We've been in Sydney just over a year and we probably won't be going back home for at least another year.

It's a real conumdrum because we've been working hard all year and we're having a 2-week hol in Asia soon to chill out. I'm not desperately homesick yet, so I can hang on for another while before heading home for a ceilidh. Realistically to make it worth our while (cost/time etc) we'd have to aim for 2 - 3 weeks to go back home, but that will mean a significant chunk of our A/L allowance for next year.

Just curious about how often other expats get home and how you juggle your A/L situation?

My first trip back took me 6 years. Home, for me is here in Aus. This might be different for you, but there is always a risk that an innocent trip back to the UK could have a negative effect on you, in that it makes you want to go back even more. It didn't for me, but I know of people who have gone back "for good" after an innocent holiday back "home" only to realise that they didn't really miss it all that much and want to come back to Aus

We go back once a year - we have since we left the UK in 2002. My parents are getting on and we have young nieces and nephews we are missing growing up.

I don't really enjoy it - for various reasons, it's quite stressful, and we spend a lot of time on the road as I'm from the NE and he's from the SW. It's far from a holiday We also value or real "holidays" so are quite selfish - excluding travelling time we are only away a week. We don't like to leave our cats for much longer, either.

Oh and it's not "home" to us; we don't live there. This is home.

I didn't see the first response while I was typing, but it seems we are in agreement on one thing.

If people spend all their holidays going back to the UK instead of holidaying in OZ would'nt that make homesickness worse.

I am home

When ever I want a good root with the wife

Just a thought:

Immigrant = for most part an immigrant will commit themselves to becoming a part of their country of residence.

Expat = usually only temporarily placed in the host country & most of the time plan on returning to their home country.

And this site is called British Expats

Nope, it gives you a fix of the place you love which gets you through the timeuntil you can go back there again. Bit like coming up for air when swimming under water.
173 days to go and counting.......

I've never had a longing for the UK (which is not to say I hate it, it's gone to the dogs, the Poles are taking over - that's a funny one as my neighbours in 1965 were Polish and my fortysomething cousins are half-Hungarian - yadda yadda) but I can see how that could be the case if you are unsettled.

I've never really thought of myself as an "expat" - when we left the UK, we didn't think we'd return, and we've always been local hire.

we have averaged a trip to UK about every 18 months in the 9.5 years we have been here.

Initially work paid our flights, so no reason not to visit...then they stopped and we had a daughter.
So we now visit to let her see her rellies, but it is not relaxing as everyone wants you to see them (and usually travel to them, taking up valuable time!!!), so we come back exhausted.

We then take a week's holiday in 1st week Nov (Melb Cup week) to somewhere we want to go- this year Malaysia with small daughter...

Not often enough!!!! Can't wait for our next trip to stock up on clothing, underwear, shoes, bedding and tons more - all fabulous and half the price of here!

I came home once and the wife(future ex) asked me who i was, i thought it was time to go again

We are going back next May.... 1st time in 3years.
Reason for going.... taking our Daughter to meet her UK rellies for the first time, mainly our grandparents they aint getting any younger and cant see them making it all this way. Libby will be 1 when we go.
Would we be going if we hadn't had Libby...... NO!
Aus is HOME now Emily(7) & Luke(5) call it home and when told we are going to England for a holiday they replied "WHY"

On the other hand we have friends who go back every year. It just depends on YOU how often YOU want to/ have to. Or if you miss the shops that badly.

We have been here two years and don't know when we will go to England as myself and older daughter hate flyingMy mother and father in law are on a plane at this moment on their way over which will be nice.I just wish my Mum would come over but I don't think she will.Sue.