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15
Couple Is Moving From The UK And Lists 20 Reasons Why, Makes The Internet Laugh
When life feels unbearable, sometimes the only solution is to make a change.
TikToker Diana Auria decided to take action after she and her partner realized their family was deeply unhappy living in the UK. The couple has now set their sights on starting fresh in the Philippines. But before making the big move, they shared their reasons for leaving in a two-part video.
Their story quickly went viral, sparking mixed reactions online. While some viewers supported their decision, others found their reasons overly dramatic. Take a look below and let us know where you stand!
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After realizing they were unhappy living in the UK, the couple chose to start over abroad
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels (not the actual photo)
They shared their reasons on TikTok, and their story went viral, stirring up a mix of opinions online
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: dianaauria
Image credits: Kaboompics.com / Pexels (not the actual photo)
23% of Brits are considering moving abroad in the next five years
Diana Auria and her family aren’t alone in their wish to leave the UK. According to the 2024 British Expat Report by Currencies Direct, 23% of Brits—equivalent to 12.3 million UK adults—are considering moving abroad in the next five years, with 12% planning to relocate within the next 12 months. The numbers are even higher among those aged 25-34, with 38% contemplating to move within five years.
To gain more insight, Bored Panda spoke with travel content creator Zoe, who recently left the UK to embark on a solo travel journey.
“I left the UK for a few reasons, all tied to issues with quality of life. Primarily, the extortionate cost of living that left me unable to plan a future of owning a house or affording a family—even as a Scotland Yard Detective!” Zoe explained.
Although Zoe lived in London, she emphasized that this issue isn’t isolated to the capital. “This is a UK-wide problem. I know it’s true from talking to friends in other cities,” she said. “When young, hardworking, educated, and skilled people look around and realize they’re not getting enough in return for trading 40 hours a week for just two days off, you know there’s a serious issue.”
Burned out from her job and the constant stress of living paycheck to paycheck, Zoe made the decision to pack her things and start travelling while working remotely.
“The tipping point for me came gradually. Every day, I realized more and more that the social contract was no longer being honored for my generation. We’re not getting what we need to live fulfilled lives out of capitalism or working for UK companies and organizations,” she explained. “Socially, you’re made to feel like a failure in the UK if, despite the harsh economic climate, you’re in your 30s and still live at home, don’t own a house, or don’t have a family.”
For Zoe, those so-called “failures” eventually became her reasons to leave. “I realized they were actually ‘freedom’—perfect reasons why I wasn’t tied to staying in the UK and enduring a miserable life,” she shared.
“I only have one life, and when I turned 32 last year, I decided to jump off the UK hamster wheel and look for a better economy for me and a healthier work-life balance,” Zoe said. “Add to that the fact that the UK is sun-deprived, dreary, and cold from November to May, leaving me with low vitamin D and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It became a choice: stay and complain or leave and find greener pastures.”
Image credits: Alex P / Pexels (not the actual photo)
“If you have wanderlust, make a plan and put it into action”
Zoe now documents her journey on social media to inspire others, particularly women in their 30s and beyond, to explore life’s opportunities and pivot toward new experiences. “I want to show that it’s never too late to start over and seize what life has to offer. I now create travel content to share the beauty of these places and inspire others to follow their passions,” she said.
“Solo travelling has been both a physical and spiritual experience. I’ve learned so much about myself and the world,” Zoe continued. “I’ve met incredibly kind and interesting people from all over, many of whom share a similar outlook on life as travelers. Their stories and life experiences have inspired me, and the lessons I’ve learned so far have been invaluable.”
According to Zoe, solo travel offers a kind of adventure and spontaneity that can’t be found anywhere else. “I truly believe it’s the medicine everyone should be prescribed,” she said.
“It’s important to see the world for yourself and find your place beyond where you were born or placed by your parents without your choice. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to leave the UK,” Zoe shared.
Still, she acknowledges the privilege of her situation. “I’m fortunate to have found a remote job, so I don’t encourage anyone to make reckless financial decisions or abandon their responsibilities. But if you have wanderlust, make a plan and put it into action—you’ll never regret travelling solo,” Zoe concluded.
Some viewers found their reasons excessive
Others, however, felt they were entirely justified and encouraged the family to make the move
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What do you think ?
kansasmagic 10 months ago
Ok, but the Philippines? You have "anxiety" over potential terrorism in the UK. There is real terrorism in the Philippines. It's a much bigger problem there. Murder rates much higher, higher rates of poverty, far more corruption. You'll just be a rich tourist taking advantage of the lower cost of living.
FreeTheUnicorn 10 months ago
Terrorism isn't spread equally through the islands, not is other crime. Don't move to a conflict zone, don't move to an area with a high crime rate. A person in my circle of friends has lived there for years, raised their kids there, and has had less experience of violence than she lived in LA. More concerning would be choosing a location that has some protection from natural disasters as typhoons are only going to increase in strength and the planet warms.
Load More Replies...
Earonn - 10 months ago
Scotswoman here. Some of this is correct (yes, we're way worse off than, say, Europeans, thanks to Brexit), some just come with the geography (it gets dark early in winter? At our latitude? NO WAY!!!), and some is just believing the gutter press (I've been walking happily at night in Glasgow, Steriling, Edinburgh where I live I walk home for 45-60 minutes quite often). But hey, she got attention, so mission accomplished, I guess.
CP 10 months ago
You encapsulated my speculations. Some sounded legit while others sounded repetition from fear mongering.
Load More Replies...
NetworkMan 10 months ago
Do we now always have to share our opinion of something we don't like online?
Load More Replies...
Nils Skirnir 10 months ago
Murder rate in Philippines is 4 times higher than UK. Add to that the fact that Philippines is notorious for underreporting crimes and it’s likely double that. There are other reasons for leaving UK, but relative crime rate isn’t one of them.
FreeTheUnicorn 10 months ago
If you're unhappy where you are, move. Why is that controversial? Are people just upset they don't like England? The Phillipines are a brilliant place to live if you have enough money, food and weather are great, people are friendly, landscape is gorgeous. The biggest hurdle is employment and if they are set, sounds like an excellent decision. Kids will grow up multilingual with access to nature. They keep UK passports so returning for school or work is feasible. Why wouldn't you move?
Nils Skirnir 10 months ago
Crime rate is high in Philippines and evidently an awful lot of the citizens can’t wait to leave. It’s sort of like Asia’s Mexico.
Load More Replies... Gary 10 months ago (edited)
Wait, it rains all the time in the south of England so kids have to stay in and look at screens. Is this team fit to have children? I live in the South of England. IN the south of England, average is 650mm of rain per year. In the Philippines its between 1000 and 4500. Lol. The grass is always greener. England for sure has issues, so does most of Europe. Canadas Economy is on its knees. The good news is we can always look at America to feel better.
Royal Stray 10 months ago
Besides you don't have to look at a screen because it's raining. Get a raincoat and take your kids out, have them cook dinner with you, let them read a book, play with toys, play an instrument. There's a bunch of things you can do with kids even when it's raining. Did people just forget how to parent after screens became common?
Load More Replies...
Boo 10 months ago (edited)
I emigrated from the US to Scotland in the late 90's and I don't regret one minute. I'm a waitress/bartender by trade and I for one am thankful for the living wage. I barely made ends meet making $2.52 an hour (plus tips) back then. There's too many good things to list (NHS, fair pay, employee rights, sturdy houses, etc). Yes, I miss the hot weather during the summer, but not having to shovel a few feet of snow to get the car out is worth it to me. Like I said, best move I've ever made!!
StretcherBearer 10 months ago
My wife and I were checking out how to emigrate to Scotland because the US is just f*****g crumbling. But alas it's still just a dream.
Load More Replies...
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 10 months ago
Most everything on her list could apply to almost any industrialized nation. Corporate greed, inflation, taxes, crumbling social services and infrastructure, inclement weather, violence and terrorism, etc. The grass is always greener...over the septic tank.
Asmodeus Hare 10 months ago
My take: the grass is always greener on the other side... until go there and find out it's spray paint.
Load More Replies... Royal Stray 10 months ago
Hey if she wants to move she can, good for her. I do think some of her reasoning is silly, but she doesn't have to justify herself to me. The issue is that she chose to make a thing out of it, she chose to try to justify it when no one had asked her to. So I do think it's fair that people comment since she put it online. As long as no-one is harassing her and just arguing with her arguments then what's the problem?
kansasmagic 10 months ago
Ok, but the Philippines? You have "anxiety" over potential terrorism in the UK. There is real terrorism in the Philippines. It's a much bigger problem there. Murder rates much higher, higher rates of poverty, far more corruption. You'll just be a rich tourist taking advantage of the lower cost of living.
FreeTheUnicorn 10 months ago
Terrorism isn't spread equally through the islands, not is other crime. Don't move to a conflict zone, don't move to an area with a high crime rate. A person in my circle of friends has lived there for years, raised their kids there, and has had less experience of violence than she lived in LA. More concerning would be choosing a location that has some protection from natural disasters as typhoons are only going to increase in strength and the planet warms.
Load More Replies... Earonn - 10 months ago
Scotswoman here. Some of this is correct (yes, we're way worse off than, say, Europeans, thanks to Brexit), some just come with the geography (it gets dark early in winter? At our latitude? NO WAY!!!), and some is just believing the gutter press (I've been walking happily at night in Glasgow, Steriling, Edinburgh where I live I walk home for 45-60 minutes quite often). But hey, she got attention, so mission accomplished, I guess.
CP 10 months ago
You encapsulated my speculations. Some sounded legit while others sounded repetition from fear mongering.
Load More Replies... NetworkMan 10 months ago
Do we now always have to share our opinion of something we don't like online?
Load More Replies... Nils Skirnir 10 months ago
Murder rate in Philippines is 4 times higher than UK. Add to that the fact that Philippines is notorious for underreporting crimes and it’s likely double that. There are other reasons for leaving UK, but relative crime rate isn’t one of them.
FreeTheUnicorn 10 months ago
If you're unhappy where you are, move. Why is that controversial? Are people just upset they don't like England? The Phillipines are a brilliant place to live if you have enough money, food and weather are great, people are friendly, landscape is gorgeous. The biggest hurdle is employment and if they are set, sounds like an excellent decision. Kids will grow up multilingual with access to nature. They keep UK passports so returning for school or work is feasible. Why wouldn't you move?
Nils Skirnir 10 months ago
Crime rate is high in Philippines and evidently an awful lot of the citizens can’t wait to leave. It’s sort of like Asia’s Mexico.
Load More Replies... Gary 10 months ago (edited)
Wait, it rains all the time in the south of England so kids have to stay in and look at screens. Is this team fit to have children? I live in the South of England. IN the south of England, average is 650mm of rain per year. In the Philippines its between 1000 and 4500. Lol. The grass is always greener. England for sure has issues, so does most of Europe. Canadas Economy is on its knees. The good news is we can always look at America to feel better.
Royal Stray 10 months ago
Besides you don't have to look at a screen because it's raining. Get a raincoat and take your kids out, have them cook dinner with you, let them read a book, play with toys, play an instrument. There's a bunch of things you can do with kids even when it's raining. Did people just forget how to parent after screens became common?
Load More Replies... Boo 10 months ago (edited)
I emigrated from the US to Scotland in the late 90's and I don't regret one minute. I'm a waitress/bartender by trade and I for one am thankful for the living wage. I barely made ends meet making $2.52 an hour (plus tips) back then. There's too many good things to list (NHS, fair pay, employee rights, sturdy houses, etc). Yes, I miss the hot weather during the summer, but not having to shovel a few feet of snow to get the car out is worth it to me. Like I said, best move I've ever made!!
StretcherBearer 10 months ago
My wife and I were checking out how to emigrate to Scotland because the US is just f*****g crumbling. But alas it's still just a dream.
Load More Replies... LonelyLittleLeafSheep 10 months ago
Most everything on her list could apply to almost any industrialized nation. Corporate greed, inflation, taxes, crumbling social services and infrastructure, inclement weather, violence and terrorism, etc. The grass is always greener...over the septic tank.
Asmodeus Hare 10 months ago
My take: the grass is always greener on the other side... until go there and find out it's spray paint.
Load More Replies... Royal Stray 10 months ago
Hey if she wants to move she can, good for her. I do think some of her reasoning is silly, but she doesn't have to justify herself to me. The issue is that she chose to make a thing out of it, she chose to try to justify it when no one had asked her to. So I do think it's fair that people comment since she put it online. As long as no-one is harassing her and just arguing with her arguments then what's the problem?
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