If you are thinking about upping sticks and moving to a different country, or even buying a second home abroad, it is not a decision to be entered into lightly. Many people fantasise about living in Australia or France and yet they do not think it through properly.

Ideally you need to spend at least a month in a country before making a decision. You cannot decide in a one week holiday if you want to spend the rest of your living days there. Rent Sydney accommodation or an apartment in Paris and try to live the life of a local, not something on a fleeting holiday.

Try to soak up the atmosphere of the place to help you to come to a more informed decision, by doing things that local people do such as visiting supermarkets.

Find out about the public services while you are there and make sure that you are familiar with all the local regulations and tax. Living there is a world away from being on holiday there and you have to look at the nitty gritty of life in your chosen city.

So many people decide to move to a country after spending a short time there and they are invariably disappointed, often returning to their native land after being unable to find a job.