1. What made you first think about emigrating?
I have no idea ... I'd always wanted to travel, but didn't do the gap year thing. Perhaps if I had, we wouldn't be here.

2. When did this happen? (Obviously the drivers are different now to 50-60 years ago!)
We're ping-pongers. We moved to Sydney originally in 2005, went back to Blighty in 2007 and then moved back to Sydney in 2010. Each of the moves were planned and made with no bad feeling for either place.

3. Did (do) you intend to stay permanently or go back after a few years?
The move out here originally was intended as a few years move. So that's what we did - went back after a couple of years to weigh things up and decide what to do next. We considered another move abroad (to Canada mainly) but, for ease, settled on a move back to Aus. This time, it's for good. International moves are an expensive, emotionally exhausting hobby.

4. Did (do) you know what you are coming to?
First time, not really. We'd been here once on holiday for a couple of weeks. Hardly counts. Second time, absolutely. In some ways, that made it worse. In other ways, it was like slipping on a pair of comfy slippers.

5. Do you think you made the right decision?
Yep, all three times. We're less well-off as a result, but it's only money. We're lucky to have options and to fit well wherever we choose to be. I'm at peace with our decisions.

Did you miss the sheer amount of other posts telling everyone how happy they are and that they don't regret moving? Or have you jut homed in on the people that are unhappy? Another thing to realise is that the majority of people that are happy with their lives in different countries don't post in forums because they are out enjoying their lives. And that people that are unhappy after emigrating will probably sit in a post on here in order to vent and get some sympathy.

What utter drivel. It is the 21st century and it is quite normal to have an online presence. It doesn't mean happy, sad or anything else. The are loads of people on BE that are happy with their lot and loads of people not on BE that are unhappy with their lot.

1. What made you first think about emigrating?
2. When did this happen?
3. Did (do) you intend to stay permanently or go back after a few years?
4. Did (do) you know what you are coming to?
5. Do you think you made the right decision?

1. Never thought about emigrating- a secondment with work cam up and it seemed worth a punt. I had never even visited Aus.
2. 2000
3. Only planned to stay the 2 years of my original posting, but this stretched to 10 years, PR, citizenship, marriage, a child.... Work eventually recalled me and we decided an 18 month sojourn back to UK would be a good change.
4. 2 years back in UK have now passed and we will be returning at the end of the month....feel ready to return.
5. Nothing needs to be forever and I am glad (for a huge variety of reasons) to have been in UK for 2 years, but we are ready to go back home to Aus.

Very true

Very true Pom, but reckon I've hit a nerve with a few. Still stand by my assertion there's a fair few on here that could do with a good dose of prozac and a chat with a therapist...

I've never once said about australia being shit. My wifes australian and we could be on the next plane down if he fancy took us and we're thinking about coming down for a couple of years next year as it happens. I'm not talking about the relative advantages of UK/australia and I know people emigrate for different reasons, often economic.

However, I do come across a lot of negative people who are never satisfied and notice a recurring theme that these people remain negative no matter where they are. My point is if your emigraing because you think your life is shit and its going to be better by changing your environment then you perhaps need to look at why you feel so shit. Emigration is not a cure for bipolar disorder doe example is all that i am saying and i reckon thats a fair point...

My mums best mate lives up in queensland, she was home last Christmas and complaining how much she hated it. Back in wales she hated that. Everytime they went on holiday together she whinged. I said to my mum her she's just a negative whiny absolute misery of a person that will never be happy if she landed in paradise itself...

>>However, I do come across a lot of negative people who are never satisfied and notice a recurring theme that these people remain negative no matter where they are. My point is if your emigraing because you think your life is shit and its going to be better by changing your environment then you perhaps need to look at why you feel so shit. Emigration is not a cure for bipolar disorder doe example is all that i am saying and i reckon thats a fair point...
<<

In some ways that's a fair point. But many take it to extremes, and castigate anyone who has a whinge.

Every country I've lived in has its good and bad aspects. You could probably find one or two bad points about living in Syria, for example.

But having a whinge about the bad things - even if others don't agree - doesn't mean automatically that you are unhappy with your lot. It often means there are bad things.

Australians, for example, have been conditioned to take any criticism of anything Australian as almost a personal insult. Yet they will themselves wonder why they pay several times the amount for something at home than they would abroad. And it's not whingeing to point that out on a forum - it's facing reality.

Bit of a generalisation to say that they take it almost personally, Wol. Never come across this one, once, in 10 odd years.

They will point out expensive products, as you say, and my experience is that they are quite happy to get into discussion and be critical of Australia. I let them get on with it.

(Just a thought - perhaps it's the older generation, and a country population who are more inclined to think that Australia is beyond criticism.)

Seems to me you're just as guilty of self-reinforcement as those you accuse it of.

This however I do agree with, totally.

1. What made you first think about emigrating?

Friend was already here and I visited fairly regularly in UK winters, so I knew the place reasonably well - liked the weather and the space. Eventually thought that it would be a sensible move, but always quite difficult to make happen - visas are hard.

With the GFC I looked around at the UK and Europe and made a strategic decision that unless they had a revolution, they were only going to go down over time (what were they for?) and that Australia (although managed by trained monkeys) at least had resource/agriculture and positioning in its favour. Difficult to screw those up, so it was likely to do best out the possible emigration targets.

If anything goes wrong, 2 options is better than 1...

2. When did this happen? (Obviously the drivers are different now to 50-60 years ago!)

From late 1990s, through to the GFC and the last naughties.

3. Did (do) you intend to stay permanently or go back after a few years?

I intend to go where the best options are. Maybe that's Europe, maybe that's Australia, maybe its somewhere else. It's up to those countries to make me the best offer...

4. Did (do) you know what you are coming to?

Pretty much, although I did tend to think there was more 'depth' here than the reality proves to be. Its all quite thin, in all aspects. I did realise the businesses were clueless and run by con men though, so that's no surprise.

5. Do you think you made the right decision?

So far yes, although I'll only really make that decision once I've got the passport and I do a long hard look. 'On probation' is probably the best way to look at it.

I've heard that expressed before and think it's utter tosh and expressed by those that are incapable anything other than one dimensional thinking. There are plenty of examples on here of people that have lived in more countries than the homeland vs Oz experience and have differing views on where they have lived. It doesn't mean they are perenialy happy or unhappy wherever they are. It means that they have enough objectivity and worldly experience of knowing what works for them.

As I stated before, I've lived in 5 countries and Oz is the country I get on with least. I was happy enough in the other countries but they all had their pros and cons. IIRC, Northernbird did not like Canada but likes it in Oz, Bermudashorts had had enough of Bermuda but likes Oz, and I'm sure there are many others that I can't recall.

So basically if you're happy you have no reason to complain about anything so should piss off but it's ok because you're not on the computer, you're outside, regardless of the time, doing stuff. And if you're not happy, then you're constantly whinging, nothing makes you happy and you should piss off somewhere else but don't bother because it's you that's the problem so you'll take it with you wherever you go.

I love it when things in life as so simple.

I know someone like this, drives me nuts! I tend to ignore her when she's being negative and really engage with her when she's not. It seems to work because she doesn't bitch to me as much any more. Even more frustrating when they really don't have a lot to complain about...