We all know how grim the holiday blues can be. They start the
minute the air conditioning blasts out on the plane, sucking the moisture from
your skin and ensuring your tan peels and fades like paint on an old shed. Once
home, your wonderful holiday becomes a distant memory as soon as the last
vestiges of sand from that mouldy old flip-flop disappears up the Hoover.
That said, most of us love home too. So, it seemed a total no-brainer to me to
combine the two as a route to eternal bliss. However, falling in love with a little Greek
fishing village or vibrant foreign city doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a great
place to go and live. Finding the right spot for you on a permanent basis
requires a more scientific approach.
Here are some things to consider before upping sticks.
1)
In this case location, location, location
applies more to the local airport than your home! Make sure your chosen spot has
a low cost airline flying in regularly
2)
Travel times must be considered before
moving and those times start the minute you leave your new front door. Find
somewhere not too far from an airport
3)
Do the flights operate all year round? Even a
decent connection to a hub airport is better than being stranded in the winter
months
4)
Is the place you’ve fallen in love with ‘open’
all year? It can prove a shock when you find all the tourists have gone home
and even the locals de-camp to other areas to wait out the low season months
5)
Technology must always be considered – not just
Internet connections, but having the right devices to enable you to do things
at speed and from anywhere, after all, working from the beach, lake or forest
is part of the joy of working in paradise. Check out mobile networks too as
there are still black spots for iPhones and Blackberrys
6)
Get yourself on forums for ex-pats and start
asking questions. They provide a wealth of knowledge and advice and are a great
sounding board for most things you need to know before taking
the plunge
In the next instalment of X Marks the Spot I’ll give you some great money saving advice.....
watch this space!
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