Re: Anyone thought about emigrating elsewhere?
Originally Posted by
Azz
->
Where to?
I love the idea of either travelling going from place to place every 3 to 6 months, or moving to somewhere like Spain for a couple of years... or anywhere relatively close and sunny
What about you? Are any of you living the dream? Perhaps you've been tempted? Interested in hearing from you!
I did, 50 years ago. Glad I did and yes I am living the dream.
Though it took a couple of years to realise it. I originally went to Australia because it was, in my mind, £10 for a two year "holiday". I had just finished my apprenticeship with GPO Telephones, I loved travelling and Australia wanted me.
Spent the two years working for half the year and travelling for the other half (give or take) mostly hitching up and down the east coast from Northern Queensland down to Melbourne and Adelaide, made great friends, met interesting people, saw the Australia of the 60s etc etc (mostly dirt roads in those days).
The two years was wonderful but I returned as I had planned and worked as a Technical Officer in the PO Tower in London (I was there when the IRA bombed it). In 1971/2 (ish) I decided to take the hippy trail across Europe, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan to India and Nepal. Spent a year having far too good a time travelling. When I ran short of money in Calcutta it was a choice of flying back to the UK or going on to Australia (those were the archaic days when you could only take £50 out of the country and Britons were the poor men of Europe).
As it happened I got a really cheap flight to Sydney because I thought I could earn more money there than in the UK.
When I stepped out of Sydney airport I had an epiphany, I suddenly felt like I was "home", it was the oddest feeling.
Funny thing was that I hadn't particularly missed Australia while I was back in the UK even though I had such pleasant memories of my two years there. However when I returned to Sydney this time I immediately wanted to stay ... the beautiful weather, the open spaces, beautiful city etc
Worked for a while and saved sufficient money, flew back to the UK, sorted out my affairs, voted NO in the EU referendum, endured the three day week and the power cuts before going back to Australia to stay.
Have only been back to the UK twice since and each visit did nothing to change my mind about wanting to live in Australia. If anything my first visit to the dismal Thatcher's Britain made me realise what a good move I had made.
BTW that is very much the truncated version of a long time ago. The full story involves working in other places and travelling with family and kids.