The British countryside came at the top of a survey which asked British emigrants what they missed most about the UK. In the survey carried out by Lloyds TSB International, almost half said that they missed the British countryside the most.
Other things that the survey participants said they missed included British pubs, the British sense of humour and a cup of tea. Not surprisingly the weather was one of the least missed attributes of living in the UK.
Different aspects of UK society were missed more in some parts of the world than in others. British pubs for example were missed most in Australia and the countryside by Brits living in the UAE. Almost 90% of participants in the UAE said they missed this aspect of Britain the most.
A report by the BBC as part of the ‘Brits Abroad’ projected noted other things that expats miss from home. This list included British TV and British food. Typical foods that expats miss when living abroad that are either hard to find or expensive include marmite, crisps, biscuits and tea bags. Fish and chip is often missed also. TV shows which expats may feel a pang for are usually the soaps such as Coronation Street and Eastenders.
The internet has not doubt helped expats to cope with some of their yearnings for UK life. The online retailer, the Bristol based ‘British Corner Shop’ for example has worldwide shipping for all major brands normally sold in UK supermarkets. Branston Pickle, Jacobs Cream Crackers, Kellogg’s Cornflakes, PG Tips and Heinz baked beans are a few examples of items sold.
Television shows are not much more accessible thanks to cable stations e.g. BBC America, television streaming sites such as Netflix and video hosting website such as You Tube.
Video calling using face time and skype for example are more and more popular and all generations are now using this technology. Social media also such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram also means that it is now easier to keep in touch, especially as social media can be access on mobiles and tablets.
The survey was carried out by Freshminds and asked over 1000 Brits living abroad for their views on what they missed most about life away from the UK. Despite missing various aspects of life back at home, overall nearly 7 out of 10 were happier with their new life abroad.
