A woman who left the United Kingdom for Greece has shared five aspects of her former life in Britain that she does not miss. Danielle Grant, together with her husband Russell and their three-month-old daughter, relocated from Essex to Crete in November 2024 after growing weary of life in the UK.
From Holiday to Home
Danielle and Russell had previously vacationed in Crete and spent their honeymoon there in 2023. During that trip, they began searching for a property on the island, ultimately making the move the following year.
Now Danielle, who boasts over 7,600 followers on Instagram where she regularly offers glimpses of her new lifestyle, has listed five things she does not miss about the UK. In her post, she wrote: "Five things I DON'T miss about the UK and why I think Greece does it better."
Traffic Troubles
She began by highlighting traffic congestion: "In London it takes one hour to move three miles... and somehow everyone accepts this as normal behaviour. Meanwhile in Greece, traffic is so rare that if there's six cars at a junction people start apologising for the 'rush hour'." Some commenters noted that this is not universally true across Greece, with traffic in large cities such as Athens being far heavier than on the islands. One remarked: "Traffic in Athens, which would be the accurate comparison with London, is insane."
Coffee Culture
Danielle continued: "UK coffee tastes like overpriced bean water. £6 for a latte that emotionally disappoints you. Meanwhile Greece gave us the freddo espresso... which might actually be one of humanity's greatest inventions." The freddo espresso, despite its name, is unrelated to the frog-shaped chocolate treat; it is a form of iced coffee made with freshly brewed espresso.
Sunshine Shortage
Her next point was predictable: "The UK gets about three weeks of sunshine a year and everyone loses their minds immediately. I can't do the grey skies at 2pm any more! Greece gets around 260 days of sunshine a year and honestly? My nervous system says thank you daily."
Pace of Life
She added: "The UK feels like: work, stress, traffic, repeat. In Greece people actually LIVE. Long dinners, family time, slow mornings, coffee with friends, kids playing outside at 10pm in the summer. Nobody acting like life is a race... They understand life is supposed to be felt... not just survived."
Food Quality
Her final point concerned food: "In the UK you need a small business loan to buy decent organic meat. Here in Greece fresh food is everywhere. Local meat, local eggs, local olive oil, real ingredients. And because island life is more connected to the land, food actually tastes like FOOD. Funny how eating real food and seeing the sun changes your entire mood."
Concluding, Danielle said: "Moving to Greece didn't just change my location... it changed my nervous system, my health, my happiness, and the way I experience life. Turns out... slower mornings, sunshine, good food, and actually living life outside does heal parts of you you didn't even realise were exhausted. I didn't need 'more'. I just needed different."
Danielle and Russell have previously disclosed that they are paying £300 less per month for a three-bedroom villa with a pool in their new home compared to what they paid for a one-bedroom flat in the UK. "We want to give our daughter the best quality of life possible and whatever country that takes us to, that's where we'll end up," Danielle said.
