To travel the World for a year and settle abroad

[Dinosaursloveunderpants1]

I can't get this notion out of my head but I am desperate to move abroad. Where we live (London/Essex) is getting so unsafe and I'm terrified about raising our DS5.

I would love to simply sell up and travel for a year then decide on where to settle however it's not that easy as we have DSC.

DSS 19, DSD 16 and DSD 13. I'd happily have them come with us but they won't want to go. I wondered whether we could consider doing it when youngest is perhaps 16 but I still know it would be too hard to leave.

Do you live in a safe area? What's it like?

There are problems absolutely everywhere globally I'm afraid. What are your specific concerns? If it's violent crime for example, why don't you research countries with the least violent crime? If course, that will depend whether you qualify for and will be able to obtain a visa etc for those places. If you do emigrate, you will then have the added problems of how you're perceived and treated as an immigrant to that country.

I find these posts so absolutely incredible ('Where I live in the home counties is so terribly unsafe that I want to move abroad immediately!') that I assume they are bots.

Every country has its problems, so you would be swapping one lot of issues for another.

Where exactly would you envisage settling and how would you qualify for settlement visas etc?

Since you are clearly happy giving up work and have money to travel I think you ca clearly move somewhere that feels safer - most of the UK is mostly safe

is it crime? Drugs?air quality?

I'm in Essex and it's pretty safe here

It's violent crime and issues with gangs of teenagers. Very unsafe walking around with them and raising a boy gives me concerns about how he could be attacked by gangs like these.

I know each country has it's issues. I guess it's also the whole lifestyle that could be obtained abroad. Better weather, more outdoor activities, cheaper living costs.

Essex is huge so perhaps you're more in the countryside? We're in Havering so forever getting issues with people coming in on the trains into town centres causing antisocial behaviours.

Is your husband going with you on your travels and moving abroad? How would he see his children, especially the 13 year old?

Can't you just move within the UK if you're living in an unsafe area?

No gangs near me!

Ah yeah see I don't consider havering proper Essex. I'm more ingatestone

Do you have a EU country passport or what visas would you qualify for? Because without that, you’re just dreaming.

I’ve lived overseas, in both an EU country before Brexit, and a non-EU country, having jumped through all the expensive, bureaucratic visa hoops, and don’t regret it at all, but sadly it’s not as simple as just picking a country and assuming they will want you.

Come up to the North East. Lots of nice places to live and you'll get a lot for your money 😁

This is why we haven't done it, we can't leave the kids. I need to let it go but I just keep thinking about it. Maybe when youngest is older, we might be able to go and she may come with us.

Can I ask where you live please?

I've heard people are really friendly up North too.

It's also the weather that makes me want to move so not sure moving North will help.

So move somewhere other than Havering? There's the entire rest of the UK to choose from, where you have a legal right to live, speak the language, know the culture etc. As distinct from the rest of the world where you will have apply for a visa and jump through bureaucratic hoops if you even qualify, learn the language well enough to work, get your head around the education system if you have a five year old, and deal with the fact that you'll be bringing up that five year old in another culture which she's likely to identify with.

But as you have three stepchildren who don't want to leave the UK, presumably this is never going to happen anyway...?

If you want to move abroad, it is absolutely possible. Travelling for a year might be a bit unsettling for a five year old, perhaps you'd be better off narrowing it down to 3-4 countries that you like the sound of and where you could work/get a visa, and go for 2-3 week visits to each? If you have an idea already, let us know what countries you like and if anyone lives there we can help you and tell you what it's really like!

Would rather not out myself tbh but I think there are loads of places in the UK where gangs aren't really a significant feature of people's lives - they may exist but my dd and her friends were blissfully unaware of them growing up.

What you’re describing are community ties - you have ties to the area your live in (via your DSC who are at school etc) and therefore not in a position to move, or not very far.

Thats why people commonly don’t move!

Travelling the world for a year - if you were going to do this, why not do it sooner?

Odd thought process - "I don't like living In Havering so maybe I'll emigrate".

There is a lot of the country that isn't Havering.

Even in London there are lots of nice safe areas

or do a bit of a search based on crime rate statistics

https://securityjournaluk.com/safest-places-to-live-in-uk/

I just think to myself if I'm going to upheave our life, I'd rather try and maximise the benefits so better outdoor activities, better weather etc.

Again, your thought processes on this are a bit strange. There's a big difference between the levels of 'upheaval' involved in moving twenty miles or indeed 200 within your home country and resettling somewhere else, negotiating visas, learning the language well enough to work in, figuring out a new culture, landscape, social norms, education system etc etc.

Have you ever lived outside the UK?

You would not be unreasonable to emigrate with your DH/DP and family, if he agrees, you have the money, have done your research, can get visas and jobs, and know exactly where you want to go.
Are you basically restricted to English-speaking places? Would you be prepared to learn the language for a couple of years before you go?

YABVU to have a fantasy about traveling the world then picking a place to live.

When the 13 year old is 16 - where will they live if you go? What if they go through a bad time and need you?
And by then the 5 year old will be 8, well settled in school.

Have you considered whether you might have Seasonal Affective Disorder? Do you need to take vitamin D?
What else in your life needs changing that you keep thinking like this? Do you have a fulfilling job? Do you need to re-train?

If you can afford to take a year off travelling, why not travel around the UK and find a place you’d like. Without the hassle of visas, language barriers and long journeys to be with DSC when they need you/their dad?