rackcatt

So much great advice guys, its rather overwhelming ...thank you.
We have written a list of Pro's n con's..sadly the list for the kids is all Pro's..my son who is 11 has been looking at our old house on google earth everyday for weeks.. comfort i guess. not sure what he gets from it but maybe likes to see it.
For us we feel Australia is home, however we also feel UK is a home...but almost a second home with family.

My main fear is the cost involved, what if something happens and i need that money?? The other problem is a family wedding next year in May, lots of pressure on us to go back...but looking now at flights this time next year was $10000 plus..so when i found a flight cheaper at xmas .. it got me thinking plus May next year means 3 weeks off school and it is only one day were going home for ???

But the main reason i guess is for the kids, plus in 12months i have lost 4 family members and not went home for any funeral.
Got 2 babies being born this year in the family, my mother is showing realld bad signs of dementia which is frightening me.

Fearful that the flights keep going up and we never get back...is also a factor.
Maybe we have settled more because of having the family here, so returning could and may upset us..no one has the anwser to that question.
Sometimes you need to see what your missing or not missing..

oh guys this is a hard onexxx

Bermudashorts

Well the flights will continue to go up and down, I had been looking at prices for September some ten months in advance and I noticed earlier that they are cheaper now than they were a month ago. You just have to keep monitoring.

The family wedding in May might only be a day but these things are once in a lifetime, we are also attending a wedding in September. Still, I think taking children out of school for three weeks is a very sound reason for not going that particular time. I suppose if we had children missing school to think about, we would only attend a wedding for a close family member like sibling and then just the one of us who's sibling it was would go.

I look at my house on google earth and I sometimes look at photos of it too. I can't explain why, I am happy here, but I worry there is some latent feelings of homesickness that I might just stir up by visiting UK. After our two week holiday at Christmas it felt weird going "home" to Australia.

moneypenny20

I look at my old house on Google, but only to see the extension the new owners have done that they haven't got round to sending me photos of Unfortunately it's still showing as my house albeit with a wheelie bin outside which we didn't have/need when we were there.

jad n rich

Poor kid, how has he settled? At 11 they are usually still sweet and talk to you nicely ( mother of teens not so easy ... ) anyway have a chat with him, maybe just drop the old house into the conversation, dont mention you know hes been looking but see what he says.

I try and go overseas every year, yes the prices are a total killer. My partenr wants to kill me for the cost of it but hell I need it for my sanity and the shopping of course.

May could be cheaper than xmas hols if you wait for the flights to be discounted.


When we had 3 at school, I used to pull them out late november , to fly out before the flights got even more expensive, all they ever missed was watching videos and cleaning up.

We had loads of visitors the first year, then it trailed off, as people had been there done the flight we get bugger all now, so yeah it does pay to pace it a bit. But on an emotional level sometimes you just need to go.

rackcatt

I know what your saying about the once in a lifetime for a wedding, these things are lovely for all to be at too. But looking at flights one year from now and xmas is still cheaper...how bizzare...in one day the flight has gone up $900 ...go a day on either side of my dates and it $2600 more !!

rackcatt

Lol yes kids being sweet at that age ..daughter now 13 aarrgghh right attitude.. my son is very very unsettled. Currently going down road of Aspergers..had been in process of this before we came..but the problems and social issues he is having have really got worse.
Perhaps he will always need to look at the images of home, i have asked he says it comforts him
We have all discussed it today. ( the trip home ) yip kids and hubby want to go.. me im scared ...money for the flights is just horrifing me.. but the thought of seeing everyone makes me do flips ...and shopping ..but then it will be winter.. we dont need winter clothes here...oh gosh then i think it will be freezing in Scotland..oh but the coal fire would be lovely... oh god i feel like a migrane is coming on !!!!!!!

moneypenny20

I honestly don't think I could go back in winter. I've asked all rellies if they wouldn't mind dying in summer I'd be kind of grateful . Mind you, even if one of them did decide to pop off any time soon we wouldn't be able to get back, unless we won Lotto first.

jad n rich

I love going back in winter. Missing the aus summer is a bonus for me but I am over the heat. I also love the atmosphere of overseas in winter, you cant really whip up a canadian christmas or even a UK one round a barbie, but again I am no longer a summer person.

To the OP. The may fares wont be discounted yet, they have only just come out, but IME may is usually well discounted eventually unlike Xmas time.

harrip

If you can afford it go, if you can't don't.

But remember, when you get there it will probably be a bit of an anticlimax. I know when I go back I already know most the news thanks to Skype, Facebook etc

I also try to visit somewhere else enrolee so it's more of a holiday as going back to see friends and relatives whilst great, is not like a real holiday - it kinda misses the excitement of visiting somewhere fresh.

Good luck.

moneypenny20

Especially when you're the one who's expected to drive around the country to see people instead of them considering that you've flown 12,000 miles so they'll make the effort to drive a couple of hundred miles to see you but that's an argument for another thread.

rackcatt

yes thats true travel 12,000 miles and they will still all moan about travelling to see us.. also never thought about the anti climax...mmm food for thought...thanks guys

rackcatt

that is very true....and i do like new pastures.. just back from Whitsudays did the great barrier reef..said to the kids .." see you are so lucky " ..why would you want to go to Scotland for HOLIDAY?? reply..my friends and my family...oh dear ..this is hard

jad n rich

It is hard, very hard. But you have to be really really honest with yourself.

Will they eventually get over family or are you the sort of family that has a bond that wont be compensated for by whitsunday holidays, bigger house or whatever it is that australia does better.

If I was brutally honest with myself I would have told my partner I didnt want to do anything else but holiday in aus instead of agreeing to move here My son who hated it 10 years ago, still, despite fitting in fine now at school, still doesnt feel australian.

Some people just fit, others dont.

Be harsh, add up how often you could visit UK if you stay here. Dont bank on family keep coming out, the distance will get to them.. Work out how often you guys could do the trip back, $$$ and then the hard bit, is that enough?

But remember I am someone who If I had to stay without a yearly trip back, I simply couldnt do it. And there are others on this forum the same.

In Exile

completely agree with all that. i went back in the winter of 2010 and it was bloody marvellous.
our flight was literally one of the last ones to land before they closed heathrow - but it was fine when we touched down, just a bit cold. then the snow came.

for the next three weeks everywhere was beautiful and atmospheric. driving along some of the roads was utterly brilliant. The a40 from cheltenham to oxford was closed, but we went along anyway.

the christmas markets were out, there was snow everywhere, chestnuts on the street corner, mulled wine, did a quick trip to germany etc etc etc.

it was either that or get chaffing from the extreme heat as the 90th bbq of the season is fired up

Alfresco

Yep, give it some more time, especially if they have all just visited recently.