Many people like the idea of escaping the rat race. They want to get far away from the nine to five, where they are always expected to be at a certain place, at a certain time. They stop wanting the routine of being tied to a business where they know exactly what they will be doing and who they will be meeting, day in and day out.

These are the people that get frustrated by the daily drudge of answering to someone else. Where you have to explain your comings and goings and are too scared to take the occasional day off or to be ill. The trouble is, that whatever you do in life and wherever you go, you are going to need money. Not many people can afford an early retirement and still have the funds to enjoy the rest of their lives and for the majority of people they will reach retirement age and either try and force a few more years out of it or retire on a basic state pension and spend the rest of their lives scrimping and scraping.

There are alternatives though. Many people in later middle age decide to take on a new venture of their own. This often takes the form of a small business where they can run their own lives around it, keep their own personal hours and often work together as a couple. This is sometimes successful and, often times, wears quite thin.

Sometimes it pays to keep the same idea in mind but look further afield. I know when my own parents decided on a similar venture, they purchased a bed and breakfast establishment in the UK. This meant they would be at home together all day (it takes a strong marriage to go down that route!) and could plan their own hours and income. It also had draw backs.

It turned out it wasn't that easy to offer temporary accommodation in a seaside resort in a country where it always rains!

Now, had they decided to go for a leaseback property in France, it may well have been more successful. If not, it would have at least been a bit warmer! They could have acquired a leaseback property where they could have run the same sort of establishment and let rooms to travelling businessmen. The climate would have been much more enjoyable and they would have saved thousands of pounds in tax money.

The tax on any premises purchased under the leaseback scheme is returned by the French government and income from the said businesses is entirely tax deductable which means you can only win. Mortgages are available and even money made in the UK can be offset against the tax on one of these places. And it's not just temporary accommodation businesses that the leaseback scheme covers. You can also buy premises that allow for student accommodation or alternatively, a home for the elderly.

Of course, there are many types of small businesses that people can embark to produce an income as well as a different way of life but where else are you going to get one where you can keep nearly all of the revenue from the tax man and that will leave you a wonderful retirement home?