Sun, sea and a more relaxing lifestyle may be a big draw for expats moving overseas – but they still miss home.
The miserable weather quickly changing from wind and rain to a bright day is a joke for many, but one of the main things they miss about home to many.
This was the surprise of an expat survey by clothing firm Cotton Traders.
Researchers asked expats what they liked about Britain, and 20% said the changeable weather rather than constant sunshine in their new home was something they regretted leaving behind.
Other surprise findings were despite moaning and groaning about the National Health Service, one in seven expats wished their new home offered a similar resource.
Sense of humour
Cultural differences were also a problem for 8%, who liked the British sense of humour, which they felt many locals lacked in foreign countries.
Despite the majority enjoying their new life abroad, around 33% hanker for Britain and intend to move back home permanently at some time in the future.
That’s although nine out of 10 were happy with their new life and eight of 10 enjoyed work more and felt they had more personal time to relax and pursue their hobbies.
Other plus points of living overseas included a lower cost of living giving expats more spending power for at least half of Brits abroad – while one in four could afford a more comfortable home.
Leisure time was important for most expats. Around 85% felt they had more time to relax and two thirds said they had more friends and socialised more than they did at home.
Enjoying new lifestyle
Almost half believed that was because the locals were friendlier in the country where they now lived.
The general feeling for 13% was staying out later improved their lifestyle and made making friends easier.
The big move was a trigger to make 15% feel they had more get up and go to do something with their lives, both in and out of work.
“It’s clear from our research that the many millions of Britons living overseas are enjoying their new lives and taking the opportunity to meet new friends and generally feeling they have more social and leisure time,” said a spokesman for the firm.
“On the other hand, some expats do miss home and perhaps moving to another country helps some see that the grass is not always greener on the other side of The Channel and that Britain does have a lot to offer even if the weather is not as good.”
