Now is the best time for Britons to emigrate

Published:  28 Nov at 6 PM
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With increasing numbers of UK residents looking to make the move to a new country, it seems that now is the best time to buy a foreign home.

Moving overseas is one of the biggest decisions facing Britons unhappy with conditions in their home country, but the present time gives better chances than ever before of finding that dream home in the sun at an affordable price. Spain is still a favourite destination, with property prices in all the popular areas at an all-time low.

A recent survey by Lloyds TSB indicated that, wherever UK expats put down their new roots, their quality of life is better than in the UK. The Costas and Balearics win out for the lower cost of living and great weather, with only the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand scoring more points in the survey.

Unsurprisingly, the survey reported that 66 per cent of expats, wherever they were living, said they were far happier and less stressed in their new countries. A moré relaxed ambience, friendly locals, a more interesting social life and, of course, better weather, all counted towards the expat experience being a welcome change.

According to expatriate banking director at Lloyds TSB, Richard Musty, the bank’s regular surveys of varied expat communities help in understanding why increasing numbers of Brits are leaving their homeland. Job opportunities are a major reason nowadays, but improvement in quality of life features strongly for the majority of migrants.
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Comments » There are 3 comments

Bex wrote 11 years ago:

I have to agree that quality of life is better abroad than in the UK. Even as an expat in Greece, where things are incredibly difficult at the moment, people stick together more and the quality of life is still better. Weather is a HUGE factor when making the decision to move abroad. I don't think we realise just how much weather affects our psyche. The amount of Greeks that go abroad to study and after 6 months know they are economically better off, but long for the blue skies of their homeland. Bex www.leavingcairo.blogspot.com

ExpatsBlog wrote 11 years ago:

I totally agree with you Bex! I think here in the UK a large number of us suffer from S.A.D. The low levels of sunshine most of the year really do have a negative effect on our moods...

Duncan Horne wrote 11 years ago:

Most overwhelmingly, it's the better quality of life I enjoy in Malaysia, as opposed to my home (Britain), where there really was no 'quality' to my life at all! Working in Malaysia, easily registering our own family company, and living close to the beach with 365 days of sunshine are also major factors. And also, not that I'm seeking for it at all, but standing out in the new country, being a foreigner or 'white-man' as the locals term it, does make me feel important, and in a lot of places and situations, I do receive preferential treatment because of it.

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