I am a single, 30 yr old female with an 80lb dog and a cat. I currently live in the US but am looking for a place to move in Europe. I lived in Switzerland when I was a toddler but do not remember much. I was considering moving back to Switzerland as I had two friends that just visited there and fell in love - so much so that they are looking into what it would take to move there from the US.
I am looking for a safe area (#1 priority), preferably with nicer (70+ F) weather for 6+ months (but I'm flexible), and where living would be within my means.
It doesn't have to be Switzerland but I need some ideas of where to start with my research! Any help or input at all would be very much appreciated!
Thanks!

Do you speak any of the 3 languages spoken in Switzerland? If so, suggest narrowing your search to the areas where that language is spoken. If you only speak English, it becomes more difficult and you should probably look for enclaves of Switzerland that are centres for international activity and have fair numbers of non-Swiss living in them (Lugano & Geneva pop to mind, but there might be others).

Most European countries have very strong prohibitions against foreigners working within their borders, earning money within the local economy. If you plan to live off a US income, through assets, savings, employment, you will need to prove to the the local national government it is adequate income in their eyes (not yours!) and won't force you to see employment. You'll need to register to pay national & local taxes on any income you have (even US based income) and also prove you have health insurance since you won't be allowed to use the national health systems of Europe.

Some European countries have additional requirements and some (like the UK) are nearly impossible for ordinary "expats" to meet. Many countries now also require immigrants take language lessons if they are not already fluent.

<<...where living would be within my means...>>

How much are your "means"??? We have no idea what you can afford.

What is your country of citizenship? All you've told us is you've lived in Switzerland when you were a toddler and you currently reside in the US.

Will you have to work in order to meet those "means" or do you have an independent source income? If you need to work have you looked into the various regulations that might limit your ability to work in a foreign country.

The climate in much of Europe is similar to the US with the northern countries, especially the Scandinavian countries, having long, cold, dark winters. The southern countries will have milder weather? Obviously parts of Spain, the souther parts of France and Italy will have milder or even "warm" winters.

As for safety, it's all relative in today's world. here again the obvious - rural areas will be safer than major cities.

I'm not sure Switzerland will meet your requirement of having 70 F. temperatures for at least 6 months out of the year - a couple of months during mid-summer yes, the rest of the year no.

Do you have any foreign language skills or do you just speak English? Speaking/understanding the local language where you live will be a big plus.

Having an 80 lb. dog and a cat shouldn't be a major impediment to relocating to any country however, once you do select a country you should do research on the legal requirements to bring pets into that country. A good place to begin that research is here: http://www.pettravel.com/passportnew.cfm

one last bit of advice, BEFORE making any permanent move you should visit the area(s) you are considering - not as a tourist - but to find out what daily life is really like. Stay for several weeks, living like a local. Do everyday chores like cleaning house, doing grocery shopping, banking, etc., etc.. That way you can find out if what is in your "n]mind's eye" is actually reality or fantasy.

also, Switzerland has a long history of being insular and not open to immigration. European countries that have the opposite history + mild climates include Portugal, Italy, Greece & Ireland, and to some extent Spain. France has well-established procedures for people looking to relocate there. However, all of these countries put a lot of obstacles in the way of foreigners looking for employment, and while some make it easy for entrepreneurial foreigners to create new businesses inside their countries, others do not.

It can be done, but takes lots of work, research, etc.
Start with a trip of your own to Europe to visit a few places.
Look at weather charts online.
Will you need a job? If so, that is a big issue and will be a first priority.
Do you have an education and unique skills that are likely to be needed by an international company and that can't be found locally?
Do you have dual citizenship in another country?
If not, you will need a visa to stay over 90 days.
Within your "means" does not mean much. One person's means might pay for a comfortable apartment while another could not pay for a studio. Overall, Switzerland is expensive.
Far into the future, but getting paperwork, shipping, etc. for pets takes time and is very expensive.
Do you speak another language? How are you in strange or different environments where you know no one and the language is different?
There is a lot more to environment than warm weather and safety. Consider what your favorite places are in the US. What did your friends love so much about Switzerland? Would you have the same things living in a place that you would have visiting it?

Go for a visit to Europe!
Then, leaving pets with someone reliable, rent an apartment for a month or so.
See what you think after that.

You can't just up and move anywhere in the world you want to go. ALl the refugees would like that if they just had to decide to move to Europe and could.

You shouldn't move anywhere you have never been, unless you had some great job offer or something or a reason. You should move somewhere you've visited a lot, speak the language, and really feel comfortable in. You don't even mention language skills.

Switzerland is very expensive anyway. You should have a reason to move somewhere based on how well you like it, and what do you intend to do for money once you get to this place? First just start traveling to places that appeal and do that for some years before you figure this out. Switzerland is kind of boring/uptight in a way, depends what you are looking for, and it won't be easy living there for a foreigner.

"also, Switzerland has a long history of being insular and not open to immigration."

Oh, FFS, whatever they did in the past, it's not the reality today. Nearly a quarter of the population currently living in Switzerland are foreign nationals. More than a third of the population in the Swiss city I live in are not Swiss. And no, they're not all millionaires or tax avoiders (just in case you wanted to lob another outdated cliche into your posts).

The 10-person team I work with carry passports from France, Germany, the U.S., Australia, Switzerland, Turkey and Guatemala. I daresay our part of Switzerland is far less insular than many other places in this world.

There are a lot of factors that may prevent the OP from living her dream, but the weight of her dog won't be one of them

My friends who relocated permanently to Switzerland did it by having a job offer from a local company &/or marrying a local.

What line of work are you in?

The easiest way to move to a foreign country is to have someone there offer you employment first (and take care of your work papers, etc.).

Different experiences at different times and in different places color the advice given, but even given all the differences of opinions, all the advice given is good.

No, you can't always just pick up and move whenever or wherever you want. Laws, rules and circumstances change over time and vary from country to country. The requirement of only weather and safety, and no expressed interest in a particular culture or country other than a friend's vacation indicates some naivety. You need to personally explore and visit some areas, do some reading and research on the culture and life styles, etc.

There are many countries I love visiting, but would not enjoy living in. Some points about boring, uptight or easy going, etc. are at least worth hearing. Even things that seem negative are worth noting.

So, don't discount any comments.

I know that I could most definitely live in Switzerland (if they'd let me stay and I could afford it). I have friends in the Vevey & Montreux area so have spent quite a bit of time there.

If you have language skills in French, German, or Italian, that might determine which region in Switzerland would work better for you.

Good thoughts, Sassafrass.

My only thought is that where I live, rental apartments often have a no pet policy, and condos often have a strata law governing the size of pets that are allowed in the building. Might be worth looking into that aspect of wherever you decide to go.

<i>I am looking for a safe area (#1 priority), preferably with nicer (70+ F) weather for 6+ months (but I'm flexible), and where living would be within my means.</i>

Switzerland is generally safe (as is most of Europe), so I don't think that need be much of a concern.

Weather is an open question. If you are looking for year-round 70F weather, then Europe probably isn't for you. Switzerland obviously sees snow during the winter, particularly at elevation. Really, the best advice I can give on weather is to go to the site below and search for a city you might be interested in (I've done Zurich in July as an example):

http://www.holiday-weather.com/zurich/averages/july/

Living within your means... What does that mean, exactly? Are you planning on taking time off? If so, then a more realistic view of your budget would allow for better advice. Generally, though, I would say that Switzerland is as expensive as anywhere in Europe, bar Norway, and would not be where I would choose to live if money were a concern.

If the goal is to find a job, then things change. Switzerland, is an easier place to get a work permit in than much of Europe. That being said, it isn't as easy as it used to be and I believe you will need to find someone to sponsor you.

Other places in Europe... I believe that there are reasonably accessible schemes to get Dutch residency if you are an entrepreneur, but you will need to invest some capital. The UK has a scheme as well, but the dollars required are significant. I don't know about other countries.

If the goal is simply to find a job and work for a paycheck... then the easiest country to do that in Europe (that I am aware of) is Denmark. As long as you are offered a job making over a certain amount (around DKK 400k last I checked), then you can get a work permit. It is a straightforward process, very quick, companies are used to it, and there are a fair number of English language workplaces in the country.

On a personal note... I lived in Switzerland for 9 months and will be happy if I never set foot in that country again.

My exp of Switzerland is one of unfriendly people.
Last my wife went they were a group of 40.
One guy was picked at random at customs to be checked. He was the only black. One of the first to disembark so that about 35 of the group stopped by the custom officers and asked if they could be searched... not appreciated.
But hey when you spend hundreds of years in the same valley your blood becomes pure.
Last I went was 8 years ago and i didn't get a better impression than the time before if the one before. Etc.

Places may have immediate appeal that continues or wanes with time, or some grow on you with time. The last posts illustrate all the more reason the OP should spend time in places, and not just a fast visit, to figure out which culture she/he is comfortable with. Even within one country, there are areas that are very different from each other. Of course, the OP could always learn from one experience and move again if they are not happy.

The comments about Switzerland are interesting and fun because my DD has lived in several European countries as well as Central America and the Caribbean. She was four years in Switzerland and it is her favorite, so much that she plans to retire there.

I always wanted to live in Italy. It is still one of my favorite countries, but when I had more time there, I realized that I love Italy in large doses, but not on an everyday basis. Not so exciting or glamorous, but found I could live in Belgium or The Netherlands. Daily life is so much more than weather and safety.

I feel the same way about Switzerland (and most of Austria) as Whathello and Travel Gourmet do. Once the Heidi moment has passed, and it passes quickly for me, I want to get out.

Long ago when I was looking to buy a place in Europe, Italy was my first choice, so I spent a lot of time there, in different places. It became apparent after awhile that I just wasn't going to deal with it well from a practical standpoint (6-month wait for a telephone to be hooked up comes to mind, but there were other similar challenges...many of which probably aren't the case anymore for sure).

I agree with Sassafrass about spending time in places, not just quick visits. And something else I think is really important - spend time at different times of year. The village we live in is like two completely different worlds in July and February; big cities will not be that different, of course.