Living Abroad Magazine - Your Guide to Moving and Living Abroad

The man who bought Britain

Safi Qurashi is the shopkeeper’s son from South London who bought Britain - an island shaped like the U.K. off the coast of Dubai. Words Anna Gizowska

Safi Qurashi is fast becoming as rich and famous as the celebrities he meets. He’s bumped into Beckham, Brad Pitt and George Clooney, rubbed shoulders with royalty, watched Lionel Richie eat lunch and listened to Enrique Iglesias sing. He sees Jim Davidson and Chris Eubanks every day. Not by choice - they live near his office.

All the right moves

Interior designer, consultant and TV presenter Naomi Cleaver has found a home away from home on Nevis in the Caribbean. Words Jonathan Trew

When she isn’t influencing the country’s taste in interior design on prime time programmes such as Other People's Houses, Trade Secrets and Grand Designs Live, Naomi Cleaver divides her life and work between London and the Caribbean idyll of Nevis. Chatting from the veranda of her island home, Naomi is like her on-screen persona: bright, informative and educational. Especially the latter.

Come sail away

With long summers and just over 1,800 miles of stunning coastline between them, the islands of Sicily and Sardinia are top contenders for some of the best value for money and long-term security in Europe, says Amy Grace

Italy rarely disappoints and if landing your own pad for revelling in la dolce vita is your aim but you want a property with a secure exit strategy and the potential for a good return, look no further. Sicily and Sardinia are the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and both are popular holiday destinations for Italians, meaning that they offer robust domestic markets.

Lean, mean and green

Even in an economic downturn, golf property tends to hold its value – and its rental potential. Roderick Easdale finds out why

“Golf properties are always a good investment,” believes Ian Cunningham of escapes2.com. “In difficult times they hold their value better than other properties and in the longer term will always see a good return because a golf course ensures open views and low-density construction.” For this reason golf properties are also popular with non-golfers - James Wyatt of Barton Wyatt International says that 70% of the buyers of its golf properties aren’t golfers.

Be my guest

Opening a gîte business in rural France was this couple’s dream – a dream that, despite the recession, is proving to be a real commercial success. Words Sarah Monaghan

Seeing John and Mary Jack out and about around their rural home in Brittany, you would think they had always lived here. John is a keen boules player, who joins the locals three times a week in the village square, while Mary can be found each morning in the local boulangerie, buying croissants and gossiping happily in French with the owner Marie-Christine. In the evening the couple sit in their landscaped garden and enjoy the view of the church spire rising through the trees as they sip a glass of wine. Having moved to France to establish a gîte business, this couple have managed to achieve exactly the pace and quality of life they want.

It couldn't be better

It's one of the safest and most exciting cities in Latin America and offers great value for money - no wonder Panama City is ranked among the world's top destinations, says Amy Grace.

City pads rarely come with the kind of package this capital city offers – a rich, historic centre, superb Caribbean beaches, rugged mountain ranges and tropical rainforests. It has the lot – and no earthquakes or hurricanes; something no other Central American country can claim. It’s also one of the safest and most stable destinations in Latin America and, thanks to its warm climate and cheap cost of living, it appeals to young bankers and baby-boomers alike.

Not so remote

CJ and Jim Brough realised that they didn’t have to put up with the stresses and strains of life in London; they could work just as easily from France and have a better life to boot. Words Anna Tobin

“We made the move just as the idea of remote working was taking off, and it is no longer a really unusual situation,” says CJ Brough. “We work as if we are in London, but we overlook the Med and we are two minutes from the beach.” Never afraid of a challenge, CJ and her husband Jim moved their business from London to the South of France two years ago.

No flash in the pan

When successful British chef Nick Reade moved to Australia it was love at first step - a childhood dream come true. Words Anna Gizowska.

“I’ve always been fascinated with Australia and everything Australian. I heard about it at school and saw pictures of the Outback, kangaroos and men wearing strange cork hats, but as a child from a small Bedfordshire town, it seemed like the moon to me, one of those places that you talked about, but would never ever go to.

Our big, fat Greek weddings

Professional chefs Ben Philo and Claudia Pollinger left the UK to start a new life and a new catering business on the beautiful island of Corfu

When Ben Philo and Claudia Pollinger tell you that it’s been an uphill struggle setting up the hugely successful catering business they now run on Corfu, the Greek island that has been their family home now for five years, you certainly don’t feel inclined to disbelieve them.

Three Steps to Success

Author Jo Parfitt explains how finding a new career or starting a business venture overseas can be as easy as one, two, three

Many people going to live abroad plan to embark on a new career once they have settled in. This is no pipedream. What you need is

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