When looking to move abroad to a foreign nation, it is important to do as much research as possible to have an idea of what to expect before making the big decision.
Hearing from people who have made the move can be an excellent source of information for people to avoid falling into mistakes.
Expats, Martin and Gill spoke on the YouTube channel, Sunpire about their 16-year experience of living in Crete, Greece.
“We like the Greek culture, we have been to a lot of places on the mainland but somehow Crete seemed a little friendlier,” said the expats.
The expats said that many things are incredibly cheap
PA
They added: “We’ve been to Cyprus a few times but the big difference with Crete is the huge infrastructure. It’s got everything.
“There are many more shops and businesses here compared to the other islands.”
The pair said that if considering heading to one of the Greek islands in the winter, people should expect nothing to be open.
They said: “A lot of the little islands look beautiful but there is nothing open in the winter. You can’t go to supermarkets or anything so it’s very difficult.”
Healthcare in Crete is a huge benefit which the expats have noticed. The affordability and the quickness of getting seen privately left the pair amazed.
Gill said: “Private healthcare is not expensive. I got a private consultation with a doctor within 24 hours of making the appointment which cost me €30 (£24.90).”
The expats noticed how many people could speak English in Crete too. The pair learned Greek eventually, but with the high volume of English speakers in Crete, it made settling in very easy for them.
They explained: “I don’t think we quite expected that there would be as much Englishness. It’s very comfortable to have people who speak your language to spend time with.”
The expats have lived in Greece for over 15 years
PA
A problem the pair had was with the authorities in Greece, forcing the pair to get a Greek driving licence.
Martin said: “After we had been here several years with British driving licenses, the authorities insisted that they were only valid for six months and therefore we needed to get Greek driving licences.
“We had to go through the Central Police station, it took nine months. For many months, we were driving with a little piece of paper which said ‘driving licence applied for’ in Greek.”
The cost of living though is very good in Crete and the pair were in disbelief as to how cheap a lot of products were.
“Some things are more expensive but some things are incredibly cheap,” explained the expats. They added: “Water, for example, is incredibly cheap considering this is a place where you expected water shortages but our water bills are very small.”
