Candygirl

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10175058/The-Great-British-Budget-Menu-BBC-One-review.html I watched this programme and the three chefs found it incredibly difficult to feed these families healthy, fresh food on a budget. In fact, they didn't do it. I do agree that people do not know how to cook.

I think the OP has said travel from Oz to the Med. I live in Spain and the process for allowing dogs in is a lot easier compared to those in Oz. When dogs fly from the UK to Spain, they go as excess baggage, whereas if they were going from Spain to UK, they have to be as pet cargo. My vet is very good. If you want to send me your email by PM, I can put you in touch with him. Although he is Spanish, he speaks perfect English.

For what it is worth, I would research the job situation over there and really decide before applying for a visa whether you are 100% about going. The visa process is not an easy ride for everyone. It took us over a year to obtain our first visa, there can be a lot of stress and expense. I think your idea of perhaps going over before your family may prove to be a good one. We have a house that is nearly paid for and a good business and are both in our early forties, but with no kids. For us, this will be our third move overseas. We have been in Spain for 8 years. For us, life is just too short and we are not getting any younger and us and our families are all of the opinion that it is better to try rather than sit down in 10 years and think I wish I had done that. I would rather do something and if its wrong, learn from it than never do it at all. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.

Thank You Andrew. Good news for us as we are watching the exchange rates as we need to transfer funds soon.

We have no alternative as we are currently living in Spain, but our items will be transported from the UK to Oz so we had to pack ourselves. I have since spoken to LP and IYM, both very helpful and easy to deal with. I am considering whether to arrange for my shippers to re-pack the items that I consider to be "breakable" which then means they are "packed by a professional company" and the insurers will then cover everything in the container. It is a bit of a pain, but perhaps a good solution in our circumstances.

It is 1.47 to the Euro which is also very good for us in the Eurozone countries. As has been said, good at the moment and I am sure us "wanabees" will be watching the rates with baited breath, but I wonder where this will leave the Oz economy in the next couple of years.

Our two are booked in with Pet Air. Catherine is looking after us all at the moment and has been brilliant. We are paying just short of £3800 for both dogs and this is for their Gold Service, which means all paperwork is prepared by Catherine and the pooches are collected on the day of their flight from my Mum's house and taken to Heathrow and checked in. You only have to read their facebook page to see how many owners are delighted with their service and they regularly put updates and photos showing how the dogs and cats are before/after their journey. It's certainly not an easy decision for any of us. I often look at my two and think oh dear, I am going to be enemy numero uno:frown:

Stunning photos - Thanks. I am always amazed how beautiful the beaches are in WA, but they are never packed. If you saw the beaches where we are at the mo, you couldn't squeeze a napkin between the towels.:biggrin:

Thanks Kate.

I have some items, not priceless by any means, but really sentimental value. A lamp we got as a wedding present and a Murano Glass statue that I got in Venice from my MIL for my 30th. I have wrapped them to within an inch of their life and double boxed them and then wrapped the box in cardboard and my OH has export wrapped them. We have no choice but to self pack as everything is packed and in storage in Spain now whilst the house is up for rental. It ludicrous to pay someone to unpack the boxes and then pack again and I honestly don't know whether they would pack them any better than me. All I know is that our storage guys were asounded at how well we have packed and organised everything and said it was a "doddle" for them to deal with us. We have packed everything. If it could not fit into a box, we have export wrapped it ourselves. I thought the insurance would be the easiest thing to organise. How little did I know?:confused:

I am glad it is not just me Hon.

On our inventory we wrote at the side of each box listing how much we considered the value to be. As you say, photos and sentimental items are invaluable, but we felt that it helped to do it this way and knew the value of each box and then totalled it up and this is what we have used to obtain quotes for the insurance.

I really need some assistance now. I have had a quote from one insurer which is about what I was expecting to pay, but reading the terms of the policy, which states "excluding breakage of or damage to china, glass, curios, pictures, musical instruments or fragile items". I have quite a few "fragile" items which have been very well packed and also a glass dining table. Has anyone else come experienced this with self pack insurance? It seems to me that the most "fragile" items which are more likely to be damaged are not covered:err:

Well Done and Congratulations.

:ssign19:Congratulations:jiggy:

We will just sleep. Neither of us are good with jet lag. We have to be up early as we have an appointment with our bank at 9.30 the following morning. I just look forward to the moment when I see the smile on my OH's face when he realises that he is living in Oz. It has been a long time coming for him. Nothing more special than that for me. It could be in an old warehouse for all I care, but how beautiful to be sat on a bench somewhere seeing the sun go down, probably looking like a couple of old codgers:biggrin:.

Good Luck to you and your family Debs and wishing you all a safe journey. I am dreading the farewells to be honest. We have two lots. Friends in Spain and then family and friends in the UK. Everyone is conscious of the fact that we have a 19 hour flight to board and want to keep things calm for our sake. We are booked into a hotel the night before the flight so that we can have a good night's sleep and hopefully be fresh for the flight. The plan was to get a taxi to the hotel at Heathrow, but FIL is hearing none of it and wants to take us. I just hope he is OK saying au revoir (not goodbye) to his eldest son. I know my Dad copes less well than my Mum at times. I have often wondered if the other people on these flights who are not emigrating wonder why there are so many upset people boarding the planes.

I had the Swift code, but no IBAN. I managed to speak to someone more knowledgeable at my bank who said I needed to tick a different box "for domestic account number", which I did and the transfer went. Just waiting for email from bank in Perth to confirm receipt. Moneycorp are so much easier to deal with. We will be using them just before we leave. Good Luck.

Let's hope you have done enough now to get signed off.

OH has wanted to live in Oz again for years. I was happy in Europe. In the run up to turning 40 I was not quite "myself". We went on a tour of South America to celebrate/drown my sorrows and I was sat at Machu Picchu and I suddenly thought, what am I doing, we have this great opportunity, we should be grabbing it with both hands. I did not say anything to anyone. I did my own research and then discussed it with my OH and our families. Everyone was very relieved that I had finally seen sense and have supported us fully since. Then the real "fun" started. I contacted a few MA's who said no chance of getting a visa as my OH did not have any recognised qualifications. I was not having that. I just had to find a way for us to get there. With lots and lots of help from PIO, we have been granted two visas:biggrin:. I had a friend who died last year 6 weeks after being diagnosed with MS at the age of 37, leaving a husband and two children behind. The thought of my friend has/does keep me going. We are not expecting Perth to be the land of milk and honey, but with hard work, determination and a sense of humour, we will try to make a good life for ourselves.

I totally agree, we have often thought that it is like travelling to a new country just by crossing the borders in Oz.

If the airline cannot help you, speak to the British Consulate where you are. We have had many clients who have had to get emergency passports. The Consulate overseas can issue them within a day. Good Luck

I shall be too busy scraping my OH off of the floor I think. Everyone is joking with him saying he will do a "Pope" and be on all fours kissing the Aussie soil when he lands. He has waited rather a long time to get back there:wacko: We are getting the stamps put into our passports in London when we return to the UK so I hope this will make life easier. Any tips or advice is very welcome for those of us who are "gagging at the bit" to get there:wink:

Great post. Glad you had good time, but sorry to hear about your ankle. Good Luck with the sale of your house. I had to laugh about the fanfare of arriving at immigration:wink: