If Britain's so bad.....
Discussion
where would you prefer to live ?
Here is a hypothetical scenario which just happens to fit my current mindset and circumstances.
You are fed up of being taxed to the eyeballs in return for very little. You want to sell everything you own , pay any outstanding debts and leave the UK with a pot of cash and the clothes you stand in .You have no dependent children but *may* consider taking the wife . Assume your pot of cash is £250-350k. You are in your early 40's with some degree of skill and overall business aptitude but not necessarily looking to use them in the near future.
Which country would you go to and how would you make your stash work for you in terms of finding property to live in and a reasonable standard of living , one you could sustain even if you chose not to work for some time , if ever.
Here is a hypothetical scenario which just happens to fit my current mindset and circumstances.
You are fed up of being taxed to the eyeballs in return for very little. You want to sell everything you own , pay any outstanding debts and leave the UK with a pot of cash and the clothes you stand in .You have no dependent children but *may* consider taking the wife . Assume your pot of cash is £250-350k. You are in your early 40's with some degree of skill and overall business aptitude but not necessarily looking to use them in the near future.
Which country would you go to and how would you make your stash work for you in terms of finding property to live in and a reasonable standard of living , one you could sustain even if you chose not to work for some time , if ever.
Depends what you like doing.
I'd be heading somewhere mountainous, so the Alps (perhaps Geneva or Zurich as I can get work there with my current skills) or maybe the Canadian Rockies. For British citizens, European and Commonwealth countries are a bit easier than others in terms of visas etc.
£250k-£350k isn't much to set up a new life without needing to work, so I'd need either to go somewhere my current skills are useful or set up a new business in my target area.
Personally I'm pretty happy with the UK as long as I stay out of the overcrowded South-East.
I'd be heading somewhere mountainous, so the Alps (perhaps Geneva or Zurich as I can get work there with my current skills) or maybe the Canadian Rockies. For British citizens, European and Commonwealth countries are a bit easier than others in terms of visas etc.
£250k-£350k isn't much to set up a new life without needing to work, so I'd need either to go somewhere my current skills are useful or set up a new business in my target area.
Personally I'm pretty happy with the UK as long as I stay out of the overcrowded South-East.
EDLT said:
America, similar standard of living except houses, V8s and petrol are far cheaper.
I went to America in 2001 , stayed in a rented villa near Orlando , loved the place so much I considered moving out there . Garden maintenance / pool cleaning seemed to be the obvious easy start businesses over there , went back in 2003 with enough money in place to give it a go but the world and his wife seemed to have had the same idea , the place we stayed had in just 2 years seen 1000's of new holiday lets built with nearly as many garden / pool maintenance companies all trying to find work .Most of these new builds were empty with less than 1 in 10 ( at least where we were ) being occupied. So that was an end to that idea.
My own skills are in joinery / glazing with a grasp of plumbing and electrics and project management,although I have no certification for either . I'd prefer to go into a new venture at some point if I did emigrate.
I know someone who has had a place built in Thailand , he's never actually been out to it yet , his brother who lives there has overseen all the work and has even found a long term tenant for him until he decides to move out there for good
If the figures he's quoted for the build and cost of living are true then it's definitely a place I'd consider , but tourism ,in particular dive schools seem to be the main form of income, something I'm not that passionate about. Having tried scuba in Turkey and Egypt it's a great prospect for a hobby but not something I feel would suit me commercially
New Zealand. South Island. Not too far from Christchurch so you've got a "city" you can go to shop and work. Stunning. And every weekend you could get to somewhere else fascinating and different.
But you will need money.
And work. If you are taking along skills and experience NZ could do with that shouldn't be a problem.
But you will need money.
And work. If you are taking along skills and experience NZ could do with that shouldn't be a problem.Split between US and Thailand, so next year will probably spend a fair amount of time in Thailand (it's cheaper - rent nice modern (year old) apartment in centre of town for £10 a night), + some time in the US (Florida, California, Vegas etc). Eventually, I'd expect to spend less time in the UK than abroad - because it's so tedious and dull and expensive.
But the UK really sucks - anytime they talk about new taxes, they make the country worse. If the country was improoving, tax would go down. It hasn't improved in a while.
Biggest thing to remember is that wherever you go, you are also there! The US has lots to offer, but the regular Joes still moan about things same as here. So if you moan about stuff here, you'll probably find things to moan about there. If you tie yourself into their ecconomy, with a regular 9-5, wife and mortgage, you'll probably not see much difference.
But the UK really sucks - anytime they talk about new taxes, they make the country worse. If the country was improoving, tax would go down. It hasn't improved in a while.
Biggest thing to remember is that wherever you go, you are also there! The US has lots to offer, but the regular Joes still moan about things same as here. So if you moan about stuff here, you'll probably find things to moan about there. If you tie yourself into their ecconomy, with a regular 9-5, wife and mortgage, you'll probably not see much difference.
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