We discovered Nova Scotia on the internet and saw photographs of coastline, lakes, vibrant communities, skiing on your doorstep and proper seasons. It was like the South of France; warm in the summer, cold in the winter. To investigate Nova Scotia we flew with Zoom Airlines and hired an RV thereby creating a family holiday and a research project. We both felt comfortable here and knew it was right for us. We have been here nearly 2 years and we have been excited, challenged and the comfort zone is long gone. Our children are both in the French Immersion program and will be bilingual in a few years. They have access to endless activities which are affordable and local. They spend their summers at the beach and the winters playing in snow, ice-skating and skiing. Our mortgage is smaller and shorter, our house is larger and we have more time. Of course, nothing is perfect but Nova Scotia has ticked most of the boxes on that wish list of ours.

Highlights of Nova Scotian Life:

Geography

There are direct flights from Glasgow, London and Paris to Halifax at affordable prices and the flight is 4 - 5 hours.  Emigrating is exciting but it is nice to know that family and friends can visit easily and vice versa.

It is a 2 hour flight to New York and Boston - never underestimate the appeal of Christmas shopping in New York!

Real Estate/Property

One of the major considerations when relocating is property. Property prices in Nova Scotia are extremely low in comparison to Europe. For many, there is the option of living mortgage free.  For others, there is the opportunity to upgrade and find the house they have always wanted.  

Links: To find most property on the market, there is an efficient central listing service at http://www.mls.ca/.  This will give you an idea of prices and we can help you with information on different areas and regions. 

Life style

To describe the life style of Nova Scotia, it is important to realise that every day life is more or less the same everywhere. What makes life different here is our free time and how much more we can have and what we can do with it. Basically, Nova Scotia has fewer people and more space. So everything is achieved more quickly and calmly. There is less waiting and less stress. Add to that the great resources for spending our free time, then the lifestyle and quality of life is much improved.

Links: Activities for children & adults website www.halifax.ca/RecConnect Nova Scotia Provincial Parks website www.parks.gov.ns.ca Skiing in Nova Scotia website www.martock.com Learning to sail www.bbyc.ns.ca and www.waegwoltic.ca Nova Scotia tourism website www.novascotia.com