The weather may be worse up north, but Scotland is the most popular choice in the UK for people looking to relocate from around the world.

People prefer the land of haggis and bagpipes, lochs and Highlands, to all other areas in the UK.

According to a recent survey, of the 1,600 people polled from America, Africa, the European Union and Asia, 58% selected Scotland as their top choice location to live and work, ahead of England (37%), Ireland (4%) and Wales (1%).

Scotland's popularity has increased from the year before when 49% of people polled put Scotland as their top place to relocate (although this doesn't mean that they actually move there!).

By contrast, England's popularity has gone down from 44% in 2008 and Ireland's has also worsened, from 6%.

The findings also show that job satisfaction (89%), salary (84%) and work/life balance (83%) are the most important factors behind a decision to emigrate to another country. This was reflected by people's opinions that Scotland has great job vacancies as well as offering good outdoor activities.

So what can you do if you're tempted to up-sticks?

Start planning six months to a year before the big move. It's obviously best to find a new job before you move, although this may not always be possible. You could start by finding out whether your current company has any jobs in the city/country you want to move to.

Then find a flat or house, or at least affordable temporary accommodation. You don't want to blow your savings on an expensive hotel room just because it is proving harder than you thought to find a new home. Take an inventory of everything in your old home as you pack. If you can't take everything with you, put things in storage. If you have children, you may want to wait until school is out before relocating.

Once you're there and settled in, join social networking sites like InterNations (a site that organises get-togethers for expats) to make new friends.