[Myrkk]

My hubbie and I started off with the attitude that this was going to be a permanent move with no return trip to the UK. But having read a lot of the posts on this forum it seems that the majority of people go out with the attitude of making it a temporary situation with a definate return to the UK in their plans.

Have any of you gone out to NZ with the idea that you wouldn't return to the UK and if so is that still your intention?

Also, have any of you gone out with the opposite intention?

Of all the pros and cons the thought that we might have to move back to the UK at some point down the line fills me with dread and is the one thing that stops me wanting to go to NZ in the first place......... we've done too many house moves [courtesy of my hubby being made redundant a few times] and really want to settle somewhere now.

[StevieD]

Hi Myrkk - I don't particularly want to return, but if things don't work out, well, we'll just have to work it out then! Some people do have that mindset, others don't, it is all down to personal outlooks. I'm with you on this one!! :nice1

[stu70]

Nothing in life is permanent is it? So keeping an open mind to all kinds of possibilities ain't that shabby a thing. Any decision made today is good for today's circumstances. Change the frame of reference, and see if a decision stays static. Probably it won't.

[Smiler]

Hi Myrkk

We came with the same positive attitude. That this would be a permanant move.

We had no house to sell in UK so nothing to rent out and return to and TBH, I'm so glad we didn't. I think in the 1st few months it would have been oh so easy when the slightest thing went wrong, or I missed my family, to give up and return. ( For me that is, not my OH).

We'd done too many house moves in 5 years too, so can appreciate where you're coming from there. It's taken 1 year to get settled in NZ (through no fault of our own) and we are still renting because that's what we prefer to do, until we decide where the place we want to be is. This way we have got to test drive different area's.

NZ is still permanant for us, I can't ever see us returning to the UK, but we haven't ruled out going elsewhere because who knows what might happen in the future? However, we do want to travel round the southern hemisphere and being here gives us that opportunity.

Don't let the fear of having to move back to the UK hold you back. If you can change your mind set to the move being permanant, and why shouldn't it be, I think that will help. Have a postive mental attitude and that help's you cope when things might get too much. :D

Good luck.

[Myrkk]

We're pretty flexible people but having been through over 10 house moves in the same number of years with our longest stay anywhere being 4yrs it's taking its toll. Esp. when my hubbie and I have managed to live in the same house for less than half of that due to him having to take work away from where we live after being made redundant........

I guess it's all the moves we've had to make rather than the few we've chosen to make which are making me jittery......... but as you say nothing is certain you just have to go with the flow.

[willsken]

Hi Myrkk

We have no intention of coming back to the UK. At the moment I can't even get my head round wanting to come back for a holiday. The thing is though, if things don't work out for us and we end up going back then so be it. I have to treat this as a permanent move or I don't think I could do it. :)

[Smiler]

Just to add after reading Willsken's post

I've just become an auntie again and was having a weepy after seeing the new baby on Skype. A little later my OH suggested to me that we go on holiday to the UK around June/July 2007. My first reaction was why? :confused:

He was trying to make me feel better, bless but I'm really not keen on going at all. I miss my family like crazy and would rather use that money to pay for them to come over here.

[felix]

My hubbie and I started off with the attitude that this was going to be a permanent move with no return trip to the UK. But having read a lot of the posts on this forum it seems that the majority of people go out with the attitude of making it a temporary situation with a definate return to the UK in their plans.

Have any of you gone out to NZ with the idea that you wouldn't return to the UK and if so is that still your intention?

Also, have any of you gone out with the opposite intention?

Of all the pros and cons the thought that we might have to move back to the UK at some point down the line fills me with dread and is the one thing that stops me wanting to go to NZ in the first place......... we've done too many house moves [courtesy of my hubby being made redundant a few times] and really want to settle somewhere now.

Hiya..we too like you had lots of UK house moves..self inflicted..serial movers!! We utterly and totally burnt our bridge...20 months on and all is MORE than well!!!! I was soooooooo sure that this was the right move and so far it has been!!!!!! We adore NZ so do our kids..life is a s good as it gets here and we have EVERRYTHING we could not have in the Uk..except friends and family..for sure we miss people and stuff..but when you are little people like us you have to make choices and compromises. I would never, ever return to the UK unless house prices dropped by 66%...and 60 million people went elsewhere!! Don't hink thats gonna happen aye? The space and the beauty of NZ are awesome..we miss old buildings but give me empty roads (not in Auckland though!!), empty beaches and a work free time balance that is almost perfect!! We know a few other boat burners..hhave not met any who wish they hadn't..thing is when you boat burn (with all due respects) YOU JUST HAVE TO MAKE IT WORK...simple!! With ties back in the UK that make a return more simple its easy (so they say) to return to the UK. I have heard of a few who do that...only to return to NZ!!!!! Good luck whatever you do!!!

[veronica]

We've had too many of lifes twists and turns to ever say 'never'. We both go back to the UK for a couple of weeks each year. I have a responsibility to my mum and dad to do so and we also have other close relatives there, where we end up living 10 years down the track is anybodys guess.

[willsken]

I miss my family like crazy and would rather use that money to pay for them to come over here.

:nice1 Exactly!

[spudulike]

Hi there,

We cut our ties with the UK and sold our house, closed down hubby's business etc as we fully intended to make a life in NZ - there was no way we were returning home in our minds!! I can't even begin to explain how committed we were in that mindset and were very positive in our attitudes when moving here. Like you, we also wanted to finally settle somewhere and we wanted to make a home for our small children (now aged 2 an almost 1).

However, for us we just cannot make NZ work for us at this time. It was a shocking realisation and bitter disappointment but no matter which way we look at it we are worse off here financially and cannot afford a nice home or half decent lifestyle. We had to sit down and make a difficult decision as we obviously have a responsibility to our children to provide them with some security and we still want to feel settled ourselves.

We will be returning to the UK at the end of May next year but will be living somewhere different to where we left. It will be difficult as hubby will have to build a business again and we have to start on the housing market once more - but I am still looking forward to settling and calling somewhere home along with the prospect of making new friends.

Once we got over our initial disappointment we both now feel very positive and look forward to what our future holds. Bacause we did make this move and gave it a go we feel we will find it much easier to settle down as we will never wonder if we could have provided more or had a better lifestyle elsewhere. I think it also helps that we never disliked the UK - that was not why we left - and that will make our return so much easier.

I would certainly recommend coming to NZ, it is a beautiful country with so much to offer and I'm sure the vast majority of migrants settle happily here. My biggest piece of advice would be to have a positive attitude towards your move but also realise that you are largely stepping into the unknown. You don't know how you will feel until you are living the life here so if possible make sure you have the funds to go home/move somewhere else if you find NZ is not for you.

Good luck.

Louise :)

[stu70]

I would certainly recommend coming to NZ, it is a beautiful country with so much to offer and I'm sure the vast majority of migrants settle happily here. My biggest piece of advice would be to have a positive attitude towards your move but also realise that you are largely stepping into the unknown. You don't know how you will feel until you are living the life here so if possible make sure you have the funds to go home/move somewhere else if you find NZ is not for you.

While majority of immigrants stay, a good chunk leaves NZ within 6 years. (http://www.emigratenz.org/leaving-New-Zealand.html)
Not sure what the stats are post that 6-yr period, but there are people who do not stick around;hence the EOI process that takes place every two weeks!That being said, some must find it cool to stay put and grow roots. Good luck

[Myrkk]

Thanks for replying everyone. I feel much better now....... think it was just a case of EOI jitters..... we're putting in our EOI as soon as we finish filling it in and it now seems quite real.

We are looking at this as a permanent move and we intend to fit in but as you all rightly say you can never predict anything 100%.

Louise, I think you've pointed out the main thing I'm worried about..... I'm worried that we won't be able to live out there given the cost of living to wages. But from all the research we've done we have a pretty good idea of what we need to earn to live slightly better than we do here........ I hope! And provided we get enough for the house we should have a back to Britain fund jic.

We're not doing a reccie trip first for the exact reason you gave... you never know if you will like a place until you live there. Visiting, especially on a holiday is just not the same.

[Diny]

One thing that often stands out when a thread like this is started ... and I mention this as an observation only - is that a lot (not all) of those people (still in the UK) who swear they'll never return to the UK have actually never experienced NZ in any shape or form - not even for a holiday.

How do you know that NZ will be the 'be all and end all' for you?

I'm sure I'll get the usual answers of 'anywhere is better than the UK' (still can't agree with that one) ... but I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to swear that the unknown place I'm heading to will quell any desires to see my homeland again.

The only advice (for the want of a better word) I can offer is never say never. None of us know how we will react to our new lives. Keep an open mind, give it your best shot.

But ......... Never say never - none of us know what lies ahead.

By the way we've lived in 14 houses and 4 different countries over the last 17 years - and each time we shifted we considered it would be a permanent move.

Diny

[Myrkk]

HI Diny

We're not looking at it as the "be all and end all", just different. Nor are we moving because we don't like Britain. We just can't get to where we want to be in Britain i.e. back to Scotland permanently with my hubbie in a stable job, and I'm homesick for there quite a lot so figure if we have to live somewhere else we may as well try something different. We've moved all over Britain and have enjoyed everywhere we've lived other than........ and I'm sorry to all the Welsh folk on here but Wales hasn't been welcoming and we've lived here on two separate occasions now. We're making the best of a bad situation and my hubby is commuting 3hrs a day. We've talked about moving to NZ for 12 years now and so it seems a natural next step. I'm not fussed if we have to move around within NZ until we get somewhere that suits us.

What attracts us to NZ is the work age average is higher and from what I've read the job market seems more stable.

A visit or a holiday no matter how long will not tell you if you are going to be happy in that country. There are too many unknowns......... the people, the customs, the work, the laws, etc

sorry if this is a bit of a scatterbrained reply..... I'm in the middle of my tax return and it's driving me potty..... my own fault for leaving it so long... :uhoh

[sizzlingbadger]

We sold up everything in the UK, resigned jobs to give ourselves the best possible chance for things to succeed here in NZ. We had never visited before but for us we were fed up of struggling in the UK financial and friends wise. Only had a few childhood friends and knew no one in our last village, this wasn't through not trying, more like keeping up with the Joneses attitude people seemed to have.

It started with a temporary move of 3/4 years when we could apply for citizenship and NZ passports for the kids, now of course 5 years. We now feel it's a permanent move for us, we're very happy and despite financial pressure constantly we've made some life long friends and love the house we're in, this is the longest we've lived in a house in a long while, coming up to 18mths.

We were serial movers as well, 6 times in 5 years :) Mix it in with 3 kids in just over 3 years in that time as well and we felt well and truly exhausted and fed up of moving :)

Again never say never we may feel we've moved on as people again in years to come and want to move again. For the time being I'm glad we risked everything and move to the other side of the world unseen, we've all finally settled in a place that we're all happy in :D

[Howie]

Don't know if this is really relevant to the thread, as I'm not from the UK, but I do plan on returning home at some point. Of course you never know what life may bring, and although I don't think I'm homesick, I really love my country. I love it here in NZ, but I know I'll never truly fit in and I think some things will always seem foreign. The only thing that worries me is that I haven't lived in Canada for 5 years and I imagine I'll probably be in NZ for another 5 years. Canada will have changed a lot in 10 years and I'm afraid that it won't feel like home either. For now though, I like it here and am here for a while. Who knows what may happen in the future.

[incredible hulse]

We came with the intention of this being a longterm if maybe not an indefinite move but are now not seeing it this way. Our first target now is to stay 2 years (15months to go) and then make a decision whether to stay or go back to the UK or Oz.
Major reasons for us really is not homesickness but more that our quality of life is not as good here as it was in the UK - this is mainly down to the higher cost of living in real terms, the shortage of work opportunities in my field and also the fact that work atmosphere is just not as much fun in my eyes.
We don't regret coming to NZ and plan to see as much of it as we can in the next 15 months just in case we do leave but our mindset has definetely changed from thinking we would grow old(er) here

[wiki]

Canada will have changed a lot in 10 years and I'm afraid that it won't feel like home either.

That sounds a lot like what I'm thinking! I've been in the UK for nine years and now I'm planning on going back I'm a little worried my partner will love it, and I won't!

One of the reasons I stayed in the UK so long is that my Mum died five years ago and the thought of living in NZ without her around was too hard...

My OH wants to live outside of the UK, and so NZ seems like the most obvious choice to try first. I'm under no illusions that we're going to stay for the rest of our lives, but we just might.

I've promised to be as flexible as we need to be - particularly considering that I'm going home to a big family network, who have never met my partner, and vice-versa.

My most important priority is to keep S safe and happy - and if we can't manage that in NZ, then we'll be heading off to somewhere neutral (so long as it isn't Australia :roll )

Diny - what you said was brilliant.

[Myrkk]

. The only thing that worries me is that I haven't lived in Canada for 5 years and I imagine I'll probably be in NZ for another 5 years. Canada will have changed a lot in 10 years and I'm afraid that it won't feel like home either. For now though, I like it here and am here for a while. Who knows what may happen in the future.

I can relate to this too. It's one of the things I hadn't considered when I was a teen chomping at the bit to see a bit of the UK. Now I've been out of Scotland for 11yrs and people, friends and family, have moved on so going back would be strange. My Gran died this year and she was my last ultra strong tie with Scotland hence the freedom to consider other countries. It also made me realise on my last visit that I view my home country with rose tinted glasses and that home is where you make it not necessarily where your memories are.

[real_sunfire]

We are planning to live here for at least 2 years before making the decision about whether to stay here permamently. In the meantime we are renting out our UK house, but if we decide to stay in NZ for good we will sell the house and buy something here.

All for reasons I have described at length, *:), in other threads.

Rgds.,
Nick.

[K&CS]

I think the majoroity people who use this forum at least set off with the intention of staying. A few head back for various reasons and a few move on elsewhere.

We came with the intention of staying fairly longterm. We sold up and cut all our ties with the UK (couldn't go through all that with the intention of coming straight back). Like many others, I was very happy in the UK, so it wasn't a question of wanting to escape from there - we just wanted to try NZ, but said that if we were really unhappy, then we'd give it 2 years and either return or try elsewhere.

Thankfully, it's all worked out really well and we're extremely happy here. However, I also know never to say never. We've moved around a lot too and every time we move, we say we'll stay there forever - we don't usually get much past a year before we decide to try something else! We intend to stay here (ie Christchurch) at least until the kids finish their education. I'm sure they'll end up doing their OE in Europe though and if they decide to settle there, then there's no way I'm going to be on the opposite side of the world to my kids. They can't get rid of me, whether they like it or not!

It sounds like you've got a pretty healthy attitude to your move. Don't take anything for granted, but if it helps you to look on it as a permanent move, then do so!

Good luck

Kate

[Tia Maria]

Smiler Wrote:

We'd done too many house moves in 5 years too, so can appreciate where you're coming from there.

Myrkk wrote

We're pretty flexible people but having been through over 10 house moves in the same number of years with our longest stay anywhere being 4yrs it's taking its toll.

Felix wrote

Hiya..we too like you had lots of UK house moves..self inflicted..serial movers!!

Diny wrote:

By the way we've lived in 14 houses and 4 different countries over the last 17 years - and each time we shifted we considered it would be a permanent move.

SizzlingBadger wrote:

We were serial movers as well, 6 times in 5 years Mix it in with 3 kids in just over 3 years in that time as well and we felt well and truly exhausted and fed up of moving

You can add us to the 'serial movers' list, plus we added in 3 kids at the same time as well and I have to agree it is absolutely exhausting. So I can understand your desire to have some reassurance that this time you will be able to settle.

We've come to try it out for a couple of years and we were sure we could get a nicer house with 4 beds (nope), shorter commute (yes by about 30mins) and a more flexible/relaxed working environment (nope). Unexpected downsides were the traditional complaints of cold houses and mad weather (4 seasons in one day) - yes they were still unexpected despite reading about them time and time again! Unexpected upsides - fantastic school & meeting lots of interesting people.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that people like us who move a lot (sometimes forced, sometimes by choice), are often chasing a certain lifestyle, its not normally anything outrageous, in our case a 4 bed house, relaxing weekends and hubby home by 5.30pm, and with each new move we are optimistic that we have found the right solution, but its rarely the case - New Zealand will be no different.

However, although we have yet to find our Utopia we are always moving forward and I daren't dwell on how miserable we'd have been if we'd stayed in our first ever home. So as long as you can afford it, in both money and energy I think you owe it to yourselves to have another go to find a little slice of happiness.

Cheers

Tia

PS Our next move will either be to a 4 bed in NZ, or back to the UK or ...........

[spudulike]

I guess what I'm trying to say is that people like us who move a lot (sometimes forced, sometimes by choice), are often chasing a certain lifestyle, its not normally anything outrageous, in our case a 4 bed house, relaxing weekends and hubby home by 5.30pm, and with each new move we are optimistic that we have found the right solution, but its rarely the case - New Zealand will be no different.




Very well put and to be honest I never really thought of it that way but we have moved 4 times in 5 years and had 2 children. We also move with the intention of settling! Obviously we're searching for something - perhaps we'll find it in Exeter........

Good luck to all serial movers :D

Louise

[G&K]

... that sounds interesting

What made you choose there ?

We are going home in March - after what will be 18 months down under, but can't decide where to in the U.K yet !

Narrowed it down to Harrogate / Brighton / or South West so far !

[K&CS]

G & K, we're from Harrogate. Pretty far removed from Brighton/South West/Exeter. What attracts you to Harrogate? Just interested...

Kate

PS love Harrogate and it's a great place to live. If you need info, please feel free to contact me. I was born there and lived there for all of my childhood and a large part of my adult life, so I really do know the place like the back of my hand!

[spudulike]

... that sounds interesting

What made you choose there ?

We are going home in March - after what will be 18 months down under, but can't decide where to in the U.K yet !

Narrowed it down to Harrogate / Brighton / or South West so far !

Hi G&K,

I used to live in York which was a fabulous place to live and my brother lives in Harrogate which is also very beautiful (with the Yorkshire Dales on the doorstep there is always plenty to do and see). As for us choosing Exeter - we felt we are in a great position as we can choose anywhere in the UK to live, which is easier to do in some respects from here than when we were living there. Hubby is from London and would like to move back down South but not too close to London. We also fancy being close to Cornwall, Devon etc as we can do plenty with our children. I've never been but that doesn't worry me - after all, I'd been here and this hasn't worked quite the way I planned :D

To be honest, we discussed other places but something just 'feels' right about moving there and since coming to this decision every single person I've spoken to about it has said it's a great place and there is loads to do in the surrounding areas. Sorry I can't be any more specific than that really!!! Have to say though, I'm really looking forward to the move and exploring somewhere new :yes

Good luck!!

Louise :)

[G&K]

My Brother lives there... well East Keswick...

Would like to live nearer them really !

[G&K]

Spudulike - sounds like we are in the same boat !

Things do seem a little clearer from further away with regards to deciding where to live back in the U.K

We would have found it really difficult to think about living anywhere other than London before, having lived there before moving here - but now anywhere seems possible...

Quite liberating really !

[spudulike]

Quite liberating really !

WOW!! That is the exact phrase we have used time and time again to explain it!!! :nice1

Louise

[G&K]

What's the story with Exeter then - any good websites you've found ?

PM us if you want to meet up in Wellington for a coffee and hatch escape plans :-)

G&K

[spudulike]

Have sent you a pm G&K :D

Louise

[andreamatt]

Hey Spudulike and G&K - we're here in West Devon hoping to come out to Wellington next summer. We plan to put our house on the market in January (very quiet area, v. close to Dartmoor, good schools) - interested?!!

But seriously Exeter's a lovely city and would put you nicely within reach of all the best bits of Devon and Cornwall (in my view north coast beaches) without losing easy access to London etc.

I'm hoping that moving out to NZ will be liberating!

All the best for your moves back to the UK,

Andrea

[billiewinz]

of us know what lies ahead.

By the way we've lived in 14 houses and 4 different countries over the last 17 years - and each time we shifted we considered it would be a permanent move.

Diny

Why do keep moving so much then Diny ? Do you have Gypsy blood, lol

[Diny]

Why do keep moving so much then Diny ? Do you have Gypsy blood, lol


I'm not sure - don't think so ... I'll have a word with my Mum and see if there's any skeletons in the cupboard.

Main reason for moving around so much is hubby's job - he works in the oil industry and most of the time we've had to go where the work is. However, we were both travelling when we met so I guess we both have abit of 'nomadic blood' running through our veins.

What a VERY interesting thread this has turned out to be. I'm on holiday in the UK at the moment and can honestly say I'm LOVING every minute of it. We didn't leave here because we hated it, we left because we wanted to experience pastures new - hubby is a Kiwi so NZ was the obvious choice.

NZ is a lovely country and I consider we're very lucky to be able to live there but the thought of it being my home for ever more really does fill me with dread. For the time being it's great but it just doesn't cut the mustard in so many ways ..... but there again I can say the same about the UK too.

How lucky are we? being able to choose where we live. There's millions of people around the globe who would literally put their lives on the line for the options we have, I try to remember that when I'm in 'A' and wishing I was in 'B'.

A & B are UK and NZ - but not necessarily in that order (if you get what I mean).

Been here for 2 weeks so far and can honestly say - hand on heart, that we've not been mugged, offered drugs, stabbed, threatened by terrorists, robbed, had our car stolen, handbags snatched, houses broken into etc. We haven't been the victims of gangs of hoodies and the boys haven't been approached by prostitutes (not that they'll admit anyway). Yesterday Mark and I were talking about the UK newspapers ..... we both agree that there's alot of 'bad' stuff happening but we really do believe that alot of what you read is 'bumped up' ...... we just haven't seen anything to make us gasp just yet.

And hey - how about this .... I've needed to see a doctor .... phoned them at 8.30 this morning and I got an appointment for 10.20 !!!!!!

Sorry about going abit off topic here .... but now that I've experienced life from both sides (Uk & NZ) I just don't see that one location beats the other hands down (for us anyway).

Diny

[jen]

We sold out in the US since we knew that we wouldn't be moving back to the same area of the country due to the high cost of housing and the very small IT job market, but I don't know if NZ will be permanent. My husband seems to find it more reassuring to think of it as a permanent move since to him the thought of shipping our stuff/pets BACK again is mind-boggling. I find the only way I can cope with such a big change is to tell myself 'if it doesn't work out, we can always move back".

Somebody said they were worried their spouse would love it & they wouldn't; I worry a little about that, too since I am much more of a homebody than he is. I've promised I'll give it at least a full year fair trial no matter how homesick I get.

I also think about what Diny said above about how many people would kill to have our options & that helps me a bit when I start to get stressed.

Jen

[wiki]

Somebody said they were worried their spouse would love it & they wouldn't; I worry a little about that, too since I am much more of a homebody than he is. I've promised I'll give it at least a full year fair trial no matter how homesick I get.

Jen

That was me - but my situation is a little different to a lot of people on here. I lived in NZ until I was 22 but I've been in the UK for nine years now and I just don't know if I'll still like living in New Zealand. Holidays back have been great, but it's been four-week chunks of my family fussing over me and making me feel special, rather than just the normal 9-5 grunt day-in-day out.

My big fear is uprooting my partner and our lives, getting to New Zealand and then being the one to say "sorry, it's not how I remember - can we go somewhere else? "

And to echo Diny - there were things I didn't like about NZ when I was there, and there are things I don't like about the UK now I'm here... but mostly I love both places and I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to choose which one I live in. :nice1

[sizzlingbadger]

wiki - Maybe the way to go about moving back to NZ would be to treat it as a different county to the one you moved from first. That way you won't keep saying 'this isn't the way I remember it' and become uncomfortable with the way things are here now.

9 years away from NZ is a long time people and times have moved on. If you remember back to the way things were in the UK when you first arrived I'm sure there's a lot that's changed too.

Hope you enjoy making NZ your home when you finally arrive back :)

[Hannah]

I must admit that if I thought I would be coming back to the UK in the next couple of years then I wouldn't even be thinking about going to NZ now (too expensive, too much upheaval etc. ). However, part of what gives you the confidence to take that leap is the knowledge that nothing has to be for ever. It's not like it was for the early pioneers - a 3 months sailing (during which some would die) and the prospect of never returning. How brave!!!!! Anyway, I appreciate that things change, and we as people change...if you asked me 10 years ago if I would ever leave North London I would have said no, if you asked me 3 years ago if I'd even leave Northants I would have said no. Places change, and so do we, and no-one can ever rule out not moving again - moving to places that better suit us and our circumstances is part of life...we can only make decisions with the knowledge that comes from our experience to date and the people we are at this moment in time. I suspect when I'm 60 (or younger, or older) I may be somewhere else...for all the right reasons!

[spudulike]

Places change, and so do we, and no-one can ever rule out not moving again - moving to places that better suit us and our circumstances is part of life...we can only make decisions with the knowledge that comes from our experience to date and the people we are at this moment in time. I suspect when I'm 60 (or younger, or older) I may be somewhere else...for all the right reasons!

I would second that. We visited NZ when we were first married (pre children) and fell in love with the place. Since arriving here with children we realise this is the wrong time in our life to be here. Perhaps in 20 years we'll be back - or perhaps another country will be our home, who knows!!

:)