I've been thinking about moving abroad for years. I've often looked out of my office window and wistfully dreamt of finally doing my Masters in California, reuniting with my friends in Amsterdam, or going to work with giraffes in Kenya. Anything to take my mind off of the dire weather we so often face in England and I can't get away from.
In the confused, post-Brexit UK we live in today however, the weather isn't the only thing I'm running from. I find myself disagreeing with family, colleagues, friends. Never before have I felt so at odds with the country I've grown up in, looking at faces in the street wondering whether they were an 'inny' or an 'outy'. I blame the Conservative government - of course - and have never believed the EU is the root of our problems. Ask any millennial; the idea of stripping away freedom of movement, along with the huge amount of other positives it has brought, is obscene to us. If ease of travel is something soon to become foreign to me, I might as well jump ship now.
Ironically, I will find myself knocking on the door of another country to settle down in; finding myself in a similar situation to those that fled their own country to settle in the UK however many years ago.
So where to now? Unfortunately I'm not bilingual, so this is bound to affect my choices in my ideal new home. In a recent survey it was found that over half of 18-24 year olds let their language knowledge affect where they travel; although I'm not one of them when it comes to holidaying, it will be a factor in where I decide to move to permanently. The idea of places like Amsterdam and Berlin are appealing to me but, as I've always felt the need to flee further afield, I've looked into the three major countries I'd like to move to and why.
Australia
I have very close friends from Queensland, Australia, who have come to settle down in Leeds; they too are considering whether applying for citizenship in the UK is now worth it and I've discussed the viability of moving out there with them many times. A quick search online about what sort of visa myself and my boyfriend (and pet sausage dog) would need tells me that Australians love to travel as much as us Brits, and that their passport has has more power than I initially thought. This, paired with some of the great job opportunities in digital - as well as overall lifestyle - genuinely make Australia a contender for me.
California
California has the obvious weather and lifestyle draw. I'm a sucker for the perceived way of life they look to have over there and after having travelled there on a few different occasions, the positivity of the place is refreshing compared to the mood in Britain. The downside to America, however, is obviously healthcare - I love the NHS, please don't tear it apart Mr. Gove - and the elephant in the room that is Donald Trump. Also the fact that I took an online quiz yesterday that is supposed to prove how much Brits know about the U.S; it turns out I know very little. Maybe I could survive in America, but this definitely proves I would need to turn ESPN on every once in a while before the move.
Canada
Drake. Drake and Justin Bieber. If that's the kind of talent Canada is pushing out; take me there, I want in. This and the fact Canada is just beautiful. To be honest, I'd never considered moving here but a couple of friends of mine recently made the move and her instagram wins me over every time I see her post something. Although the visa process seems a little irritating, the IEC visa looks the most promising and from what I've read online the Moving2Canada site is a really great resource. Canada definitely looks the the place for us at the moment; my boyfriend - a sponsored skateboarder and all-round outdoors person - would love living in a country so full with a sense of nature. I'm currently looking to see what the digital job market is out there, so if anyone has any insights, please do let me know.