Escaping Home: The thrill of travel!

‘We should live as if we were going to live forever, yet at the back of our minds remember that our time is short’ (Thoughts in a Dry Season – 1978 – Gerald Brenan)

Have you ever felt like running away and living in another country amongst the locals, absorbing the culture, food, and everyday life of your chosen destination?

There are lots of options – remember my Newsletters on Grey Nomads, House Swapping.

House swapping or home exchange is a great way to travel internationally and live amongst the locals. It also reduces your accommodation costs.  But a constant underlying theme was being amongst the locals, taking your time, meeting lots of lovely people and being in the community and getting the cultural experience. Sandra also advised that she would not have travelled as far or seen as much without the availability of house swapping.

I remember reading Mary Moody’s book ‘Au Revoir’ how in her 50th birthday year, she ran away from her home, family, and work for six months to live in a remote French village. I was enthralled and fantasised I would do that one day.

One of the quotes from her book – ‘How could I be so arrogant as to start driving in a foreign country without any knowledge of the local road or without any understanding of the traffic signs and signals?’

Mary Moody click to read her story and books.

There are also other options -

Well, if you choose Italy as your dream destination, it is now possible via the Digital Nomad Visa Program.  Naturally, there are criterion.  It is worth looking into so you don’t have to keep uttering the words….one day I will or if only …. The inspiration for me when I took off on Around the World in 90 Days.

Immigrant Invest click here and you get details of the criterion.

Then there is the options for overseas travellers to visit Australia.

My hairdresser did exactly this.  She secured an Employer-sponsored visa and packed up her family and came to the Sunshine Coast.  The Employer Nomination Scheme enables Australian employers to sponsor workers to live and work permanently in Australia. There are costs and a process and criteria to gain permanent residency.  But you can ‘try before you buy’ so to speak and then decide if you want to stay or go home. She has two young children and she advised me that they are speaking better English than her already.

United Nations Research backs this up – ‘Our research shows that children outclass adults in their ability to unconsciously learn new language rules, which means through passive exposure without awareness as to what they are learning’ ‘The French-speaking part of Belgium has a long tradition of immersion education. In some schools, children learn history or geography in a different language (e.g., English or Dutch). The foreign language is a vehicle for transferring the educational content. Recent studies by their collaborating team at the Université Catholique de Louvain show that immersion education leads towards larger language gains compared to traditional foreign language classes.’ Her children are being immersed daily at school, play and sport and unconsciously learning a new language.

My hairdresser advised she is here on a 494 Visa and will be staying on for the 60 months.  She also advised they have a motorhome and they intend exploring before returning back to Germany on holiday.

She still has family back home and they Skype regularly so their parents can keep up to date with their adventures and grandchildren’s developments. My hairdresser is going back to Germany shortly but intends to apply for permanent residency after their three years are up. You can the apply for Australian Citizenship after another two years.

On SubStack - From what I have read France with Vero - Veronique Savoye did just that and it appears she took that plunge and now is enjoying the change of language, culture and scenery. But she is French and writes in English. She learnt English early to be able to do that so eloquently.  I am sure there are others as well.

I remember at High School (five plus decades ago) having American exchange students.  But they spoke English at least and were billeted with families.  A little different to packing up your whole family and moving to the other side of the World.

Like everything in life there are pros and cons before taking this adventurous step.

I know my daughter and now son-in-law moved overseas and worked and even married in Scotland whilst they were there.  For them living in the UK had no language issues, but they definitely missed home on occasions. I know I had some very teary phone calls with my daughter. But they travelled and saw so much.  Just imagine every week-end being able to explore your host country where the distances are short compared to Australia.  Then when it comes to visiting other countries, you can do the Euro rail or fly to just about every European country on a long week-end. They had to set up a house, buy a car and understand the differences in rental agreements, utilities connections let alone buying pots and pans and everyday living requirements. But they both had good jobs and were being paid well, so that helped with this process and all the travel they did.

I also think about both my Mum and Dad’s families who packed up in the 1800’s with families and boarded sailing boats on a journey to the other side of the World.  Not having a home or work or any knowledge of what Australia was really like.  In my Mum’s case, they arrived with three little girls under the age of four from Germany and ended up in Rockhampton. They were granted some leasehold land on the proviso that they completed major improvements within a certain period of time to be able to purchase the land at a reduced rate.  So they had to build a house and find water and feed and clothe the children whilst learning English, the weather, the native wildlife and the rules and regulations of this new country.

So I think in today’s technological age moving to another country is so much easier as long as you do your research and are prepared to ‘We should live as if we were going to live forever, yet at the back of our minds remember that our time is short’ (Thoughts in a Dry Season – 1978 – Gerald Brenan)

I know if I were younger and didn’t have my new baby kitten, Frankie, I would try it out.  I do believe there are places in Italy where you can buy a house very cheaply, as well.

You only get one chance at life so don’t leave your ‘one day I will’ until it’s too late ‘..go out on the branch….and get the best fruit’.