To leave UK due to weather and cost of living

[Blossompink]

We are absolutely fed up of this constant cold, wet and dreary weather and are seriously thinking it's time to leave the UK. It's not just the weather which is making us miserable but also the cost of living is just ridiculous simply trying to keep the house warm and do simple tasks like drying clothes outside.

We are late 50's, no mortgage, have some savings, but would probably need to have an holiday let type set up to bring some money in or a small business.

AIBU to have had enough of life in the UK and want to move elsewhere?

When you move to another country and become part of a community then those people are no longer "just a bunch of random strangers". What a strange attitude.

I find a lot of British people really odd about moving to another country, and rather insular. As I mentioned, people have been doing it for generations, and mostly seem happy enough. The majority of people I know who have moved here appear to have no intention of ever going back to where they came. A thousand miles away is nothing really, especially in this day and age.

@nothingsforgotten yes, I agree with you about the insular attitude of the British.

I mean, do most people still live near their families in the U.K. ? Surely friends and family are spread out over the country?

They'd have had to move away for work etc and forge new networks in their new place. Perhaps people move several times within the U.K. over their lives, to different places, new people etc. They cope and even thrive.

It's the same as when you live abroad. You do it all over again. It's hard work. Of course it is. But people do it all the time, enjoy it and make good lives for themselves.

And if the shit hits the fan, well they can return to the U.K., or use support networks via technology same as they might if they were already in the U.K.

Not all British people obviously!

While Europe may have better weather in the winter then us in the UK, what about the summer when it so much hotter then here.

Also have you not seen the recent news reports from various places in Europe where the locals are up in arms about how the locals are not able to afford to live in there towns because of all the Expats. They have the same issue as we have here where the locals can not afford to live in their towns, the cost of living is the same all around the world everything is much more expensive.

While the UK is not great at the moment, it no better then anywhere else in the world. Everywhere has it's own problems.

The weather will never be better here or the prices would come down. This is considered mostly a rip off. Even before the crisis of 2008, Brexit or the inflation the cost and taxes have always been very high. However, you need to see what is more important for you. I know that safety and weather are my priorities so there are much better places than the U.K for retired people. However, you need to embrace the local culture and language to make it a successful move. It is worth it in my opinion.

While Europe may have better weather in the winter then us in the UK, what about the summer when it so much hotter then here.

But there isn’t some sort of EU legislated standard European weather..

It’s perfectly possible to find parts of Europe where there very definitely UK style seasons, it’s cool in winter (including snow) and not inevitably boiling hot for the whole summer.

Do you have the right to live/ work in one of these countries OP?

It's so strange to me to seriously consider moving countries just because of those two factors - weather and COL. There's a lot more to a place than that!

Can anyone thinking of upping sticks to a Spanish costa even name the political party currently in power? Their flagship policies? Their attitudes to welfare, crime, immigration, climate? How much power is devolved to a local level, and the effect of that on residents? The healthcare system, the tax regime, the transport infrastructure (if you're thinking of travelling), the culture/arts?

Admittedly I didn't think about much of that when I moved to the UK at age 22, but now I wish I had.

@zaxxon
Yes, after brexit there was an influx of left wing rabid remainers to European countries with very (by comparison) non progressive societies

No of course not! Most have Med-rose-tinted-glasses and just dream of titting about in the sun until they burn to a crisp and can spend evenings drinking lager with likeminded Brits who inhabit the Med at the moment, not learning the language or knowing anything about the politics/issues. Then they trip over a paving stone and end up in A&E and moan when it's pointed out nowt is free in life...whhhat? I have to pay whaaat? How much???

Then the weather gets too hot, water is scarce, cant fill the pools as there are restrictions, too many mozzies, costs a bomb here....oh it was much nicer in the UK. Then the rose tinted UK glasses are slipped on.

YANBU, and whilst the weather won't get worse, the economy most certainly will. Labour on the verge of a GE win, they can't fund their plans so Taxes will go up. They destroyed the education system once by stopping grammar schools, and are about to do it again by taxing independent schools (note the only students impacted will be UK students, oversea students won't be obligated to pay VAT). The NHS is on its last legs due to an ageing population and immigration. Big financial funds are already making plans to move investment out of the UK. - The UK is buggered, not quite as badly as the EU, but not too far behind .... Yep go for it. I'm already planning the same.

Eh? Sorry but much of your post makes no sense at all.
The weather won't get any worse - ever heard of climate change?
NHS is collapsing as a result of immigration? The NHS is suffering staff shortages because of a lack of free movement of people from the EU.
The education system is not going to be destroyed by taxing private schools ffs.

Don't blame you for wanting to leave but I'm sorry, much of your post is nonsense.

Taxes?

Oh! www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/03/06/taxes-soared-record-high-14-years-tory-rule/

The EU isn't buggered either. Stop reading the Daily Heil and the Express.

That really made me laugh. 🤭

Sounds like you badly need a change of scene OP. Absolutely think about a 3 month trip away to start with, come back for a few months then try somewhere else.
I’m a long term expat, ironically waiting to return to the UK in a few more years (counting down). That said, I love where we currently live and really appreciate staying in our current beautiful location with all of the cultural opportunities it bestows so I think you should go for it and explore somewhere warmer if that appeals. After approaching two decades, and a number of Countries lived in, its true nowhere is perfect. The longer I’m away the more of a fan of the NHS I’ve become. You will undoubtedly require its free services more not less as you age. We have friends from many countries and it really sounds like the pandemic and wars are affecting most Countries at a CoL level. Food is actually regarded as relatively cheap in the UK and so many European friends are talking about fuel and food poverty at home.
You will undoubtedly miss your family, but WhatsApp/Zoom helps a lot, especially if time zones are not too dissimilar. Make sure you all have a way to communicate set in place before you leave and that you have good insurance.
Malta would be great for a long winter break!!

There is. But if your kids decided to move abroad, as you get older, would you prefer them to be in France just a few hours drive away or short flight away, or the other side of the world???

If they did move to France or Spain, Germany, Swizerland, Italy, Austria- they would be able to visit often and you the same, even when you get older and frailer.

We visit out son in Switzerland, jump in the car, or jump on the train, or pick up a cheap flight and we are there in a couple of hours or a day. Something we could do until we are quite old. And they and grandchildren can do the same.

Even 90+ and with some mobility issues- with assistance- we will still be able to go over and visit. And grandkids just come over whenever, and friends.

What happens when your health fails and you are too old to do the journey? This plan only works when you are healthy.

There's lots of things to think about, my plan is to move to Spain, I am an EU citizen though so don't have to worry about a visa. Visa's are complicated especially if you're trying to negotiate them in a foreign language, you can ususally get companies to help you with this process but you need to use someone who has lots of positive reviews or simply engage a translator so that you are still in control of everything.

Once you have sorted out your visa then you need to meet the terms of that visa, which might involve having private healthcare or not being able to earn any money. You may also need to register with various different places (in Spain you need to have an interview with the police in order to get an NIE number before you can buy a house/ car (even stuff from Ikea).

If you have adult children who may well have children themselves then you need to think about time with grandkids and if holidays with them will be enough. If you want to be able to live in the UK as well then maybe think about getting two smaller properties (one in each country) rather than a fancy home abroad.

Also think about languages, do you at least have a start, is there one you think would be easier to learn etc. Not everywhere in a country speak the same way. For example in Spain there are at least 5 languages spoken as a first language. Do you have the capacity to learn the national language as well as the regional one?
If you are going to have a holiday home, rather than live somewhere abroad then you need to think about costs that are not just buying the place.
Also have a think about cultural differences. For example in Spain they eat late, they stay up late, they do not try and keep the noise down except for during siesta. So if you want to be awake being noisy 2-5pm you need to not do that, you also can not expect people to be wandering down your street at 3am shouting, or loud music playing at 2am. Or late night parades where they're setting off rockets.

My advice would be to have a lot of holidays (but not touristy ones) have holidays where you might realistically live, you'll know when you find somewhere that feels like home.

I think @Silentwitless has nailed what living in Spain is really like. I am good at languages, but Spain has at least four, plus Castellano. I like Galicia and the Costa Brava, so I know that I'd want to live in Northern Spain. Gallego morphs into Portuguese. But a Saturday night in Santander when the party, with bagpipes, went on to 0800 on Sunday morning before falling silent taught me that the centre of a big fun lively Spanish university city probably is not a great place for old people in retirement.

Likewise, we loved Girona but our central hotel happened to be mid centre of the local lads' drag racetrack down the city centre dual carriageway. Everything else about Girona was fab.

Have you thought about the extreme heatwaves they have been having and the terrible forest fires over the last few years? Spain is living with almost permanent drought. Temperatures over 40 degrees now occur regularly. You may find you trade one sort of bad weather for another.

Have a look at some countries you would be interested in living with and join some of the expat Facebook groups. There are plenty of people on those who would be willing to answer questions, offer advice etc.
Could you rent your house out for a year and rent somewhere abroad? Or try some very long holidays in a self catering apartment and hire a car?
I think you’d be more likely to regret not giving it a go than regret giving it a go.

I'd be very choosy about where to settle, since "holiday" areas in the sunnier parts often close down, or are very dull and dead in the Winter months. Some cater to retired long stayers but personally, if I were ever to move it would be to a small city with train and bus connections to a major hub that would get me all over Europe.

Research where you might have in mind. Is there decent public transport, are there plenty of GPs, is there a major hospital nearby, will supermarkets deliver, all that sort of stuff that applies as you get older. I am mid 60s so am not in the least bit ageist, and the above issues are the first things I'd make sure of for me!