pjj

i thought this would make interesting chat alot people ive spoke to over the last year about moving abroad say they would like to move abroad for a better quality of life , what would you say are the main factors for moving abroad for a better quality of life

Mitzyboy

For me:

Weather .... Outdoor life, if I were in the UK now I would be so fed up
Cost of living .... Allows me to retire early and enjoy some relaxation
Surroundings .... All within a relatively short distance I have mountains, national parks, the sea with blue flag beaches & also the largest shopping centre in Spain.

rugbymatt

Well all I can say is our reasons for moving.

Without getting too deep into it I don't have a problem with living in the UK, I love the country even if the people piss me off, and I personally think that quality of life is more to do with who you are, what you are, your expectation of life and what it owes you, so moving to another country cant offer you that if its not already there in you to enjoy what you have.
So for us, its about my OH experiencing another culture, another way of life, gaining life experience and seeing some of the things the world has to offer.

Our move to Spain is partly to help her along the road to becoming a more rounded individual but also to give both of us the impetus to do something else with our lives.

We both have a lovely life here in the UK, live in a stunning part of the country, have a higher than average standard of living, and have a good circles of very close friends, but we both want more than here can offer us, so if that means a better quality of life then maybe it does but I think its more about fulfilling your destiny and potential, and that can be done anywhere.

In the mean time Spain is for us.

Big Pete

Hmmmmmmm a better quality life ..

Well i would say for me a few key ingredients are missing in the Uk to make the quality of life right .

1/ Time .. Time to be outside for most of the year ,instead of a few days grabbed here when you can .

2/ Time .. Time to spend shopping at a time thats convenient rather than rush to catch the shops before they shut..

3/ Time .. Time to grab a few hours in the afternoon to pause the day and snooze (Siesta) , before the evenings activitys

4/ Time .. To walk out along a pretty beach or Marina during the evening and then have a meal outside at 10pm and watch the sun set

5/ Time .. To drive on roads that hardly ever jam up with over congestion

6/ Time .. To swim , fish , shop , barbecue , or whatever

7/ Time .. Time to grow your own fruits and vegetables in your own garden

8/ Weather .. Weather to allow you to do things ,rather than be stuck indoors every night like as in UK

9/ Weather .. Weather that allows you to use a boat in clear clean waters

10/ Weather . Weather that makes you feel happier

11/ Money & Cheap living expenses .. Money saved by the Spanish way of life , makes your money go farther

12/ TV access to full UK television stations plus European .

13/ Being able to be in the mountains in the morning , and enjoy a afternoon swim and a beach barbecue at night

14/ Being able to watch Uk news and thank god your no longer there ,and not think ohh heck what they gonna tax us with next .

15/ Being able to fly to and fro the Uk if someone forces you and know its only a 2 hour trip . and cheap .

16/ Being able to stick £ 10 worth of fuel in the car and drive for days

17/ Being able to sit down have your meal in a restaurant and have a smoke after if you choose to and pay £ 1.50p a pack

18/ Being able to escape the keeping up with the Jones and get of the treadmill of the Uk way

19/ Being able to clear the mind and find that new business venture , with a high influx of tourists all eager to spend money ,lots of possible business ventures are there for the grabbing

Will stop now or we will be here all night ..

dreamcatcher

Freedom to be able to be yourself and not judged'
Freedom of spirit.Life as it should be lived,.

Good subject pjj

Miss Naughty

Escape the rat race of the uk.

enjoy a more outdoor life

being able to sunbath topless without getting arrested lol

sun to help the health

better food (i love spanish food)

Lots more things but would be here all night xx

Fuzzlepop

Since I came back things I noticed so far:

* Stupid signs everywhere saying what you can and can't do!
* Horrible Weather
* Everyone looks like their chewing wasps or sucking on a lemmon.
* Expensive
* Horrible Beaches
* Unreliable transport
* Pigeons & seagulls

Pretty much it.

spain

Im not going to bang on AGAIN about how hard it is at times living in Spain but its funny how peoples expectations BEFORE moving over turn out to be nothing like the reality

bascially if you are young enough to have to work it can be tuff if you have an income from UK or are retired then things a lot easier

rugbymatt

You know its odd that you should say that because when I lived out there I used to see people come out on holiday and fall in love with the place, they would then move out there to start their new life in the sun, and they couldn't be told, if you tried to warn them or advise them on all the pitfalls and dangers all they would say was "you haven't been back to the UK for years, you don't know how bad it ia back there so you cant know what we have had to go through!"

Well time would pass, they would carry on like they had back home and life would become progressively worse, and at about 4-6 months usually they would be absolutely broke, miserable as sin and desperate to get the hell out of "this frigging country!"

The ones who survived hit the ground running, they fought hard to make a new life, they used their energy to make a new life, and if you asked any of them they would tell you that they worked twice as hard in Spain than in the UK..........but they wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world.

spain

couldnt agree more - but sometimes when I say this to people they think I am being negative or trying to put them off coming when thats not the case - we had a nice life in England both earning decent money and doing ok, we think sometimes to ourselves "what was we thinking moving to Spain" " why would anyone want to put themselves under this much pressure"

but there are lots of plus sides to living here but it all comes down to the fact that no one really knows what its like ( or even if Spain is for them) until they live here - in the 4 1/2 years we have been here we have seen so many people come and go and all the friends we made when we first arrived have left to go back

pjj

i dont think thats true spain! ive been going to spain quite a few years now and i know a quite alot of young and old people who live in spain and love there lives there yes they have to work and dont every one unless you are retired or are in the money, and yes they are not earning the big bucks they were earning in the uk but they are content with there lives and they have a better standard of living ! i know friends in the uk at the min who have got good work experience and good qualifications but they are struggling to get work so its as hard in uk to find work let alone spain , alot of the people on here know there is going to be pit falls when moving abroad and we all know its not going to be a walk in the park so lets not put a DOWNER on this thread and get back to what the thread is all about BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

spain

Im not putting a downer on the thread just being realistic

when you have lived in Spain for a couple of years come back and let us know your experiences

"quality of life" is what you make it where ever you live but as I have said in the short time we have been here a very high percentage of people have gone back to UK . so obviously their quality of life was not what the expected !!!! thats a fact

key factors are
the language - even fluent Spanish speakers find it difficult to find a relatively good job
work - as above and if you do find work, wages and hours are often crap
cheaper living costs - hmmm well thats debateful, fags, booze, road tax, council tax, eating out all cheaper - but the wages reflect that and what about the things that are more expensive

anyway, I wish you well in your move to Spain and hope it all turns out as you expected

rugbymatt

Pjj I don't think Spain is being negative in any way at all, they are being realistic thats all.
It is a hard country to live in if you have to make a living, made easier by the sun and constant holiday feeling that people out there have, you ask anyone out there who has to work and I guarantee that 85-95% of them do more than one job to survive, even some of those who decided to move out to retire end up picking up some work just to supplement their living standards.

ask any one who has ping ponged or even moved away and they will tell you that they never realised how hard life could be out there, if you don't have to work then good on ya, but some of us will and that wont be easy.

pjj

spain i under stand where you are coming from ! you are right quality of life is what you make it from where ever you come from understandable ! but i feel are country is a very expensive country to live in and the quality of life is not exactly great i feel you have to work long hours here to get any where oh and before you say i konw you will work longer hours in spain ,in the uk the weather is crap the people are always moaning to much crime i could go on , but like we have said on here time and time again you will never know if spains is for you unless you try it !

lynnxa

what she said

and when it's bad it feels so much worse

bad at least it's bad in a great place