You can’t beat a British Christmas

British expats miss their UK-based family most at Christmas - except those who have lived abroad for 20 years who miss carol singers more than their relatives!'

While many British expats celebrate Christmas by soaking up the sun and enjoying BBQs on the beach, research by Alliance & Leicester International (ALIL), the offshore savings bank with a strong focus on expatriate customers around the globe, reveals that this does not make up for being able to spend the festive season with family and friends.

Family, friends and traditional UK sights top the poll as the aspects missed most by those living abroad. 40% miss family, 28% miss friends and one in four (25%) miss UK Christmas traditions such as carol singers and roasted chestnuts. The expats who miss their UK-based families the most are those living in countries furthest away from Britain (73%), those seconded for work (56%) and those who have lived abroad for the shortest amount of time (52%).

Interestingly, expats who have lived abroad for over 20 years miss traditional UK traditions such as carol singers (39%), more than their family (26%), and nobody from this group claimed they would return to Britain for Christmas. Instead, 32% of these will celebrate with local family and friends.

Traditions

When it comes to Christmas traditions, the survey found that expats intend to celebrate Christmas in numerous ways. Nearly one fifth will mix local and British traditions (18%), 17% will return to the UK and 12% will celebrate with a traditional British Christmas.

While a quarter of expats in New Zealand will have a traditional British Christmas, nearly 40% of expats in France will return to the UK for the festive period - demonstrating that some expats can have the best of both worlds if they live relatively close to the UK.

Celebrations

Of all expats, just over one fifth will celebrate Christmas with their own household (21%), 13% will visit UK family and 10% will celebrate with local family and friends. One in four expats living in the United Arab Emirates will celebrate with other expats and 30% who moved abroad as their partner is from the new country will spend it with local family and friends.

Simon Ripton, Joint Managing Director of Alliance & Leicester International comments: "Though many expats have no desire to return to the UK to live, they still carry on the traditions of their home country and miss certain aspects of Christmas. For the majority, it is UK-based loved ones that they will miss the most during the festive season. However, the survey produced surprising results - notably that the much-moaned about British weather was rated as the third most missed factor by 41% of expats living Down Under.

"Expats who appreciate the warmer climes abroad but miss aspects of Britain, may find that using a bank like ALIL is an ideal way to maintain a link with their native country. Not only can expats protect their savings from local currency fluctuations, but they can also be safe in the knowledge that they can access their savings using internet banking 24 hours a day."