it can feel a little intrusive but also very supportive when needed.
The big difference is the wide open spaces that are safe to explore and get away from people when you need it.

We live about 20mins ( not a huge distance rurally) from a small city. It’s more like a big town and even there I feel safe. DS went to school there so I frequently bump into someone I know.

Rural living has changed with the advent of online shopping and the internet in general. You can still enjoy the space but you can get everything delivered and stay connected. Public transport is crap but the drive to most destinations is generally pretty and no major traffic congestion. The locals moan about congestion but it bears no resemblance to inner city congestion. It makes me chuckle when people moan about rush hour.

Just move to a leafy village away from London. Everywhere has it's issues no matter where you go but there are almost always a lot more social issues in and around cities then there are in villages.

There are governments everywhere though so you won't escape them no matter where you go. I don't know anywhere where the taxes are hugely lower and you still earn the sort of wages you do here though, especially if you have to pay for healthcare on top.

We have a house in Spain but I definitely wouldn't move there. The bureaucracy is ridiculous.