Start A New Life

Start a New Life?

How many times have you thought you would like to do just this?

Get away from it all?

Or perhaps something not quite not so drastic – maybe – add a new interest or dimension to your life?

If you are nearing retirement age, this can become increasingly important. Don't vegetate - live your life to the full, remember life is not a rehearsal.

So, whether it is to start a new life, add a dimension or add an interest, you may well find something here to interest you or help find your solution.

From a new job, new interest to new friends - most are within your reach on this page.

View this page as a jumping-off platform. Take advantage of the opportunity presented to you. To save you time, save money and save frustration, take a look at the following sites to help you start a new life.

1. No matter where you live in the UK, you're probably never very far from some picture postcard scenery. Get out and explore with this guide to some of the best walks in our national parks. They're all rated by difficulty, so you won't find yourself tumbling down cliffs if you just fancy a short stroll before lunch. Go to Walking Britain for suggestions.

2. Our American guests might like to try America's Walking this is a great site that offers information and hopefully, inspiration for those who want to start a daily walking habit and live a more active life. A large enough country to start a new life in. Plenty of wide open spaces.

3. It's all very well doing 200 sit-ups a day if you're letting your brain take-a-break at the same time. A five-minute test here will show you the effective age of your brain, and you'll likely find it's older than the rest of you. Never fear, subscribe for four months of noggin-scratching puzzles for $9.95 (just over a fiver) and you'll soon be in tip-top mental shape. Perk up at Your Brain Trainer

4. You have probably thought of delving into your past but lacked the wherewithall. This archive is the perfect starting point as you can search through every national census from 1841 to 1901 for free. Once you discover your long-lost relatives, just pay a small fee to download a copy of the original documents. Your Past History Find out just who your great, great grandfather was and where he was born. Start a new life and find out who you really are.

5. We all know it's important to exercise, but most people are put off by visions of gyms full of sweaty musclemen pumping iron. Find a more enjoyable way to keep fit on this motivational website. There's advice on how to get into new sports, and forums where you can chat to others who have just started. Get a Realistic Buzz! Find out how it is done.

6. Game shows. OK. OK. Cheesy rubbish, right? Well, yes, but if you appear on them you stand a chance of walking away several thousand pounds richer. Does the idea appeal? The trick is getting on the shows in the first place, and that's where this site can help out, with contact details of all shows that are currently recruiting. Get on the Telly! Who knows, you may come up smelling of roses and able to start a new life.!

7. Did you know there are fewer than 500 black rhinos left in Kenya, after the population was decimated by poachers. If you can donate to the WWF's adoption scheme you will help protect the species and receive regular updates on their progress. Other animals up for adoption include dolphins, elephants, orang-utans, tigers and pandas. Adopt a Rhino? or a Panda? or a Dolphin maybe

8. Who said - a good pub is hard to find? So many boozers have been transformed into trendy but soulless wine bars, or 'refitted' by the brewery to resemble some marketing guy's idea of a traditional local. Also pubs are closing because of the no-smoking ban. So search your area here and find the top taverns, all reviewed by the regulars. Find A Great Pub

9. Now that Pluto has been booted out of the Solar System, we’re one planet short. Grab a telescope and see if you can find another celestial body for the list. Or just enjoy the spectacular view of the sky at night. This leading amateur astronomy club is perfect for beginners, with details on all the kit to buy, where to look and what you'll see. Take up Star Gazing Now Start a new life gazing at the heavens.

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10. Indulge your inner longings and release your inhibitions by signing up with your local amateur dramatics group. There's a list of all the groups across the country here, so you could be treading the boards in no time. You'll also find some busy forums dedicated to all things theatrical. Putting on slap. Becoming a star. Finding costumes. Become an Actor/Actress This is a good way to start a new life - even if it is not in the 'real' world.

11. Ladies. This is right up your street! Shopping's much cheaper when you don't have to pay for anything. Sadly, such behaviour normally ends with an embarrassing court appearance – unless you're a Mystery Shopper. Sign up and you get your purchases paid for, just for giving your opinion on the service of the staff. Become a Mystery Shopper

You could also try More Mystery Shoppers but this particular site is for UK visitors only. Take your pick according to where you live.

12. Earn yourself a warm inner glow by giving up some of your free time for charity. Now fashionaly termed - putting something back into society. This site specialises in finding voluntary work for people across England, but there are also individual sites for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Volunteer for Charity
Wales: Volunteering Wales.
Scotland: Volunteering Scotland.
Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland. These sites will give you an insight into what is going on in the world and may well enable you to start a new life.

13. If you feel the need to learn how to fold a T-shirt in two seconds, how to cook the perfect lasagne and how to do up a bow tie this is the site for you. VideoJug invites people to send film clips in which they explain how to do something they're good at. If you consider yourself an expert in any field, you can also submit your own videos. Learn Anything Unusual

14. In case you have not come across this one before Freecycle, then once you finally get around to giving the garage that long overdue clearout, pop on here before driving down the tip. Freecycle can put you in touch with people who can make use of your old clutter – so you can give it away rather than binning it. Save yourself the bother and do someone a favour. Then you can really feel virtuous. You may not start a new life, but you will have off-loaded your junk. One man's junk is another man's treasure.

15. Drag yourself away from the telly one night a week, stop being a couch potato. You could have a brand new qualification within a few months. It doesn't have to be anything hugely in-depth; Hotcourses has over a million courses listed so you can pick anything from a PhD to a pottery class. Take a Course

16. Oh, to be in Britain in the winter. If you fancy escaping the dingy weather without spending a fortune on foreign hotels, a house swap is the way forward. HomeLink can find you a house anywhere in the world, which you can stay in while its owners keep your own place occupied. International Home Exchange Go to another world and start a new life for a short time. Or maybe this one might light your particular fuse.

17. West End plays aren't known for their bargain prices, but every night there are seats going spare in theatres across the capital. The Special Offers section of this site lists a stack of shows where you can get a top-price view for around £10-£15. Think - save money here. See All The Shows

18. Sadly, most people give up learning a foreign language after leaving school. This BBC project is designed to make picking up a new lingo simple and enjoyable, with bite-size lessons you can return to whenever you have the time. Games, downloads and video clips combine to make it easy and fun. Languages covered include Spanish, German, French and even Chinese. Learn a Language

19. You can also try this site if you wish to study Spanish. Study Spanish