pike

Its a thing that has always puzzled me! why do people come back to the u.k.Dose everyone think the grass is greener on the other side and when they get there its just the same as here,or is it that they just cant leave the past behind them and start of fresh i dont want to be a negative person but there are a lot of people that do come back.My uncle moved to adelaide for two years then moven onto Brisbane for eight years,then came back to the U.K and lived here for ten years then could not waite to go back to Brisbane were he has now retired,has a nice home in Regents Park, always has money in his bank two cars and nice weather and i would be intrested in hearing views on why people come back.

lP lI lK lE

worzel

It probably is greener on the other side, but watch out for trolls as you cross the bridge. There are a lot of them about around here

glittababe

Not greener, about the same, only difference here is the climate. It gives you the opportunity to do so much more, especially if you enjoy an outdoor lifestyle like us. Some people return to the UK for family, for better work opportunities (better money) or for visa problems! Its not about the best and worst of a country although I would have Australia despite the problems!

HiddenPaw

Why don't you ask on the 'Moving Bck to the UK' forum - that's where you will find many people moving back to the UK!!

People move back for all sorts of reasons - you also need to look at the reasons they left in the first place to understand why many go back - some never went overseas with the intention of staying permanently; some moved for love, so the country chose them rather than the other way round; some prefer the UK; some simply do not like the lifestyle afforded by their adopted/overseas country; and yes, maybe a lot of people come to realise that the UK does have a lot to offer (especially when they see the same crap in other countries).

Whether the grass is greener is totally personal - I believe it depends on what you are going from and what you are going to. After all, to decide whether the grass is greener, you need to compare two patches! My personal experience of living in Australia is that the grass is not greener - just a different shade. Both countries afford a great lifestyle, both countries have their share of crappy problems, both have masses of positives and equally masses of negatives...and one man's positive is another man's negative.

The experience of moving abroad is different for everyone - and in that respect, reasons for staying/going are also massively different.

Siren & Brian

Some people just have itchy feet.

Siren

ABCDiamond

A good reply and I especially like your comment "Whether the grass is greener is totally personal - I believe it depends on what you are going from and what you are going to. After all, to decide whether the grass is greener, you need to compare two patches!

Pike, I did something similar to your Uncle. I moved to Sydney from the UK, stayed for 10 years, then returned to the UK (Sydney never really "felt" right), but then after 4 years in the UK I came back, but moved up to SE QLD, and felt at home in the area almost immediately.

Why did I return to the UK ? Sydney wasn't comfortable to me, and I remembered all the good things in the UK.

Why did I come back to Australia ? The UK wasn't the same as I remembered. (All my memories were 10 years old).

That's what it was for me

Larissa

Why is moving back seen as failure? If we hated it here (which we don't), I would have no qualms about going back to the UK. Surely it would be failure to stay somewhere where you're not fulfilled/settled/happy. Also, someone who comes out here, but returns will have had an incredibly worthwhile experience, which they wouldn't have had if they'd stayed anyway. Part of me yearns to stay here for a few years, then try somewhere different... I must be one of the itchy feet brigade. We live in a time of opportunity, it is easier to travel then ever before and there is a huge world out there.

JackTheLad

That sums it up better than I could have.

We moved here for love, as you put it (Mrs JTL is Hong Kongese, me Scots/Irish) so this seemed like a good compromise for us, and both our families would want to visit us here!

But I haven't stopped travelling since I was 23, so its not that big a change for me anyway, I don't know what homesickness is. Oz isn't greener, just different, I suppose we are still going through the novelty stage. But we did work in Melbourne for 6 months previously, and when the novelty wore off, its the same daily grind. Check out a thread we did a few days ago for our 'profound' thoughts on whether Oz makes your life better

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=265851



Cheers,

JTL

pike

Its been interesting reading your replies guess one of the reasons i asked this question was for my own sanity . I started the whole emigrating thing because i was sick of uk ,asylom seakers from eastern europe are summer the goverment that looks after people who are lazy when pensioners who have worked most of there life get sod all ,police and law with stupid politics just to mention a few. I cant wait to go but some days i get the feeling i like it hear why am i going ,then i think im going for the future of my family who are all keen sorry to bore you with this any way beleive the fishig is much better.