Should i stay or should i go, advice please....

[tropicalbob]

Firstly a big thanks to everyone for making these forums a facinating read. After reading them for a while i finally registered and would like to post about something that has been bothering me for several years now and I would like some unbiased advice on what I should do.

I am 41, healthy, single, own some property, have my own business and some money in the bank. I consider myself to have been lucky rather than particularly well educated or business minded.

After travelling fairly extensiveley over the last few years i have realised i would prefer to live outside the UK for numerous reasons, the first step would be to sell my business which i have been procrastinating about for ages now but wont do anything about it. To be honest the following are the only things that are stopping me from making the move; parents with ill health, loss of income and an easy (but boring) lifestyle.

I know its easy to say just do it, but i am quite a mythodical rational person who likes to weigh up all the pros and cons before making any important decisions. I have tried to give as much information as possible before sending anyone to sleep, and I would love to know your thoughts about what I should do.

[stewartM]

Hi Bob, we're the same age, it sounds like we're at a pretty similar stage, and I would say go as soon as you can, there's a whole world to see, literally billions of people to meet, adventures to have and experiences by the bucket full...

The parents is a difficult one, you can be back in the uk within a day should you need to...

Could you get someone to manage your business rather than sell it?

Is the alternative better?

Stew

[tropicalbob]

Hi Stewart

Thanks for the advice, this really has been driving me crazy for a while. The parent dilemma is awkward, but I sometimes think to myself would they really want me to miss out on my dreams for them, they are very selfless people.

Unfortunately my business is very specialised and very dull and would take a big investment in my time (now and in the future) for anyone else to manage it and for me to trust them enough.

I really want to go, but just cant find the trigger to get events in motion.

[stewartM]

Where do you have in mind, what do you want to do?

[tropicalbob]

Somewhere inexpensive and sunny, i should be able to generate around $1000 a month and would like to wind down and live a simpler, cheaper and less materialistic lifestyle.

[stewartM]

Originally Posted by tropicalbob

Somewhere inexpensive and sunny, i should be able to generate around $1000 a month and would like to wind down and live a simpler, cheaper and less materialistic lifestyle.

I'm hearing that! For me it's a boat and a never ending trip...

[tropicalbob]

Sounds perfect, although i'm not much of a sailor. Where are you based?

[stewartM]

Originally Posted by tropicalbob

Sounds perfect, although i'm not much of a sailor. Where are you based?

Leeds

I've been sailing since I was a kid and obsessing over the idea for ten years!

[CoolBee]

Check me out tropicalbob

My situation was similar to yours just over 3 years ago when I was working in Corporate. I'm now living in Egypt having turned 50 this year.

My biggest bits of advice would be (though caveat - I am not a financial adviser, lawyer, whatever...) are whatever you choose to do

- keep a UK bank account and credit card or two LIVE (I have friends etc who have had to return to the UK who gave up these things assuming it would be 'for ever', and without that UK credit rating you are as nothing). Also incredibly useful still for buying stuff on line including plane tickets etc!
- if you can let your property out, do so, rather than selling it, and use a good agent and pay them a good fee to do it with the command 'I don't want to know anything you are not obliged to tell me!
- minimize your fixed monthly committed outgoings in the UK eg if you have a mortgage or whatever, switch to one demanding the minimum amount each month - you can always overpay but you can rarely underpay!

Visa situations are changing around the world - personally who can blame other countries for getting tough on Brits when 'we' are such bastards about giving other people visas? For example, I think it's either India or Goa or somewhere, you can only get a 3 month visa nowadays and you have to be OUT of the country for 2 months before you can come back again - so it may be harder to put down roots elsewhere than you imagine at present.

[tropicalbob]

Thanks for the post, some great advice there.

Have been reading your blog and was curious what 2000LE is, i can only find egyption pounds which is about £220 which seems too cheap.

Will get in contact and find out about national insurance too, not so far off 30 years now!

[CoolBee]

Yes £220 is right! That is my regular outgoings - food, basic travel, broadband, landline, electricity, cats (300LE per month), medical checks. What I call my Opex.
It doesn't include rent (because how long is a piece of string?) or Capex (capital expenditure - basically anything I have decreed should last 2 years or more eg clothing, knives and forks, etc) or air fares.

PS - I don't drink alcohol or 'party' - if this is your kind of scene then obviously you have to add that on but I am given to understand you can spend 12 hours getting blotto in a Brit club for 50LE!