Greater Numbers of Brits Living in France

Reasons why greater numbers of British citizens may well end up living in France

We predict that a certain global phenomenon will see great numbers of Brits living in France in the near future.  What are we going on about?  Well, the carbon footprint debate of course.

As the debate rages, concern about global warming increases, oil prices rise and greater fuel surcharges are introduced on flights about the globe, so the British love affair with expatriating and retiring abroad is not diminishing.  So we believe that more Brits will choose France as their retirement, expat, second and holiday home destination of choice in the future because it is just so easily accessible.

In fact, France is even more easily and affordably accessible than ever thanks to the revamped and updated channel tunnel rail link, therefore it’s looking more obvious than ever that the nation that is already the number one visited country in the world will become the number one international choice for Brits buying property abroad and moving to live overseas.

There’s a lot going for France.  As stated it’s now quicker and easier to get to France from the UK than ever.  Yes you can fly if you want to – with cheap flight operators servicing airports across the nation – but you can also drive, go on a bus or of course, hop on the train.  You can be in Paris in two hours and fifteen minutes now from St. Pancras in London and as a result, The Eurostar rail service through the channel tunnel had a booming year in 2007 with a 5.1% year on year increase in the numbers of passengers using its service and travelling from the UK to France.

On top of the ease and relative affordability of accessibility, there’s the fact that property prices in France are still relatively cheap in many locations.  Sure, if you’re thinking of living in France and buying in the most popular arrondissements in Paris or along the seafront in Cannes you’re not going to bag yourself a bargain, but step into France’s rural interior and you’ll find not only stunning landscapes but affordable French homes as well.

The climate in France is better than the UK’s generally speaking, the cost of living is lower, the standard of living can be far higher as a result and let’s face it, there’s just something about France that keeps luring us Brits across the channel!