Interesting to read her take on the European banking system. We consider your US American system totally outdated, and unflexible. Funny to read her take on our systems.
Do you mean the technology? Or the rules? European banking rules are, for an American, straight out of the 1950s, the technology, however, like my app or online banking, is far superior in Switzerland.
I would say the rules are more modern than in the US... I mean, you even write paper cheques, right? On paper! :) As for the withdrawals-per-day mentioned in the article, these can be adjusted with a simple phone call or visit to your bank. - I haven't used a Swiss banking app though. The German ones I know are a bit complicated to set up (if we can implement more bureaucracy we will .... :) but then they run with great reliability and are considered safe. - Great I discovered your Substack, will read more over the weekend. Have a good evening.
This is incredibly helpful. I know DOZENS of people who are talking about moving to another country. But having grown up in Detroit, moved to NYC and later to Los Angeles, I know what was involved in something minor as that. It's the little things, finding new doctors, building a new community, feeling like you belong, all that takes time and, moreover, patience. My husband and I are too old to go move to another country now. BUT if I was twenty years younger, I'd do it in a heartbeat. The future in the US is bleak. I've been fortunate to escape for several months a year to Europe. It's been a life-saver mentally and creatively. My last thought on the subject, don't move anywhere you haven't seen or spent some time. I have several friends who did with unhappy results.
Thanks, Bonnie. Moving anywhere is difficult, let alone to a foreign country. After the election, so many people have asked me about my life in Switzerland, and I wanted to offer a little insight into what's involved.
This is really interesting. I had no idea about some of the challenges of living in a rural community in France--especially the part about the banking and health care.
Here in the rural part of western Ireland, I can easily get an appointment with my lovely GP whenever I need her. And the pharmacists in my local town are really helpful, recognize my name whenever I call, and know exactly which prescriptions I am taking. On the other hand, it can literally take months to get an appointment with a specialist, and there is only one small hospital for all of County Kerry. Which means it can be really hard to get a bed if you need to be admitted to the hospital.
Health care in Austria is amazing, with quick and easy access to doctors, specialists and hospitals.
Thanks for sharing. It’s always interesting to hear how things are in other countries. Austria, is in my mind, one of the best places to live. The government puts people first, and it shows in their public policy and quality of life.
Vienna is regularly deemed the most livable city in the world year after year, with good reason. And yes, ever since the ruins of WWII, the government has regularly put the people first. Unfortunately, that might be changing as Austria--like so many countries around the world--is now lurching to the right again.
The one thing I miss most when I’m in France is American customer service. I’m pretty easy going. I’m friendly and don’t ask for much. And in the US I generally get good service. But in France sometimes it’s pretty bad. It’s gotten better over time. But yikes!
To get a doctor is really a pain in the a*** I found one almost 30min away from home and will not try to change but like Beth said, I barely have an appointment on the day. I think those days are over when your doctor would still see you or call you the same day 😫
We were driving through rural France last summer when we passed a billboard outside a village advertising (more of a plea, really) for a doctor to come and live and work in the town. There is a terrible shortage of physicians in France right now.
Good post and good overview. A couple of pointers for Beth:
Did you know there is an English language helpline for Carte Vitale enquiries? It often isn't advertised but does exist, and as fewer people use it, it seems to be faster than the French helplines.
Whilst it seems essential to have a French bank account for household bills, I would recommend a Revolut account for actually buying stuff, both over the counter and online, with no spending limits, and because you can have multiple currency accounts for free, with instant transfers between them at very good rates. You also get free 'virtual cards' for online purchases that are one-time use, so can't be hacked. And MUCH cheaper than the French traditional banks!
Lastly, are you aware of what happened in February 2010 with Storm Xynthia?, The whole coastline from Nantes southwards to the Spanish border is reclaimed marshland and was flooded by storm Xynthia, that killed 47 people. Whilst the original small Vendee villages and towns are usually built on small outcrops of rock, once islands in the marshes, all these coastal towns in the Vendee have developed outward onto the drained marshlands. With increasing and more violent storm activity in Biscay, and rising sea levels, it is good to find a place to live on higher ground, even more so if you decide to buy somewhere. La Rochelle, which I know well, was demolished by the storm with 2 metres of flood water around the port.
Wow! What a ton of good information for Beth and anyone new or old to France. I didn't know about the helpline or the Revolut account. Thanks for sharing.
Considering a move to Portugal. I'm Venezuelan with an EU passport. Living in Floriduh🐊 Would have to learn Portuguese. My daughter lives in Lisbon. But... I'm a Libra so by the time it comes to deciding 🫤🤷🏼♀️I may well be in my next life. (73 yrs old) she said the same. To go and stay there for a couple of months to see how I feel.
We are big fans of Portugal in my family. My son surfs there, and we have old friends who just repatriated. Lisbon is like a mini San Francisco (my old home), so I always feel good there. Plus, the food is fantastic. You can weigh up the pluses and minuses at your leisure over a three-month stay--good for a Libra!
Interesting to read her take on the European banking system. We consider your US American system totally outdated, and unflexible. Funny to read her take on our systems.
Do you mean the technology? Or the rules? European banking rules are, for an American, straight out of the 1950s, the technology, however, like my app or online banking, is far superior in Switzerland.
I would say the rules are more modern than in the US... I mean, you even write paper cheques, right? On paper! :) As for the withdrawals-per-day mentioned in the article, these can be adjusted with a simple phone call or visit to your bank. - I haven't used a Swiss banking app though. The German ones I know are a bit complicated to set up (if we can implement more bureaucracy we will .... :) but then they run with great reliability and are considered safe. - Great I discovered your Substack, will read more over the weekend. Have a good evening.
This is incredibly helpful. I know DOZENS of people who are talking about moving to another country. But having grown up in Detroit, moved to NYC and later to Los Angeles, I know what was involved in something minor as that. It's the little things, finding new doctors, building a new community, feeling like you belong, all that takes time and, moreover, patience. My husband and I are too old to go move to another country now. BUT if I was twenty years younger, I'd do it in a heartbeat. The future in the US is bleak. I've been fortunate to escape for several months a year to Europe. It's been a life-saver mentally and creatively. My last thought on the subject, don't move anywhere you haven't seen or spent some time. I have several friends who did with unhappy results.
Thanks, Bonnie. Moving anywhere is difficult, let alone to a foreign country. After the election, so many people have asked me about my life in Switzerland, and I wanted to offer a little insight into what's involved.
This is really interesting. I had no idea about some of the challenges of living in a rural community in France--especially the part about the banking and health care.
Here in the rural part of western Ireland, I can easily get an appointment with my lovely GP whenever I need her. And the pharmacists in my local town are really helpful, recognize my name whenever I call, and know exactly which prescriptions I am taking. On the other hand, it can literally take months to get an appointment with a specialist, and there is only one small hospital for all of County Kerry. Which means it can be really hard to get a bed if you need to be admitted to the hospital.
Health care in Austria is amazing, with quick and easy access to doctors, specialists and hospitals.
Thanks for sharing. It’s always interesting to hear how things are in other countries. Austria, is in my mind, one of the best places to live. The government puts people first, and it shows in their public policy and quality of life.
Vienna is regularly deemed the most livable city in the world year after year, with good reason. And yes, ever since the ruins of WWII, the government has regularly put the people first. Unfortunately, that might be changing as Austria--like so many countries around the world--is now lurching to the right again.
The one thing I miss most when I’m in France is American customer service. I’m pretty easy going. I’m friendly and don’t ask for much. And in the US I generally get good service. But in France sometimes it’s pretty bad. It’s gotten better over time. But yikes!
To get a doctor is really a pain in the a*** I found one almost 30min away from home and will not try to change but like Beth said, I barely have an appointment on the day. I think those days are over when your doctor would still see you or call you the same day 😫
We were driving through rural France last summer when we passed a billboard outside a village advertising (more of a plea, really) for a doctor to come and live and work in the town. There is a terrible shortage of physicians in France right now.
Good post and good overview. A couple of pointers for Beth:
Did you know there is an English language helpline for Carte Vitale enquiries? It often isn't advertised but does exist, and as fewer people use it, it seems to be faster than the French helplines.
Whilst it seems essential to have a French bank account for household bills, I would recommend a Revolut account for actually buying stuff, both over the counter and online, with no spending limits, and because you can have multiple currency accounts for free, with instant transfers between them at very good rates. You also get free 'virtual cards' for online purchases that are one-time use, so can't be hacked. And MUCH cheaper than the French traditional banks!
Lastly, are you aware of what happened in February 2010 with Storm Xynthia?, The whole coastline from Nantes southwards to the Spanish border is reclaimed marshland and was flooded by storm Xynthia, that killed 47 people. Whilst the original small Vendee villages and towns are usually built on small outcrops of rock, once islands in the marshes, all these coastal towns in the Vendee have developed outward onto the drained marshlands. With increasing and more violent storm activity in Biscay, and rising sea levels, it is good to find a place to live on higher ground, even more so if you decide to buy somewhere. La Rochelle, which I know well, was demolished by the storm with 2 metres of flood water around the port.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24760702
Wow! What a ton of good information for Beth and anyone new or old to France. I didn't know about the helpline or the Revolut account. Thanks for sharing.
Ooops, forgot. Go to Amazon.co.uk for Imperial cooking utensils. Actually marked with both Imperial and Metric to make life easier.
Considering a move to Portugal. I'm Venezuelan with an EU passport. Living in Floriduh🐊 Would have to learn Portuguese. My daughter lives in Lisbon. But... I'm a Libra so by the time it comes to deciding 🫤🤷🏼♀️I may well be in my next life. (73 yrs old) she said the same. To go and stay there for a couple of months to see how I feel.
We are big fans of Portugal in my family. My son surfs there, and we have old friends who just repatriated. Lisbon is like a mini San Francisco (my old home), so I always feel good there. Plus, the food is fantastic. You can weigh up the pluses and minuses at your leisure over a three-month stay--good for a Libra!
Perfect for a Libra😂