Depressing living here. Any ideas about moving abroad?

[gbb]

It worries me when folk talk about "escaping" to another country. As others have mentioned often the escaping has do be undertaken a lot closer to home with a change in lifestyles and attitude.

I cannot work out if you own a home if so be very careful of stepping off the UK property ladder...finding that the grass is not greener but being trapped there due to differential in home ownership costs is enough to do a person in. Personally i would diversify and take the bucket and cloth to the roads offering a car cleaning service or something less limiting and perhaps a new challenge.

If your health is a worry then please think really carefully about emigrating...it could lead to awful issues when you are least equipped to handle them

All that said..if you really want to get away from it all, live like a king on a tiny budget and enjoy a fantastic climate and environment then take a look at Argentina...just keep a property foothold in the uk if you Can...just in case.

Renting a small flat in the uk will provide sufficient income to live a fantastic lifestyle in Argentina.

Having worked (albeit very short term) in Uruguay..with Argentina visible across the river, the thing that struck me was how European the culture and people were, in some countryside you'd drive and think you were in the UK, so similar visually. But, wages are poor, same in Argentina perhaps ?
I also see Cyprus mentioned...having spent usually a month there every year for 10 years and knowing people out there...health insurance is a must, I remember a friend who's family were seriously worried after their aged mother had to spent time in hospital, the level of care at the time was way way below what we'd expect here..
Lovely place though, lovely relaxed people but seriously HOT in the summer, plus the economy is bad, its hard enough for Cypriots to get work, let alone someone without connections.
That said, I met plenty of English folk who'd settled there...learning the language is almost certainly the best thing.

We thought about Spain some years ago, I could probably get a job in the citrus industry quite easily with my background..but they aren't paid a lot there either...workers in packhouses were paid less than their equivalents here and they work hard, I was amazed how busy it was.

 

[Freds Dad]

Myself and SWMBO have talked about living overseas in later life. We have a small place in Portugal which we go to several times a year and let family use at other times as it pays for the upkeep.
We will probably spend November to May in Portugal and come back to England for the "summer" but are as yet undecided. The thought of living overseas permanently sounds great but my concern is what happens when you start having health problems.
When I was 19 one of the drivers where I worked went to LA for a holiday, this was 1981 so USA hols weren't that common. Anyway he came back raving about how good it was and that he was going back in a few months. He did that and phoned up after a week there to say he wasn't returning. He now live very happily in the sunshine.

 

[MarkF]

Accy, if I lived anywhere from Colne to Preston I'd be depressed too, in Accy I'd be suicidal, at work, if we got a job along that route, everybody would do anything not to go.............it is the land that time forgot, I'd turn left away from Keighley/Skipton and immediately get depressed, it's like going from "normal" life to dismalness. The only similar places IMO are the (Cumbrian) Wigton area and East of Hull, other places which time also forgot but which still have weirdness on their side.

I've lived in Aberdeen (WA not Scotland and Spain, Gijon & Malaga), unless you can speak the language you can forget about earning a living wage in Euro warmer climes, but if you have a house to rent out then go for it. Otherwise why not look to move to the Keighey/Bingley/Shipley area? Not far at all but life will improve immeasurably for not much of a great a climb in housing costs.

BTW A pal teaches English (on a faked degree and TEFL certifcate) in Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam, he is currently paying 100 dollars PER MONTH for his accommodation, beach side with air-con. It sounds paradise but he may never be able to save up enough from his meagre wages to return to the UK, as others have said, it's not always greener.

 

[vernon]

nonononono....it's grim up here in't North East. The air is so black you can chew it. We don't have any beaches, or countryside. We don't have any castles, catherdrals, abbeys, or priories. There isn't a single inch of riverside, and the people are all evil barstewards with bitey little whippets on bits of string. Nothing to see here. Stay at home, don't bother coming this way.

Sadly there's chunks of County Durham just like that. Despite being raised in Darlington, I didn't realise how grim some parts of the county was until I cycled the Walney to Wear route.

Land of the Price Bishops? Not in the abandoned coal field areas.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Most brits are just miserable..
id like to be miserable somwhere else too.NZ but you need a lot of dosh really.
my moaning family all come from Burnley area ,most are still there .good luck @Accy cyclist

on the up side all the ones that moved south are quite happy,bar my mother who lives to be misserable

 

[screenman]

Most brits are just miserable..
id like to be miserable somwhere else too.NZ but you need a lot of dosh really.
my moaning family all come from Burnley area ,most are still there .good luck @Accy cyclist

on the up side all the ones that moved south are quite happy,bar my mother who lives to be misserable

I think most Brits are far from miserable. I find by smiling and cracking jokes I meet very few miserable people.

 

[hopless500]

Sadly there's chunks of County Durham just like that. Despite being raised in Darlington, I didn't realise how grim some parts of the county was until I cycled the Walney to Wear route.

Land of the Price Bishops? Not in the abandoned coal field areas.

Heading far enough north out of Darlington used to depress me. Grey and dismal it was.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Food for thought - Australia if you qualify as it has the most diverse climate, people and places.
Darwin - far north, all round tropical weather, distinct wet and dry seasons
Melbourne - closest to the english weather - unpredictable
Adelaide - mediterranean including perfect for wines, olives and citrus fruits
Perth - the ultimate suburb, great, weather, cycling all year around, fantastics sandy beaches
North of Brisbane - Equatorial forest and hardwoood.
Snowy Mountains - Ski lodges, more snow than Switzerland
Sydney - fantastic harbour view, boat ride to your home and another one for wonderful beaches

 

[Levo-Lon]

I think most Brits are far from miserable. I find by smiling and cracking jokes I meet very few miserable people.

totally agree, asuming they actually acknowledge you saying hi mind you the older people tend to be ok and happy to chat

 

[Piemaster]

East of Hull, other places which time also forgot but which still have weirdness on their side

Not sure if thats a compliment or an insult of my area. But weird is good. I like a bit of weird.

I've been to many countries around the world (mostly getting drunk in them not actually living in them). I was involved with a girl in Montreal for a bit and gave serious thought to moving there - the girl didn't last though.

But...most countries are crap. You've already won the lottery by being in the UK. The rest of the world is just as materialistic, or more so, can be more dangerous and not necessarily greener. Most of posts above still seem to advocate keeping the safety net of a return to the UK. I have friends that went to Australia 6 years ago, they have settled and enjoying life. They still refer to Hull as 'home' though.
When the weather improves get out (Forest of Bowland?) on the bike and remind yourself that some parts of the UK are nearly as beautiful as Yorkshire.