When Francophiles Karen and Nick Kitchener, decided they wanted more from life, they swapped high-flying careers for their own vineyard in Gascony. By Richard Webber.

“Many people reach a point when they begin evaluating their lives and Nick and I were no exception. Sure, we both had good jobs in IT and enjoyed a decent standard of living, but that no longer fulfilled us - we wanted more than commuting to work each day and paying off the mortgage. But the deciding factors behind our decision to move to France were that we weren’t getting any job satisfaction, didn’t feel like we were achieving anything and hardly ever saw our children.

Once we’d decided to do something different with our lives, the allure of moving to France and realising our dream of owning a vineyard was impossible to ignore. After all, Nick and I spoke French, it wasn’t far from our family in the UK and we’d holidayed there since we were kids and loved the place.

Known for its perfect climate and low property prices, Brisbane is starting to emerge as Australia’s latest investment hotspot, says Anna Gizowska

Sun, sea and surf anyone? How about a BBQ on the beach and barracuda fishing at the weekend? Sounds good – doesn’t it? Brisbane really is the place to live if you are looking for a sunnier new lifestyle without breaking the bank. Nestled in the Sunshine State of Queensland, Brisbane continues to offer British homebuyers a very solid property market and a low cost of living. Where else can you find a dazzling ‘Queenslander’ – a traditional timber home with sweeping verandas and high ceilings - only a few miles from the city centre for less than £250,000?

Last year Brad and Rebekah Saunders swapped Morcambe, Lancashire for Canada, and they haven’t looked back, as Rebekah tells Richard Webber.

“Moving abroad is something Brad and I had talked about for years. Like many people, we were getting fed up with certain aspects of UK living, including rising house prices and politics. When deciding on which countries to consider, we knew we didn’t want somewhere too hot or where there was a language barrier. Australia and New Zealand were too far away so Canada ticked all the right boxes.

Kellie Ragan moved from London to embrace island life on Ibiza last year with her children Stephanie, six, and Jack, three. She launched Sol den Serra, a restaurant, lounge and beach club

“TURNING 30 is always a big birthday, but I had extra reason to celebrate when my twenties ended last year. My father gave me the best present possible – a restaurant business in the Balearics, Spain.

I had absolutely no experience of running a restaurant. At the time, I was living in London working long hours in the City for a Dutch bank. But I separated from my husband last year and it was hard working in the City and being a single mother. I wanted to bring up my children in a totally different environment and Ibiza was the obvious destination. My grandparents and parents have lived on the island for many years and my three brothers live there part-time. I even spent five years of my own childhood living on Ibiza.

Celebrity hairstylist Geoffrey Flanders and his partner Kevin Austin built their own sacred space in Andalucia

In Spanish La Santera means the guardian of a sanctuary and the maker of religious icons. The name is an obvious choice for the beautiful, tranquil Spanish home of celebrity hair stylist Geoffrey Flanders and his partner Kevin Austin.

The vast seven bedroom finca is built in traditional Andalucian style and oozes a mix of opulence and laidback chic. La Santera stands majestically on a terraced 50 acre hillside, known by locals as the magic mountain due to ley lines that run under the house. They must be doing the trick, as visitors report a feeling of peace and tranquillity in the house. A truly mystical place, the area has been farmed since the 1700’s and traditionally the mother of each generation was a santera, gifted with the power of healing. She also made icons for the local church, hence the name bestowed on the house.

Anne and Dave Nellist couldn’t be happier with their new lives in New Zealand, but emigrating hasn’t been plain sailing, as Anne tells Richard Webber.

“This is our second attempt at emigrating to New Zealand. Our first try was in 2005, but I hated everything about the move and we returned home within three months. We’d both secured jobs but Dave’s employer wanted him to start quickly, so he moved over while I finalised our affairs in the UK, including selling our house in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. I found the whole experience too stressful.

From the battlefields of Iraq to the ski slopes of France, Toni and Jez Waite have turned a difficult situation into their own success story.

“The Haute Savoie area is just what we are after to bring up a family. People take the time to chat and pass the time of day; quality of life is important.”

Running and owning a ski chalet in a pretty village in the Haute Savoie region of France is a dream come true for Jez and Toni Waite. Yet four years ago things couldn't have been more different. Jez was posted in Iraq with the Royal Marines, whilst Toni was teaching in Exeter. Life was not easy for the young couple - Jez loved the Marines but the long periods apart meant that the situation was very hard on both of them.

Green issues are becoming more and more important to British buyers, and the Costa Blanca’s developers haven’t been slow to pick up on the trend, says Anthony Jefferies

It’s only the palest hue at the moment, but there are signs that the Costa Blanca is being tinged with green. Ecological awareness is big news in Britain, of course, and new homes throughout the United Kingdom are packed full of energy-saving and environment-conscious devices.

Spain has lagged behind on these issues, but recent events have focused Mediterranean minds. Firstly there was the Greenpeace report which provided illustrations of how drastically different the Spanish landscape could become if global warming continues apace. And hot on its heels, the United Nations summit on climate change in Valencia made so many headlines across the country that Spanish people could no longer avoid the issue.

Sasha Chisholm swapped office life in London for organising adventure holidays in the Sultanate of Oman.

For Sasha Chisholm, the best thing about living in Muscat is that all her favourite activities are so easy to access. “Back in London, it would take me a whole weekend to go rock-climbing, because we had to drive to the Lake District or Wales. The same with diving, as it was a long way to the coast. Here, everything I enjoy is within an hour's drive.”

The map of Oman shows why it is so easy for Sasha to indulge her love of outdoor adventure here. The capital city, Muscat, lies on a narrow coastal strip. To the north, the dazzling blue sea shelters coral reefs and rocky islands. To the south, high mountains rise dramatically, range after range of jagged peaks receding to the horizon. There's a network of good tarmac roads, but also huge unspoiled natural areas accessible only on by foot, camel or four-wheel-drive vehicle. The climate is hot and dry, ideal for overnight camping and watersports, although the mid-summer months are too hot other than in the early morning or evening.

Avid travellers Yvette and Colin Newbury have never lost their wanderlust, and swapped Buckinghamshire for the rainforests of Belize. Yvette tells their remarkable story to Richard Webber.

“We always wanted the chance to lead a simpler life in a sunnier country where we could afford to purchase land and be outdoors more. When we married in 1994 we enjoyed a two-year honeymoon travelling the world looking for a country we’d like to live in. Australia was our favourite because we loved the jungle of the northeast, but it was in Belize, on the Caribbean coast of Central America, sandwiched between Mexico and Guatemala - that we discovered not only similar jungle but a cultural diversity that we had missed in Australia.