Mind you, I wasn’t so enthused when I looked out the plane’s window as we came in to land. The pilot informed us (a little too cheerily, I thought) that it was -3°C, and the sky was an ominous grey.

Still, the city soon made up for it.

I had a few hours to kill before a business meeting, so I took the opportunity to amble around the Old Town, before finding my way through the winding streets to the Kunsthaus art museum.

The museum lacks the grandeur and wealth of treasures that the Louvre, National Gallery or the Prado can boast. But with a collection of works spanning six centuries – including some beautiful pieces by Canaletto, Monet and Van Gogh – it is well worth a trip.

And Zürich has a lot more to offer. The cafes, restaurants, shops, and its beautiful lake make Zürich an enviable place to live. Easy access to Switzerland’s world class ski resorts has a certain attraction too!

The Swiss advantage

And Switzerland’s appeal is not limited to its culture or sporting activities.

In its most recent annual survey, the World Economic Forum crowned Switzerland as the most competitive nation in the world for the second year running.

Switzerland was followed by Sweden, with Singapore third in the rankings. The United States slipped to fourth. The United Kingdom was 12^th.

Running like clockwork

Such rankings were underscored on my way home.

The Swiss, of course, are famed for their timekeeping and efficiency. When the trains say they will arrive at a certain time they do, and to the second. They are smooth, clean and comfortable. Getting around Zürich is a cinch.

By contrast, getting back to my home in the UK was anything but smooth and comfortable. London’s Underground system was ground-breaking (literally) when it opened 150 years ago. Now though it is showing its age. There are constant repairs, and too many people jostling to get on.

The subsequent overland leg of my train journey was even worse. Broken signals, delays, overcrowded carriages. Suffice to say, it eventually took me twice as long to get from London’s City airport to home as it had taken me to fly from Switzerland to the UK.

Having lived abroad for many years, I know that nowhere is perfect.

Britain has its faults, for sure – the climate, the overstretched transport infrastructure, the lack of space, its cost of living. Yet coming back to live in the UK has helped me see it with new, more sympathetic eyes, better able to appreciate the wonderful things it does have to offer, and not just the bad bits.

Still, I can see why there is so much interest – especially among those well-paid financial types – in relocating to Switzerland.

Much of the reason may be to do with the favourable tax regimes they can expect to find in the country’s various cantons.

But I’m sure Switzerland’s long-trumpeted quality of life advantages must be as much of a draw.

Related posts:

1. Swiss Watch
2. Tax Threat to UK’s Global Competitiveness
3. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist

Having moved several times before, we knew how much work was involved. Still, it’s amazing to discover how much “stuff” we had managed to accumulate, and how long it takes to sort.

The question then is always what do you do with it?

Which are the essential items you absolutely must take with you when relocating? Which bits can be given or thrown away? And the biggest quandary, what do you do with the rest? You know, the stuff you want to keep, or that you think might come in useful “some day.”

Unless a friend or family member is happy to give up their garage or attic indefinitely so you can jam it full of your belongings, the only real solution is to use a self storage facility. They come with several advantages:

1)      It’s cost effective 

For one, it is inexpensive these days to rent storage space. In addition, there are no long term contracts. That means that as you settle into your new place you have the flexibility to collect your boxes when you are ready for them.

2)      It’s safe and secure 

Any self storage facility worth its salt will have effective security measures in place to protect your property. Look for 24hr CCTV and individual alarms on the storage rooms.

3)      It’s convenient 

Self storage has become more and more popular in recent years. As a result, there is probably a self storage facility[1] close by.

Where possible it is best to look for facilities near both your old and new homes. That way you always have the option of keeping any overflow you’re not sure if you want or have space for safe.

4)      It’s flexible

Unless you’re relocating to a place where the weather is pretty much the same all year round, you may also want to think about storing all that stuff you only use at certain times of the year – for example, skis or scuba gear. That way you won’t have it cluttering up the house the whole time. And that can do wonders for your state of mind!

Related posts:

1. Repatriation Advantages
2. Moving Abroad for Love
3. Expats Top Concerns When Moving Abroad

Today though I saw an article on the BBC News website about band member Nadine Coyle, discussing the release of her first solo album, Insatiable[1].

Not that I’ll be dashing out to buy it. But what did interest me were the references she made in the interview to her family.

A native of Northern Ireland, since finding fame Nadine has moved to Los Angeles. Crucially, her parents and siblings also went with her. Together they now run a bar, Nadine’s Irish Mist, on the Pacific Coast Highway at Sunset Beach.

Her family, she said in the BBC interview, are at the centre of her world, providing her with the foundations she needs to build her career and achieve success.

Yet for many people who move abroad, leaving family behind is the sacrifice they must make to fulfil those dreams of a life overseas.

Which is most important? Is it your family and friends, who will give you the necessary support from which all else becomes possible? Or is relocating abroad the key to achieving your personal and career goals, and finding happiness?

It’s a tough choice … unless, like Nadine, you can get all your nearest and dearest to come with you!

Related posts:

1. Thanksgiving and the Search for Happiness Abroad
2. Moving Abroad for Love
3. Should I Stay or Should I Go? Tips on Becoming an Expat

For anyone who hasn’t heard of him, Bruce Forsyth is a showbiz legend in the UK, a mainstay on Saturday prime time TV for the last 40-odd years.

And for the last 27 of those, Bruce has been married to Wilnelia, a Puerto Rican former Miss World who is 30 years his junior.

For me, what was interesting was the story of two people from different countries and cultures coming together to forge a life, and what it takes to make it a success.

Despite her fame on the Caribbean island, and the family and friends she has there, it is Winnie who has given up her homeland to be with her husband. OK, so she now lives in a mansion on the Wentworth golf estate in Surrey, with all the trappings that come from being married to a multimillionaire entertainer. But still, it must be a sacrifice.

Expat love

And it is a common tale. A survey earlier this year by health insurer Bupa International and expat web resource Expatica found one in five respondents had moved abroad for love[2]. It was a bigger reason for relocating than lifestyle choice (cited by 8% of expats), retirement (4%), weather and culture (1% each). 

There is a suggestion it may be a growing trend as well. According to the survey, only 14% of expats who moved abroad 10 years ago did it for love, whereas the figure was 22% for those who relocated in the last five years.

In these situations, one member of the couple will always have to be away from home and all it embodies: family and friends, familiar landscapes, its customs and culture.

Homesickness may strike, but – short of breaking up the family – one person will have to live with the consequences.

So how do you cope?

If anyone has any personal experiences from moving abroad for love, or tips and strategies on how to make it work I’d love to hear them.

[2] One in five expats moves abroad for love, expatica.com, 11 February 2010, http://www.expatica.com/be/news/community_focus/One-in-five-expats-moves-abroad-for-love.html

Related posts:

1. Expats Top Concerns When Moving Abroad
2. Good Housekeeping Article on Moving Abroad
3. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist

According to HSBC Bank International’s new Expat Existence survey, the best place to be an expatriate is in fact Singapore, followed by the United Arab Emirates and the US.

The HSBC report sought to investigate the opportunities and challenges that expats face in their new locations. To this end it ranked the countries according to a variety of factors that assessed expats’ ability to earn and save, their quality of accommodation, the level of luxury enjoyed (such as access to private healthcare, pool ownership, and the ability to employ staff), and a country’s popularity in terms of how long expats live there.

I wouldn’t disagree with the findings. I haven’t been to Singapore since the early 90s, but at the time I found it a clean and pleasant (if somewhat sterile) city.

It’s got an equable – albeit humid – climate, high education standards, low unemployment and good job opportunities, superb restaurants, low tax and living costs, and it serves as a convenient hub for travel in the wider region.

I can’t directly comment on the UAE, having never been there. However, as the CIA World Factbook notes, it has a high per capita income, strong economic growth and zero taxes in its Free Trade Zones. The money-earning potential therefore must be a particular lure. On the flip side I would imagine its climate is a significant drawback though.

The US has evident advantages too. My wife and I lived in New York for a year and loved it: the bustle and excitement, the opportunity to pursue the ‘American Dream,’ the chance to travel around what is an enormous and extremely varied country. I can therefore well-understand the allure it holds (which will no doubt increase once President Bush finally leaves office!).

By contrast, some traditional expat locations fared less well in the HSBC survey.

Australia came in 10^th, having received high marks for levels of luxury, accommodation, and the ability to earn and save, but with a low score for longevity. Spain, meanwhile, was 12^th and France 13^th.

The UK, which trailed in 14^th, proved the most expensive expat location for accommodation. It also ranked as the least luxurious, with decreases reported in nine of the 11 luxury categories. This will come as no surprise to the millions of British citizens who indicate they are planning their own escape from the country.

However, before you get carried away with the overall rankings and start changing your plans, it’s worth paying attention to the longevity scores. And here Europe came out triumphant.

The report found 82 percent of the expat respondents in the Netherlands have been there three or more years. Germany had the next highest figure, with 77 percent, while Spain was close behind with 76 percent.

No doubt there are a whole slew of reasons to account for this. Factors such as a reasonable year-round climate, ease of accessibility for trips back home, decent infrastructure (including transport, telecommunications, healthcare and education), political stability and a rich cultural heritage.

So although a hefty pay package and an army of domestic staff may be appealing, the financials of your move should not be the be-all and end-all. Rather, relocating abroad should be about improving your overall quality of life. Ultimately that is what will make it an enjoyable, and successful, experience.

Related posts:

1. Your Moving Abroad Location Checklist
2. Expats Top Concerns When Moving Abroad
3. Arizona Shootings and the Expat Cultural Divide