(1888PressRelease)
October 21, 2007 - Propertymartoverseas.com, a world leading property portal, offers over 95,000 properties for sale and for rent in over 70 countries including overseas property favourites France, Spain and Portugal. So, to jump on the live abroad/work at home bandwagon, it’s the perfect place to start your search.
Statistics show that the average daily commute for a British worker is one hour and thirty minutes, with a large percentage suffering even longer journey times. So, if a commute is unavoidable why not make it, at worst more bearable or, at best, a pleasure in itself?
Well, a new breed of Euro-commuters is doing just that. Rather than giving up their UK wage, stepping off the career ladder or immersing themselves fully in a foreign culture, a growing number of savvy workers are looking to purchase property overseas while remaining in their current, UK-based employment and enjoying the best of both worlds. While official figures on the actual number of Britons who commute from abroad are not forthcoming, a recent report commissioned by Thomson Holidays estimates that, by 2020, 1.5 million Brits will live abroad and commute to work in the UK with varying levels of frequency.
On a purely push-pull basis, the ‘push’ is self evident: gridlocked roads; astronomical rail prices; awful weather; uninspiring surroundings and a general all-pervading greyness, suffused with a smattering of damp that only the UK weather seems able to produce, is enough to send any sane individual scampering overseas. But what are the pull factors? Well, take your pick: lower housing prices; a more laid back lifestyle; quicker and cheaper travel; smoother, punctual journeys; better weather; lower living costs and the welcome of blue skies each and every morning. Now, doesn’t that sound better?
Is it that simple? Can you simply uproot and move to another country without suffering massive amounts of stressful upheaval? And where do you go? Do you head to southern Spain, where the weather and lifestyle will certainly be a marked improvement?? What about Germany, or anywhere in central Europe? It’s less flying time (you can even go by train) for sure.
As it stands, the most popular choice for British Euro-commuters is, perhaps unsurprisingly, France. Its combination of better weather, a markedly different lifestyle, excellent road, rail and air transport links and its close proximity to the UK make it the obvious choice for those commuters looking for something different without spreading their wings too far.
So can anybody do it? Can your average office worker, on an average wage and working a regular 9-5 role, turn their Euro-commuting dream into reality? “For most people, it is too expensive to travel these distances every day,” advises Trisha Mason, Managing Director of VEF French Property. “If you can arrange to work, for example, a three day week, that works best for obvious reasons. However, you do not have to be a particularly high earner either – I know of a number of nurses and policemen and women who commute to the UK from France. If you can arrange something like a ten day on/ten day off shift pattern, and stay with friends while in the UK, it is certainly do-able.”
One policeman who does just this is Geoff Perkins, 49. Originally from Colchester, Essex, he now lives with his wife Deborah in Vieil Hesdin, a small village in the Departement of Pas-de-Calais in the north of France, less than one hour from the Channel Tunnel. He commutes to Pimlico in London, where he works for the London Transport Police.
“Commuting across the Channel is hassle-free, and not once have I ever been late or stranded, because there are so many travelling possibilities.” So how does Geoff travel? “After finishing work in London, I will get either the train or coach from London Victoria to Dover. From here, I take the ferry crossing, and my wife picks me up for the short drive home. Of course, there are so many other routes available too but, because I do not need a car in London, this method suits me best.” Although living in France and commuting to the UK is not for everyone, Geoff is certain that he and Deborah have made the right choice.
For London workers, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link will, from November 14, link London St. Pancras station with Paris’ Gare du Nord – a journey which will take just over two hours from platform to platform. In addition, a new €30 million initiative called Railteam will look to offer seamless, high-speed rail coverage throughout Europe by 2009.
The Railteam project will have main hubs in Brussels, Cologne, Lille, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, London, Strasbourg, Amsterdam and Paris, with 25 million travellers expected to use the service by 2010. Research conducted by the group has revealed that the average business traveller is willing to journey for up to four hours by train because the majority can continue their work while travelling.
So, it can be done, especially if the following provisos all fit into place: your new home is close to an airport serviced by regular, low cost flights and you have flexible working hours where you can perhaps negotiate a three or four-day week. Depending on your job, a lap top and round-the-clock internet access are likely to be necessities and, perhaps most importantly of all, an intrepid ‘can-do’ attitude and positive outlook on life will see your dreams come to fruition far more readily. Take a look at the Euro-commuter properties for sale on Propertymartoverseas.com and say goodbye to rain-lashed morning starts, banish those Monday blues and get your commute to work back on track.
Notes to Editors:
For more information on Propertymartoverseas.com, for interviews or other press purposes, please contact:
Ian Clover - Web Editor (00 34) 952 880 437 iclover ( @ ) propertymartoverseas dot com
Gary Heginbottom – Group CEO (00 34) 952 880 437
