So what is stopping the rest?

For most, I imagine, it is money. After all, if you are rich enough to live where you want, and can come and go at will, then the world is your oyster.

Most of us are not in that liberating position. Instead, we have to find a way to fund this dream life overseas.

Which is where the challenges start. Questions crop up like …

• Am I eligible for a working visa?
• Will my qualifications be recognised?
• What job can I get?
• How much will it pay?
• Can I get my business idea off the ground?
• What hoops will I have to jump through?
• Is there local demand?

There can be so much uncertainty about making your relocation financially viable that I think many people just give up on the idea.

Seems a shame, doesn’t it?

If any of this has happened to you then Megan Fitzgerald, an expat career and personal branding coach, would love to hear from you. She is conducting a poll of current and aspiring expats to find the answer to an intriguing question: what is the biggest obstacle to building a successful career abroad?

The poll’s findings will reveal the most common problems people face, and hopefully offer some useful insights into how to overcome them.

To take part in the poll go to http://linkd.in/i9pnWY.

Related posts:

1. Should I Stay or Should I Go? Tips on Becoming an Expat
2. Career Abroad or Life at Home?
3. The Beauty of a Portable Career

Are there certain days when your cat or dog is more irritable than others? Do creatures in the wild go through mood swings? Or is it just humans?

I ask because I read this week about Cathal Morrow, an author living in Madrid. Back in June he embarked on a quest to live for a year without unhappiness, in an attempt to prove happiness is merely a state of mind.

As he writes on his blog, http://imhappyandiknowit.com/:

“What I’m attempting to live is my belief that happiness is entirely independent of the highs and lows of my little life, that it’s far bigger than me. That happiness is a permanent state for us all, if only we allow it to be.”

Being happy. We’re all looking for it, aren’t we?

Yet that appears to be the root of the problem. We’re searching for it, as if happiness is a destination that will be reached once we’ve got X, Y and Z in place.

Thanksgiving

It’s an important issue, brought into focus by this week’s Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States.

While it began as a festival giving thanks for the year’s harvest, Thanksgiving has since developed into a more general expression of gratitude.

And therein lies Mr Morrow’s secret to happiness – a determination to see the everyday brightness in life and be happy for it.

Seeking a better life

Which brings me to moving abroad.

Why is it so many people around the world – including millions of citizens in some of the most prosperous countries on the planet – want to relocate elsewhere?

For most people the interest is spurred by a desire to find a “better life,” whatever their definition may be.

Many are stirred by the potential benefits they hope to find by relocating – better weather, more leisure opportunities, lower living costs, attractive employment openings. Others see moving abroad as an escape from the unfulfilled lives they are living in their current location.

Finding Happiness

However, this desire for movement is not necessarily the path to happiness.

Yes, moving abroad can lead to a healthier, happier, richer life. But switching one country for another won’t by itself be enough. Ultimately it is an internal shift, rather than the external one, that leads to happiness and fulfilment.

Hence the importance of gratitude.

Rather than think about the things that are wrong with our lives, we should devote more attention to the things that are right.

It could be your health, or the health of your partner or children, the love of family, laughter with friends, the joy of a sunrise or waves on the beach, thanks for the food you have to eat.

Which isn’t to say you shouldn’t want to improve your current situation. It is human nature, one of the driving forces of evolution. But by stopping to give conscious thanks for those daily blessings we too often take for granted, the chances are you will be a happier person, wherever in the world you happen to find yourself.

Who could ask for a better life than that?

Related posts:

1. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist
2. Is Your Family Ready for Your Move Abroad?
3. Good Housekeeping Article on Moving Abroad

I imagine the residents of France may be thinking something different as this week’s round of strikes and protests gets underway.

News reports say the strikes are set to widen to include a range of sectors, including road transport, energy, posts, telecommunications and public service. The industrial action has brought fears of fuel shortages as workers at oil refineries walk out, and rail chaos as train staff join in, threatening to bring the country to a standstill.

The protest has been spurred by moves to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, and the full retirement age from 65 to 67 years – a change that rather undercuts one of the advantages of French life highlighted by the uSwitch.com survey. The government claims it is needed to prevent the country’s pension deficit from spiralling out of control and threatening the system as a whole.

In total, Nicolas Sarkozy’s government has announced plans to cut spending by €45bn over the next three years in a bid to meet its budget deficit target.

Meanwhile Spain, which came second in the uSwitch.com quality of life rankings, has seen unemployment more than double (to about 20%) since 2007. In a bid to curb its budget deficit, the government is raising the top level of income tax and introducing a range of austerity measures for 2011 designed to cut spending by 8%.

Of course, the UK faces its own economic difficulties – as, for that matter, does the United States. But if you’re aiming to escape your home country’s problems and find a better quality of life by moving abroad, it’s important to remember the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Related posts:

1. What Quality of Life Can You Expect Abroad?
2. Looking for Quality of Life?
3. Cost of an English University Education

Or, at least, so says a new study by consumer comparison service uSwitch.com[1].

Its research examined 16 quality of life factors – such as net income, food and fuel costs, life expectancy and working conditions – across 10 European countries to see how they stacked up.

France emerged with the best overall score, followed by Spain. The UK came ninth, with Ireland propping up the bottom of the table.

The reason for the UK’s poor score, said uSwitch, included its high living costs, below average government spending on health and education, shortage of holiday entitlements, high retirement age and lack of sunshine.

France, by contrast, was found to have the lowest retirement age, the longest life expectancy and the highest healthcare spend.

Meanwhile, Spain benefited from low living costs (especially for alcohol and cigarettes!), the highest number of holidays (at 43 days per year) and most sunshine hours.

The firm went on to note that three in ten people in the UK believe now is a good time to emigrate[2]. Given the low quality of life it seems they can expect to enjoy, is it any wonder?

The Full Picture

Yet before everyone starts packing their bags for France and Spain, it is important to remember that while such surveys make for attention-grabbing headlines, they don’t show the full picture.

For instance, the uSwitch report gives no consideration to the countries’ current or expected economic growth rates. Or what about the 20% unemployment rate afflicting Spain?

It gives no weighting either to the burdensome red tape that is so often cited as a feature of life in France and Italy.

The percentage of GDP spent on health is a blunt tool too by which to measure and compare the efficacy of countries’ systems. The United States, for one, spends a considerably higher percentage of its GDP on health, yet millions of its citizens remain without adequate, or indeed any, health cover.

The uSwitch survey also takes it as given that the greater the hours of sunshine the better. Yet the impressive sunshine quota seen in southern Europe – as well as places such as California and parts of Australia – bring with it high summer temperatures that frequently provoke raging forest fires, water shortages, pest infestations and crop failures.

In addition, the summer heat may force residents, especially the elderly, to spend weeks of the year trapped indoors, and can even lead to spiking death rates (as seen in Europe during the 2003 heatwave).

In short, these types of reports and surveys – a plethora of which are produced around the world each year – can give some helpful indication of the life you can expect to find when moving abroad. But to get a real picture, don’t forget to consider all the elements, the pros and the cons, and what they mean specifically to you.

[2] uSwitch.com Consumer Opinion Panel, May 2010, amongst a sample of 3,640 adults.

Related posts:

1. European Quality of Life Advantages Called Into Question
2. Looking for Quality of Life?
3. Beautiful Britain

But what about the loved ones you leave behind? While you have a wealth of new opportunities and experiences to explore, all they will be left with are the memories of your lives together.

Transition Tips

No doubt they will feel your loss. Nevertheless, there are a few things you can do to make the process as painless as possible:

1. Once you have decided to move, share it with your family and friends well in advance. It may take time for them to accept you are leaving, and some may try to discourage you. However, a calm approach will help. Tell them your reasons for moving, and explain the advantages you hope to achieve as a result.
2. The days before you leave are bound to be hectic. You will get caught up in a whirlwind of shopping, packing, finalising insurance and visa arrangements, getting health checkups and a host of last minute details. As a result, you may not realise how quickly the days are flying. So don’t forget to spend quality time with your loved ones, especially your family, before you go.
3. Try to maintain a cheerful environment while you are still at home. Avoid emotional discussions, and reminders that soon you won’t be there.
4. The period after you leave home can be tough for both you and your family. Sudden bouts of loneliness may make you feel homesick, and leave them feeling sad at your absence and anxious for your safety. At these times you have to be the strong one, since it was your decision to move. So the moment you arrive, call to let your family know you are well.
5. Once you reach your destination, keep yourself occupied. Get involved in your new life and location by settling into your new home, learn about your new environment, and start making friends.
6. During your first few months in the country keep in touch with family and friends as often as you can, making sure you share with them all the details about the place and its people. The pleasure and relief on both sides from hearing each other’s voices is priceless. And because international calling is so cheap these days the cost is no longer a worry.
7. You can stay connected too by writing emails to friends and family explaining what you did today, or by sending pictures of where you are.
8. And for those friends and family back home who are not well-versed with the internet, why not write them a letter or send a postcard? It is sure to make their day.

Related posts:

1. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist
2. Agassi’s Open Secrets to Living Abroad
3. Expats Top Concerns When Moving Abroad

Before moving to Spain I was wont to focus on those aspects of life in Britain that were inciting me to leave: the weather, grey and litter-strewn streets, high living costs, crime levels, images of the country’s rundown inner cities, overburdened health and education systems.

Spanish life promised a more gilded existence. Towns of quaint narrow streets and sunshine burnished buildings, café-lined plazas and open-air markets, the turquoise Mediterranean, vast tracts of undeveloped farmland and forest, lower prices and a more relaxed pace of life.

But having now repatriated to the UK after seven years of living abroad I am seeing the beauty of my homeland with fresh eyes. I have a new appreciation of the rolling green landscapes, its woods of oak and elm and beech, those chocolate-box villages, the BBC.

And historic cities such as Salisbury.

I had my first visit there a few weeks ago. Centrepiece is the magnificent medieval Cathedral, completed in 1258 and considered the finest example of its type in the country. Less jaw-droppingly impressive, but equally charming, are the surrounding Cathedral Close and the rest of the medieval city centre.

Sitting amidst the tourist throngs on the lawns beside the Cathedral I saw the city as they must. And it made me realise just how beautiful England – and the rest of the UK – really can be. Not a bad place to live after all.

Related posts:

1. Repatriation Advantages
2. Ryder Cup Showcases Life in Britain
3. What Quality of Life Can You Expect Abroad?

She was writing an article on the pros and cons of moving abroad, and wanted my “expert opinion” on the topic … which naturally I was more than happy to provide (not least since the magazine has a monthly circulation of half a million readers!).

The article has just come out. And – aside from my own contribution – it makes for fascinating reading.

Expat Challenges

The piece features case studies of people who have moved from the UK to some of the world’s most popular expat destinations: France, Italy, Spain, Australia and the United States. Each highlights the issues they have faced, and offers pointers to anyone following in their footsteps (much of which echoes the topics I address in my book).

Among the biggest challenges the expats encountered were:

• Housing problems
• Unfamiliarity with local legal processes and requirements
• Acclimatising to the local weather
• Finding social outlets and integrating into the community
• Having a viable way to earn money
• Missing family and friends

Hopefully the tips and advice contained in the article will prove a valuable primer for those readers also dreaming of a life overseas!

Related posts:

1. Expats Top Concerns When Moving Abroad
2. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist
3. Thanksgiving and the Search for Happiness Abroad

She will be joining the thousands of doctors and nurses who have left the UK in the last decade to practice in the Antipodes. Many have gone willingly. Disenchanted by the NHS, they are eager to take up positions on the other side of the world that will be relatively better paid, and offer the lifestyle benefits that come from living in Australia or New Zealand.

The doctor I spoke to is moving for similar reasons: she can’t find a job pursuing her specialism in England, but has the chance to do so if she goes abroad. And as she has family in New Zealand already it makes the relocation that much easier.

Nevertheless, she hopes it will only be temporary, and that within five years she’ll be back in the UK, which is where she said she really wants to be.

It makes for a tricky choice – stay at home and compromise your chosen career path, or leave the country and the life you know for a better job and its future prospects.

And it is not just medics in the UK grappling with this quandary. Many people in many professions in many countries around the world face similar dilemmas.

Which would you prioritise?

Related posts:

1. What’s your biggest obstacle to building a successful career abroad?
2. The Beauty of a Portable Career
3. Mass British Exodus Waiting to Happen?

For me, the World Cup is the big treat. Once every four years I get to feast on a daily banquet of football, and if I’m lucky some of it may even prove sumptuous.

But alongside the games there is a more serious side to this year’s tournament. I don’t know what the coverage is like in other countries, but in Britain the matches have been followed by reports on what impact the World Cup is having on South Africa, and the problems there that still need tackling.

These short insights offer an eye-opening comparison between the footballer haves, and the country’s millions of have-nots. More importantly, it reminds me of what I have and how fortunate I am, and but for a fate of birth how different life could be.

For most of us expats and prospective expats moving abroad is about pursuing the dream of a better life. Nothing wrong with that. Still, at times it’s worth remembering what we have already, and being thankful for it.

Related posts:

1. Football: The Way to a Nation’s Heart
2. Agassi’s Open Secrets to Living Abroad
3. Air Fare Rises Hit Expats

For the last game against the USA some 20+ million people tuned in to watch the match on TV – not bad, considering the population of England is only 51 million, and that of the UK as a whole 61 million. And if England do well and progress through the competition that number will keep on rising.

True, not everyone likes football. But in Britain – and indeed in many other countries around the world – you’d be hard pushed to find a more common cultural reference point.

And when it comes to moving abroad these cultural landmarks are crucial. National obsessions – whether they are sports or politics or music – are important parts of the social fabric. As an expat, learning something about them helps you understand the mentality of the people around you. It helps you integrate with them. It’s a way to strike up conversations, make friends, feel involved. And hopefully have a good time.

So take an interest in whatever fixates the population of your chosen country. You’ll find it a huge help.

Related posts:

1. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist
2. Searching for a Better Life Abroad?
3. Expat Allegiances