British expat praises 'great quality of life' in Netherlands but shares what they miss about the UK
An expat shared his experience abroad
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There are lots of reasons why people move, as Jonathan Williams found out when he moved from London to The Netherlands with his family.
Life abroad can come with many challenges as well as joys.
Jonathan, who runs Rosely Group, spoke of his move from Wimbledon to The Hague and how he instantly benefitted from more space.
He exclusively told GB News: "We loved London and in particular loved Wimbledon, but the city became too difficult to raise a family in.
The expat moved to The Hague in Netherlands
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"We were privileged to own our house but the cost of owning in London means we were still in a comparably small house and the moment we opened our front door it was like a wave of overstimulation and this was not only affecting us but our children too.
"We considered a move within the UK but add to this the excessive costs of childcare in the UK, no wider family support and some issues we faced with access to healthcare we just felt we could get more if we left the UK altogether.
"Holland was an easy and obvious choice as my partner is Dutch and our kids have Dutch nationality too, the move here was going to be simpler than anywhere else and The Hague offers us so much."
The choice of location was simple for Jonathan and his family and he immediately noticed he could get more for his money than in London.
The average property price in the Hague sat around €454,312 (£389,477) as of 2022. London has an average house price of £724,509, according to Rightmove.
Jonathan praised the "quality of life" in his new home and the slower pace of life. He also praised the nearby beach, which comes after the best beaches in the world were named.
However, Jonathan shared that the biggest adjustment to moving overseas has been creating a new network.
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They explained what they missed about the UK
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Jonathan continued: "One hundred per cent the biggest thing I miss is access to long term friends.
"Moving abroad you kind of have to start again and this can be fun but also you lose the intimacy and familiarity you have with existing friends.
"Of course we are not far away and I can head back for weddings and work but there is definitely a steady realisation that you don't have that close network anymore."
Moving to a new city can also be daunting and requires learning about what the area has to offer again.
"I miss the familiarity with the UK and how everything works," Jonathan said.
"When you move abroad you have to learn nearly everything again, from how energy suppliers work to setting up and running my business.
"There are a lot of new things to learn - let alone the language barrier."
This comes as British expats have been warned of checking their driving licences are ok overseas.