Go on holiday, fall in love, scan the estate agents' windows. Then go home and forget everything. This also applies to the well-known pattern - unless you are one of the brave few who take a permanent step.
Many of those looking for a new adventure are retirees. According to the ONS, around 207,300 Britons over the age of 65 lived in the Eurozone (excluding Ireland) in 2018, with many more leaving the suburbs for the British coast or somewhere further afield. But does reality always make the dream come true?
"When you go on vacation and have a great time, you get that eternal honeymoon feeling because it's an escape from your everyday life," says Robert Hallums, founder of Experts for Expats. "I think once you fall in love with something, you have to go back and see it at its worst."
If even the depths of an off-season winter don't deter you, Hallums warns that there are other practical matters to consider. Finances are a good starting point, especially for those moving abroad. "Even if you think you have enough money to live a good life, you have to consider the chance of currency crashes... It's not just about meeting the financial visa requirements, it's about knowing your quality of life and what that means. cost of quality of life," he says.
Healthcare is another consideration. "Not all countries will have a state healthcare provider and not all countries will support pre-existing conditions. The level of healthcare can also be better or worse, so research is absolutely crucial," he adds.
Even when everything falls neatly into place, homesickness can be paralyzing. "It can take 18 months for a place to feel like home," says Amy Morton of expat coaching company Aim Coaching. The key, she says, is to do as much administration in advance as possible, learn the language and join local community groups. "People feel like they can have FaceTime and talk to family and friends, but that can make the problem worse," she notes.
For a behind-the-scenes look, we spoke to retirees on the Isle of Wight, Spain and Mauritius about the good, bad and ugly of turning your favorite holiday destination into a permanent home.
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"Our normal Sunday routine is to walk along the beach and then have brunch at the hotel," says Steve Argyle. He and his partner Lin moved to Mauritius six months ago after retiring to South Africa. The couple is renting a house while they build their own home at Heritage Villas Valriche.
"We went on holiday to Mauritius every year for nine to ten years and absolutely loved it," Steve explains. "People in Britain think Africa is always warm, but the Western Cape where we lived had a cold, wet winter. We kept coming to Mauritius because it was warm and sunny and we said 'shall we jump?' Should we move again and have another adventure?'"
The couple had spent many happy holidays at the Heritage Le Telfair resort and discovered villas in the associated residential area next door. They are now renting one while they wait for their own house to be built on the estate.
"After going all around the island with our moving man, we ended up where we started," says Steve. "Heritage Le Telfair is my favorite hotel in the world. I wouldn't say it's the fanciest, even though it's very beautiful, but it's incredibly peaceful, it's beautifully manicured and it's right on the beach of the Indian Ocean." As residents, they can also use the complex's restaurants, bars and golf course.
They had no intention of building a house on the island, but because Heritage Villas Valriche did not allow long-term rentals at the time, they decided to buy a plot. "It's quite something to build a house," Steve admits. "My wife was less keen to start over than I was, but now everywhere we go it's 'oh, look at those lights', or 'look at those curtains'. It really gives something to think about."
At the end of their project, the couple will have a three-bedroom villa with a 14-metre swimming pool overlooking one of the golf course's fairways. However, this type of pension is not cheap. "Living here at Villas Valriche is probably the closest you can get to paradise, but the entry level is $1.3 million (£1,025,600). You have to have a certain amount of money," says Steve.
There have been administrative and financial concerns, but no second thoughts. "Even after quite a difficult time of filling out forms and trying to get money out of South Africa (I'm still trying to get money out of South Africa, it's a nightmare!), we haven't regretted it for a second," he adds.
Ian Dickens and his wife Anne retired to the Isle of Wight in 2018, having previously lived in Bedfordshire. "We had a beautiful 400-year-old farmhouse with a thatched roof that we spent most of our time struggling with," says Ian. "Every year something fell off or rotted and had to be replaced, and we thought, 'It's time for us to downsize.' That was in Bedfordshire, which is not known for its coastline."
Both Ian and Anne were keen sailors who had taken part in parts of the Clipper Round The World race. While Ian worked for the company in Portsmouth, the couple visited the Isle of Wight with friends and found property to be surprisingly affordable.
However, there were initial concerns about moving there. "There was the concern that we were cutting ourselves off by moving away from our daughter, son and grandchildren. But we thought if you live in the area you might have family coming in and out and not getting quality time with them. By living somewhere special, they come during the summer, Easter or the summer holidays and stay all week."
The couple spent another two weeks of vacation on the island before making the move. "We did a really slow lap, looking at all the villages and getting a feel for them," says Ian. "The Cowes area felt good because it has a large, vibrant sailing community, which was important to us. There are other places on the island where all houses go dark in autumn or winter, because people disappear from second homes or holiday homes."
They settled in Gurnard, a small village just outside Cowes, and threw themselves into island life. "We volunteer at a local vineyard with a lovely group of people and do hard work on a willful basis because we get paid in bottles and not cash," says Ian.
In 2024 he will play a part in the celebrations of the 175th anniversary of his great-great-grandfather Charles Dickens' four-month stay on the Isle of Wight, during which he wrote parts of David Copperfield. And at Easter the grandchildren will be back too.
"I hope we pass the baton to people we will never meet," says Ian. "I would love it for my grandson Joe to be a grandfather and say to his grandchildren 'we must go to the Isle of Wight as I remember such happy times there'."
Sandy Crook took early retirement and moved to Spain with his wife Fiona in 2020. The couple now lives in Alcaucín in Andalusia. "We had rented a few villas over the years and taken the kids with us," he says. "Then we bought a camper and traveled all over Spain, but we kept coming back to this area."
The couple loved the convenience and the southern Spanish weather. "Malaga airport is 40 minutes away and you are close to the beach," adds Sandy. Initially they admit to being put off by a visible British presence. "We stayed in this villa and went to the local shop and it was called Arkwrights. And we thought, 'I would never buy anything from a store called Arkwrights,'" says Sandy.
However, the draw ultimately proved too strong and Mario, the couple's builder, helped them assimilate into the Spanish community. "There are actually not that many expats here, but they mainly use British builders and buy British food. We were lucky with Mario, who put us in touch with all the Spanish traders, and he has also become a friend," he says.
Health insurance was a stumbling block. Sandy has Parkinson's and although they are very satisfied with Spanish healthcare, dealing with insurers has proven stressful. "The hospitals are great, you can't fault the nurses. But the actual insurance companies are a struggle to deal with," says Fiona.
Amy Morton of Aim Coaching and a local estate agent shared their contacts to help them with the wider "Spanish bureaucracy", but for Fiona homesickness set in. "When you're in your late 50s, the thought of making new friends and things like that is quite scary, but you do it," she says.
Three years later, the couple is very settled. They have purchased two other properties locally to provide an income during their retirement and enjoy swimming in their pool, walking and riding motorcycles. "Every time I go away now, I just want to come back here," Sandy says.