would you emigrate without visiting first??

[docboat]

A reccie will not give you much more than a holiday and - I suspect - raise expectations. It will be a false impression of the country such that, when you do arrive and compare actual life with your expectations following the reccie, you will be disappointed. Horses for courses though. I would suggest that, if you are decided you will move, then you must anticipate that life will be different. Maybe hard initially, possibly very nice, maybe not so nice. Different. Prepare for a different life, and then set out to enjoy what you do experience.

[Pumpkin]

I visited Australia in 1998 and it did not occur to me that I might emmigrate at that time and the next time I was here was on my validation trip earlier this year. My husband had been here once before the validation trip too.

 

I don't think either my earlier holiday or my validation trip were essential to the decision as it is nothing like real life anyway. Maybe a trip can whet the appetite more, but I am not sure it is essential and I don't know if people that did the reccie have any more or less chance of making a real go of things once they move.

[Guest Bobby]

A reccie will not give you much more than a holiday and - I suspect - raise expectations. It will be a false impression of the country such that, when you do arrive and compare actual life with your expectations following the reccie, you will be disappointed. Horses for courses though. I would suggest that, if you are decided you will move, then you must anticipate that life will be different. Maybe hard initially, possibly very nice, maybe not so nice. Different. Prepare for a different life, and then set out to enjoy what you do experience.

This a great point, working 5 or 6 days a week is a million miles from having a holiday in Oz, you have to realise that the initial "wow" factor will wear off after a few months and that is the time to judge if you have made the right move or not, work also makes a huge difference to your quality of life, if you find you have a good job with good hours for good pay you will find it so much easier to settle.....if you have a **** as a boss and a job that pays low for long hours and just sleep on your one day off you will not enjoy the place.

I have changed my mind after reading so many good posts and think people should just go for it without a reccie.

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

Granted having a reccie, isn't like living there working there, but what a reccie does is show you just what kind of lifestyle you can have, we have been twice for a month to Perth and Brisbane and the weather was fantastic, we were in the pool everyday, down on the beach, sitting outside having a drink on a night, in our t-shirts and shorts having barbecues all the time. Where as we are stuck inside here in the uk for 7 months of the year and for the other 5 months, if we have any decent weather, its not guaranteed and you can't plan a barbecue on monday, for the following saturday. The outdoor lifestyle for me was brilliant, i felt alive, relaxed, warm and i know you have to graft and i know its not easy and i know to some the above things don't really matter to them and some don't like the sun, but I DO, i love it.

[Guest Bobby]

Granted having a reccie, isn't like living there working there, but what a reccie does is show you just what kind of lifestyle you can have, we have been twice for a month to Perth and Brisbane and the weather was fantastic, we were in the pool everyday, down on the beach, sitting outside having a drink on a night, in our t-shirts and shorts having barbecues all the time. Where as we are stuck inside here in the uk for 7 months of the year and for the other 5 months, if we have any decent weather, its not guaranteed and you can't plan a barbecue on monday, for the following saturday. The outdoor lifestyle for me was brilliant, i felt alive, relaxed, warm and i know you have to graft and i know its not easy and i know to some the above things don't really matter to them and some don't like the sun, but I DO, i love it.

It also rains in perth and sometimes to hot to venture outside, I have always been one who does not let the weather stop me doing things in Oz or in the UK, cycle in the rain or 40c+ and I am stupid enough to do it, but it is like taking a holiday in France which everyone will tell you is fantastic but to actually go work and live there is sooo much different, the same can be said of oz and I have changed my mind and think it is a good idea just to go for it, a reccie will cost some people the money they need to set up in Oz.

 

P.S why are you stuck indoors for 7 months of the year? get out and enjoy yourself in the sun rain or what we are going to have for the next 2 months heavy snow, sledging is great.... as the aussie cricket team know.

[chalkyhill]

We didn't have a reccie and hadn't visited australia on holiday. It all depends on your personality.

[Guest famousfive]

I think a lot depends on what type of person you are really.Some people need to see a place for themselves before commiting to such a big move,others do not.Moving with children also makes a difference,as does the age of the kids involved.If it was me I would probably ask myself how hard would it be to return within a reasonable timeframe if you all really hated it,would it be financially possible and if so then I would go for it.If not,then I may want to reconsider the possibility of a reccie.Going without a reccie but with an exit plan would be less of a risk if a reccie is out of the question maybe.

[Guest Stevebel]

>would you emigrate without visiting first??

 

Absolutely! And I have done several times, though not (yet!) to Oz.

 

As others have said, you don't learn much about a place just by spending a week or two as a tourist anyway.

 

The only thing I'd be wary of, especially looking at comments in other threads, is commiting to somewhere outside the big cities. With Australia being so vast, and with a widely varied culture and lifestyle, you could easily find that you're in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

 

But even then a bit of due diligence and a quick glance at Bing maps would be good enough I reckon.

 

If your heart's set on going in September, forget the reccie and just go. It's not a life sentence, after all - you can always move on again if it doesn't suit you.

 

Good luck!

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

Whereas some don't like the sun, i don't like the cold, rainy miserable months of weather, if you like it great, i don't, we are all different, thats why some want to come back to the uk, they don't like the hot climate in OZ, me i love it, i know it gets too hot at time, but me personally i would take this, than several months of cold weather. Horses for courses. Swimming in the warm sea, or your own pool, lounging on the beaches and relaxing in a jacuzzi, to me is heaven, its not for everyone, some like walking their dogs in windy freezing rain, each to their own, i like playing golf in the few months of summer, but its really nasty out there and has been for along time and its not my kind of fun.

[Guest guest30038]

Granted having a reccie, isn't like living there working there, but what a reccie does is show you just what kind of lifestyle you can have, we have been twice for a month to Perth and Brisbane and the weather was fantastic, we were in the pool everyday, down on the beach, sitting outside having a drink on a night, in our t-shirts and shorts having barbecues all the time.

 

And some may say............."ah yes but, no but, yes but, no but Jim, you were on holiday and that's how it felt, but would you do that if you had to work, etc.?

 

Did you think we were putting on a show Jim, or did you get the impression that it really was how we lived? In the pool, eating outdoors, chomping on a fantastic range of meat and seafood that was affordable on one income, walking in the rainforests, camping on an island with nothing but roos swimming across from the mainland, or 4 by 4'ing where poms never tread.........soaking it all, up?

 

I sometimes think that those who whinge about the heat, the flies, skin cancer, the expenses etc, wouldn't know a good lifestyle if it jumped up and hit 'em in the face.........it seems that to them, if you like the beach, the sun, the rainforest etc, you're somehow "culturally deficient"............but then again............ I'm just an uncultured bogan who wouldn't know what Europe has to offer if it jumped up and hit me in the Eurozone :biglaugh:

 

kev

[Daffod1lly]

Hi Lisa ... To be honest, it's a decision - and a risk - that only you and your family can make. I would just say give it loads of thought, research as much as you possibly can (I'm sure you probably have by now) and make your decision with your eyes wide open. After that .... what will be, will be .... and as long as you can deal with that - you will be fine and cope with whatever is thrown at you - just because you have to! We did a reccie - only because I could never have emigrated without setting foot here .... but I honestly feel it did nothing apart from give us a very vague feel for a country and of course - a wonderful holiday. A reccie is a huge expense and is in many ways pointless .... but it did what we wanted it too but I know of many people who haven't needed one and it worked for them too! Our daily routines are pretty similar to when we were in the UK but evenings and weekends are more relaxed and family orientated. Our son has blossomed through the varied outdoor opportunities here - many of which he didn't have access to in the UK. Wish you all the best with your decision. :wink:

[pablo]

And some may say............."ah yes but, no but, yes but, no but Jim, you were on holiday and that's how it felt, but would you do that if you had to work, etc.?

 

Did you think we were putting on a show Jim, or did you get the impression that it really was how we lived? In the pool, eating outdoors, chomping on a fantastic range of meat and seafood that was affordable on one income, walking in the rainforests, camping on an island with nothing but roos swimming across from the mainland, or 4 by 4'ing where poms never tread.........soaking it all, up?

 

I sometimes think that those who whinge about the heat, the flies, skin cancer, the expenses etc, wouldn't know a good lifestyle if it jumped up and hit 'em in the face.........it seems that to them, if you like the beach, the sun, the rainforest etc, you're somehow "culturally deficient"............but then again............ I'm just an uncultured bogan who wouldn't know what Europe has to offer if it jumped up and hit me in the Eurozone :biglaugh:

 

kev

 

Re the pool lifestyle etc tho kev,probably a lot harder to achieve all that now mate? what with the exchange rate,falling hse prices here,rising hse prices in oz etc,thats my own fault tho tbh,i should have done this yrs ago when all my mates did,instead i FINALLY got all my stuff into DIAC 2 days before my 45th,dawdler moi!:biglaugh:

Agree with your post tho in general mate,lots of things over there are free,i loved just driving down to a deserted beach and going for a walk tbh.

[Guest Bobby]

And some may say............."ah yes but, no but, yes but, no but Jim, you were on holiday and that's how it felt, but would you do that if you had to work, etc.?

 

Did you think we were putting on a show Jim, or did you get the impression that it really was how we lived? In the pool, eating outdoors, chomping on a fantastic range of meat and seafood that was affordable on one income, walking in the rainforests, camping on an island with nothing but roos swimming across from the mainland, or 4 by 4'ing where poms never tread.........soaking it all, up?

 

I sometimes think that those who whinge about the heat, the flies, skin cancer, the expenses etc, wouldn't know a good lifestyle if it jumped up and hit 'em in the face.........it seems that to them, if you like the beach, the sun, the rainforest etc, you're somehow "culturally deficient"............but then again............ I'm just an uncultured bogan who wouldn't know what Europe has to offer if it jumped up and hit me in the Eurozone :biglaugh:

 

kev

Good points and can be said about everywhere in the world, same can be said of people who go on about how it rains and is cold in the UK, just get on with it and don't let a little rain or the heat in Oz stop you.

[Guest siamsusie]

I'm just an uncultured bogan who wouldn't know what Europe has to offer if it jumped up and hit me in the Eurozone :biglaugh:

 

kev

:yes::yes::yes: please never change:notworthy:

[starlight7]

We emigrated without having ever been to Australia- it is what you did in those days. It worked out fine though it wasn't really what we expected. In some ways much better- in other ways worse but we knew we couldn't afford to return and in a way this was a help because we really had to make an effort to settle and make friends with no escape route.

[gareth and lisa]

Wow, thank you all for so many interesting and varied posts.. we spent all yesterday evening googling and getting old editions of Australia magazines looking at SA. Looking in realestate. com and trying to get a feel for the place. Iv mailed some employers in Perth just to keep my options open but deff swaying now towards SA. All i can hope is that they dont stipulate 5-7 yrs exp like other states or were back to square one..

Many thanks all Lisa x

[Guest Dave7558]

My OH went to aus on a £10 ticket with his parent 45 years ago and has always wanted to return. His parent came back without getting citizenship, which is very annoying now. Going without a visit depends on the sort of person you are, I am going with the aim of starting a new live, but if nothing else it will be a great chance to experance the other half of the world and create some memories for our children

 

Lucie

[Guest guest36187]

We went without visiting. OH did tons of research but I wanted to go with an open mind and no expectations.

Worked for me.

 

Plus we couldnt afford a visit and then to emigrate shortly after x

[Phoenix16]

We came without visiting first, it all happened so quickly really so we just decided to take a chance and for us it's worked out really well. I personally don't believe that having a reccie first makes a difference, you cannot know until you actually live there and no matter what, you are going to feel somewhat in holiday mode on a reccie, if you are fortunate to be able to afford to reccie, then great but if not I wouldn't worry, just my opinion.

[Guest SDJ&A]

We didn't have a reccie first, we just came.

We knew we wanted the Sydney area (got a bit of family there) and stayed around there for 4 weeks.

Took a few days up Gosford/Newcastle way and a few days here in the Wollongong area.

Liked it down here better so here we are.

The only downside was work. Still struggling to find a proper job, but building connections all the time, meeting new people and sometimes it's who you know that can make a difference in that.

As has been said already, if you can afford the time/cost to reccie then ok. Got to make sure though that it's not just a holiday, ice creams, eating out every night, beaches etc. Use the time well.

[Fashionably Late]

We are emigrating to Australia without having ever visited before. Fine by us. My eldest and I have already expated once and have no issues do it again. My husband is up for it as are my other two children. Life is too short not to grab it by the horns and live every second of it. If we end up not liking it, which I cannot see happening, then we either come back to the UK or the US (where I am originally from).

[Guest guest30038]

Re the pool lifestyle etc tho kev,probably a lot harder to achieve all that now mate? what with the exchange rate,falling hse prices here,rising hse prices in oz etc,.

 

I've said it before Pabs, and despite my defence of the lifestyle here, I really do advise those coming to think long and hard about it, because what we have now, is so much more harder to attain with the exchange rate and rising house prices here (which may correct sooner or later).

 

It's no good viewing other folks' lifestyle and wanting it for yourself, if you're skint and grafting yer rocks off every day. That said, if someone is really unhappy in the UK, then what have they got to lose.

 

kev

[pablo]

I've said it before Pabs, and despite my defence of the lifestyle here, I really do advise those coming to think long and hard about it, because what we have now, is so much more harder to attain with the exchange rate and rising house prices here (which may correct sooner or later).

 

It's no good viewing other folks' lifestyle and wanting it for yourself, if you're skint and grafting yer rocks off every day. That said, if someone is really unhappy in the UK, then what have they got to lose.

 

kev

 

I wont do that kev,dont here and i doubt i will in oz either,me and jan arent materialistic at all,if ive got it i spend it,i dont worry about tomoz,maybe i should,but i wont change now,work to live,not live to work mate,who wants to be the richest bricky in the bone orchard?not me!if i won the lotto i'd still only buy a 3 bed hse,because its MORE than us two need,happiness is contentment,that doesnt have to mean belongings.

All i want is to feel less claustraphobic,an adventure,new suroundings,and a change,those 4 things i KNOW oz can provide,anything else is a bonus mate.

[Guest guest30038]

I wont do that kev,dont here and i doubt i will in oz either,me and jan arent materialistic at all,if ive got it i spend it,i dont worry about tomoz,maybe i should,but i wont change now,work to live,not live to work mate,who wants to be the richest bricky in the bone orchard?not me!if i won the lotto i'd still only buy a 3 bed hse,because its MORE than us two need,happiness is contentment,that doesnt have to mean belongings.

All i want is to feel less claustraphobic,an adventure,new suroundings,and a change,those 4 things i KNOW oz can provide,anything else is a bonus mate.

 

The right attitude Pabs :yes:

 

If you don't want things so badly, then you won't be dissapointed if you don't get 'em.

 

We've never wanted for anything...........because we never hankered after anything. What we got was more a matter of luck, arriving here at the time when property was cheap and moving up the ladder. We only bought into the big house thingy because we could have as many as 9 kids at a time staying with us. Now we've only the two, the house is in some ways, a burden..........too much gardening, dusting, hoovering etc.............still, at least it's somewhere to park a heap of fish tanks, I suppose :rolleyes: :biglaugh:

 

kev

[Paul1Perth]

Hi all, for those of you who know us we have had our sights set on Perth for a few years now with a PR visa. been waiting in limbo like many others for most of the year waiting for the SMP only to be dissapointed to hear they have changed the criteria for experience to 7yrs so we cant now apply for that visa. Dont want an employer visa for personal reasons. However like the look at SA where we do fullfil the criteria but have never visited. we wouldnt be able to go until Aug 2011 for a rekki and really wanted to move in Sept 2011 so do we just go ahead and say lifes too short and what the hell or be cautious. our 2 boys dont really care as long as we move and a close friend of mine is applying for SA without ever visiting but im a planner and could i pack up my whole life to a place iv only ever seen online.

Does anybody else have any comments.

Lisa :nah:

 

 

:reindeer2:

 

Did just that! Came to Perth without visiting Australia and just did a lot of research and read a lot about the place.

Rented for nearly a year until we had a good look round and decided on a place to buy a house. Never looked back and absolutely love it. Ticks all the boxes for us.

 

I've visited Adelaide on a few occassions and I could quite have happily settled there too I reckon. Not massively unlike Perth, a little bit bigger City and closer to the Eastern States. Wineries just outside the city and decent beaches close by. Climate is good, again not unlike Perth.

 

I've been lucky enough to visit most Austalian State capitals and stay in them for a while. All on work trips when you get chance to have a look around. Perth would still be my favourite choice, then Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and at a push Canberra.

 

I don't think I would have been able to live in Canberra though and would have moved to one of the other cities. We always wanted to live near the coast.

 

There are also lots of smaller towns I've had great times in, Townsville, Darwin were great and I could quite easily live in either. Toowoomba, Sale, (outside Melbourne), Kalgoorlie not so good.

 

Good Luck.