If you have young adult children

[Sadteacher]

and have moved abroad, how is it? My DH and I are both teachers and are thinking of an adventure abroad before retiring.
My children are 20 and 25 and both happy for us to go but I worry a lot about it. They are excited about visiting us etc but I am very close to my daughter and am anxious about the distance. Youngest will have final year at uni but no one to help him move out at the end of the year. They are very independent so it is all my own worry, not theirs!
We are only at the applying stage at the moment.

Personally I would not do this until both DC are fully on their own two feet (in other words, finished uni and in a good job). DH wanted us to move abroad as soon as DD finished sixth form as he has a career with much better earning prospects overseas. I wasn’t willing to leave DD with no nearby support, that would be very selfish in my opinion and put her at an active disadvantage compared to her peers.

We lived abroad when they were young children. Air tickets are cheaper than train. However, we are waiting till they have finished their medical degree to live abroad again.

Will also have a house in the UK for them to go back to.

Will you have a house still in the UK?

Did you end up going abroad. @Wildflowers78 ?

The one at uni has a guaranteed job at the end of his course in London where his sister lives so won’t need help with applying for things. Just the physical moving etc as she doesn’t need a car. I guess there are ways round it!

Nope, DD will graduate next year. Will probably wait ~ 2 years after that for her finances to stabilise and be fully independent. She’s also hoping to go and work abroad (healthcare degree) so the timeline should work well for all of us!

We are mortgage free so in my head we will keep the house for them if they want to go back, but both are renting on 12 month contracts anyway so don’t need somewhere for the holidays. I thought it would be good to come back in the school holidays too. Why are you drawn to going abroad again? We are in early stages really but just have a sense of now or never!

@Sadteacher Both my DH and I lived and worked abroad before we met (America). We both returned to the UK in our 20’s to go to Uni. When we had our children we decided to move abroad and they spent til they were 8 years old living in the EU.

We felt when our DC turned 8 they would benefit from extended family being closer and better transport links going into their teenage years so we moved back to the UK. It worked out well because getting into medical school in the country we lived in is even harder than in the UK!

Both DH and I have wandering souls and have never really settled. It’s just in our nature to want to go. It’s hard to explain.

We are not rich and neither of us have had family money. We’ve always just worked and made it happen on a budget.

Our DC are also adventurous and I feel we have spoiled package holidays for them as the ones they have been on with their friends they say are okay but not what they see themselves doing regularly.

DH and I have never been on a package holiday together or as a family. I did once with my friends from Uni and was bored after 2 days so spent loads on hiring a car and exploring and eating in and exploring other areas!