France - Expat destination for 2009

The phrase ‘expat destination’ tends to conjure up images of one way plane tickets to sub-equatorial paradise islands, or at the very least somewhere where the sun shines every day and an afternoon nap is obligatory. Yet, in the latest poll by halifax-international.com, the most popular destination for British expats is France (with 16 percent of Brits deciding to move there) – a destination that, without deeming it unexciting, is perhaps a little more predictable than I expected.

Yet, of course, this is precisely the reason it is so popular. Once the small matters of the language barrier and driving on the other side of the road are overcome, France is something of a home from home for the British. This is best realised when one visits Brittany, a region that is just a touch more than one hundred miles from the South Devon coast. You don’t even have to be aware of the Celtic heritage of the region to gaze with familiarity at the green rolling countryside and the market towns nestled therein.