Ian W
@cyberescue1
English expat in Bulgaria
Forum posts
216
Contacts
4
About me
English
Lives in Varna
Speaks English, some French, little Italian, little Bulgarian.
Registration: 01 January 2023
About
English guy, from London and Scotland, moved to BG, Aug 2020, first living in Veliko Tarnovo, then, from December 2020, in Varna. Married to a half Bulgarian, half Russian lady, with two kids.
Loving Varna and never to return to the UK.
I left the UK for around 33 reasons. Pm me if you want the 33 reasons. Love life here and never want to return to broken Blighty.
Occupation
I am Managerial for Last job in the UK was working in Retail - Supermarket chain in the UK
Education
Banff and Buchan College
Vocational Certificate, IT conputing
2009
City Literary Institute
Higher National Diploma, Counselling
1996
RoSPA (Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents)
Vocational Certificate, Advanced Police Driving (attained Grade 1)
1985
RTITB (Road Transport Industry Training Board) RSA Certificate of Professional Competence in National Road Haulage.
Vocational Training Cert., Road Transportation
1983
My expat journey
Varna, Bulgaria
When I decided to emigrate from London, UK, in 2014, my first choice was South America - Chile was at the top of the list. I had a criteria list, as to what I wanted to achieve, moving to another country - climate, cost of living, stable political situation, low cost housing, people I could integrate with, good infrastructure, food I enjoyed. Whilst Chile ticked all those boxes, it also had two major negatives - large earthquakes and not being able to have a bank account for over two years.
With political changes rapidly happening in Europe, I decided to look at Eastern Europe, as an alternative to South America. I researched Poland, Hungary, Czechia (Czech Republic), Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. What made me choose Bulgaria? Firstly, a friend on social media, who I met face to face with in Manchester, suggested I come to Bulgaria, where she lived with her husband. I made four trips over two and half years. It would have been a shorter period, but breaking my hip in a work accident, delayed things by 14 months.
My four trips were to Veliko Tarnovo, via Sof铆a. My friend lived in a village nearby.
I met with other expats on my third and fourth trips. Was the country love at first sight? Pretty much, but I had loads of questions.
In my view, The biggest concern and hurdle was the language, because not only did I know nothing of Bulgarian, I couldn't even read the words. But, I'm not one for giving in at the first hurdle and I go to on trying until I succeed. After the second trip, I knew I wanted to move to Bulgaria and by putting my trust in a number of expats and Bulgarians, I made it happen. What do you psychologically need to move? Motivation, determination and patience! If you don't have motivation, it will never happen for you. If you don't have determination, you won't see it through to completion and if you don't have patience, things my go pear Shaped!
I had planned on moving from my South London bedsit in September 2020 and, thinking I had plenty of time, I was slow to commence packing up my wears. But, suddenly this changed, as the expat doing my removals, needed to move me a month earlier, meaning I had just 16 days to pack everything - a mammoth feat, when looking around my very crammed bedsit. I worked on packing an average of seven boxes a day, estimating I'd have to 110 boxes and packing more here I could - there were plenty of times when I questioned whether or not I could do it, especially, as I was still recovering from two operations on my hip, broken in four places!
But will and determination prevailed and I finished two days early.
The day of the removal, was strange for me - leaving an area I'd known well for eight years and saying goodbye to many work colleagues and friends. But, I knew in my heart, I was doing the right thing and quality of life in the UK was deteriorating rapidly, worsened by the Covid situation. I escaped just in time.
My furniture left in a van and trailer on August 20th 2020. I left two days later, after two nights in two hotels, so that I could hand back my rented bedsit and relax a little, before the journey.
I flew to Sofia, where my estate agent met me and we drove to Veliko Tarnovo. He had arranged a brand new, one bed apartment, in a quiet street, in the centre of the city.
I arrived on a Thursday and my things arrived on the Saturday. It all went perfectly and according to plan.
I couldn't look back. I didn't want to look back, but, of course, some of my friends were eager to know how I was getting on.
I lived and loved VT for three and a half months, but life's never boring! On October 5th, 2020, I met my wife to be! We lived together with her children, for a month and a half, in an apartment, right on the edge of VT. But, she wasn't happy in VT and so, we decided at looking to move to Varna. Once again, will and determination prevailed and, not only did we have to pack hers and the children's stuff up, but I had all my stuff too. Mercifully, a sizeable chunk of my chattels were being stored in my garage, below my apartment, ready boxed.
We moved to Varna on 10th December 2020, renting a large apartments in the Chaika area. Whilst there were aspects of VT I missed, Varna grew very quickly and favourably on me.
January 2021 and we decided to get married. After a lot of bureaucracy, dealing with the British Embassy and Bulgarian authorities, we married in Varna on May 14th, 2021. Our wedding was special. We had two friends as witnesses, a couple, who coincidentally had their wedding anniversary on the same day. We learnt too, that May 14th is a lucky day to have a wedding! I felt very proud of my achievements so far. In March 2021 my father died, aged 95, in a nursing home in London. Covid restrictions prevented me from travelling back to London. But as sad as that was, I now had my own family - albeit I'd started a little late at 60 years of age. I marked the funeral of my father with a white rose, dropped into the Black Sea.
Later that year, in October and in December, I finally received compensation from my work accident and, also received an inheritance from my father. We decided to use some of it, to buy property and in April 2022, we bought a three bedroom maisonette. Two months later, we bought a studio apartment and in December 2022, we bought two garages and a parking space. Needless to say, we are renting the studio, garages and parking space. - good passive income, to supplement my pension. My wife, who is Bulgarian, works too.
So, life's great. In fact I am struggling to think of a better time since my childhood.
Would I return to the UK? No. Why not? For those who have their eyes open and are "awake" it's obvious, but, the UK is no longer a safe place to live, has an horrendous cost of living, is over crowded and has high crime rates, most of which goes undetected.
What do I love most about Bulgaria? Freedom and liberation - something the UK has completely lost.
Retired from various occupations, including...
Self employed - Road transportation, chauffeur, boarding cattery proprietor, computer technician, locksmith.
Varna and Bulgaria give you freedom, liberation and a good quality of living.
On the negative side, too much bureaucracy, bad roads and pavements.
Balham, England, England
Worked in retail, for a large supermarket. Long hours, low pay, lived in a rented bedsit, poor quality of life, as high cost of living.
Retail, worked for a large supermarket chain.
Balham was quite sociable
Dirty streets, high crime rate, dangerous, expensive, poor quality of living.
Activity
Medical treatment in BG by JimJ
Stand by for more reporting on hospital treatment here in BG fairly soon...I'm going in for a TKR (Total Knee Replacement) on Tuesday and should be out of hospital in about 6 days, following a bit of rehab. First challenge will be getting up those ...
@JimJ Good luck Jim. Hope you mend quickly!I shall need a new hip replacement in around four years time, to replace the exist one. Read More
Congratulations Bulgaria by SimCityAT
Eurovision 2026: Bulgaria beats Israel to win song contest - as UK comes last with one point Bulgaria beats Israel to win song contest - as UK comes last with one point
Living in Varna, where Dara lives, we get to hear it incessantly - no doubt, for the next 12 months. It's all we hear now going into caf茅s and restaurants.I think I preferred Tommy Cash's Espresso Macchaitto.As for the the British song - "Oh ... Read More
Suggestions for a short break? by jeanmandredeix
Has anyone got a suggestion for an area for a short break on the coast? Somewhere that is quiet and polar opposite to Sunny Beach? Would like to do a short break with the dog before summer arrives. Thanks.
@jeanmandredeix Kavarna, further up from Balchik, has a beautiful beach. The town is small, but has decent enough infrastructure for a short break. You can also visit Cape Kaliakra, about 20 mins drive from Kavarna. If you like mussels, you can ... Read More
Banking with Wise - update by cyberescue1
For those who use Wise and have a Bulgarian UBB Account, transferring money between Wise and UBB just got a whole load better.The last time I transferred money, it took a couple of days. However, I transferred money today and it arrived within 30 ...
@janemulberry Yes, at least we've got that! Got to say, banking as a whole is a lot better than it used to be. I remember the days of putting the phone down on someone who told you "a cheque is in the post" and then working out how long it would ... Read More
Banking with Wise - update
For those who use Wise and have a Bulgarian UBB Account, transferring money between Wise and UBB just got a whole load better.The last time I transferred money, it took a couple of days. However, I transferred money today and it arrived within 30 ... Read More
Current flights to UK? by jeanmandredeix
My husband has to go back to UK to collect his Visa (a very annoying point) and apart from Sofia am I doing something wrong as I can find no direct flights. Luton or Stansted would be best. Varna would have been better as it鈥檚 5.5hrs drive to ...
@jeanmandredeix There are direct flights from Varna to Luton , with Wizz Air, five times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.If you can fly from Burgas, Wizz Air have six flights a week to Luton, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, ... Read More
Quality of customer service in Bulgaria by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Customer service can say a lot about everyday life in Bulgaria, and for many expats, it鈥檚 something that could take time to get used to. In order to help expats and soon-to-be expats to adjust to local expectations, we ...
@Cheryl Having a Bulgarian wife, I've learnt a lot about attitudes and behaviours towards customers in Bulgaria.Let's start with the whole concept of Customer Service. In Western Europe, especially the UK, most businesses adopt the mantra "the ... Read More
What is the cost of utilities in the new currency? by Mrs Homemaker
Has anyone found a spike in the cost of their electricity or other utility bills?I didnt think there would be any difference in cost charged ie what was once 29.BGN Would still be the same only a conversion from BGN to Euros.Any thoughts?
@Mrs Homemaker Apparently there's a massive protest going on over the exorbitant increases in electricity and water bills. They've been protesting on the streets in Sofia.Our electricity bill during January 2025 was around 200 Leva (鈧�102.50), ... Read More
Post or Courier from UK (Wales) to rural (South East) Bulgaria by Kit2001
Hi, We bought our house a few years ago (sadly just after Brexit due to delays and get out once or twice per year. We are VERY slowly fixing things - we paid for a new roof last year, but are hoping to do a lot of the work ourselves.The house is ...
@SimCityAT Yes, it certainly pays to shop around Europe. I've found all sorts of interesting websites.I avoid buying from the UK now at all costs, with one exception... If there's a book I really can't find anywhere else (there have been a few). Read More
Post or Courier from UK (Wales) to rural (South East) Bulgaria by Kit2001
Hi, We bought our house a few years ago (sadly just after Brexit due to delays and get out once or twice per year. We are VERY slowly fixing things - we paid for a new roof last year, but are hoping to do a lot of the work ourselves.The house is ...
@Kit2001 Whilst getting things from the UK to Bulgaria is certainly achievable, there are a few things you need to know...As the UK is no longer an EU country, anything you send from the UK to Bulgaria, must have a Customs Declaration on it, with a ... Read More
Pre Brexit Residency Card Renewal by cyberescue1
So, the time has come to renew my 5 year, EU, pre Brexit, residency card and obtain a 10 year permanent residency one.... Well, that's what I thought, but bureaucracy in Bulgaria reigns...I received my existing card in October 2020, but the expiry ...
@janemulberryI Copied and pasted this, as I'd posted it on another post today, but it's the latest...Didn't have time to go in October / November, so paid three visits to the migration office over the past week..."As Gwyn says, you should have a ten ... Read More
Documents needed to renew residency card. by Melvyn Dawson
Hi, I have lived permanently I Bulgaria for 20 years and still have ask this.i have a bank account ,driving licence,residency permit etc. I can remember most of the documents I submitted for my last 5 year residency card but can someone who has ...
@Melvyn Dawson As Gwyn says, you should have a ten year card by now, if not, you should certainly get one this time around.I, literally, have just come back from the third visit to Varna Immigration Office.I originally, got my first long-term ... Read More
Cabled internet not WIFI by GuestPoster5763
Hi i'm looking to rent in Bulgaria for 6 months initially, i may buy accommodation after that. I work online and need very reliable internet connection, WIFI is not good enough, and wonder how easy is it to get fibre or cable TV type lined internet ...
All routers have an RJ45 ethernet cable slot. You just need to buy an RJ45 cable to link your computer directly to the router, thereby, avoiding using WiFi.The difference in speed should be significantly more using a cable. Make sure the cable you ... Read More
Managing meals in Bulgaria by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Managing meals day-to-day can sometimes be a real mental challenge, even more so when you land in a new environment, with different schedules, habits or ingredients. How do you manage your meal routine as an expat in Bulgaria? We ...
@Cheryl Because my wife works and I'm retired and I don't really cook, we tend to eat out quite a bit. We are lucky that we have a counter service restaurant bar just 2 minutes walk from our front door, which is half the price of many other ... Read More
Has food cost increaed massively? by jeanmandredeix
Is it me or has food costs increased over past few months? I monitored my food costs on our last 6 week visit and we have only been here two weeks so far and they seem a hell of a lot higher.
@jeanmandredeix Yes, prices have certainly increased. Appears to be in conjunction with the introduction of the Euro in January. Prices had gone up anyway, but even more do now.You can save by picking the stores you shop at wisely and some have a ... Read More