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Living overseas

Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

How often do you visit your relatives?

8 replies

TheHerringScreams · 19/05/2013 14:07

My family and I are taking the big move to Akureyri in Northern Iceland in a year. We've been living in London for five years, and previously spent seventeen years in Russia. I am Swedish but moved to live with DH in Yakutia.

Well, money has been a bit short for us, and in these five years, family has come over three times and we haven't been to Sweden. My work policy thing has paid for a trip back to Tiksi once which has been great as it was free. In five years, we've visited family (not mine) once, albeit for five weeks! My relatives have been here a total of ten weeks in five years, with a three week trip, a two week trip and a five week trip (two weeks of which was for their work at a conference over here but they saved money staying with us so it was great).

Now we are moving to Iceland, my job will pay a lot more (as in, higher than the difference in living standards so even taking that into account, we will be better off) and we are hoping to visit a bit more often.

My brother lives in Copenhagen and visits regularly, but then it's just across a bridge to get to Malmö. My adopted sister lives in Dubai and earns a good amount of money, and visits once every two and a half years or so. We all Skype, email and phone regularly and although we don't have much physical contact, we do have other forms of contact and are a close family. As a child, my adopted family was great and relatives often came around, and my bio family had loads of people over all the time who didn't care about the kids but that doesn't really matter as no one was 'close' (or at least, no one loved each other). I want my children to see their cousins and relatives. DD1 is 21 and living in the US (planning it to be forever).

How often do you visit/do your family visit?

OP posts:
mikkii · 19/05/2013 14:56

My family all live close by, but I have a friend whose sister is in Singapore. Thy tend to come here every other year. My friend does't go there, but her husband won't fly.

TanteRose · 19/05/2013 15:05

I have lived in Japan for 22 years now, and go back to the UK every couple of years or so. The longest gap was 6 years when my DCs were very small, but although we didn't go back for those 6 years, my parents and siblings came out here to visit a few times.

mirai · 19/05/2013 15:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TanteRose · 19/05/2013 15:06

Sorry, meant to add, it's just so far (12 hour flight) and so expensive, we can't go back more than that

Obviously if it were closer, it would be easier

Labootin · 19/05/2013 15:07

Live in Dubai
I go back (to England) every 3 months

TanteRose · 19/05/2013 15:07

Ha, yes, mirai!
Off to bed soon Smile

TanteRose · 19/05/2013 15:08

Labootin Envy

PoppyAmex · 19/05/2013 15:09

We were in Sydney for 8 years, visited 3 times.

We've been back in Scotland (DH is Scottish) for 3 years, I've been back in Lisbon loads of times and my family has visited at least twice a year.

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