This is the opinion of John Reilly, managing director at BuyAbroad.com, who also counts ease of access and nice beaches as reasons for Portugal's popularity.

He explained that the price of properties is coming down with the Algarve and the Silver Costs in particular offering some good bargains to potential expats.

Mr Reilly said: "Top price property has come down in price and there is an element of some people needing to sell and they will have to price their properties more realistically."

Furthermore, prices in other destination such as Cyprus and Spain still remain relatively high.

The NatWest International Personal Banking Quality of Life Index revealed last month that New Zealand comes top of the list for the quality of life offered abroad.

Storage facilities may offer somewhere safe for people to keep their belongings when they are making the move abroad.

Written by Jacqueline Farrer

Algarve Car Hire