If you were to emigrate then which country would you go to, and why?

Haha yeah cars in Oz and NZ are definitely worse. I had a brand new Golf GT when I lived in the UK but then again cars were a status symbol and people had finance to get them. Here you're seen as a nutter if you spend money on new cars. The kiwi motto is "if it gets you from A to B that's all you need". I now drive a 1997 1300cc green Mazda! Bought cash for about 1500gbp and it does the job. My boss drives an older car and is on 6 figures! Kiwis just seem to prioritise savings, having fun and house spending instead of cars and possessions. Made me realise how little possessions actually do to make you happy.
 
ic1male said:
Why were you fed up of China?
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Many reasons. The first time I was there as a tourist was daunting, having zero language at that point, but I enjoyed travelling around for a bit. When I went to actually live there, it was to attend a university. They treated us basically like kids again (I was 21 at this point, so having to write essays of apology for missing a class and the campus being locked down at 11pm, with the electricity turned off in the dorms at midnight, was a bit annoying).

Moved out of the dorms, got my own flat, and just found everyone so cold and unfriendly. None of the neighbours would talk to us, they'd just call the police to my flat if they had an issue with something, and we were told on our first day to just not get involved with any domestic issues I saw. Getting anyone to open up and talk was next to impossible, and it became frustrating knowing what was happening around me regarding censorship and oppression, and not being able to talk about it, let alone do anything. One of my friends was living with a host family, whose father got a visit from a government official over something my friend posted on the blog he was keeping, as the father was one of few people to actually talk about his dislike of the political system.

I accept that this is different in top-tier cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou etc, and I've always said that if I moved back to China, I'd have to live in one of those, as there is actually a sense of a youth movement creating art and music using influences from the outside world. But still, I didn't like the pollution, the spitting, how generally grey and dirty everything was, being stared at constantly or my landlord always trying to cheat me - but mostly the culture of silence and keeping your head down. That, and the government bulldozed my favourite bar to build a road through it. Pfft.

That's not to write China off completely, I had a lot of fun in Sichuan/Inner Mongolia/Beijing at various times, but I'm so much happier in Taiwan, where freedom of the press/speech is valued and everything just works. It works differently to home, but it does at least work, and everyone I've met so far has been incredibly welcoming - I've not had a journey yet where the person next to me didn't try to start a conversation (usually to make sure I was having a good time in their country).


...Wow, that was longer than I'd expected.
 
Totality said:
Haha yeah cars in Oz and NZ are definitely worse. I had a brand new Golf GT when I lived in the UK but then again cars were a status symbol and people had finance to get them. Here you're seen as a nutter if you spend money on new cars. The kiwi motto is "if it gets you from A to B that's all you need". I now drive a 1997 1300cc green Mazda! Bought cash for about 1500gbp and it does the job. My boss drives an older car and is on 6 figures! Kiwis just seem to prioritise savings, having fun and house spending instead of cars and possessions. Made me realise how little possessions actually do to make you happy.
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I agree with everything you have said, very true and a very good way to live.

A car for me is more than just a material product though i look at them as almost a piece of art and admire the engineering that goes into making one. Thus making it more than going from A to B as i take immense enjoyment from driving.

This is the only part of the world where people will buy a Vauxhall (Holden) for $100,000 (£67,000) which is basically just a fast Vectra!! MADNESSS!!!!
 
- Europe

Denmark or Sweden

- NA

Canada or USA

- Asia

Japan

..and Australia

Scandinavia scares the hell out of me though, the thought of living in Antarctic conditions :(, I could see myself integrating well into the Japanese way of living minus the language which I'd have to learn ASAP. The rest is pretty sub standard, english speaking countries with which we have quite in common.
 
We moved here from the UK because its a great area to raise a family, very minimal crime, fantastic countryside etc, etc. Much better than raising my daughter in Burnley with all the feral, disrespectful kids there now.

Instead of thieving gippo's in my back garden, i've got bears and deer. :D
 
demon8991 said:
I agree with everything you have said, very true and a very good way to live.

A car for me is more than just a material product though i look at them as almost a piece of art and admire the engineering that goes into making one. Thus making it more than going from A to B as i take immense enjoyment from driving.

This is the only part of the world where people will buy a Vauxhall (Holden) for $100,000 (£67,000) which is basically just a fast Vectra!! MADNESSS!!!!
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Haha yeah I must admit that I do like the Holden Commodores and the Ford Falcons. 4 litres :D
 
Dimi said:
Scandinavia scares the hell out of me though, the thought of living in Antarctic conditions :(,
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It will depend where you live but you'll probably find that they just get on with it in the winter, it might be cold and icy but it's not actually that bad. You dress appropriately and drive sensibly, there's a slight bit of adaptation but the buildings are well insulated and heated, the public services tend to be fairly regular and reliable so it's not a major worry.
 
Mr^B said:
Country: Switzerland.
Reason: Tax and fondue.
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You know that they pay tax in Switzerland, right? Unless you're pulling in in the millions, the tax system is not very beneficial to any normally person.
Depending on your canton (Zug is pretty good for it) you can make a deal with the authorities to pay a one off flat payment of x amount.

I know someone who agreed to pay a flat rate of 400k pa in tax, no matter what he earned and the agreement was for 7yrs. Could take in 200k or 10mil in a year, still has to pay the same. Just so happened he takes payments for other people, so nets around 15mil a year, so it works well for him.

I on the other hand, am a mere mortal and not in the millions, so you pay normal tax like everyone else. You may be "slightly" better off than UK, by about 8%(?) but not what everyone thinks.
 
To add my part though...

We moved from Cambridge to Basel, and now live just outside in France and we don't miss the UK. Yes, there are annoyances everywhere you go, everywhere, so don't think that there is a place that doesn't have things that grate on you. Bonuses about being where we are is that you can be skiing in an hour, or a couple of hours to our place. You're in the middle of 3 countries (FR, GER, CHF) and getting anywhere in Europe is pretty easy.
You can drive to Italy in 3hrs, Austria, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium etc. are all close. The kids went from never having been on holiday, to visiting 6 countries last year. They also have a chance to learn another language fluently, which is such a massive bonus at young ages (now 5 & 8).

Saying that, I've been contemplating my next "move" the hand isn't being forced but I'll come to the point where I need something more and so looking at options and I am considering California.
The downsides of this are flights. Not only for us, but you have to consider the family you leave behind as well. At the moment I can get a BA flight to the UK for about 100quid. Various family and friends pop out and see us, or drive down, which you cannot do to the US.
 
inSilica said:
I was all set to apply before speaking to a couple of Canadians (well educated) who were desperate to get out and come here.
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As an educated Canadian who, six years ago, could not wait to get out of Canada and come to the UK, I can't wait to go back.
Don't get me wrong, I do like living here; it's just that the quality of life is far better in Canada.
 
Canada, mainly because of the outdoors, it's great for canoeing or hiking in summer and skiing or snowshoeing in winter. Also the bonuses are that I keep free healthcare, Queen as head of state, poutine etc.
Possibly NZ or the US.

To be honest not many places come above the UK.
 
Canada for me as well, My fave X girlfriend was Canadian & all her mates I hung with were a right mellow bunch. On top of that there's the Epic Man scale way of life & as it's North of America every time you take a dump you are crapping on the grand old US of A. :p
 
Luxembourg - I lived there when I was a teenager. It's peaceful, quiet and is close to both France and Germany.

Denmark/Sweden - good standard of living and is overall quite safe.
 
How does healthcare work in NZ out of interest?

I really wanted to visit NZ a few years back but ran out of time. My geography fail meant I didn't realise how flippin' far away from Oz it was! It would have taken 6-7 hours to get where I wanted to be from Sydney!!! :eek:
 
Narj said:
How does healthcare work in NZ out of interest?

I really wanted to visit NZ a few years back but ran out of time. My geography fail meant I didn't realise how flippin' far away from Oz it was! It would have taken 6-7 hours to get where I wanted to be from Sydney!!! :eek:
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Same as the NHS except you pay to see the GP. Costs the equivalent of 20gbp to see the GP, but this means you see your personal GP same day if needs be, there's never a wait in the waiting room and they actually seem to listen to you as they don't hate their jobs. Lots of expat doctors here (I work at a hospital) who say the difference between being a DR here and for the NHS is staggering as they finish on time, don't have massive work loads and actually earn more.

Also, prescriptions cost the equivalent of 1.50gbp each instead of the 7gbp (I think it was this when I moved away a few years back?) per prescription.

I've never understood why the NHS is so expensive. There are only 4 million people in NZ, it's in the middle of nowhere and yet the wages are higher and healthcare cheaper :S

You will NOT be seen for free though on the public system unless you have a valid long term work visa or are a resident. If you are a visitor the country you visit from needs to offer reciprical healthcare (the UK does so you are covered) but if you move over and don't get a job or visa, you don't get free healthcare and can't milk the system. You have to earn it here which I think is great. I was on a temp visa when I arrived and was not covered for free healthcare, but am now a resident so am OK. The UK reciprocal scheme will cover you for emergency treatment though, but for other stuff you will need health insurance if visiting.

I have had to use the free public healthcare system for an operation and found waiting times similar to NHS.
 
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