For many of us only seeing the world in 2 week chunks of holiday simply isn’t enough. Going out and broadening our horizons by moving to another country can seem appealing, but heading off into the sunset is far from plain sailing.
There are many reasons to want to emigrate. The urge to experience a new culture can be one of them. Better climate is a reason many give, but there are usually other important factors as well.
The global economy means that there can be opportunities for moving to another country for work. There can be economic cycles that mean certain countries have more work available in certain sectors, even when things are depressed in other areas.
Retirement is when some people look to become ‘ex-pats’. Quality of life and better weather are what many retirees are looking for when they think about moving overseas. There can sometimes be a hope that by moving to a country with lower costs a fixed retirement income can go further.
The cost of living in a destination country is a complicated thing. It is common for the cost of various things to be different depending on the country. Whether it will be cheaper for an individual will actually depend to a large extent on circumstances and lifestyle of the individual.
For those that are working tax can be a concern. It is important to remember though that the headline amount of tax is just the start of the story rather than the bottom line.
Health care is a major expense that many would be ex-pats fail to take into consideration. For the vast majority of countries, being covered by the NHS back home will not be adequate.
Getting good quality health care in foreign countries is definitely possible. Countries such as France have high quality care available for those with appropriate cover, and even places such as Greece that have a less than stellar reputation in this field can be OK.
A lot of the difficulties that people moving overseas encounter are not so easily dealt with. Home-sickness can be a powerful force for instance. If there is going to be a language barrier then this can also lead to feelings of isolation.
Humans inhabit every corner of the globe. The urge to move on and find pastures new is an instinct that is baked into all of us at some level. Good luck to you if you are thinking of starting again somewhere!
