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

[Prenoden]

Seem to be so many now. 'We left our life in the shitty UK for a dream life in [insert any sunnier country]. I'm not actually following these, they just seem to pop up on my social feeds uninvited.

Content on a lot of them is boringly similar, contrasting dull grey skies of previous life vs them now sat on a beach sipping from a coconut with clichéd POV captions.

Obviously everyone is entitled to do what they like and move wherever but why does it always have to be contrasted in this way? As if everyone is crazy for staying in UK. Every place has pros and cons and a lot of these sunny places aren't all they're cracked up to be.

A friend moved to Spain a decade ago in search of this kind of idyllic life and although the weather was lovely etc they said the bureaucracy was terrible, the school system was appalling and once her partner lost his job and couldn't find another that pretty much ended it and they willingly moved back.

Before anyone asks, I'm not bitter because I am stuck on this island. I like it here, it's not perfect and if you watch the news it's all negative, but I live in a lovely town, we have a nice network and I work remotely 4 days a week which is flexible with DC, earning enough money for what we need but always budget etc.

I do think Brexit was a terrible mistake though and the country has been in decline since. We will come to see it as a historic mistake but at the moment the far right loons seem to have a grip on setting the narrative (even though Brexit is their fault).

It's ironic that a lot of these new life influencers are now in sunnier EU countries that Brits could have easily moved to at the drop of a hat before Brexit but now it's a lot harder and bureaucratic, a lot of them create content about how to navigate visas etc. It's like it's become more desirable because it's not so easy anymore.

I actually have Eu citizenship thankfully so can still move to Southern Europe if I wanted to but the economies don't seem great so unless you're retired/ digital nomad it doesn't work. Climate change is also a worry a summers getting hotter everywhere and I wonder what that will mean in 10- 15 years.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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?

Nothing wrong with wanting to move of course…

Which part of Switzerland?

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

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.

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've lived lots of places around the world. I don't currently live in the UK right now, and TBH, I'm not sure I'll ever move back to the UK.

Everywhere has pros and cons. I can't point to one place that is overall better than any other place.

One thing they never include for instance is that these people are young and healthy - what happens when they get old? What happens if something goes wrong with their health? The first 6 months is always exciting, but how about long-term?

I see a few who home educate - which is fine if you know what you're doing, but do these people know what they're doing? Or are these kids basically un-schooled and will hit adulthood restricted because they don't have qualifications?

In the the case of Spain, the health care is excellent, waiting times and referral to consultants are shorter

I second this. Spain wasn't for me, but the healthcare was streets ahead of the UK. No waiting for tests either. You need a scan? Same day.

Obscene amount of British professionals in Dubai (the Gulf in general), I can totally understand as they will get at least double their salary, tax free, often with a family package that will include private schools, etc and private medical care. Many ofc miss their life back home BUT the standard of living is hard for them to give up

Pay is shit even for professional white-collar work in the UK and I’ve no idea why.

Wouldn’t interest me at all do I don’t follow any of them.

What kinds of things do you think are better now than back then? Im nostalgic for back then but I honestly dont think id like to go back and live then

@OriginalUsername2 God yes. They love working (aka hustling) on their laptop by the poolside

You are being fed the content because you are looking through the content! Just stop

What kinds of things do you think are better now than back then? Im nostalgic for back then but I honestly dont think id like to go back and live there!

the uk's weather is wet but it is also mild so you can walk, cycle, golf, garden often all year round. Sunny countries are usually too hot at some point, and dry and brown rather than our lovely greenery. Plus alot of countries are like the US and you can't walk anywhere, you have to drive (I noticed Queensland getting like that) which is fine if you love jumping in the car but I do like walking and public transport.

It’s the UAE trend that astounds me tbh. For full disclosure my husbands a top 1% earner in this country and I’m a SAHM. His tax liability is in the region of £60k a year, so a fair saving to be made by moving somewhere tax free.
But I’ve just found an equivalent job, that gives him a 2 bed flat to live in (we live in a 4 bed house in the country with an acre of land around us). Education allowances for 3 children (but we already have a state education system here) medical insurance (we have private medical care through his job already) 60 days holiday (but he works a rotation here so only works 6 months of the year anyway) and then a tax free salary of a THIRD of what he takes home after paying taxes here.
Thats before we talk about 40 degree weather, human rights abuses, and all the other reasons you wouldn’t want to be anything other than wealthy in these sorts of countries.
Maybe I’ve pulled a bad job advert out and there’s better out there, maybe because of the ‘perks’ of my husbands jobs we are a bad example, I don’t know….. but theres nothing in that job advert that makes it worth our while moving halfway across the world.

Most of the ones I’ve heard about have came
home very quickly..

I spent a decade in South Africa, and got permanent citizenship. I loved it - but once you have children, need to pay for medical aid, school fees, handle the huge level of racism etc it became incredibly stressful.

I was glad to come back. DD went for a long visit last year, she has dual citizenship. She came back glad we moved to the UK