Super-commuters


What’s it like to have your home in France but work in the UK? Gillian Harvey talks to British expats who do this to fi nd out how they divide their lives between work and play


“I SPEND LONG WEEKENDS AT HOME IN FRANCE” Alan Davey, 54, chief operating offi cer


Alan's French home in the Alps, where he lives Thursday to Monday


15 minutes, so it’s not too bad.” He'd already had experience of travelling for work when he moved to France, so is used to long commutes. “When my children were at home, my family always stayed in the same house in the UK and I’d travel to work,” he explains. “It was a way of giving them a stable childhood and consistent schooling. I used to spend lots of time living in hotels, so it’s not so diff erent.” Alan pays tax in the UK and


France, and most of his work is carried out in the UK. “I operate under an A1 as I’m an employee rather than being a contractor,” he explains. “I have private healthcare to cover me in France.” While commuting is working


Like many British Francophiles, Alan Davey and his wife Jane had long planned to move to France for retirement. However, changes in legislation due to Brexit meant they made the leap a little earlier than they had planned. “We’d bought the


The Daveys moved to the Alps in 2022. The commute takes six hours


house fi ve years ago and fi nally moved in 2022, after Brexit pushed us into a situation where we had to make a decision,” Alan explains. Not yet ready for retirement,


Alan continues to work as chief operating offi cer for a bathroom supplier in the UK


and commutes each week from his home in the Alps to London via plane – arriving on a Monday morning and returning on a Thursday. “The commute takes around


six hours, including travel to and from airports,” says Alan. “The fl ight takes an hour and


well, Alan is looking forward to retiring fully to France in around fi ve years’ time. “Living in France is great,” he says. “The natural pace of life here creates a real break when I’m home. I enjoy my job, but I’d happily retire tomorrow to live here full time!”


“WORKING ONE WEEK IN THREE GIVES MY LIFE BALANCE” Donna McDougall, 66, veterinary surgeon When Donna McDougall fi rst


28 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: May/June 2024


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