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Eric Sauri spends a minimum of three hours a day commuting to work from
Mouans-Sartoux to Monaco. How does that compare with Euromuters - expats working
in the UK or other EU countries during the week, returning to their families and
homes in the South of France on the weekends?
 Paul Thornton-Allan, novice
commuter: "The average person in the UK spends 1.5 hours travelling to work one
way. I leave Nice at 10h40 and arrive at Luton at 11h50. I calculated £6,500
year on flights to Luton - that's the same as a London train commuter. I fly
with a laptop and the clothes I have on and the flight gives me thinking time,
time for my business." Easy? "It's a tough decision to live here and work in the
UK but you have the lifestyle and the weather. You've got to have the guts to do
it and as my father-in-law says 'regret what you haven't done, not what you've
done'."
 Dave Wilson, seasoned commuter: "For me, it's about 4 hours
door-to-door. On the way back to the UK, I usually read a good book. Coming
home, I'm full of beans from a busy work week so I do some work on the laptop."
Cost? "I've just booked my flights from November to January which works out to
about £27 a flight, although it's more expensive from May to June if you don't
book in advance." Why it works? "I have the entire weekend to look forward to
with my family." Advice? "Have a lifestyle in France before you start this
routine. It would be tough otherwise."
 Sarah de Quant, veteran commuter:
"I've been commuting since 2001 from France, although my husband and I have been
doing it one way or another since 1990 when he set up a business in Holland
while we still lived in the UK. From my office to home takes 5.5 hours, if the
flight is not too delayed. I always have to get the late BA flight from Heathrow
which leaves at 20h30 but is invariably late meaning I don't get to bed till 1
am. It makes a huge difference to have a BA gold card, meaning you can sit in
comfort at the airports."
Commuting time inflight? "On the way there I
work all the time on the PC or the Blackberry. On the way back I often fall
asleep but I like to keep a good book on the go."
Advantages? "It allows me
to work most of the time from home and to be with our kids. Also, I earn a
London City salary but live in paradise. In Valbonne, life is more relaxed but I
love time spent in the faster paced life of London. Even the huge French taxes
are fine when you look at the quality of education - our kids are at the CIV and
are bilingual - and other services."
Downsides? "The lifestyle is utterly
exhausting. Make sure you are completely organised at home. I have lots of help
with both cleaning and admin - meaning that when I am home I have all the time
for the kids and my husband."
A recent report commissioned by Thomson
Holidays claims that by 2020, 1.5 million Brits will be commuting from abroad.
If you are part of the growing Euromuter community, we'd like to hear from you.
Email your story to
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.
Go green ... and
share a car!
We've written before in these pages about car-sharing
(co-voiturage) and it does seem to be catching on more and more. Its appeals as
a way of saving money and of getting a good "carbon" conscience. Car-sharers are
basically of two kinds: commuters and those who look for one-off arrangements
for longer trips. One reader has told us he got a ride from Paris to Cannes for
just €35. Find out more at: www.envoiture.com - www.covoiturage.fr -www.nice-maville.com - www.roulezmalin.fr
From Riviera Reporter 124 - Dec 2007/Jan
2008
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Travel 
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