Anyone ever jacked it in and moved to the Alps? (Long-term or seasonal)

Mapaputsi

Been thinking about this a lot recently. I’m 26 and been riding bikes for years. In late 2018 my gf and I are planning to leave our current jobs and do some world travelling.

However, before this I would really love to spend a summer just riding bikes every day without having to worry about work and other commitments. I do mostly road cycling at the minute because I live in Cambridge UK (pretty flat around here) but I have always preferred mountain biking for the sheer buzz of it.

Would love to hear from people who have done similar:

Did you get work over there?
Would it be at all possible to get work as a bike tour guide?
Cost of living – I expect it to be quite high, but could I get by on a budget? €1000/month??
Etc.

robertpb

Have you considered the Pyrenees, plenty of riding, renting much cheaper, food prices are lower and warmer for more of the year.

Mapaputsi

robertpb wrote:

Have you considered the Pyrenees, plenty of riding, renting much cheaper, food prices are lower and warmer for more of the year.

Good shout will give it a look. Thanks!

paul.skibum

Not technically moved to the Alps but I did jack in my office job (used to be an accountant in London) and moved to Canada with a brief year in France in the middle. I worked as a tour rep for the winter and a guide for the summer biking in Les Gets which was great but no way to make a living (financially speaking).

I now live and work in Whistler BC where I ski all winter (instructing) and bike int he summer with whatever work comes up. I was lucky with visa/residency application to get out here but depending on your skill basis it could be a possibility for you too.

France and Spain etc obviously offer options from the EU point of view as long as that lasts - definitely worth considering but you have to find a way to make a living around your dream of riding bikes. I have friends in the Alps who run transfer companies, are real estate agents, run ski schools and tour companies and so on - all worth while and good incomes but be prepared for seasonal nature of income, fighting local rules and barriers and so on.

neilus

Yep, thats pretty much what I did, moved to Innsbruck from the UK with a rucksack, a paltry 5 grand life savings, my pair of skis and a determination to make it work. The rush of joy and release of moving your life away from the mundane to something far more exciting is a wonderful experience!
But working as a MTB tour guide, might be tricky. Local guides will speak English, so you dont have an advantage there. Getting qualified can be lengthy and expensive and training will be in local language. Its quite a crowded space and with new lift served bike parks really taking off here, im not 100% sure the demand is that high.
Im still in Austria and absolutely love it. Prices here are pretty good compared to the UK though groceries arent the cheapest. Here, you could get a room in a shared flat for maybe €400 a month so yeah, you could get by here on €1000. I've done so hundreds of times!
But id take a look at Innsbruck, it ticks all the boxes. Its a particularly good place because of the Uni so tons of accomodation available. It functions as a mountain sports destination but has a life outside this so theres work opportunities that wouldnt exist in places deeper into the mountains. There's usually a good community of ex-pats (mostly in winter though) Aussies, Brits usually there for skiing/boarding so easy to hook up with like minded people (although I hope youre nothing like some of the Aussie knuckle-draggers i hung out with!). They will be able to hook you up with work as well - there's loads of outdoor events there and theyre always hiring ex-pats for building up stages etc...not great work but at least you'd be up and running financially.
Go for it! Its a great thing to do

FishFish

I ended up in Africa for a year - the best year of my life in fact. I was subsistence farming, bit of bike touring and guiding and generally being laid back. That was in 2008. Cost of living was very low but then so was the standard of living - no water or electricity! Loved it but not sustainable - which I knew before I went. Initial meet ups with the ex-pat community were never followed up as I did not want to become an alcoholic!

Wherever you go is unimportant; the fact of going is life changing.

welshkev

I lived in Tenerife for just over 3 years. I had a great time and the only reason I moved back was that I was 27 and I had life choices to make, stay there and just get by on basic wage and never be able to afford to buy a house etc, or move home and get a "proper" job. I chose the latter, but part of me wish I stayed.

There's some good riding over there too and only 1 major touring/guiding company that I know of. he does alright out of it too.

a mate of mine also used to "move" to Verbier for the summer. He'd rent a 5 bed chalet for just him, his wife and kid and then sub let the other rooms to holiday makers. this would pay for the chalet plus enough to get by on.
*I'm not sure how legal this is.

daniel_b

welshkev wrote:

a mate of mine also used to "move" to Verbier for the summer. He'd rent a 5 bed chalet for just him, his wife and kid and then sub let the other rooms to holiday makers. this would pay for the chalet plus enough to get by on.
*I'm not sure how legal this is.

Clever man - as you say probably not legal perse.

My brother lives in the Italian Alps for probably 6 months of the year, used to live and work there with his gf, but they are no longer together, and his new gf lives and works in the UK.
In the winter his main source of income is working in a ski rental shop, operating the machine that services and sharpens the ski's and snowboards - they paid for him to go on a course to learn how to use it properly.
That keeps him pretty busy. He also works behind a bar in a hotel a few evenings a week, and by all accounts has a wonderful time, seems like there is a phenomenal old school kind of community spirit, where everyone knows each other, but of course plenty of fresh blood as they get new seasonaires each year, and others leaving.

Last year he setup his own company renting split boards and also giving guided tours, so that will be helping a bit with income.

Now he just has the one income over there, he comes and lives with me and my family for probably the other 6 months of the year, we charge him minimal rent, and for the last two years he has been working at a local company doing checks on medical equipment during that time, sometimes quite long hours, but it seems to work for him.

He used to work as a contractor in IT, but decided to go for this lifestyle instead. He has no property here, and will be 50 this year, so not sure if he plans to do this indefinitely, or not.

Easier to do if there are two of you over there who can live and breathe it together, don't think I could do it on my own.

FishFish

welshkev wrote:

I lived in Tenerife for just over 3 years. I had a great time and the only reason I moved back was that I was 27 and I had life choices to make, stay there and just get by on basic wage and never be able to afford to buy a house etc, or move home and get a "proper" job. I chose the latter, but part of me wish I stayed.

There's some good riding over there too and only 1 major touring/guiding company that I know of. he does alright out of it too.

I went biking with Toni there - absolutely fantastic - he was a mechanic - from Spain I think - and came to settle in Tenerife ages ago - living the dream! Fantastic tours on the island - as hairy as you want. Bike Point Tenerife is your man. There is another company with a good reputation too but I cannot speak too highly of Toni.

My point being that whilst a lot of tourist consider

holiday = beer + beach - any discernable effort

..there are people who want to go into the destination. Where I was in Gambia most people stuck to the bars but I did take a few out into the bush and they liked it. They were usually fit enough to make it worthwhile for me too.