Hiya,

Been doing a lot of thinking of moving to Oz. My OHs brother and family have just moved to Melbourne and this, in some ways, is making our decision harder. I'm struggling to distinguish between being envious of them and whether I want to go. I don't know what feelings I'm having-I'm very confused (but then have been re this for about 5 years!). We already have a visa just need to decide whether to use it again or not.

Any straight thinking person is welcome to answer ;-) thanks!!

Are you homophobic?

Well no one can answer for you to be honest, I'm not sure why you should be envious really. Life here is by and large no different to the UK depending on your priorities. If you can't decide whether to be envious or go I would imagine you don't really want to go ? If you did then the question wouldn't need to be asked.

Well I suppose there is a fun novelty for a while. Is that what you're jealous of? Whether life is better for you probably depends on what you do work wise, how much you have in the UK (it does seem more appealing to move these days if you have nothing to lose due to the awful exchange and cost of living).

As you have a visa you have the luxury of choice! No hurry to make snap decisions as it's financially very tough to move here for Brits.

When does your visa run out?

Would the "what if?" be worse than not going if you decided to stay in the UK?

BB

sinceyou've been reading here for a while and already hve your visas means to me that you've been thinking of moving for a while and are envious of them for already being there while your still stuck in the UK.

why alot of BE'ers contemplate not going due to the bad exchange rate baffles me, if you want to move somewhere where you get value for your money then you should be looking elsewhere. I believe that the move should be made for a better style of life and other reasons, not for being better off financially.... but hey thats just my 2p

good luck and give it a go!!!!

If you don't bring very much / any money with you and you have an Australian income shortly after you arrive the exchange rate doesn't matter anyway.

BB

I would matter significantly when you pay for large items up front like a car, a bond or buy a house. Unless you're willing to effectively downgrade financially you're leaving your money in the UK and starting again - for me - to where I was aged 26 when I used to rent. If you don't have UK equity and savings then it's no problem.

Are you unable to emphasise with people who have maybe done the hard graft and don't want to start again? Really?

It might not be about being better off financially, the rate is so bad and house prices so low in UK at the moment that it might be a matter of not wanting to be significantly worse off financially or starting again at age 40 for example rather than not coming because they won't be better off.

Also many aspects of lifestly require money to pay for it. Some might be happy going to the park or beach and there is nothing wrong with that but others like fine dining, business class travel, theatre, weekend breaks etc and there is nothing wrong with that either.

I was 40 when we moved over and I did the starting again thing that TE mentions, decided that was better than moving over and crsytalising financial losses. It is ok for me though as we are high income, but I am completely able to emphasise with people who would think twice about it.

of coarse I can emphasise with many people, I don't like the exchange rate at the moment either, but when I can make the move, the exchange rate won't be my main factor for going or not.....
I wouldn't mind the $$ being back tot where it was a couple of yrs ago

anyway back on topic

We had to start again from scratch. Moving here set us back 15+ years ...... I dont think about it.... I Just get on with life... as it is....


And its bloody brilliant

Imagine that the Aus Government turned around tomorrow and said anyone with a visa HAD to be here by next week or lose the visa...would you come?

RESPECT

Life is a collection of experiences. Some good, some not so good.

Money can buy some of those experiences, effort and risk taking buys you others.

If you go to Australia you will be making an effort, taking a risk and spending money. You may not like it here, and you may go back to the UK, or on to somewhere else.

But if you do not try it, when you are an old man in the proverbial rocking chair, you will seriously regret not trying it. By then the effort will seem small, the risk minimal and the money trivial. The memory will be priceless....

Never regret doing things, only regret not doing them.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.

Mark Twain