Goodbye UK: Hello Island Paradise!

[@Jo-hr3fy]

Why not sell your house, buy something much smaller/cheaper in the UK and rent it out, to preserve your spot on the property ladder. Take the children out of school and just travel for a year or two? Call it the school of life or a glorified holiday. Either way you will all gain a hugely valuable experience but you will also experience a host of different countries, cultures, climates, can properly decide where you might like to be and if you actually are done with UK. If yes, you'll have a better idea of where to move, if not, you have a home in UK to come back to, the children will settle back into school fairly easily or you homeschool. ❤

[@SlackAlice]

I have a feeling you’re chasing a lifestyle that doesn’t actually exist.

[@TheMichalaks]

@@SlackAlice it’s the chase that’s the part worth living for. x

[@Drivingnord]

Can you name that lifestyle? Because what I'm inferring from their videos is that they want sunshine, lower cost of living, and to be in a place where people aren't constantly clamouring to get ahead. It does indeed exist. If you've never traveled, you may want to consider it.

[@flfandreia]

Everything is possible! For some of us, sitting with the idea that it doesn't exist is not living but instead accepting a life that we don't want to live...

[@misssjw]

I moved from the U.K. to australia and it’s entirely possible - we live by the beach with incredible views and can be in Melbourne to experience city life in an hour. Keep going guys! ❤

[@Karolina-v8k]

I don't usually leave any comments, but my boyfriend and I are also currently choosing a place for life and we hope it will be a forever place, so I understand your all hesitations and mood swings. I wish you good luck guys 🍀 But I also wanted to share my insights as a person who has lived in 5 different countries - in home country until the age of 23, in other countries for at least 1.5 up to 4 years... First of all, of course, an ideal country does not exist, you have to sacrifice something to get something else. It's all about prioritizing what is most important to you, because there will always be something you don't like. The tricky part is our priorities are changing throughout our lives. I share my experience from the sunniest place I have lived in, Sicily. This is my fourth year here, in the most touristic place on the entire island. First I need to highlight something that is obvious, yet many people forget about, life is not a holiday... People think that living on an island must be paradise, but it isn't unless you are rich enough that you don't have to work 😅 I constantly appreciate the beauty of this land, but living in a tourist destination means crowds of tourists in the summer so big that when you work in tourism you don't feel like seeing people anymore after work. And the only place you don't see people is your home 😂 The season lasts a good 8 months. So let's say you have 3 months when you are unemployed and the island is quiet, but at the same time, everything is closed for almost 2 months, because all the people who work throughout the season like you, also need a vacation. At the end, you spend the entire season at work (6 working days a week), and in the winter, when you have time to enjoy the views etc., you may have trouble finding places that are open. Tourist destination means that everything is overpriced and there is no exceptions for residents. So you have rent, as well as food in markets and restaurants 3 times more expensive than in other less or non-touristy parts of the island. The obvious solution is to live outside the tourist destination, means in some shithole. Yes, but you need a car as work can only be found in tourist places. In this case, you have to pay for parking like all tourists and accept fact that you will lose some time in traffic. Besides, driving in Sicily is an experience only for people with nerves of steel. You think the weather is nice all year round. It's definitely sunny all year round, but that doesn't necessarily mean the weather is nice. The summer months are usually awful, you can't breathe outside because the humidity is so high and the temperatures are over 40 degrees. The winters are also quite sunny, sometimes rainy, surely it's never very cold outside, but... there is no heating in the house, so the houses are terribly cold in the winter, to the point that I sleep in socks, a tracksuit and a hoodie. This may seem anti-advertising to some but these are just some raw facts you don't see on holiday. Sicily is still an amazing place where you can live happily, but we are leaving because work-life balance is a priority for us, and if you are dependent on the local job market, that is something you will not find here.

[@uzog4423]

I don’t understand why until you know what you’re doing, you can’t just travel every summer and downsize in the UK for the rest of the year.

[@bettyzak2588]

because they think that this way they will be more interesting and gain more followers and sponsorships

[@iuidit2809]

well Madeira is a place known that influencers move there (at last for here in germany) bc of lower tax pay - so that may be the (or a main) reason ;) (maybe this applies for Portugal as a whole)

[@HS-kp9ov]

Full time travel mum here…. I was so overwhelmed by the thought of homeschooling my boys but it ended up being the best thing for them and myself. Primary aged kids only need a max 3hrs a day. We knock it out in the morning so I still get time to work. You will figure out what’s the best for them as time goes on. You don’t have to have it all figured out right away. Best of luck 😊

[@TheMKultra123]

My partner is Portuguese and from Madeira. I’ve been there around 8 times and coming from the point of view of ‘living’ there it’s wonderful. You can’t go wrong moving there. We have 3 kids together, eldest is 6 and suspected ASD. We’ve talked so many times about moving there.

[@Oakdenalan]

If you're willing to go as far as Madeira, why not Sicily? Insane properties for next to no cost over there. more so than Portugal. Good weather and beaches similar to Portugal

[@natpaler883]

Oh yes, Sicily 💯 always

[@lauraemma4402]

Have you thought about just travelling for a bit ? And then deciding where you want to settle rather than rushing into a permanent place? It would make great vlogs 😊❤

[@xLA81x]

I was a real estate agent in Portugal for years and yes, there are some shady ones! But also, the market can be very different. I am happy to give some tips or see if I can suggest a good agent in the area that you are looking at. There are a lot of tipps to look out for. I also gave some webinars on this topic and had mostly foreign clients

[@JFoitentaecinco]

Hey!! I've been following Hanna and you guys for a long time, since before you had a baby, and love your content! I was so happy to see my hometown Island here. If you have any doubts or questions about life in Madeira, let me know, Happy to help! Im 39 and have a baby boy. Xx

[@BeatrizSilva-rg1os]

Hey guys! Portuguese over here! Will say that the islands and the main land are very much different!! Even the language is sometimes hard to understand for someone who isn’t from Madeira or Azores! Besides, Madeira and Azores are known for a lot of natural disasters! Just FYI :)

[@neilstevens9796]

Not to sound too negative but it does actually rain quite a bit in Madiera, and although hot it's often tropically cloudy. Lots of sun but there's definitely a balance. I've been 4 times mountain biking and it's very very undulating and steep. 5k simple walks it ain't! 😂 Lovely island though, go see yourself though, I think you may have a rethink...again.

[@paielit]

I'm having trouble understanding the full scope of your plans. It seems like you may not be taking into account all the different aspects of your children's lives in a new country. Moving to a different country where you don't speak the language might seem like an exciting solution, but it's not as simple as that. Enjoying nice weather, beaches, and local markets is all well and good, but there are many other important things to consider, like the work market. You'll find that there are many things you'll miss about the UK, but you might only realize this after spending a much longer time away, not just a few months. It’s a hard pill to swallow…

[@Drivingnord]

They do their work online, flying within europe for work is cheap, and their kids are young enough to learn a language quickly and would be able to find clubs with English speakers as well. I think a LOT of people here are projecting their own fears about moving, or their own stories they told themselves that kept them from moving. What's worse, being depressed and worrying about teen suicide in a country you don't want to be in anymore, or moving somewhere new and having to learn in order to be there? Avoiding discomfort isn't something to look up to.

[@chai7lb524]

Commenting for engagement , I am usually just a silent viewer. I was watching you since gray was just about a few months old, I was in either in first year of college or last year of Highschool I dont remember anymore 😂, now I have a kid of my own. You guys feel old yet? Cause I do 😂

[@Jericho642]

I’m a regular watcher, and you put out good quality content, but I would encourage you to look back at your videos over the last 12+ months. You seem to be a little all over the place; Portugal is a completely different country to Madeira. To say Madeira checks all your boxes without having never even stepped foot on the island is insane. You seem to have a bit of shiny object syndrome to me, and quick to make new life choices on a whim, and not really see anything through. I’m British. I emigrated 16 years ago with my wife and 2 young kids at the time. Moving is hard. Really hard. Doing it in a country where you dont speak the language, know the culture etc makes it a million times harder. I hope you find what you’re looking for, but i do get the sense that you’ll get to Madeira and realise you want something else… it’s how your story has gone so far.

[@PaulaBarnes-zh9de]

Chasing a dream that dosent exist maybe..

[@uzog4423]

I agree, it must be so hard for the kids. Their parents are constantly changing their mind

[@MarizaRodrigues-mw4bn]

Guess what? Wherever you go, there you are!

[@tillysanders2593]

God people are insufferable with their negative unnessasry bloody rude commentary, and psuesdo psycho analysis !? I, too, emigrated and like most worthwhile things in life , at times it was challenging, and at times.wonderful. Overall, it was the best decision for my two sons. You grow when living outside the U.K in ways you never would do, living there. Best wishes, guys. Try to tune out the knobheads who evoke the same reaction as eating a pickle that's been sitting in a cupboard for a year 🥒🤮😃

[@jamisongee1176]

I love Madeira. It is so pretty, loved the people, food, greenery and even a little like northern Queensnand. Being an Aussie I could live there. We stayed at an old hotel called Reid's which was old day Raffles life.

[@mariyahubanova6755]

Gays, have you ever wondered what will be like in Bulgaria? Do you know actually where is located? Bulgaria is the most beautiful country, there are the most beautiful mountains and beautiful seaside. You can buy their nice house for less money, life there is slow and the food is so yummy and real!! If want to research, actually a lot of Britain move there. I followed you from the little flat in London to this day and is that you staying real, how has life changed and your perspective as well. Thank you for being that open.

[@hannahsmith4514]

I thought of Bulgaria, too :) Lovely beaches and nature for hiking, great food, proper long summers with a lot of sun. Cost of living is way lower (though I'm sure for people in Bulgaria it's not so cheap!) so if you move there from the UK you will have no problems. Unlike a lot of countries it doesn't seem to have a problem with too much tourism, so I think it feels really laid back and chill.

[@lovelifementoring5399]

Such an important decision, so much to consider. You just never really know until you live it, control what you can and then enjoy the journey. ❤❤

[@houseofwynn]

I used to live in Madeira and LOVED it. I would go back in a heartbeat ❤️

[@xCiaraLouisexx]

I’m not a parent but I feel like a international school would be better for Grayson and Rufus, especially adjusting from speaking English to Portuguese. They may seem the odd ones out going straight into a Portuguese school without speaking the language? Completely understand why you want to move out of the UK but definitely a lot to consider!

[@adrienbutler7933]

Hey guys. Just wanted to say go to Madeira with open eyes. My partner and I visited last year and we are both keen mountain bikers, hikers and ocean people and we found Madeira a bit difficult. To be fair we had a tourist perspective so different to how you will approach it. - Very hot and next to no air conditioning on the island. Accommodation and business ( we were there mid summer) - didn’t find it particularly friendly, at times people were outwardly rude (again we were tourists so maybe different attitude towards us) - a lot of the coastline is inaccessible because of the cliffs but what is accessible is privatised by hotels and beach clubs. We found it extremely difficult to find places to swim for free and hardly swam at all in the middle of summer. - the hikes were beautiful but very busy. We got up at 4am just to get to the hikes to secure a park. - very touristy (dah right but just soooo touristy) Anyway just wanted to share, don’t mean to yuck your yum and Madiera is beautiful in a lot of ways and I hope you find exactly what you’re looking for soon and start your adventure moving. Wishing you the best of luck!

[@99Narnia]

Yes. The beaches aren't great.

[@JFoitentaecinco]

So sad to read this! The average temperature in Madeira is 23C degrees , It has a microclimate so it doesn't mean it will be that temperature all across the island, since it's very mountainous. But in the winter it doesn't get very cold near the ocean ( Around 15C minumum) and in Summer the hotter days reach only 25-28C. Mainland Portugal is much hotter, and colder. And there ir air conditioning on the island. If you're staying in a Airbnb, or hotel. If you're buying a house, you have to get the Aircon yourself, obviously! Of course neither you nor I can speak for every person on the island, but it's not true we're not friendly. It's actually the other way around. Saying you didn't find places to swim for free makes me chuckle.

[@JFoitentaecinco]

@@99Narnia The ocean is amazing and the beaches are great. Most of them. It's not Algarve. But if you're coming to Madeira expecting yellow sandy beaches, you haven't made your research

[@jemmah4723]

I went to Madeira as a kid and we had people pointing and laughing at us on multiple occasions. I presume because we were blonde and pale so stood out. I would never go back.

[@jolinestevens1343]

Holy moly there are a lot of people with opinions here.....to add - please could you be mindful of us equally easily distracted viewers - I have just lost an hour researching online schools, Madeira house prices and whether pickled food without a sell by date is legal. I feel robbed.

[@EllieAlderson1996]

Bring book club back. I love being a patron subscriber. Anything i can do to support your little family i wanna do ❤

[@jaimekelley7719]

Can’t wait to see you figure out Portuguese life 😊

[@SophieJHill]

Madeira is a beautiful place but the healthcare is awful. My husband had a serious accident out there and the lack of even basic care shocked all the doctors when we returned to the UK. Just something to consider, a lots of things like this are not like mainland Portugal.

[@MarizaRodrigues-mw4bn]

True. Many healthcare services are only available in the mainland / Lisbon. The locals are entitled to flight discounts & free flights & emergency flights when they need to go to the mainland but you wouldn't be eligible as you are not from there. Cost of living is higher as everything has got to be shipped over. Isolated in the middle of the ocean. Rocky coastline, no beaches, freezing ocean water, rains a lot, high humifity, etc.

[@nicolawitty__]

Good job on this video edit, was very enjoyable watching ❤

[@samlightbowne3862]

Don’t ever quit you tube!! 😊

[@annaviola3392]

So excited for you all but… Pragmatic Dad?! You are many brave, funny, whimsical, creative things but pragmatic does not spring to mind! 😅 Can’t wait to see your next adventure unfold. 🎉

[@TheMichalaks]

Yeah when I said it it felt wrong. :) x

[@mrslovely1519]

I'm not a teacher says the woman who taught them to do everything important. Online schools are not as flexible as you might think and usually expensive.

[@PraiseGod1611]

Smaller house in the uk maybe and travel with homeschooling

Azores, S. Miguel, could be another place to see as your future home. It’s the island where we live

[@AutismTwinsUs]

I’m a dad too neurodiverse twins , both have Autism ans one also adhd , mine are 10 and one is in a SEN school one in mainstream, Grayson seems very similar to my Matthew he struggles with a noisy classroom also , intelligent but socially struggles sometimes, hope whatever you decide to do it works out well , ps Has Grayson been diagnosed ?

[@bodyevolvefamilywellness689]

Jeeezzz how do you guys put up with all this negativity and condescending tripe from people! We are about to apply for our visas to go from Uk to Madeira, we’ve 3 young children and 2 dogs and about to embark on a once in a lifetime amazing opportunity that most people would never do. It’s daunting, yea, but life is for living! It’s great to see you dreaming big, going for it and teaching your children how to really live! Wishing you all the best family adventures! Ps. We’ve been to Madeira loads over the years and it’s perfect for our family. If you want any info about the island, just drop me a message.

[@Lesley_Snipes]

a few cracks in render and plaster aren't a reason to pull out of a house.

[@TheMichalaks]

@@Lesley_Snipes I only mentioned that problem, there were lots more. That’s the problem when you only see 10 minutes of our lives, there is lot that goes unsaid. I guess we kind of expect people to fill in the gaps themselves.

[@debbiefivealive]

The edits are amazing 😊

[@florahook8]

Relating so hard to the ADHD brain constant new idea battle. The amount of ideas I have wasted half a day researching just to not give a damn about the next day. Painful 😂

[@lauraemma4402]

Oo bring back book club ❤❤ I’ll join ! Need motivation and hobby to get back into 😊

[@mariajoaosantos6985]

If you are into islands, you can also consider the Açores … also very green and lush 😂😊

[@Just_Jelle]

Although beautiful, the Azores is quite wet and damp. I think they’re looking for a bit more sunshine-y days.

[@LittleMew133]

Why did you just ROASTED the prince randomly? XDD

[@sararibeiro3959]

Madeira and Açores are amazing :)

[@claraphillips344]

Madeira is a bit weird. Lots of cruise ships

[@goodtogo3]

you don't get it...Prince William is a very handsome man.

[@Lesley_Snipes]

A few cracks in the render and plaster aren't enough reason to pull out of a house. A good surveyor will tell you what's causing the cracks with evidence.

[@MarizaRodrigues-mw4bn]

I can tell you what causes the cracks: earthquakes and bad construction. We have a lot of minor earthquakes in Portugal. Sometimes major ones too. Last one was just a few weeks ago on 26th August magnitude 5,4 on Richter scale, luckily only lasted a few seconds, but left cracks.

[@emmycahill]

Love you guys ❤

[@PaulaBarnes-zh9de]

Not goodbye uk as you dont know where your going yet 😂

[@HazelYule]

Another awesome video. Thanks for sharing. Now feeling a bit more inspired on this cold, grey, autumn Sunday. 💖 Looking forward to your Madiera discoveries.

[@siandavis9676]

Common denominom. Deniminomonom 😂

[@darquisekrysciak8732]

🥰🇨🇦

[@jackiebrown2856]

Xx💕💕

[@sholroyd1]

As an American who has watched your videos for a lot of years (before Greyson was born) it’s really hard to watch the random Trump inserts. Especially at this time when our county is gearing up for a really intense election and our democracy is essentially at stake. He’s just not funny anymore and i feel like it’s rather insensitive of you to “jokingly” put him in your videos. You and your family are smarter than that. Trump is a criminal and wants to take away the rights of so many people and he might get a chance to which is terrifying.

[@jolynnpuente347]

Seriously? Have you see the prices of everything go up in the last 4 years? You like millions of illegal aliens ( mostly criminals and murderers) coming through our borders? Stop listening to others and do your own research. Trump is not a criminal, it’s just a ploy to slow him down during the election. The criminals are Biden and Hunter and the rest of the crooked Democratic Party. The truth will come out about them soon enough. Stop watching CNN! Trump 2024!