Holidays!

I more of the mind that owning a property abroad might become a drag in terms of maintenance, security, local taxes etc. And it's always in the exact same place. I think I'd rather rent for a couple of decent length visits a year, and then you can mix up the locations/countries a bit too. AirBnB makes this really easy and can be quite cheap these days, outside peak season, which is the time of year I most like the climate in the UK anyway.

This place, for example, would be £870 for the entire month of January next year. £32 a night.

www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/54348335

My retired motorhoming friends are currently paying £42 a night for a pitch in Austria.

Better not wait too long in case others follow this lead:
www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/22/barcelona-to-ban-apartment-rentals-to-tourists-in-bid-to-cut-housing-costs

("Spain's war on tourists", if you read another, more entitledly-British newspaper.)

Don’t worry, it won’t happen in Bury!
😉

I wasn't having a go about Gozo... It is pretty quiet during busy seasons. But major cities do suffer greatly. A purpose built holiday complex is fine as tourism is a economic driver in the Algarve but shouldn't be at the expense of the resident's abiilty to live a reasonable life. For me, a trip to a city is partly also about staying in a hotel and relaxing. Don't see the point in doing an Airbnb in Paris.

I am doing my annual South Coast trip in late August and staying in two Airbnbs in Christchurch and Penzance. In both cases they are annexe's to existing residential accommodation so not affecting the local population.

Actually, your theory helps me a bit Al. Being retired usually means having a predictable fixed income and if one were to choose to spend say £5000 a year on various air b&bs instead of a lump sum rather larger than that on a holiday home, then even over 20 years or so it’s still not a king’s ransom. Ok it’s money spent rather than invested, but doing it at that stage of life it feels less foolish. Spend the kids inheritance etc.