So you have decided that you want to move to Greece – but is this a decision that the whole family agrees with? It is unlikely that you will be happy if your family are not, so perhaps it would be wise to make sure that they share your enthusiasm.

Firstly, a good look at your reasons to move may be a good idea. You may want to enjoy a more relaxed way of life. You may have seen how the Greeks are able to work hard and yet have time to spend with family. You may have also noticed how close family ties are in Greece, and if that is what is driving your move, the good news is that you can all be assured of finding what you are looking for in Greece, especially if you go to the smaller towns or villages.

There’s a community spirit in Greece that is heart-warming. I visited a friend who had moved to a small village in Corfu. While I was there a chap came by selling fish. He stopped at her door, not to ply his wares, but to ask how her husband was – he had heard via the very busy village grapevine that he had been taken ill…

I cannot tell you how often I have been invited to weddings, parties, name day celebrations – me, a perfect stranger! Stories that one reads in the newspapers here of people dying and not being discovered for ages just could not happen in Greece.

Children are adored: they are spoilt rotten as small children and then disciplined as they get older. It’s a balance that seems to work: children have enormous affection for their parents but also respect and honour them.

One way to test whether the whole family is up for the move is to ‘play house’ at your projected overseas location. Try to stay for as long as possible on your next visit. Then plan to experience the place as someone who lives there would. This means that, rather than staying in a hotel, you rent an apartment or a villa or – first prize - do a house swap. Instead of visiting the main attractions, check out all the things that the locals do. Go grocery shopping, look at employment adverts and do everything you would normally do if you were moving from one town to another in the UK.

If you have school-going children you will need to make sure that there is a school within an accessible distance from where you plan to stay and that preferably there is public transport for those days that you are unable to do the school lift. Travelling by bus is also a good way for kids to make contact with other local school goers. If you want your kids to attend an English school your options are very limited in Greece so you need to make sure that if you are buying a house you have sorted this out in advance.

You may want to test public transport to see how reliable it is, stroll through the area at different times of the day to listen out for noise, buy the type of groceries you normally purchase to determine if they are available and at what price – and definitely check out health services. How far away are they and will they cater to all your needs?

If you have a beloved pet that needs to relocate with you then I suggest you go to the DEFRA website which contains full details for the Pet Travel Scheme. This should be consulted to check all up-to-date requirements of the scheme - www.defra.gov.uk

By giving yourself and your family time as residents rather than as tourists you will get a more realistic idea of daily life in your desired location and you will all be better able to assess whether you are all up for the move.

Start your hunt for a home in Greece here…
If you’re searching for a Greek property, a good place to start is the Greece Buying Guide’s new property search facility. To start your search now visit
http://www.greecebuyingguide.com/content/greece-properties