Lets have a debate !

[alittlebitfrench]

What is the point of moving to France ? That is my debate….of the day.

No seriously….what is the point ?

Food no….its the same. Actually….I think French processed food (which most is) is god awful….it makes me really ill. Really ill !. Not well ALBF eating French processed food. Which most is.

Countryside (uk vs France) hmmm no….its the same….the UK is greener. France is browner.
 

Culture…..I have no idea what that is after 25 years.

Adventure ….yeah I guess. But that is the same from moving from Cornwall to Wales. Or vice versa.
 

So why move to France ? You can do the same in the UK.

From an English perspective. What is the point of moving to France  ?

Just asking.

[DaveLister]

You might as well ask why move anywhere? There will be a thousand different reasons depending on peoples circumstances and life experiences. For me, it was simply going back to my roots. My ancestors are French & my partner was half French. I tried the UK for 10 years but it didn't suit me.

I agree with you about French culture though😀

[alittlebitfrench]

1 hour ago, DaveLister said:

You might as well ask why move anywhere? There will be a thousand different reasons depending on peoples circumstances and life experiences. For me, it was simply going back to my roots. My ancestors are French & my partner was half French. I tried the UK for 10 years but it didn't suit me.

I agree with you about French culture though😀

I dunno…but I just don’t get the point.

Sell your house, uplift your kids….do I bring me car or buy one in france. Open a gīte…or mow lawns for a living. Pretend I am a builder.
 

Bureaucracy, Bureaucracy, Bureaucracy. CDS…..carte vitale…blah blah blah. 

My wife hates it but I love it.
I hate it buy my wife loves it.

Is France worth a divorce ?

Can someone tell me what is the point of moving to France.

I am going mad today pondering this life mystery.

[DaveLister]

But what you're describing could refer to moving to any country.

Some people move for work, some for a better lifestyle, some for the weather.

Some people will make it a success, some people won't.

Twas ever thus.

I don't think France is particularly unique in this regard.

[Lehaut]

I think it is very hard if not impossible to have a "debate" on a forum.  You need two sides to put up opposing views and an audience to vote.  Not going to happen here.

We lived all over the UK including 3 years living on a narrow boat at Rickmansworth whilst we worked at the HQ at Northwood.  We were going to buy a Dutch sailing barge to sail through Europe when a friend talked about a lock keepers cottage recently bought in France.  We came across and realised that we could have a far better quality of life here than we could reasonably expect in the UK.  Drew up a 5 year plan which included getting pregnant (twice) and stuck to it.  27 years later and we have no doubt that we made the right decision for the right reason.  Yes the UK has some amazing scenery (we have done the Wild Atlantic Way, the centre of Ireland,  End to Enders, NC 500 Pennines, lake etc in recent years).  You share all this with thousands of others!   We have done trips of up to 10,000km in Europe through different countries with no difficulties or passport.  Both boys have done/are doing university with a freedom and quality of instruction we could not have hoped for in the UK (Our eldest doing his double Masters at Imperial College taught there and was not impressed by level of the UK students).

Yes the French and their systems have challenges, we will never speak French like the French and they still treat us a immigrants in some cases, but its all been well worth it.     There is little adventure in moving from Scotland to Portsmouth by comparison (have done it).  Same language, far worse traffic and schools not as good.  If you have done the M27 commute at 0730 you know how not an adventure that is!

[alittlebitfrench]

I moved to France because of work and stayed ever since.
 

Would I sell up in the UK today and move to France in other circumstances? Yes, but only if I was rich.

I would not put myself or my family in financial risk on a whim. France is not worth it. 

 

[DaveLister]

My new neighbours are Belgian. Met just before Covid. Both have children from previous relationships. Bought a large, rambling farmhouse which had unsuccessfully been converted into a chambre d'hote with the intention of having an open house for family and friends. This is their first summer and as I watch them from my kitchen window I can see that the shine is already beginning to wear off. The constant drives to and from the Airport, preparation of the meals, and the changing of the sheets, all in 39 degree heat. We're off the beaten track so the slightest thing involves a drive into what is currently a major tourism hub where the supermarket shelves are empty because of all the holidaymakers. They've sank everything they have into the move and had a plan of going totally off grid but have already meet a barrage of typically French bureaucratic roadblocks.

When they invited me for an Apero, I asked how many times they had visited the area prior to making the move. They answered none, they just wanted to move somewhere warm.

It's not just Brits 🙄

[alittlebitfrench]

1 hour ago, DaveLister said:

My new neighbours are Belgian. Met just before Covid. Both have children from previous relationships. Bought a large, rambling farmhouse which had unsuccessfully been converted into a chambre d'hote with the intention of having an open house for family and friends. This is their first summer and as I watch them from my kitchen window I can see that the shine is already beginning to wear off. The constant drives to and from the Airport, preparation of the meals, and the changing of the sheets, all in 39 degree heat. We're off the beaten track so the slightest thing involves a drive into what is currently a major tourism hub where the supermarket shelves are empty because of all the holidaymakers. They've sank everything they have into the move and had a plan of going totally off grid but have already meet a barrage of typically French bureaucratic roadblocks.

When they invited me for an Apero, I asked how many times they had visited the area prior to making the move. They answered none, they just wanted to move somewhere warm.

It's not just Brits 🙄

Also the French. Maybe more so the French.

Tourism as a business is a really really dumb idea to get into in France. Foreign or not.

The French peeps that bought our last house (who were from the area we were selling in) had moved very South in France for a life change. They were never excepted into the village because they were not from ‘Provance’. Their life was a misery. So they moved back. But I guess you have the same attitude anywhere in the World.

Is life today worth the financial risk ? It is a no for me. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by alittlebitfrench

[DaveLister]

Where I live anything up to half a dozen new restaurants will open up each Summer and just as many will close before the end of the year. They will be run by either early retirees or someone who's just been made redundant. The food will be nondescript and the service dire. At the end of the season when they realise just how little financial reward they have for all their hard work they sell up and the next set of dreamers with big ideas take over.

When it comes to work, the hospitality sector is never an easy option.

[DraytonBoy]

We moved to try a different way of life, however we had certain advantages - already had a house in 17, I had a job lined up plus an additional income and we had kept property in the UK in case things didn't work out. Thanks to Brexit and the loss of FOM we couldn't do that now and although we're now back in the UK we feel very lucky to have spent 18 mostly happy years in France, the kids have certainly benefited from the experience and none have expressed any wish to leave the country.