Sometimes,
travelling helps you discover a whole new place you never knew might become the
perfect home for you one day. What if you loved being in a place so much you
decided to turn it from travel destination to full on home town?! It sounds
like a lot of effort but we wanted to know what kind of things would make you
decide to take the plunge and also how many hoops you’d have to jump through to
find an ideal place to call home.
So we asked Amy, half of a couple who have just turned their ski season resort into an official home. We wanted to know how they went about finding the right place and what lead them to make such a bold decision.
1. What made Switzerland stand out to you as a place to potentially call home?
Well my partner and I have travelled and worked seasonally for a few years now, and all of the places we visited felt like just that: places to visit. There was never such a vibrant inviting community as we found in Verbier (Switzerland) and honestly I think it is 100% down to the people around you to make you feel settled.
On top of that Verbier was the most accessible ski resort we ever worked in – you don’t feel cut off from the rest of the world, Geneva airport is quite close and there are plenty of neighbouring towns to visit (especially if you want to shop around for normal priced items again!)
On top of that Verbier was the most accessible ski resort we ever worked in – you don’t feel cut off from the rest of the world, Geneva airport is quite close and there are plenty of neighbouring towns to visit (especially if you want to shop around for normal priced items again!)
2. How much research did you do before coming to the decision to move there?
I honestly took a back seat on this one. The deal was that my partner sorted out accommodation for us and I would sort out our summer employment – so I was more focused on that. Originally we had been looking to secure a place to rent for the following season in Verbier when we returned to our winter jobs but, after research, we found that prices are actually much more reasonable over the course of a year as opposed to just the season. Once that got into my partners’ head I think his imagination ran away with him and there was no going back: we were moving to Switzerland.
It made sense in many ways, we never had a base before and even though we would be working in France for the summer, moneywise we were spending about the same amount on rent for the year as we would have been if we rented just seasonally. Also if we waited until the seasonal rentals were announced the apartment we had our eye on would have definitely been snapped up and probably triple the price!
In terms of research though I know he was very focused on it, but there are so many ex-pats out here that we could go to for advice and also the local agencies were absolutely amazing!
3. Was there any language barrier in terms of getting the correct paperwork sorted etc.?
Not really. Our
estate agent has been incredible and extremely helpful. We can get by on basic
French but obviously for legal documents we had them translated properly. You
can pay people in the local community for services like that to help you out,
so you would never run into a problem there.
4. Could you have seen yourself moving to another country before you visited Switzerland?
I don’t think I could. When we travelled to South America I absolutely fell in love with it and would dream of moving there but I don’t think I ever considered it something that would become a reality. With Switzerland it is so accessible from the UK so my friends and family are only an hour and a half flight away – which is perfect!
And actually sometimes you can live in the UK and it take longer to get to somewhere else in the UK than the short flight from Geneva to Luton so I don’t really feel like there’s a huge distance there.
5. Did you ever feel that you had made the wrong decision?
I was really nervous taking the plunge at first. Because my partner was the one who had done all the research I needed to keep checking things with him to feel reassured that we hadn’t missed something huge that would mess the whole plan up.
Since we’ve been here though absolutely no regrets. The place we have is also amazing and probably a bigger place than we would be able to afford back home.
6. What would your advice be for someone looking to move abroad?
Just to keep in mind that it’s 100% possible and not as scary as you think. Make sure that you are complying with everything legally and getting all the right permits etc. It helps if you know people who have been in the same situation as you are so you can get their advice but also in case you need some sort of sponsor. But definitely look into it if you feel it’s the right move for you!
7. How does Switzerland differ from your home country of England?
Well I haven’t found a packet of Quavers yet but that’s not the biggest problem in the world. Switzerland is an extremely friendly country and people are genuinely, it seems to me, happier – especially in the area we live in.
The first time we came out here for the start of our winter season we just met the nicest people – and the community we live in is absolutely lovely. Everyone has got everyone’s backs.
That’s not to say the UK isn’t any of these things but I think people are a lot more reluctant to trust one another back home, whereas over here you’re more likely to assume that people around you will be kind and helpful rather than the opposite. But I did live in London, so maybe it’s just a capital city thing.
8. Do you think you will move back to the UK?
I mean, never say never. I have no idea what the future has in store. I would like to have properties dotted around the world – that’s the dream (one that we’re quite far away from).
But I would love to have bases scattered across the world so we could visit different places without worrying about accommodation. I’m sure we will return at some stage and we always go back a few times a year.
9. What kind of things has made it really feel like a home?
Mainly having our things with us. Normally when we work seasons we take minimal items with us but it has really made a difference having photos and ornaments and our own things around us!
We haven’t really had that for a few years now and most of our homey things have been tucked away in a loft back home. Having our familiar things around us definitely makes us feel like this is home now.
10. Would you recommend moving abroad?
Yes I would definitely if that’s something you want to do. I know some people would find it hard and maybe even scary so if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. If it is something you’re thinking about I would suggest definitely staying in the place you’re looking to move to for a few months before you make the decision.
If we hadn’t worked in Verbier for 6 months beforehand I don’t think I would have even considered moving here. So definitely do your research, make sure you will make friends out there (introduce yourself to the community etc) and ensure you can actually picture yourself living there. If all those boxes are ticked then just go through the legalities and take the plunge!
