For Britons looking to start a new life without venturing too far away from home, sunny European destinations like Spain, France, Portugal and Italy are popular options.
Austria, on the other hand, is often overlooked, with the expat forum British in Austria reporting just 10,783 British citizens living there as of January 2024.
But while the central European country may not top the list of common expat locations, one Briton revealed that she totally "fell in love" with the place.
GB News spoke exclusively to Kathryn Read about why she moved to the unlikely spot almost three decades ago and has never looked back.
'The best thing about living here is being close to mountains and lakes'
Kathryn Read / GETTY IMAGES
"I'm a Brit, but moved 25 years ago to Upper Austria, having fallen in love with the region and lifestyle on my compulsory year abroad during my languages degree," the expat shared.
Praising the country's idyllic scenery, she said: "The best thing about living here is being close to mountains and lakes.
"There's fantastic skiing, snowshoeing and hiking opportunities, as well as swimming."
Indeed, Austria is known for its fantastic landscapes, from the majestic Alps to the breathtaking Schiederweiher Lake to the lush Kaisertal Valley.
For those who enjoy a city lifestyle, Vienna - its capital - is recognised worldwide as an iconic music hub.
Home to Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss and more, these classical influences have been woven into the fabric of the city.
Vienna is also known for its generous green spaces, coffee house culture, historic architecture and pleasant lifestyle.
Indeed, the European city has an "endearing charm" that promises a better quality of life for expats.
No place is perfect, though, and Kathryn's move from the UK to Austria did not come without difficulties.
Kathryn shared that she faced difficulties finding a job, claiming that she faced "discrimination" as a "foreigner and woman of child-bearing age".
"It wouldn't have stopped me from coming, but I would have been mentally better prepared for some of the stuff that was said to me," she said.
The expat also revealed that almost three decades in, she still struggles with the weather.
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Austria's capital city, Vienna, is considered an excellent expat destination
GETTY IMAGES
Kathryn explained: "We often have a weather phenomenon called 'Föhn', which is a warm high-pressure wind that gives me headaches."
As defined by the Met Office, the Föhn effect is "a change from wet and cold conditions on one side of a mountain to warmer and drier conditions on the other (leeward) side".
Experts warned: "[Föhn] are common in mountainous regions, regularly impacting the lives of their residents and influencing weather conditions for hundreds of kilometres downwind."
As well as the weather, Kathryn has also had to adjust to new cultural norms, claiming that locals are more "conservative" towards current ideas and processes than she was used to in the UK.
"Most people don't have credit cards," she explained. "They prefer to pay with cash in many cases - even post-Covid.
"Also, the local hypermarket got self-service checkouts last summer, and it's only in the last couple of weeks that I've seen a couple of odd people actually using them."
Finally, Kathryn admitted that bureaucracy can be hard work, with the expat still having to jump through "post-Brexit hoops".
