Clair and Darren Kleba

Hi there, just reading your blog on line and was wondering if you are actually out there or not? We fly to Kuala lumpar on the 27th Jan and then land in Brizzy on the 31st. we prob feeling like you at mo a bit bewildered!! if you've got any tips apart from the Bachs remedies i'd be glad to hear them.

Cheers
Clair

NickyP

We came out to country Vic in 2005 without visiting before. BUT we came out on a 457 with hubby's job and we had been living in Belgium for 3 years before that (again without visiting) so to us it wasn't going to be that bad a move. We arrived and our PR was in process straight away and althugh it was hard it has been fine overall and we are settled. The one thing that I do regret is that our visa and circumstances didn't allow us to travel around Aus a bit first and choose where to live. On the plus side it did help us to focus as there was never really any chance to move out of this small area as hubby's job is too specialised.
We just made the best of it and focussed on the good points where we could. Now we are fully settled here with far more friends than we ever had in the UK. It just takes some work that is all and it helps that hubby likes his job.
Nicky

Gems

Yes, we came with kids in tow and had never been to Australia. However I did lots of research (but research can only tell you so much)

We did have a job and housing organised though. I love Australia and for us it was the right move.

However we had lived out of the UK for a few years. So moving abroad was not so new, and were not dependant on relatives.

GEMS

Vim Fuego

Never been further than the US before I came here ... was deep in debt on a last hurrah and knocked an Aussie bird up in Cyprus (maybe Italy, France or Greece ...) and married the mad bint.

It's so romantic, wouldn't change a minute of it

Rosscarbery

OH and I met in Sydney in 1989 and spent a year here, then went to the UK as he only had a holiday visa. When we decided to return we did a reccie just to make sure we didn't just adore the place because we were totally loved up and living in Potts Point Also, with three kids in tow we thought it only fair to give them at least the illusion of choice. Coming for a holiday in Nov 2006 just made us more determined that it was the place to be, so we came in June last year. It's the best decision we ever made, but I am awestruck at the courage of people who come without ever having been before.

glittababe

who said romance was dead

Vim Fuego

My wife at 7:30 this morning.

Hey, I picked her up off the floor of a dead king's tomb in Cyrpus (she did her knee, or maybe she was pissed) and carried her bags, it don't get better than that!

BadgeIsBack

Mate thank God I didn't knock mine up is all I can say. She just er, milked me.

Reedy

I moved without visiting most people thought I was mad!!!

L x

znaylor1974

I didn't visit first and it was a big mistake. Think about it - you're moving 11,000 miles based on anecdotal evidence. I have a friend who bought a place in Bulgaria because it was only £16,000. Then he went and realised it was a crap-hole and he off-loaded the place asap.

I've been here 6 months and I've now decided to return to the UK. The reasons why are irrelevent (so please don't anyone try to force their opinions and view on me), but the fact is that you wouldn't buy an house without looking at it, you probably wouldn't buy a car without knowing what it was, but I, foolish as I am, moved to Australia without ever being here.

The cost of this error: around £90,000. It'll take me a few years to recover that money, and I totally accept it was my decision, but I could have saved myself a lot of time, effort and expense by having 5 weeks looking around and then making a decision.

benlast

I'd argue that a two-week visit (note, not a holiday) can make an important difference, assuming you've done your research ahead of time. Then the visit helps you put flesh on the bones of your research. You can find out a huge amount of factual information before you go, but your impressions of what the place is acually like, and what it would be like to live there, should be based on real experience of it.

I don't feel able to come to a final decision without a visit: whilst I think it's very likely that we'll go, and am working towards it, we also know that we'll only make the final decision after we come back from a visit in March/April. Until then, we're careful not to commit to spending that we don't need to, or oversel ourselves on what it would be like. We have family already over there whom we trust, and who report wonderful things about Perth, but it's our impressions that will really count.

But I agree with the OP (or as the Americans like to say "your mileage may vary"): what's right for one person may not be right for another. Going without ever having visited is certainly brave...

Nerine

In an ideal situation everyone should visit before emigrating, however that's not always possible/affordable. Australia is a whole continent though, it's a bit like moving to Europe and deciding on which country you'll live in when you get there, which is ok .... to a point.

If you have to come 'sight unseen' make sure you have the flexibility to move around Oz and don't tie yourself down too quickly. We took months to decide the best thing for us was to work in Brisbane/live on the Gold Coast & we were coming over from NZ every month or two to suss things out.

Gibbo

This type of thread really ticks me off! We, like thousands of others, came sight unseen. We had no research, nothing except that we wanted to give it a go. Please don't tell me that today's emmigrants don't have the intestinal fortitude to give it a go. Life is what you make it and no amount of research can compete with actually living it. For heavens sake, if you want to, just do it.

northernbird

Then don't read it and certainly don't respond. Some people like to get stuff off their chests on here and don't need comments like this.

Sam

We had never visited before we came!

Been here 15 months now, going back to UK in Oct (our 2 years) but we'll be coming back!

Time has moved on now and our life would be different to what it was if we went back!

We dont have a bad life here, i just miss my family a lot!