Squidge

We have just come back from our trip home, yes I still call England home.

We had 4 weeks over there, travelling some 2,300 miles all in, from H/row to Guildford, to Cotswolds, to Essex, to Derbyshire, to London back to the Cotswolds. Seeing all our friends and going to two weddings, WHAT FUN, seeing everyone again and very humbling to find out how much they have missed us too.

The realisation of emigrating is that you have to live where you feel you belong, and after our trip I know that I will always love the Cotswolds and that to me is home.

When people asked me was it a mistake to emigrate I said no way, it is good to move out of your safety/comfort zone, try a different life style and I wouldn't change the last 18 months at all.

For us though, thankfully my Kiwi hubby prefers the Cotswolds too, we are now saving to return, hopefully Spring 2008. Life is too short trying to be happy somewhere where you feel you do not belong.

I have also realised we are not all the same and no one can tell what is right for you. So anyone proposing to emigrate - DO IT, life is too short.

shaozzy

Hi I have just returned from a visit back to England after being here nearly 18 months. I agree it was great seeing family and friends back on the Isle of Wight, but it just re enforced that we made the right decision to emigrate here. We love it in NZ and would never go back to live, but like you say we still want to see family and friends again and will go back in 2009 for a wedding and birthday.

lardyl

That about sums up the whole UK-v-NZ thnig and emigration in a nutshell
Haven't planned the visit to Blighty yet and will manage to miss my 40th in the UK which would have been a massive family do with the village hall, beer buses and kegs with loads of relis/mates but hey ho we'll still manage something over here

mazi

The Cotswolds ARE stunning, tis true. Good luck with the planning

jueinnz

It was the opposite for me after going home after a year (see I still call it home too) and having a great two weeks I found that I was almost claustrophobic!!!
Then scarey as it was I thought to myself after we arrived back in Auckland, "Its good to be home". I was struck by the realisation that I had moved on. And this is now "home" too!!!!!

Thats almost as scarey as emmigrating its self!!!

Genesis

I am going back to the UK for 5 weeks after having had 26 months in NZ..I am dreading it....family pressure deems I go. Not cheap..for the 5 of us not much change outta $25K I do not want to leave NZ..its too early to return.

I spent almost 44 years there. But there you go. I miss loads about the UK but for me its out of sight out of mind..much as I miss stuff having been here for 26 months I could never willingly return to live in the UK.


NZ affords what I want most and the UK cannot deliver. Space, less stress, empty beaches..little or no traffic and virtually no crime in MY neighbourhood..I know NZ has shit loads of problems..but not where I chose to live. I adore it here and cannot wait to get back mid August!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kato33

Just tell us when and I am sure a few of us can arrange a party.........as long as you wait for me too get there. NO_ONE can drink without me, please no.
LOL

Nici

Leighlou

Flaming heck Genesis! $25k - OH has gone into shock when I read that out to him. R U flying business class?
Despite you not wanting to, I hope that you do have a good trip back to Blighty. R the rest of your family looking forward to it? (for that price lets hope so hey ).
I have always said to Mr Leighlou that if we emigrate it has to be on the basis that we can get home to the UK for a visit at least every three years, as cannot deal with emigrating if cannot come home to visit those that I love that will not be able to make it out to stay with us. I think on the prices that you have quoted Mr Leighlou will have to take a 2nd job to save for trips home That or (god forbid) I might have to go out to work

BEVS

For that price Genesis will be in with the chickens.

Air fares NZ to UK are expensive and then you have to fund the time in the UK which is also expensive when you earn NZ dollars.

I think our five week trip cost us around $10K for the two of us. It was about £100 quid a day for us to be in the UK. That's the flights, bits of accomodation there and back, petrol, food plus other incidentals that go into making a trip back enjoyable. It also included a certain amount of loss of earnings and what was needed to pay our NZ bills whilst we were away. There was no car hire as Dad had kept my old car for me , in the hope of.........

We are making the trip again this September as our surviving parents are elderly and cannot make the trip here. That's another five week stint. Only made possible this time, because I used all the airpoints we had collected with Singapore Air . The flights came to about $1000 in taxes. There is no way we could have afforded another $5000/$6000 for flights. I'll be using UK airmiles, I collected over the years, to fund some car hire. We are working extra to swell the savings for the trip , cushion the loss of earnings & pay the NZ bills.

With that in mind, in theory, one would think it was possible to save about $10 grand a year. Thing is,if we had no need to travel to the UK, we certainly wouldn't be working extra hours over a weekend or during an evening. Extra cash would go to medical insurance, pensions, things that badly need doing in the house and an annual holiday for us [ we haven't had a holiday in 5 years]

Still, we want to see our parents so I think its money well spent.

SavBlancGal

I've been here over 30 years now and still call England 'home'. Always will be.

We're off back for a month later this year (three of us). Economy flights were quoted as $3,300 each. Add to that car hire, petrol, accommodation, food etc and I doubt we'll see any change from $20,000 - probably be more.

I'd love to go back every couple of years or so, but the cost is just too high. Have only managed three trips back in all this time.

lardyl

kato33

If you think I am sharing 4 beers with 4 other people then you have me all wrong.......LOL

Bottle sand bottles of whiskey/vodka/rum will do me fine thank you. I will be the one hiding it all under my coat so no bugger gets it.

Although I may let you have one, a glass that is.

Nici

lardyl

ta m8ty.......................

mazi

I was VERY fortunate - I managed to go back 5 times in three years due to Boyfriend's aircraft work. Once I went for 5 days! Going for such short stints meant my time there was cheap too - and it was so worth it for my sanity. BUT I know I was in a lucky position to be able to do that.

karonious

I read that and thought I had posted it because it certainly sounds like the kind of thing I would say!
We need to arrange a piss-up sometime Nici!