Homesickness no longer a concern for expats

Homesickness no longer a concern for expats
Published:  25 Apr at 6 PM
British expats who have purchased property overseas no longer see homesickness as a big problem now they have the internet and other tools to keep in touch with friends and family in the UK, revealed a new survey.

HiFX reported that the global NatWest IPB Quality of Life study surveyed people who had transferred money overseas in order to purchase property in another country. It discovered that the amount of things expats miss about the UK over the past five years has changed, with factors like the internet and rising positivity about living overseas altering how respondents view Britain and their new life.

In 2008, 68 per cent of people questioned said they missed family and friends back home, but this number has gone down to 47 per cent this year, indicating that the internet and improved communication networks have been major factors in helping people settle abroad.

The study found that while most people (72 per cent) take a minimum of one year to feel at home in their new country, some 69 per cent end up seeing themselves as successfully integrated in their home away from home and 61 per cent are of the mindset that they have a cosmopolitan lifestyle.