Gary,
So are you still in Spain or back in UK?

We sold up everything almost 9yrs ago to move permanently to Cyprus.
We're still here and haven't been back to UK since the day we left. My parents come out for a month each November and they usually go to Malta in February for a month too so we fly there and visit them for about a week.

I work full time for an offshore company and have a good salary by Cyprus standards plus you don't pay tax here unless you earn around €19,000pa. Although with the new austerity measures being put into force by the Troika after the recent bailout agreement, that may change a little but even so, the tax is low in comparison to UK.

We live in a Cypriot village on a street full of Cypriot residents and we're about 12km away from the tourist area and town centre of Limassol. It suits us very well. However, I do believe that some of the experiences you outlined do occur in Paphos which has a much higher British expat population and is one of the reasons we chose Limassol instead.

We believe had we chosen Paphos there's a very good chance we wouldn't still be here.

We don't live our life as if we're on holiday all the time. We've seen acquaintances do that in Paphos and these people had a shed load of money but it didn't last long when they were out eating and drinking every night, paying an extortionate amount on rent for a big villa with a swimming pool and paying to put their 2 kids through private school. Very soon they were living in a tiny rented apartment in the old town, the kids were in government school and both parents were running themselves ragged trying to hold down 2 jobs... They eventually separated.

My motto is as you say, do the homework and then do some more besides. Plus make sure you have enough funds behind you to live for up to 2yrs without having to rely on any income or work.

So, there are good and bad sides to all tales. But, if you're thinking of moving abroad to run away from bad things or escape stuff in UK, don't look at doing it overseas. Whatever you are trying to leave tends to come back and find you!

We left for a better and more relaxed lifestyle after my husband had a close call with a health scare (not the big C) and that made our decision once we had the all clear back from the hospital. We certainly have the life we wanted. We run 2 vehicles, have no mortgage (we rent) and find that you don't "need" the same stuff as in UK. No fighting for the next new gadget or must have electrical item.

We have friends who came out at the same time as us and they're still here too! And, we're still friends!

Thanks for replying
Lucky for me I'm now back in the UK. Back to normality.
My heads now clear of what was a nightmare experience venture to Spain.
But how long for?
I'm now getting itchy feet again after having a taste of what I "could " have had and want it again.
ONLY this time, il do it on my terms.... ALONE!
Got a opportunity in the 18 months to possibly buy outright somewhere.
Where?
Haven't yet decided.
Doing ground work all the time trying to find a ideal destination.
But more due to luck and hard graft, it is that close.... Should I not change my mind.
Il take all my past experiences and use them to my advantage and hopefully won't fall into any traps experienced before .

Sorry to hear your experience in Spain wasn't as you had dreamed it would be Gary.

However, I read that you have itchy feet again, so obviously the UK isn't quite for you either

I totally agree, do the research and then do some more research!!! I made the move here over 20 years ago, and like cyprus100, I chose not to live in the tourist areas. Even after all these of living in a small village, I can't say I am totally integrated, but I am accepted, and this is now my life. I would feel like a fish out of water should I have to go back to UK!

Good luck Gary, on your next venture

Hi Gary
Do you have any tips for what homework to do? Would you keep somewhere in the UK for the short term? Would you go for a long holiday there first? Or several ones? If its a seasonal place then I would think that a holiday out of the holiday season is a must.
Can you speak Spanish? Thinking about jobs, mortgages, dealing with day to day things, the country's customs- I know my sister was a bit taken aback with the Cypriot male attitude to females for instance.
As cyprus100 says, things are not good at all for many expats in Cyprus. Those who retired there have seen their money diminish in real terms to something they can no longer live on anymore. Thousands have a mortgage with a bank in Swiss francs and have found the lump sum they now own may have even doubled. I can imagine that those in Greece now have similar horror stories.
It would be great if you could give everyone some idea of what to do try to avoid some of the pitfalls you found. Thank you for having the courage to post here to tell us what you experienced. I hope things improve for you very soon.

The main thing I would suggest would be not to buy a property outright in a strange place....

When the Cyprus forums first started out the expats all used to pooh pooh renting but now the worm has turned and even those who own their own properties tell newcomers to rent first before buying.

Many find they don't like where they have purchased after living there a while. Or the job they had isn't what they thought and they may need to seek work in a different part of the island. A lot of positions here work on split shifts so you may have to go home for 2 - 3 hours during the day then return to work later to finish off your daily quota of hours. Not good if your house is in Paphos and a new job is in Limassol. That's a 260km round trip on a daily basis.

Rent for a minimum of 12 months and see how things go. It's much better than sinking all your hard earned funds into a property that you either no longer love or are tied to because you cannot sell it.

Sometimes you may not wish to purchase a car.... You need to find out how reliable public transport is in your area. Here in Cyprus, it's not so good in the outlying areas. We're okay - our bus service is pretty regular but the bus only goes as far as the terminal in the old town. If you work in the business area of town, you need to take another bus and they mostly only run along the main routes.

Schools here finish at lunchtime (government schools start early in the day) and most kids have privately paid lessons later in the afternoon. If both parents are working you need to be able to plan how or who will pick up the kids and how to keep them entertained until your work has finished. It's all additional cost that perhaps was never bargained for.

Personally speaking, we've found that for those expats who keep a property back in UK - it's all too easy to decide to go running back if things in their new life start to go awry. Whereas those who sell up before emigrating have to tough it out and are more likely to stick at it.

But all these incidences above are what should be on your list of things to research.

Hello there Fiona
Only a few things i can pass on reg homework is.
A . Don't rush into anything. The choice you make could pay dividens or be a very costly experiment as I found out to my cost.
B. if your thinking of travelling alone? Then you only have yourself to blame should things go " belly up".
But if travelling with a partner? It's got to be a decision you both agree on. 100%. I wouldn't take that chance if one is going in half hearted. If children are involved? Then it's a total different ball game. Your / our priories are to them and their futures.
Despite some fantastic schools in Spain ( and I can only comment on there) , you must think of what opportunities there will be for them if and when they leave school.
Spain as we all know is bankrupt. No work alone for the Spanish let alone foreigners trying to taking their jobs...
C. I'd advise you to take numerous visits to not just one town/ city. But to visit many. To try and find that dea place. As said earlier. You want it to be as near perfect as you can.
Costing a few hundred pounds a time visiting a place you eventually fall in love with, could save a small fortune ( or hate to say it....everything ) long term. Even a stable relationship.
Once you find that ideal place!
Spend days and nights there, taking in weekends.
What you see during the day can look totally different at night.
Get talking to people. There's bound to be a ex pat or English speaking local who knows the area well. Feed off their information given.
I found going to local town hall very good fir information.
There's dozens of sites like this one. The age of the computer will give you a lot of info that your not 100% sure on.
Never trust everything you hear... Especially from estate agents.
Try and find out what the future holds for the town or city.
With our village a new railway station was being built. A positive for the area.
The negatives was in a village of less than 4,000 people was to be expanded to 42,000 if a corrupt major won the local elections. ( he won despite comming 3rd in that next election)... Work that won out?
Any building works can be a plus or minus to a small community.
D. As you may have read on other messages? Get a " local" English speaking solicitor.
NEVER use a solicitor recommended by a estate agent. Their working for them. Never you.
E. my advise would never apply for a mortgage unless you are 100% sure you will have funds to fund the purchase.
Bank rates fluctuate by the month. Let alone year. What lys around the corner?
Ideally if not 100% committed to moving immediately and have that option of renting your property out in the UK I'd do so without fail. I'm intending to do it myself should I take the plunge again?
Giving you peace of mind that you can return within 6-12 months to your own home if the move is not right for you has to be a good thing. Worse side you'll have a good vacation.
The main thing s try to mingle with the locals. Learn to integrate.
If you moved anywhere in the UK to another address within the UK you would. So why not there?
After all. These could be your new neighbours and friends...
Last of all
F. Learn their language. It doesn't matter how small you know.
Even though making many many mistakes as I did talking to the Spanish. They appreciate you making the effort. And are quick to put you right.
Hope this is some of the answers you required?

Some great advice
I think its a good thread to have anyway but I'll bet a few folks will be making resolutions about their future in the next day or two- and decisions can be made on the strength of a good holiday. We do own property abroad but its purely investment and rented to locals. We won't be retiring to either place but I have to admit to being tempted to have a property abroad we could spent part of the year at, when we retire. But then- who doesn't?

I always think you need to learn the language before you go, I can't imagine trying to pick it up once I am somewhere dealing with the bureaucracy and attempting to earn a living and establish a new life that would be a nightmare, I know then once you are there you could build on it but it seems best to try and do a GCSE or similar before you go. I also wouldn't really be interested going to somewhere like Spain, people who go seem to be wanting to return t some kind of simpler lifestyle that they had in the UK years ago, it's just not realistic when all the young Spanish and even the older Spanish are aspiring to designer clothes, smart phones and all the other stuff many of us may dismiss as cr@p, it seems wrong to try and our inflict lost values on them just because that is something that feel lost in current society and we want.

I know of someone who has had to emigrate to Switzerland complete with job and the affluence of that country (no Spanish bankruptcy or mass unemployment or chavs insight there) and still dislike it, but they had no choice it was that or the end of a thirty year career and face unemployment in middle age and one kid at school and one kid still at Uni.

Very interesting thread - thanks Gary for sharing your experiences

I took Greek lessons at night school for 6 months before we moved permanently to Cyprus and again for 6 months after we arrived to try to pick up the local Cypriot dialect.

Sadly, I don't need Greek in my job but I can get by plus I can read and write the language, which is generally more than the Anglo Kypreos can do when they come over permanently. They can speak it but do not understand it when it is written down.

I recall it being quite odd sitting down in the advanced class with a girl who could speak fluently but hadn't got a clue when it came to writing out the Greek alphabet or simple words and phrases.