Emigrating Overseas For Stress-free Living - Top Destination Germany?!

A new scientific formula has been devised from an independent study carried out by currency experts HiFX and psychologists which ranks countries according to how stressful they are to move to with surprising results. Countries which appear to be most alien to Brits in terms of language and culture in fact turn out to be the very stress-free havens we are seeking! Germany who would have thought it ?

The analysis of the top ten most popular emigration destinations showed that it is the hidden hurdles that psychologically cause the most stress with ‘stress inducing factors’ such as currency fluctuation, alien legalities and different taxation systems making South Africa, the USA and Australia rank as the top three most stressful overseas countries to move to.

Stress Ranking Country Score

1 South Africa 80.0
2 USA 56.0
3 Australia 51.0
4 Southern Cyprus 50.6
5 Canada 50.4
6 Italy 49.4
7 Spain 48.4
8 New Zealand 47.8
9 France 44.4
10 Germany 41.8

Selecting an English speaking country to emigrate to does not mean necessarily the process will automatically be easier given that the results of the survey show that for true laid back living it seems Germany is the place to head for and quite right with efficiency high on their agenda, 392 spa towns, an economy on the up and currently very favourable property market conditions, could this be probably the best place to live in the world right now? It comes as no surprise however that France and Spain rank well in terms of stress-free living, having long since been favourites British haunts for decamping for better quality of life and New Zealand slipped in there probably because there are so few people living there to cause that many stressful situations!

Statistics show that over 385,000 people emigrate from the UK each year** – namely in search of a more relaxed lifestyle abroad. While it’s commonly accepted that moving house is one of the most stressful things that people ever do in their lives, many people hugely underestimate all the extra considerations to take into account when moving abroad such as health care provisions, schooling and even food changes. However with a small amount of preparation, it is possible to significantly reduce the potential stress emigrating can create.

The formula devised in consultation with HiFX, was used to assess the top ten emigration destinations against ten factors that contribute to the stress of moving. Leading psychologists assessed the causes of stress and weighted the factors accordingly which include:

CS is Civil Stability
LE is Legalities
C is Currency
QL is Quality of Life
SS is Social Services
D is Distance from the UK
L is Language
V is Ease of visa application process
T is Tax System
CI is Cultural Idiosyncrasies

Dr David Lewis, leading psychologist with The Mind Lab, explains “Stress levels are based on the degree of control people are likely to be able to exert over a situation - the less control, the higher the potential for stress. Moving to a country with several issues beyond a person’s influence naturally increases the potential for stress. Whilst learning a new language can be daunting it is not insurmountable whereas civil instability and complex legal systems are beyond an individual’s control.”

South Africa continues to struggle with high unemployment, increasing crime levels and complex rules relating to the sale of any property and scores particularly highly on civil instability and legal issues. Despite being the most popular emigration destination and a laid back English speaking culture Australia comes in as the third most stressful place to move to. A long and uncertain visa application process also means émigrés must take additional steps to ease the stress of a move there and when they do get there, they are faced with dealing with an unfamiliar and complex tax system. A further stress factor comes with the extremely volatile nature of the Australian dollar, being a commodity currency, the exchange rate potentially has a huge impact on future wealth when transferring assets over.

Moving to every one of the top ten countries carries stress in one shape or form, Italy, Canada and America all have complex legal systems when buying property and the process is very different to that in the UK making it additionally stressful, whilst sharp falls in the value of the dollar has added undue stress to the process in recent years.

So if you dream of life free from the stresses and strains of daily living, with easy links back to the UK, a stable currency and great social services, we should be packing our bags - destination Deutschland for a life of Audi, fast trains and beer !