LynseyRP

I love this thank you! We are moving "on' to England in just 4 days and I am very sad to leave and nervous that I wont like England any more. We have the freedom to live anywhere so are choosing somewhere new. My guts are in knots and I am trying not to cry all the time. Our reasons for moving are solid and we have said worst case scenario this is a really expensive holiday and best case we love it! fingers crossed for the latter!!

randyglover

Best of luck to you and your family and if you remember, please keep us posted how it's going after a month.

Americish

hi! Just came back to this thread after many months because we’re still thinking of moving back! Lol! We spent one month there this past summer but realized how spoiled and lazy we’ve become because we were put off by the daily hustle of life, traffic, busyness, etc….so we’re still in Phoenix. Have you come back from the Uk? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts!

jenn32

I have lived in the USA for many years, but now my situation has changed. My beloved partner is suffering a terminal condition. In the event of her passing, I have no family here and consequently there is nothing that anchors me in Pennsylvania, and I really don't want to live anywhere else in the USA. Of course I have both US and UK passports, and am seriously considering moving to the UK. Before my family moved to Canada - and then on to the US - we lived in the Manchester area, I have no intention of living there and would rather live in Devon. There are a lot of considerations for making such a move, such as bank (I'm with Wells Fargo, but Chase sounds good), and details such as getting a UK drivers license. I have cousins in the UK, a sister in Germany and in-laws who live in Barcelona. Any suggestions?

durham_lad

I can suggest Chase.co.uk as a bank. Our daughter just moved back to here a few weeks ago after over 30 years in the USA and got a Chase UK account set up very easily indeed, and it works great.

only ever been on holiday in Devon but love the place.

brits1

HSBC is excellent as well. Devon ,Dorset , Wiltshire are all lovely, it all depends on what you are looking for in your new lifestyle as there are plenty of counties to suit everyone. Barcelona is a lovely city very busy and the weather is good nearly all round but you would have to think about visa’s the same with Germany but here is a good thing about GB is that you are never far from Europe and travel is cheap (especially if you book in advance). Good luck with your decisions

vikingsail

So very true. Reading the latest posts and those seemingly a little, abeit understandly, trepidatious of a return. Lions advice is perfect. I left the west coast of the US this summer and have just returned elsewhere in the US after 6 weeks in the UK planning and organizing my return. The UK 'warts and all' is a very special place and I have found it extremely difficult to come back and fulfil/execute my plan. Not that the US is bad but my original reasons and choices for being here have evolved over the years.

jenninedinburgh

Hello,
I understand your concerns. I am someone who naturalised in the UK in 2008 as a US citizen that moved to the UK. Then, I moved back to the USA in 2016 and regretted it. What I missed about the UK (Edinburgh specifically) was the pedestrian lifestyle, the community aspects and feel of the Scottish people, access to mainland Europe for quick weekend breaks, and my friends. What you say about 'grounded people' is important to me as well. Maybe it's because I am a former Expat, but I find that making friends in the US is very transactional...as in what can you do for me in this friendship? Evaluations take place immediately when meeting people in relation to your salary and status in life rather than other values I'd like to focus on when forming friendships.

So, I am visiting Edinburgh right now for a month to see if what I miss is worth moving for or am I just living in a (utopian) place in my mind and trying to remember why I left in the first place. So far, it's nice being so far away from the issues in the US as one is able to look at them through a different lens ...of course there are huge problems here as well! But it's a nice switch to go from shootings and violence to cost-of-living/energy crisis as headlines in the news (bad but not the same level of bad for news in the US). It has also been VERY cold and dark some days and am getting a good reminder of the weather. I am leaning towards moving back to Scotland (maybe not Edinburgh as house prices have gone insane), but am still considering options. Unlike you, our family is based in the US. What I've found since moving back to the US, though, is that I see them about the same amount as I did before when living in Scotland as the US is huge and we don't live in the same state.

One thing I am thankful for is that hubby and I both naturalised before moving back to the US as it gives us the option to come back to the UK. You may want to consider doing the same in the US, although that brings some strings (i.e., reporting your worldwide earnings for the rest of your life).

durham_lad

We love Edinburgh as well. My wife’s sister has lived in Balerno for over 30 years and we visit often. Those small places like Balerno and Curry are very well served by buses indeed plus they have pharmacies, GPs and small grocery stores etc. Not sure how the house prices compare to closer into Edinburgh.

jenninedinburgh

Thank you for the information. Yes, I am starting to look at surrounding areas and will check these out - so thank you again . Also looking at Linlithgow (although a bit further out).

OrangeMango

I think the US is no place for somebody who was born and bred in Europe and nearing retirement. One simply misses the culture and history of the old world. The US is however a good place to make money.

Expatrian

To each their own. I’m still as thrilled to be living here as I was when I arrived as a young man from the UK in the 80s. The culture and history of Europe is something I can appreciate on an occasional visit. I’d much rather be living in a culture of optimism, opportunity and aversion to unreasonable taxation, rather than one of socialism and a culture of acceptance and unquestioned duty to pay high taxes. As for retirement, I’m living out my days in a sunny US climate, and counting my blessings every day I get to live here, warts in all. Everyone’s story is different…that’s just mine.

durham_lad

Totally agree. Everyone’s situation is unique to them. We had a wonderful 30 years in the USA, no complaints or regrets, either about our time in the USA or our move back.

Nypool1e

“To each their own” is correct! Everyone’s story is unique to themselves. I moved to NYC when I was 30 & lived there until returning to the UK in May for 32 years. I became a US citizen but naturally I remain English/British to my core, when people ask me what I think about America I tell them it’s a GREAT country but it’s not MY country. Any US expat on here please don’t take that as a knock on your country, I had a wonderful experience living there, but the heart wants what the heart wants I guess.

Personally, coming home when I did felt right & I have no regrets. My American wife loves it here although that could be the newness of everything but she’s enjoying & experiencing our British quirks, she even drinks tea now! That’s part of my story I would love to hear of other peoples experiences.

Expatrian

I think it’s certainly a factor whether one’s spouse (and children if old enough to relate) are also from the same country of origin or not when it comes to the draw to eventually return. And would say the likelihood of a successful return to the is greater if one’s family are all of UK origin. I’d take your adventure any day over never having left and wondering what could have been, despite the fact expatriating often comes with the expatriate’s curse (nowhere feels like home anymore, or both places do). Even if I’d remained single, I have no doubt I’d feel the same way about wanting to spend the rest of my life in the US. Thankfully (for me) my wife and children are US-born and raised, and while we all enjoy the UK visits, they have no desire to ever live there, so our interests are all aligned. For me, the US is home, and the UK is where I’m originally from, but the US is where my heart and loyalties are, and I feel indebted to it for the life it’s given me.