Living In France
Life Style French Style
This book by talented writer Elizabeth Morgan represents a refreshing approach to the mini-‘Finding a Property in France’-genre that is just so popular because of the general popularity of France as a second home, holiday home or retirement home location – especially among Brits.
In her brand new title ‘Life Style French Style’ Elizabeth Morgan brings her own personal experiences and those of her many friends to bear on the subject matter of finding the right place in France to live, the right home to live in and the perfect blend of French life and expat life. This is a truly excellent book and one which the author herself wishes she’d read over twenty years ago before she embarked on her long love affair with property in France.
Living in France: the Pros and Cons!
So, the summer holidays are over, the kids are back at school and while the likes of the ShelterOffshore team are still basking in balmy Mediterranean sunshine (sorry to rub it in) you’re maybe stuck back at the office with autumn a very obvious reality in the front of your mind. So let me guess, you’re thinking that maybe the Great British winter isn’t something you really want to have to get through and that maybe you should up sticks and move abroad?
Well, one of the most popular overseas destinations for Brits seeking a new nation to call home is of course France…if you’re contemplating living in France here’s a list of pros and cons to wade through to see whether you could embrace the French way of life and make a break for the sun before winter sets in!
Living in France in the French Countryside
Picture the rolling hills, the quaint villages, the vineyards and the olive groves of France – as you can see in your mind’s eye, the visual appeal of the French countryside is hard to match. Now, if you have your heart set on moving to France and living in France in the French countryside on a full-time basis, you’re certainly not alone.
According to the Delegation for Territorial Development and Regional Action, the draw of France’s countryside has been on the rise for quite some time. It seems that more and more city dwellers are making their way to the country and the smaller towns and villages found outside the most populated regions of France. This is because there is no denying the appeal of the type of lifestyle available in France’s rural interior.
Living in France and Shopping in Paris
Do you long to live among the sights, sounds and incredible attractions of Paris? Does the hustle and bustle of this fascinating and huge city call to you and make the idea of living in France seem like the only option for you? If so, you’re going to find many other expatriates from countries all over the world who are living the same dream as you. Paris just has that irresistible lure. And just like all of the international expats who have arrived before you, at some point you will have to come down from ‘cloud nine’ and learn to navigate around massive metropolis to find the more important things in life – namely groceries!
Okay, we admit this doesn’t sound as glamorous as it could, but it’s a simple fact of life. Living in France and shopping in Paris maybe conjures up ideas of boutique hopping or buying up designer labels but to live in Paris, you’ll have to learn to shop like the Parisians – all in all that’s quite a tasty undertaking though…
Living in France? Learn French!
If you’re one of the thousands of British citizens who are considering a move to France despite the fact you’ll no longer get free healthcare if you’re an early retiree, you’ll find plenty of fellow countrymen already happily living there.
Making a new life in France is not as difficult as many would-be expatriates think in fact - still, there are some basic cultural considerations to take into account when living in France and one of the biggest is the language barrier! Living in France? Then learn French…
Feeling At Home when Living in France
If you dream of upping sticks and moving to the French countryside you’re going to find that you are not alone. The number of Britons and other expatriates who have chosen to make this move is on the rise. With a beautiful landscape, charming villages and a relatively inexpensive property market, it is little wonder. Still, many Britons who make the move to France feel a bit isolated at first.
This article is about feeling at home when living in France because there are things you can do to help make the transition from living in the UK to receiving your post in France a bit easier. There are a few key tips that can ease the strain and these include: -
Living in France and Getting Married
Is it your lifelong dream to pack up and move to the picturesque, rolling countryside of France? Do you maybe hope to someday fall in love with someone you meet in France and have a Parisian landscape as the backdrop for your wedding perhaps?
If so, you’ll need to know a few basics about living in France and getting married as an expatriate resident or citizen.
Living in France and Dealing with Healthcare
British retirees who buy a home in the French countryside or even in its larger towns or bigger cities have recently found themselves having to worry more about healthcare than they did in the past. The French government is cracking down on economically inactive expatriates who are below pension age, according to the Daily Telegraph.
In this article, we’ll look a little more closely at what France is doing in regard to expat healthcare. We’ll also explore what to expect when living in France and dealing with healthcare issues on a day to day basis such as going to the doctor or finding a hospital in this popular relocation spot.
Living in France and Calling Lille Home
With the opening of the revamped Eurostar offering fast transport between London and Lille in France, many would be expatriates and retirees are turning their attention to this northern French city. As interest grows in buying and letting in the north of France, the wonders of Lille are appealing to many and living in France and calling Lille home is becoming a reality for more Brits.
Read on if you are interested in exploring Lille and its many draws. Whilst the real estate market here isn’t necessarily as cheap as in other French regions, the geographical location of this city and its proximity to the UK and Belgium make it quite alluring. The new Eurostar connection makes travel between Lille and London take less than 90 minutes, with costs that are quite favourable as well. This is paving the way for expats to move whilst still enjoying easy, affordable access for necessary business or family related trips back to the UK.
Living in France and Visiting the Supermarket
Expatriating to a foreign country to soak up the culture, the sights and the flavors of something new and different is an experience that thousands of people from all over the world choose to explore on a yearly basis. The adventure, the change of pace and even the potential cost of living savings makes this prospect hard to pass up. Once the novelty wears off however, many expats find themselves fumbling a bit, trying to figure out how to handle the basic necessities of living.
If living in France is what you desire, you’re going to find a lot of things are the same as they would be in the UK or even America. However, there are some variations that expats will notice. One basic necessity of daily living that can require a point in the right direction for some, involves the ins and outs of visiting a supermarket!
Living in France and Getting a Divorce
With more than 250,000 Brits living in France and more heading across the border all the time, this particular retirement and expatriating destination is certainly popular. Living in France however, is a little different than life in the UK. Once you’re settled in and have taken in the sights, the flavours and the incredible culture, real life is bound to hit. For some, this means finding a job or hobby, falling in love and even getting married. In short, settling into a comfortable daily routine. For others however, a troubled marriage that originated in the UK might find itself at the breaking point whilst the couple lives in France.
Getting a divorce in France, or in any other country outside the UK for that matter, can present a tough challenge to say the least. It is possible to get through the ordeal. The biggest obstacle lies in deciding what court system holds sway over the proceedings though.
Greater Numbers of Brits 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.
The Best Place to Live in France
With statistics from the Home Office suggesting that over two thirds of the British public are now seriously concerned about the likes of gun and knife crime in the Britain, wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a location where such crimes are mere figments of the over active imagination of television drama producers? But does such an idyllic land exist? Is it truly possible to find anywhere – let alone anywhere within reach – where you can get back to the wholesome basics of family and community living?
Apparently it is.
For there is a corner of France where British residents have found themselves back at home in an England of fifty years ago, and according to these emigrants they have not only found the best place to live in France, they have found the best place to live in the whole world.
Tax Matters When Living in France
So, you’re dissatisfied with the Great British climate/immigration policy/government/economy/cost of living/way of life (delete as applicable…) are you? And you’ve decided that you want to live in France where the weather is better, the lifestyle is more attractive, the cost of living is incredibly affordable and where, if you learn to speak French, you will be made to feel at home.
Fine. You have clearly covered at least the basics when considering both leaving the UK and where you want to move to – but what about the financial aspects of living in France? For example, tax matters when living in France because it is actually one of the highest taxed countries in the EU. So, if you thought the UK was bad, take another look at France before you commit to a relocation!
Ten Reasons to Retire to France
France is the most visited nation in the world and one of the most popular countries with would-be British retirees as well. The reasons for France’s appeal lie in the beauty of the country, the history, climate and culture and therefore there are a million reasons to consider living there. In this article we’ll cover ten of the most popular reasons to retire to France.
If you’re coming up for retirement or you’re thinking ahead and maybe planning where to buy a home overseas to enjoy now and then live in when you retire, why not consider France a little more closely? After all, with our top ten reasons to retire to live in France you’ll be hard pushed to come up with an argument not to at least consider it!
Surviving Culture Shock When Retiring to France
Now that the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy has thanked Great Britain for helping his nation when it was on its knees during the Second World War and received a very favourable reception in the UK as a result, it seems that French and British relations are on an excellent footing and that there’s never been a better time to retire to France!
Reasons to retire across the Channel include the fact that the standard of living in France is high, the cost of living can be more affordable than the UK, the French real estate market is generally more affordable as well, and the way of life in France is so conducive to a relaxed retirement. But there are some key differences between France and Britain that any would-be expat should bear in mind if they want to make the transition abroad a smooth and successful one. In this article we’ll look at surviving culture shock when retiring to France!
Helping Your Child Learn French before Living in France
If you’re thinking about moving abroad to live in France or you have a holiday home across the Channel for example, it makes a lot of sense to help your child learn French before living or holidaying in France. And what’s more, there is now more proof than ever that children who grow up speaking more than one language have a far better understanding of language full stop.
This ability relates to a process called metacognition and this is what you will be helping your child develop if you teach them French before they move to live in France and then keep assisting with their French language development once you have relocated – whether permanently or just for the summer holidays!
Good News for Expats Living in France
Clearly Sarkozy’s new found friendship with Great Britain is a good thing in terms of encouraging greater, deeper and more lasting links on all political and economic levels – but we’re not a political website so we’ll leave that discussion right there! Suffice to say, Sarkozy seems to be a good thing for Franco-British relations…
And he is also a good thing for us expats too! The good news for expats living in France is that Nicolas has done a U-turn on his policy to scrap free healthcare entitlement for early retirees who had chosen France as their relocation destination of choice.
Property in France for Euro Commuters
On November the 14th 2007 Eurostar moved to its new home in London at St. Pancras station and meant that another twenty minutes was taken off the journey time from the UK to Paris. This was exciting news for all those contemplating the realities of Euro commuting and either living in the UK and working in France, or perhaps better still, living in France and working in the UK!
The twenty minute shorter journey time between the capital cities of France and England is not where the exciting news stops however, thanks to the fact you can now link up to some of the fastest and most efficient train services across Europe once you arrive in Paris, property in France for Euro commuters can be purchased in regions as far away from the UK as Alsace and the Rhone Valley for example.
Moving to Live in France? How to Learn French
So you want to live in France do you? You and a lot of other Britons equally fed up with their working lives or bored in retirement then! In fact, the dream of living in France is shared by high numbers of Brits because the nation is so accessible and because the cost of living and way of life are so attractive.
But, there is one drawback with going to live in France and that is the fact that you have to learn to speak French. Well, you could try and get by without doing so, but you will fall at the first hurdle and find that living in France is actually a chore and a bore at best, a nightmare at worst and not exactly what you had planned. So, if you’re moving to live in France, here’s how to learn French!