Your dream country live in?

[YouShouldLeave]

In this hypothetical you don't have to worry about potential language barrier or immigration. You would just be one of the citizens.

What country you would like to live in and why?

Croatia

Mauritius. I have family over there and have been many many times! I love it.

Yes I’ve holidayed there, can’t believe I didn’t think of it. The food was out of this world!

It was Iceland, so I moved here after university. I certainly don't regret it and still can't think of anywhere I'd rather be, although of course it's not utopia.

Spain or Singapore. I’d probably live in Spain for the rest of my life but probably wouldn’t want to live in Singapore forever. I’ve considered living in the Netherlands but I can’t speak a word of Dutch!

@SiobhanSharpe

Spain, specifically northern Spain, the Basque country. The scenery is beautiful, quite unlike the rest of Spain, and the food is absolutely fantastic. The cities are very civilised and the quality of life looks to be excellent. (And San Sebastián is only about an hour from Biarritz which is lovely. SW France would be my second choice😉)

Always felt like Basque Country felt more like France than Spain!

@YouShouldLeave yes unfortunately. We’re part of a fabulous and massive expat community but the Swiss are very closed off and unfriendly. My friends come from everywhere in the world but we have only Swiss acquaintances!

The misogyny is horrific. Women are expected to give up working when they get pregnant, employers will suggest you’re strange for wanting to stay on. Schools send the kids home for about 2 hours for lunch every day because it’s expected that Mum doesn’t work….

But on the other side it’s absolutely stunning. The standard of living here is sky high. Healthcare and public infrastructure are incredible. I live in Geneva and it’s clean, safe and just beautiful. But everything closes on Sundays and it is very conservative.

For us the benefits far outweigh the negatives - which we would get anywhere!

@whatthejiggeries

That said I reckon I would get fed up in Switzerland pretty quickly. The Swiss are so pedantic and nothings open on a Sunday and everyone has at least an hour for lunch when no one answers the phone. You also can't even mow the lawn on a Sunday so maybe Austria 😂

Don’t forget not being allowed to flush the toilet after 10pm and the men must sit to pee lest you hear your neighbours on the loo

I moved to Canada and I adore it (despite the sky high cost of living and utterly baltic and very long winters!).

Iceland would be my second choice.

@Hairbrush123

Spain or Singapore. I’d probably live in Spain for the rest of my life but probably wouldn’t want to live in Singapore forever. I’ve considered living in the Netherlands but I can’t speak a word of Dutch!

That shouldn't be a problem at all. Many Dutch people speak excellent English and even more speak it passably well. So you should be able to get by absolutely fine while you're learning the language. But a word of warning - a colleague was posted to Amsterdam for three years and did a highly intensive course in the language for several months before he left. But he found very few opportunities to use it-- the lovely Dutch people would invariably reply in English when he addressed them In Dutch.

@PeggyArmstrong

Canada.

Scenery, climate, loads of room and a flag with a leaf on it - what's not to love!

The climate in Canada? It's freezing most of the year!

It's NOT freezing most of the year.

It's cold in the winter, yes. You can expect it to be below zero for around 4 months of the year. The summers here are fantastic though, everyone has an outdoor pool for a reason!

@LemonFantaGin

Menorca

Menorca is not a country. the island belongs to Spain

I moved to my dream country 2 years ago.. Australia!

I love England, but find the political situation increasingly unbearable, so am still hoping to retire to France. I speak fluent French, so hope that will help.

@Cazzovuoi

I’m in Canton de Vaud, between Geneva and Lausanne. Been here 11 years. Not a huge fan of Geneva for the reasons you state - so many transient ex-pats.

It’s terribly sexist though, that’s spot on.

I love living in the USA. Nowhere has such a diverse landscape. Where we live is so beautiful and I would never want to leave.

I lived in Iceland for 6 months and if I had to leave here then it’d be to move back there.

I moved to my paradise, by the beach in Western Australia. I also loved living in London (in my youth) and Ireland. If I won the lotto though I would spend the Australian winter in Italy.

@alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 - I have a massive soft spot for W Australia… Freo and Perth especially.

But… I’d probably choose New Zealand. I’ve spent a total of 6 months there travelling, over the years, and if I had no family here, I’d probably move if I could. It has everything I love, and the people are fabulous.

I would love to live in the alps but only in the summer. Not really into snow or skiing.

I'd also love to live somewhere where it's warm all year like the Canary Islands but not so keen on the scenery there.

I would love to move back home to Sweden. Better weather (colder winters/warmer summers), cleaner air, more forests and lakes and I miss my family terribly. After having lived abroad 20+ years I have come to realise that I can only be completely happy when I'm there. I still think other places are gorgeous, Tuscany for example, but I am sick of not belonging.

I would pick England in a heartbeat. I felt like I was home when I travelled there.

I'll swap with anyone who says Australia. I don't feel connected to this country at all.

Think I want to retire to Pembrokeshire. DH is from Provence (Var) and we have a house there but it’s too hot in summer for me. God knows how hot it’ll be in 25+ years when we come to retire! It was 47C last summer! 🥵

@LubaLuca

Spain. I like the culture and food, and the climate. I'd have to go for an island though, probably Balearic, probably Majorca.

I’d love to live in Spain too. I hate the crappy weather in the UK ( I’m in the north east). X

I’m happy where I am, England.

Being so upset at the idea of being stuck in England in the summer and having to be limited to "staycations" confirm that England is anything but a dream country for me.

I live here because you have to live and work somewhere, but I am really not a fan.

Spending a couple of years in a different country until I retire - and after - would be my dream thinking about it.