玩偶姐姐

Woah, this sounds like a big ask. Moving to another country is difficult enough but if you don't speak the language at all I would say that it is doable but honestly, you will need to start learning French immediately. Living here is not like taking a vacation. It's not like one of the ports on a cruise. If you live here permanently, forever, you need to learn the lingo to both communicate and also to fit in.

I was one of the few who did not do French at school so I have been learning from a standing start since we got here.聽 My wife and I have already made just about every mistake you can think of but we are still afloat. So, as I said, it is doable. You will just need to jump through a lot of hoops to make it happen.

Think of it as part of the adventure though.聽 I'd love to help so please DM me and maybe we can chat.

Cordialement,

Tony 馃榾

@wysemanjohn

Im older as well and share your reasons for moving. Im selling聽 a lovely one story home in Santa Fe and moving to Perpignan on the SW Mediterranean. I think one can find or have built one story homes but hard to rent. And there is a curious paradox making it hard to rent. Its not impossible but鈥�if you are coming on a Long Stay visa you must sign a statement that you will not work in France and take a French job from a native. You may have a retirement income many times over the required amount but the tight rental market that favors renters means that landlords require strict review and much prefer a French income. Private owners may accept you. There is a way called Garantme that vouches for you but charges you an extra amount each month Third the best apts go to those with a French income and wont consider you even if you are working with a relocation company. Its super聽 frustrating. You need to prepare a dossier for rentals. One warning : France has 56 nuclear reactors and adding more聽 Outside the lovely city of Narbonne there is a nuclear waste disposal. The largest one in Europ!

@wysemanjohn

Im older as well and share your reasons for moving. Im selling聽 a lovely one story home in Santa Fe and moving to Perpignan on the SW Mediterranean. I think one can find or have built one story homes but hard to rent. And there is a curious paradox making it hard to rent. Its not impossible but鈥�if you are coming on a Long Stay visa you must sign a statement that you will not work in France and take a French job from a native. You may have a retirement income many times over the required amount but the tight rental market that favors renters means that landlords require strict review and much prefer a French income. Private owners may accept you. There is a way called Garantme that vouches for you but charges you an extra amount each month Third the best apts go to those with a French income and wont consider you even if you are working with a relocation company. Its super聽 frustrating. You need to prepare a dossier for rentals. One warning : France has 56 nuclear reactors and adding more聽 Outside the lovely city of Narbonne there is a nuclear waste disposal. The largest one in Europ!

Im not sure why that appeared twice or how to delete the second. Apologies.

But Ive heard that French people are sympathetic to ordinary Americans that feel the way we do. They are able to distinguish between politicians and the rest of us, and they do appreciate even the effort to learn French. With all of the youtube French lessons from Bonjour to complex debating, there is no reason not to learn! And though people may differ in natural ability, age is not necessarily a deterrent. It鈥檚 a great way to keep the brain working.

Bonjour. A couple of long term questions for you. As you are in your 70's, and by your own admissions sedentary, what could you change about your lifestyle IN the USA that would make life easier for yourselves in the comfort of the home and environment that you now obviously enjoy? Perhaps you could look at it with new eyes, rather than moving? Just a suggestion.

Speaking French on any level is essential IMO and life would be very challenging if you don't or are not prepared to learn it.

Just changing countries because the US is going down the toilet under this administration is no reason to upend your lives. It entirely depends on your attitude and the effort you are prepared to expend to get to know the language, culture, people and place and to engage in local activities (difficult when you don't speak French) and to integrate to the extend that ANY expat can do so. It is a hugely expensive exercise! You will want 25% more (at least) in the bank than you anticipate. France is not a 'cheap' option to live, anymore. Healthcare costs go up, and in the year post-covid, our food prices (country- wide average) rose 12%.

Renting housing is extremely problematic as previously documented here. Finding a plein pied rental...or flat foot rental (one level)...is almost non-existent in most places. New builds on the edge of towns (in a lotissement of same kind houses) are often one story, but they are rarely rented.

How do you plan to get around if your wife's knees are bad? Are you expecting to have surgery on those in France? It will cost you way less than in the US but outcomes require the same level of effort in order for them to be optimal.

Handicap access is not optimal in France, and cobble streets can make walking challenging for those with mobility issues (I know this first hand).

It is more than an adventure to move to a foreign country where they don't speak English and are highly protective of their mother tongue. Depending on where you want to live, many French have an attitude about foreigners taking over their country, buying up their houses at premium prices (and driving the prices up) which the young folks cant afford to buy, let alone to maintain or improve et al.

It is a real challenge to find excellent health carers who speak English, outside of the major cities.

Big Question: If one (or both) of you should require long term health care outside of your home, how would you communicate with staff? How would you finance that, coz it isn't free and you are expected to pay/contribute to the care.

It really is necessary to have some command of the language in order to do the most basic of things in France. People here like to telephone, not e-mail, so how are you going to communicate/make appointments et al?

Customer service is almost entirely absent here which is frustrating for most expats, esp. Americans who are used to a high level of service.

Rental and finding appropriate rentals in and around those cities is another HUGE challenge. If you have the finances to lead a decent lifestyle in NOLA then stay there because the cost of moving house, setting yourselves up with all the necessary bureaucratic things in France takes endless time and effort and unless you want to keep paying people to translate and do things for you IN FRENCH, you will find the effort required is a killer.

Just聽 being highly REAL here. France is not a panacea, and Macron wont always be in power. Things change everywhere, all the time, and those of us who have been here a while watch the political goings on with interest and some trepidation (speaking for myself here). Laws regarding expats and the language requirements are in some flux, but increasingly challenging for many.

Taxes are high as are social charges. You will be a Tax resident in France, and will still be required to file taxes in the US as well. Again, tax filing is in French!

Life isnt all about sitting in caf茅s and drinking coffee or pastis! Its normal, everyday life as you would live in the US, but just in another country where you and they dont speak the same language. Heaps to consider. Bon Chance!

@tony14

1. Hi Tony, thanks for sharing your insights - esp. eye catching when you begin with THATs A BIG ASK.聽 Communicaton in French seems to be non-negotiable.聽 Perhaps you would comment on this quote:

Do People in France Speak English? Depends Where You Are聽

What INSEE doesn鈥檛 provide data on is how many French people in a given region speak English. Luckily, EF Education First, the global language education company, ranks countries, regions, and even individual cities according to the English Proficiency Index. EF drew data for their most recent EPI from 2,100,000 people worldwide who took the company鈥檚 English placement test in 2023. Though test takers skew young (with a median age of 26 for women and 27 for men), this index is one of the most comprehensive that we have access to today.

According to EF, the 脦le-de-France region scores the highest in English proficiency, followed by the Pays de la Loire, Bretagne, Auvergne-Rh么ne-Alpes, and Hauts-de-France. Grenoble, which is located ina the Auvergne-Rh么ne-Alpes region, has the highest English proficiency score of any city in France. Unsurprisingly, Paris comes in second, followed by Brest (Bretagne), Lille (Hauts-de-France), and Aix-en-Provence (Provence-Alpes-C么te d鈥橝zur).

While most French regions have 鈥淢oderate鈥� EPI scores, and several French cities have 鈥淗igh鈥� scores, Grenoble is the only place in France to earn a 鈥淰ery High鈥� score of 612, putting it in the same category as famously English language-friendly places like Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Berlin. This can be attributed to its status as a scientific and educational hub, which draws students and researchers from all over the world."

I have also read about Eyrnet with 20 or 25% Brit pop. with English widely spoken on the "streets" and even street signs in English.聽 聽I am trying to tease out if there are pockets of English speaking where we can do well.聽 聽I know people say you can learn another language without age being a barrier.聽 I think that is not true.聽 We currently struggle to hold on to our English skills searching and loosing common words and becoming frustrated with ourselves and each other when we can't understand what is trying (rather poorly) to be communicated.聽 If we are struggling with English it seems a reach to believe we can learn another language.聽 Of course I can be wrong.

You said you have made many errors, perhaps, if you will share them, I can learn from them and not repeat?聽 Are you like others who replied to my ask and discourage this move?聽 We are considering a move there because it meets several of our requirements such as:

Health insurance regardless age and preexisting conditions

10% tax on foreign earned income with a tax treaty with US so that there is no double taxation.

A climate that isn't cold and retirement visas for pensioners.

You might be surprised how hard it is to find a country that meets even these 4 basics.聽 聽The only other I can locate is Bulgaria.聽 Bulgaria has several attractive locations, but I don't think I can get past the cruelty to dogs and the highest in Europe smoking culture.聽

Thankyou for your willingness to discuss your experiences in France.聽 There is so much that can't be learned from google searches

Be well, John and karen

@tony14

did you see my reply?聽 I am new to 玩偶姐姐 forum and it looks like my msg just disappeared

@Hanvenwey22

This is very good information and something to be considered before making a decision.聽 聽I read on-line that renting is harder than buying a home but I did not get the sense that it was thathard!聽 Given these facts what is your experience with buying?聽 聽Also, thank you for sharing the tidbit about nuclear power plants - I strongly believe in Solar, wind and geothermal vs the unacceptable amount of damage possible from a melt down or leakage from the ever-growing spent fuel.聽 That being said we are only 60 miles from Waterford 3 Nuclear power plant - I try not to think about it.聽 聽

@donkeybros

Thank you thank you thank you for as you say "Keeping it Real" - just what we are looking for with this forum. In response

A couple of long term questions for you. As you are in your 70's, and by your own admissions sedentary, what could you change about your lifestyle IN the USA that would make life easier for yourselves in the comfort of the home and environment that you now obviously enjoy? Perhaps you could look at it with new eyes, rather than moving?

You have hit on a truth.聽 As time goes by the darkness of MAGA which I simply call chaotic hate becomes something you just live with.聽 聽Obviously, a long term move over a short term president is a crazy thing to do but we feel it is way beyond Trump with our country becoming ever increasingly belligerent, intolerable, unaccepting of anyone that isn't a wasp heterosexual , or a woman with children and flat out going to destroy the world by ignoring and adding to global warming.聽 Karen and I believe we are here on earth to help people - not hurt.聽 To give voice to those that have none.聽 This new America makes looking at it with fresh eyes an exercise in only thinking about ourselves and that runs contradictory to who we are.聽 聽Nevertheless you have a sound suggestion and to be honest I am exhausted trying to find a new home country for us.聽 Because of our age there is only France and Bulgaria we can be insured for pre existing conditions and age.聽 All the other wonderful things we look for in choosing another country went out the window when taxes are high, there is substandard healthcare or no/poor health insurance and no聽 visa for retiring with a pension or at least not one without a substantial investment in the country are available.

Speaking French on any level is essential IMO and life would be very challenging if you don't or are not prepared to learn it.

1. Just changing countries because the US is going down the toilet under this administration is no reason to upend your lives. It entirely depends on your attitude and the effort you are prepared to expend to get to know the language, culture, people and place and to engage in local activities (difficult when you don't speak French) and to integrate to the extend that ANY expat can do so. It is a hugely expensive exercise! You will want 25% more (at least) in the bank than you anticipate. France is not a 'cheap' option to live, anymore. Healthcare costs go up, and in the year post-covid, our food prices (country- wide average) rose 12%.聽 America is not cheap, and tariffs are certainly going to hurt - all of us.聽 We are both people who are adventuresome, love nature and enjoy ntergrading with the culture ...AT HEART.聽 聽I see both of us doing less and less now - we just don't feel as well or have the energy even though we take care of ourselves by not smoking or being exposed to second hand smoke, decades of a vegan diet, exercise, strong spiritual life, enough sleep and yes in our 70's having good loving !聽 All that and disappointedly we have less oomph聽 so I must look at a place where we can gently slide in.聽 聽Thank you for mentioning the expense of a move - definitely something to think carefully about.聽 Our thoughts were to pay with the sale of our home.聽 聽Our monthly net income is just N of 6K USD - what would life be like there with that amount - we hardly want to move somewhere we will have to financially struggle.聽 One plus for us is we would save the annual $5,500 a piece life insurance costs.

Renting housing is extremely problematic as previously documented here.聽 聽This is a problem - perhaps insurmountable.聽

Handicap access is not optimal in France, and cobble streets can make walking challenging for those with mobility issues (I know this first hand).聽 Are there good handicap accessible adaptations in general?聽 Cobblestone will be tough.

It is more than an adventure to Not to a foreign country where they don't speak English and are highly protective of their mother tongue. This is information that I really appreciate and can not learn with google search.聽 However, when I try to google places in France for people who only speak English there are a number that are listed including a small town of Eyrnet.聽 I wonder if you might try such a google and give me your thoughts as to if there are pockets of places we could do well with only English-speaking skill or are these places where there is a large English speaking pop but still get along as they are all bi-lingual?

Big Question: If one (or both) of you should require long term health care outside of your home, how would you communicate with staff? How would you finance that, coz it isn't free and you are expected to pay/contribute to the care.聽 I have zero knowledge about long term care and assumed it was paid - guess it is as bad as here.聽 As for staff I found a internet site that connects you with English speaking doctors and again assumed there were long term facilities that had English speaking staff- I am so glad to learn about this from you.

It really is necessary to have some command of the language in order to do the most basic of things in France. People here like to telephone, not e-mail, so how are you going to communicate/make appointments et al?聽 Ok. . .聽 getting the pic this is not for us. Unhappy news but necessary to know.

Customer service is almost entirely absent here which is frustrating for most expats, esp. Americans who are used to a high level of service. Again, good to understand how very tough it will be without French language skill.

Rental and finding appropriate rentals in and around those cities is another HUGE challenge. If you have the finances to lead a decent lifestyle in NOLA then stay there because the cost of moving house, setting yourselves up with all the necessary bureaucratic things in France takes endless time and effort and unless you want to keep paying people to translate and do things for you IN FRENCH, you will find the effort required is a killer.聽 No just no we want to make a seemless transition not looking for a battle - thank you for telling us this.

Laws regarding expats and the language requirements are in some flux, but increasingly challenging for many.聽 Not something we want to get caught up with - we know by observing our own laws which are sadly all about deporting perfectly legal immigrants and bringing in white South Africans.

Taxes are high as are social charges. You will be a Tax resident in France, and will still be required to file taxes in the US as well. Again, tax filing is in French!聽 Ahhhhh

Life isnt all about sitting in caf茅s and drinking coffee or pastis! Its normal, everyday life as you would live in the US, but just in another country where you and they dont speak the same language. Heaps to consider. Bon Chance!

@wysemanjohn France is very welcoming and they don't hold the current administration against its citizens, although some people will indirectly ask questions to see what your political leanings are. I can't speak to Annecy (although I believe Annecy is fairly pricey as well) but I have friends who live in the Dordogne. Rental housing can be hard to come by and there are areas where it is hard to find a GP and other specialists. Most places in the Dordogne will also require a car and I see that you will be coming from Louisiana, which is not one of the states where you can exchange your driver's license. That means that you would need to take a written and practical exam in French to drive after being resident in France for a year. I recommend at looking at smaller cities like Tarbes, Pau, Montpellier, Beziers, Narbonne, or N卯mes. Although there are English speaking medical professionals and tradespeople here, it is advised to learn some basic French. Lastly, please keep in mind that rental housing requires more maintenance than what is typical in the U.S.