Hi Fizzy,
We have stayed for up to 8 weeks, going again in January for 2 months. We are still tourists, but maybe Chilly and Lez would be better at describing what it's like out of season.

We still do the same things but probably drink less. We still make lists of places to eat and miss 50% of them. We spread the day trips out a bit more so everything is less rushed.

The shop keepers, beach sellers, waiters etc. get to know you are long term and you don't get hassled so much.
The time share touts no longer bother you.

We now try to rent an apartment with cooking facilities and often have people round at lunch time.

This year we will be doing the golden triangle tour (5 nights) which if you are only staying for 2-3 weeks takes a lot from your holiday.
We travel to Mapsu, Calangute and Panjim by bus for shopping in the markets. It's almost as quick as taxis but you get to see some characters.

The worst thing is after the halfway point is passed and when you are asked how long to go you start answering in weeks then days.

Maybe one year we will spend 5-6 months.

Samtheboater - thanks for your reply. We would also like to stay for a few months and rent somewhere private rather than be in a hotel, (though I would still pop in for the odd drink!!) I think it must be a whole different ball game being there for say 3 - 6 months. We certainly couldn't afford to live like tourists for that length of time and I don't think we would want to. (No offence to anyone)! I would like to think we would live more as the locals do - but is this possible? Do you pay local price for things at the market or do they still treat you as a tourist? When your not travelling/exploring/ doing trips, what do you do with your time? Obviously be different depending on whether its tourist season or off season. Would be interested to hear from anyone who stays for long periods - just to get a feel for it Thanks

I also stay long term, and of course you cannot go out every night [Hi Samtheboater] The market sells to me at the same cost as the locals, also many of them have the prices per kilo displayed, same as the butchers.
When I dont go out we either have friends round, or I read a great deal although I have to confess to getting a telly with sky last time I was there, as it was monsoon and a lot wetter than last year, so stayed in more than usual. There is not much you can't buy although imported goods are very expensive,

Lin

Hi Lin,
See you in January, will take orders after Christmas.
Steve

hello fizzy2

my girlfriend and i were in india for 5 motnhs...we stayed in candolim for 3 our of the 5 months. i don't think it matters whether you rent or stay in a guesthouse, you'll still get to know the locals and the patter they ply to generate business...westerners in my opinion will always be outsiders and thus tourists in their eyes.

that said, for staying longer than 2-3 weeks you should make good bonds with certain locals and they will remember you for seasons to come. check my holiday report, there's plenty to do, it's just a question of getting off your bum and going out to explore (whether in goa or in other states of india). as for local prices, if you're in from sinquerim to baga then you'll pay a better price than you would at home, but you'll never pay a 'local price' in this neck of the woods...it's touristville ultimately, the first time we say the paise advertised was in the north of india, paise = 1/2 rupee).

can only encourage you to stay longer than a couple of weeks, great sense of community and soooooooo easy going
misterc.

Thanks misterc and Lin b for your replies.

Just trying to get a "feel" for how it would be. Yes, we do explore quite a lot although I am sure we could do more "out of state" and we do have lots of Goan friends. This will be my 11th visit so it's hard not to have formed relationships there! Like you say though, we are still tourists no matter how long we are there for! I like to read and watch TV too Lin, so that would be the same as being at home here! Its my OH I worry about, he gets really fidgety, needs to be doing something so I don't know how he would cope with being "laid back" for 3 - 6 months He does enjoy walking so I am certain he would continue with that. It'll be "brain stimulation" that he will lack i think, which doesn't bother me too much as my brain switched off years ago

I hope others will offer a viewpoint on this as it will help us to come to an informed decision. Not planning to do this yet, maybe in 3 years or so when OH can retire. However, I do wish it was sooner. thanks everyone.

hi fizzy 2 we stay for approx 5 month but we dont stay during the monsoon , not yet anyway ,
we find it a lot slower pace when you stay long term cos you dont need to cram things in to two or thee weeks , i also read a lot and we dont go out every night john my o/h likes football so we choose the nights when football is on t.v to stay in and he watches the match we have cable tv which is very cheap compared to the uk and they show more matches , he also goes fishing with friends quite a lot and we both try to do a lot of walking usually along the beach , we also travel around goa staying overnight in different places and this year plan to go further to kerala and around india
quite a few family and friends come out to stay during the season so we usually do the trips and beach party tourist things with them , and to be honest we find it quite easy to relax doing nothing the rest of the time anita

We stay for up to three months, in a rented apartment, fthe first week is usually a touristy thing, out every night, for a meal, drinking during the day, but then we do get fed up with going out, hence the rental of an apartment, it is lovely after a day shopping or being on the beach to just return to the apartment, and do your own thing, if you stay in a hotel there is the need to go out every night, as you need to get a meal, or the four walls of the hotel seem to close in on you, but with an apartment, and our own cooking facilities, you can have a simple snack, of eggs on toast, it is sheer heaven to have a shower then sit on the veranda, and watch the world go by, with out having to be down there with them.

I don't do much cooking in Goa, it is not worth it, especially when you can get a lovely meal in one of the shacks, or in the nearby town for a matter of a pound, it is far cheaper to buy your alcohol drinks from one of the supermarkets, the cheapest supermarket is across from the football field in Candolim, although last year we were told that the ground floor of the new Highland Beach complex was to be a very large supermarket, catering especially for European needs. (In other words expensive)

Just writing this makes me feel homesick, I have lived all over the world, but never have I felt so at home as being in Goa.
Gayle

We have been here for 10 months now and to be honest love it.The time has flown by.We try to live here like we do at home, go out a few times a week but mainly cook ourselves at night.As for filling in the time well we read alot more,cable tv,internet a few hours a day taking the dog out and so on.

We were back in the Uk for a few weeks in April and although it was great seeing family and friends we couldn't wait to get back here.Life is so laid back there's no stress apart from waiting for workmen,power cuts no water sometimes but hey that's India for you and funnily enough part of the charm.

We are back in the Uk in a couple of weeks to sort our house sale out and the Visa situation then it's back to Goa.We have agreed a 3 year rental lease on a house here for 8500 rupees a month so as you can see we will be here a while longer.

john

Hi everyone, thanks again for the additional info. Its great to hear how you occupy yourselves during your long stays. I suppose, we would do largely the same as you, live like we do here with the exception of cooking "every" night. (I hate cooking)! As we all know, eating out is so much cheaper there so I am sure we would do so quite a lot. This will sound rather snobby but do you do your own cleaning? I don't mind doing my own (I do here) but I would like to provide some additional income for a friend over there and thought this would be a good way of doing so. If you are in holiday complexes you probably get a cleaner provided? We don't really want to be on a holiday complex as we would be down at the bar every night which although fun, would get expensive! The issues regarding electric and water would not really be a problem, an annoyance at times I am sure, but these things have happened frequently during our stays in Goa so I guess we would become accustomed to it - far worse during the monsoon I should imagine. Not sure yet if we would stay there during the monsoon although it would be quite an experience - will have to think hard about that I was quite surprised to know that it is still possible to rent for 8500 per month jcbrum, thats good news. We have rented privately before, just for 3 weeks, and have become good friends with the owners so I think we could negotiate a good price for a long term stay. We also have another friend who owns a flat so accomodation shouldn't be a problem. Well, this has all been very interesting and informative - thanks guys.

hi fizzy we rent our flat and it came with a cleaner and fresh sheets supplied twice weekly when we rented short term we keep this on cos like you said we dont want to put anyone out of a job or lower their income so yes we do have a cleaner which doesnt cost much

We have been going long term for several years now. We go sometime in October and leave sometime in March. It's great. We stay in a rented flat in Arpora, North Goa. It's about two miles from Baga Beach. This year is proving a pain though because of the chaos caused by the new visa rules. Still going though

welcome to the Goa forum

Thanks everyone for your replies, I think I have more of an idea of how we would cope now OK about cleaners, thats good news, though I am quite happy to do my own cleaning, I don't want to be doing too much of it - not in that heat I am sure my friend would be happy to help us out and the additional income for her family would make a big difference to their lives. Although potentially this is three or so years away and could end up being all "pie in the sky" (thinking of visa issues here), I am so looking forward to being out there for more than the usual two or three weeks - lovely jubbly

Just one more question though. Is it a good idea to go for 6 months for the "first" long term stay or would it be more sensible to go for 3 months for the first time and build up to 6 - after all it is a big change (particularly climate wise) and just wondering if we will actually miss feeling refreshing cold air, rain or the rolling green countryside? (Can't really believe I'm asking this)

Anyway, your views are much appreciated - thanks again guys.

Hi fizzy ( missed each other again! ) This thread is making for some very interesting reading. I too am seriously considering becoming a long term stayer rather than just a fortnight once a year. I cannot get enough of the place, i am thinking about it the whole time. I have only been the once, but of all the places in the world its the only one that has got me thinking i could leave the UK for. I met several people who have rented their houses in the UK out ( i was advised NEVER sell up but rent instead) and are living out there and loving it. I picked their brains about everything, listening to them and hearing how they live, and seeing how relaxed and happy they all seemed to be made me question my life back in England. Thanks for starting this thread its brilliant. Plus you are asking all the things i want to know too! I'm sure i would miss the green countyside and even the cold and snow and lots of other things, but its weighing it all up at the end of the day isnt it and making your decisions once you have all the information. And part of life is taking risks isnt it? Bye for now. Lisa.

And part of life is taking risks isnt it?

Depends on what that risk involves

Its called taking advantage of opportunities Lisa

Like you, I would NEVER sell up to stay in Goa long term. I was always advised never to put all your eggs in one basket As far as "risks" go, I take risks every day, getting out of bed is always a risk specially when you are as accident prone as me

Life would be so dull if none of us were able to try something new and if it doesn't work out, there is always the opportunity to try something else

We too plan to move to Goa for 6 months each year starting in 2009. We will close the house up for that period and rent in Goa. Our main reason for deciding not to rent the UK house out is because if something happened to one of us when in Goa, we would want the house available to us for our return. We also do not like the idea of strangers using our things.

My brother in law keeps coming up with "what if" scenarios in an attempt to make us think about not pursuing our dream of living in Goa for the Winter. Our answer is "what if we drop down dead next week!

Candybabe

Too true Candybabe, life is for the living and there would be no point getting to the end of it and regretting that you had not done those things you wanted to do. We can all say "what if", but its the "what if's" that stop you trying

Good point about renting out your house, must admit that I would also be worried about this as we could end up with dreadful tenants who might trash the place. Trouble is, renting out the house would more than pay for us to be in Goa and once retired we wouldn't have such a great income; so the house gives us the opportunity I previously spoke about. Obviously, we will give all of this a lot of thought prior to going and take advice from others who have done this.