Overview: A life in the sun is not always fun

It's all too tempting, isn't it? Switch on the TV at any time of the day or night and there they are; the endless round of property programmes dedicated to making us feel as if we're mugs for staying in the UK. Place in the Sun, No Going Back, Living the Dream and I Want That House are all dedicated to helping deserters replace humble homes in Britain with a finca in Spain, a gîte in France, or even a cowshed in Bulgaria. It's hard not to be envious, and to wish that you, too, could escape the rat race. But does it always work out?

Billy Paulett, series producer of No Going Back, says that despite showing how hard life abroad can be, viewers and would-be movers always have the same reaction: "Everyone thinks that they won't make the same mistakes." Nevertheless, Paulett says, "I've been particularly struck by how hard it is to live a rural lifestyle. Working the land and growing things is punishing, and often the financial rewards are small."

Property programmes had no influence upon college administrator Jane Norman who was approaching retirement age when she discovered that her property in Redland, Bristol was worth £240,000. She decided to put a long-held dream into action, sold up, and headed to a property in Provence that cost £100,000.

Norman had hoped to enjoy her new life, but is now planning to move back to the UK: "It's so boring here, and I've missed my daughter desperately. I hadn't expected it to be so hard." While Norman has found individuals to be "warm and welcoming", she feels that she will always remain an outsider, despite speaking French, and finds that there are few opportunities to mingle. She has this advice: "You can buy marvellous-looking properties, but that's not enough. You may find yourself feeling very isolated. People come out looking for property and end up buying in a hurry when they should really try renting for six months to see if they like it."

Simon Lambert, MD of one of the largest estate agents selling Spanish property to British buyers, admits that he too is puzzled by many British buyers' attitudes when making major life decisions: "I'm often surprised by the speed with which they make up their minds." Lambert sees many people settling happily into their new lives, but he believes that women often find it hard to be away from friends and family, and couples thrown together after a lifetime of working must accept that this, too, can be stressful.

Last year I shadowed an "inspection visit" to Spain, where clients paid a nominal fee for a few days of wining and dining and were shown around developments, in the hope that they might buy. Most were in their late fifties and early sixties, and gripes about life in the UK centred on the weather, poor transport and dwindling pensions.

Without exception, everyone bought a Spanish home, although some were selling up in the UK and would find it hard to get back on the property ladder if their new life didn't work out. Paulett says: "We follow people in their first year, which can often feel like the honeymoon period, but people should realise that it can take decades before they finally feel settled."