# Moving to Alicante area, can't decide on town!



## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

Hello! I'm new to the forum & I'd like to thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give us on our "big move"
We're a young couple, not yet married but we have two small children (our boy 2 1/2 and girl just turned 1) My fiancé is a Dutch citizen, we met while working on a cruise ship together. He still works with the cruise line as an engineer & is gone half the year (at least) sailing. I am a stay at home Mom for now but I do have my (Associate) degree in Early Childhood Education (children 0-5) and once my children are in school I would be interested in working with children again, possibly even at the International School I'd like them to go to or possibly taking in children for daycare in my home, if that's allowed. I can speak, read (both fluently) & write (moderately) in Spanish. I am a first generation Argentine American, however my paternal grandmother was from Galicia before she came over to Argentina. Because of her citizenship I did attempt to gain citizenship as well when they offered it to children & grandchildren of people who had been exiled from Spain under Franco's regime but it was denied so I have to do it the old fashioned way, which I'm sure will compel me to ask about NIE numbers, applying for residence & work Visas as well. My children have EU citizenship through my fiancé so they shouldn't have an issue, it's just me the American holding up the works. The closest Spanish Embassy we have is 6 hours away in Chicago so I've got my work cut out for me I think. 
We are planning to move to Spain in June/July of 2014. We know we want the Alicante region but are unsure of which town to move to. We need to be (relatively) close to an airport, the coast and an International school for the children. After some research I have found at least two in Xabia/ Javea and a couple actually in Alicante. I'm interested in the schools near Javea because I think I will like the area however it is quite far (50 mi) from the Alicante airport. Looking a bit further into the cost of places I found a couple other towns nearby, namely Moraira that seemed in our price range for renting and interests but you can only get so much from pictures & what they choose to tell people coming on holiday. 
So can anyone from the area give me some advice for a nice place to be for my family? 
Our idea is to come over and stay "on holiday" for 10 days, maybe 2 weeks, for an intensive search for a rental, get it and then retrieve all of our stuff from Holland. Is that a realistic plan?
Are the 3 months I have as a US citizen to be in Spain a reasonable amount of time to get settled with a residence Visa so they won't kick me out?
Would we have an easier time if we were married first?
Will my degree even matter over there?
Thanks again, sorry for the novel but I hope clarifying my situation would help make answering my questions a bit easier


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

basbelle said:


> Hello! I'm new to the forum & I'd like to thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give us on our "big move"
> We're a young couple, not yet married but we have two small children (our boy 2 1/2 and girl just turned 1) My fiancé is a Dutch citizen, we met while working on a cruise ship together. He still works with the cruise line as an engineer & is gone half the year (at least) sailing. I am a stay at home Mom for now but I do have my (Associate) degree in Early Childhood Education (children 0-5) and once my children are in school I would be interested in working with children again, possibly even at the International School I'd like them to go to or possibly taking in children for daycare in my home, if that's allowed. I can speak, read (both fluently) & write (moderately) in Spanish. I am a first generation Argentine American, however my paternal grandmother was from Galicia before she came over to Argentina. Because of her citizenship I did attempt to gain citizenship as well when they offered it to children & grandchildren of people who had been exiled from Spain under Franco's regime but it was denied so I have to do it the old fashioned way, which I'm sure will compel me to ask about NIE numbers, applying for residence & work Visas as well. My children have EU citizenship through my fiancé so they shouldn't have an issue, it's just me the American holding up the works. The closest Spanish Embassy we have is 6 hours away in Chicago so I've got my work cut out for me I think.
> We are planning to move to Spain in June/July of 2014. We know we want the Alicante region but are unsure of which town to move to. We need to be (relatively) close to an airport, the coast and an International school for the children. After some research I have found at least two in Xabia/ Javea and a couple actually in Alicante. I'm interested in the schools near Javea because I think I will like the area however it is quite far (50 mi) from the Alicante airport. Looking a bit further into the cost of places I found a couple other towns nearby, namely Moraira that seemed in our price range for renting and interests but you can only get so much from pictures & what they choose to tell people coming on holiday.
> So can anyone from the area give me some advice for a nice place to be for my family?
> ...



Hi 

I've lived in Jávea/Xàbia for nearly 10 years now - so if you want to know pretty much anything ask away! I also know teachers, former teachers & students at both of the International schools, so I know a fair amount about them, too - though at the ages of your children I personally would opt for Spanish state school - even if you're only staying a couple of years - the older child will be old enough to start in September 2014. We moved here when my daughters were 4 & 7 - they're in the state school system. 

as far as the visa is concerned - you *cannot *apply for a visa once you are in Spain - you *have to * apply & have the visa issued before you arrive here........ 

unless you plan to marry before you come, as you mentioned. That would make everything very simple. If you're married, you & your family can just come to Spain, your husband & children register as resident as EU citizens - you come with a tourist visa & register as the spouse of an EU citizen

it might take longer than 90 days to process - but once you have applied, you can stay


your degree _might _be accepted at an International school - they all have their own individual requirements


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## Expatliving (Oct 21, 2013)

Hello

We are also going through the search stage, CBN seems to be the ideal place for lovely towns/villages and it also has the excellent ferry service to the islands on hand as well ... What's not to like eh? 

I'll keep an eye out for your posts to see how your search is getting on? 

Regards


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

I have to agree with Xabiachica on Javea town, location is beautiful, lots of greenery, not arid like many parts of Spain, we have mountains all around. 
The location of Javea is convenient for two airports, Alicante ..about one hour away by road, and Valencia which is about one hour twenty minutes away. My husband frequently uses Valencia for the start of many international flights, to the Far East , he often flies to Paris CDG, and then can fly most places from there. Also from our coastal airports you can get flights to either Madrid or Barcelona with connecting flights to many places in the world.
Some of the major ports where cruise ships stop at are Barcelona, and I believe they also stop at Alicante ports for the smaller Med. cruises. Denia which is just the other side of the Montgo mountain from Javea, has a ferry port, with ferries going to Ibiza, and some of the other Spanish Med islands.
Xabia is the expert on advising children's schooling, having children of her own, and knowing many teachers.


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## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

Thank you so much for all the info! (Especially about the Visa Xabiachica) I am quite partial to the Javea area but I won't lie the Valenciano being pushed so much in schools has got me a little wary...it also is a little more expensive than we were looking to spend a month (I'd rather spend money on schooling than overpriced rent) but then again we will only be renting for about a year so it will give us plenty of time to figure things out. I really wanted the International School because the common language for my fiancé and I is English (my first and his near perfect second) and I would hate for him to come home after being gone for months to two little ones rattling off in a language he doesn't know so well. In truth I actually learned Spanish before English and even just being around relatives for a few hours speaking Spanish leaves my English a bit sketchy so I have no doubt of our ability to adapt but he just won't have the time or opportunity to do so. I've observed my Australian Expat move to Holland with her two little ones and her oldest (4) started speaking Dutch and REFUSED to speak English to her for months. Then she started working at an International School, got the children in and now both children speak both equally. Spanish is a bit different because (unlike Dutch or especially Valenciano) it is spoken throughout the world and a very useful second language and we plan on staying in the country so I will insist on them (and the hubs) knowing it. I do however want the children to know Dutch as well but I'm sure his visiting family (at less than 100 euros a plane ticket) will help keep that up. 
I know I'm from the US but I have quite a few very close friends from the UK (my cousins actually grew up in London & my great aunt still lives there) and I heard that there is quite a large group of people from the UK that have settled in South East Spain. (I'm noticing on here that it seems to be the case as well.) Now while I do want to immerse our family in the Spanish culture I think it would be nice to have people to speak English with every now and then. I also like the idea of the children's school years being determined by their year of birth since my little one is a September baby and I was afraid she would get held back and be 2 years opposite her older brother who was born in May. I'd prefer the one year difference  
Fergie you are correct, our particular cruise line visits all over Spain with stops at Malaga, Alicante and Barcelona, the latter usually for overnights. Not only would I get to see my fiancé but several other of my close friends are still on ship and I would be able to visit the port and pick them up for the day like I used to do in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. 
Another question I had was it still the case that people don't have time or money there for things like yoga or fitness? I heard it just wasn't a priority at all and I shouldn't expect to find anyone doing it there. I was looking to get certified in yoga (you can never stop learning, especially if it's a lucrative skill) but after hearing that I'm probably not going to bother. 
I will keep you all posted on more as I find it out how we're going. On another post I found out that Bekins would be a good mover from the US to Europe so I did look them up but my fiancé is currently away and juggling two little ones with a mountain of housework makes it difficult to sit down and really concentrate on anything. Currently they're both jumping on me while I write this haha. 
If anybody else possibly has more information on perhaps Moraira or anything else you think might help I would endlessly appreciate it! Xabiachica I will be bending your ear a bit, I hope you don't mind! (I confess I was super happy when I saw you replied!)
Thanks so much!!!


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## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

Oooopps, forgot one more question: Is it possible for someone to take care of children from their home? Here you can run a "daycare" of sorts from your home as long as you own the home and meet the state regulations of adult to child ratio. I know that money is rough there yet daycare is a necessity. I could offer a decent rate & their children would be in a clean friendly bilingual home with someone well versed in their care and development while they work. Is this just unheard of? Hopefully not illegal at least... :/


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

basbelle said:


> Oooopps, forgot one more question: Is it possible for someone to take care of children from their home? Here you can run a "daycare" of sorts from your home as long as you own the home and meet the state regulations of adult to child ratio. I know that money is rough there yet daycare is a necessity. I could offer a decent rate & their children would be in a clean friendly bilingual home with someone well versed in their care and development while they work. Is this just unheard of? Hopefully not illegal at least... :/


I'm not sure about the legality of 'daycare' run from your home - but I suspect that there isn't any real legislation about it insamuch as that it's not really 'done' that much - mostly the extended family/grandparents look after the little ones... you'd need to check with the local ayuntamiento really 

a neighbour of mine looks after her daughter's 2 children - & I just realised that she has a third on the way!! My neighbour isn't exactly young & already looks exhausted - she must be dreading this new one!!

we have _guarderías - _the staff have to be highly qualified & yet the costs aren't as high as you might expect - & the nearest one to me opens at 8am & closes at something like 8pm 

also - _infantil _in state school starts from around 2.5 years of age - & that's free!

I can see why you'd prefer to have your children in International school - with that many languages it does make sense!!


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

It might be worth considering first getting married in one of respective home countries. That should take care of any uncertainty over your legal status in Spain.


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## elisa31bcn (Jan 23, 2013)

I concur with the poster above. Without being married, it is next to impossible to secure residency as a couple. It won't matter that you are a long term relationship, with children.
The best thing would be to get married before you arrive, and then you could arrive as a tourist. and begin the paperwork. It can take a little while, but it is very straight forward.


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## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

Well I mentioned this to my fiancé and we both agree it will be the way to go. We're not sure whether we're going to do it here or in Holland because even if we want to do something along the lines of signing some paperwork (at first) JUST to get it done having family in the US and then (the larger, more likely to get extremely offended) family in Holland, not to mention close dear friends spread out across the globe, having an actual ceremony will be out of the question with such a huge move with small children to be considered being our number one priority. The wedding itself was supposed to be a quiet affair anyways, in Holland at his parents house but I really really want my family there and there's no way they can afford the tickets yet without LOTS of notice. Looks like we're eloping, haha...


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## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

I'm currently looking into what we need to get married to eachother in both countries, which would be easier paperwork wise and whatnot. But what if on our "holiday" (ie househunt) we were to get married in Spain? Would that work too? People get married in foreign countries all the time and I can't help but think it would make registering in Spain as a couple even better. My parents did that when they came here. Sorry, just stressing majorly about one more (huge!) thing being added to this move


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## elisa31bcn (Jan 23, 2013)

In order to get married in Spain, someone has to be already a resident. And even with that done, it's a rather long process to get permission.So...probably it's easier to get married in the States, as there are few requirements, just ID's, even for foreigners.


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## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

Yes I found that to get married in Moraira, (who has a site dedicated solely to that purpose, getting married there) you must be marrying or be yourself a resident of more than two years...strike that one down!
I really am reluctant to get married here in the US for several reasons so next idea would be getting married in Holland (the way we were going to do it) & get it over with the proper way. Being from the States Elisa do you know how long I have to register after we have a place to live? The license from a wedding done on say July 4th could take a while to get to us, a week or two or knowing Holland significantly longer. I have 90 days as a US citizen, even without any Visa, to be in the EU, right? In that time I can find a place, rent it and then we register as a family, providing our marriage license is in? Or do I need to provide all these documents before we rent? I think I might just get a 6 month tourist Visa like my fiancé has for here just so I'm not pushing the envelope and give myself ample time to get this sorted...


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

I don't think there is such a thing as a 6 month tourist visa to Spain. Even an EU citizen has only 90 days to be a tourist in Spain, and after that they have to register as resident.


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## elisa31bcn (Jan 23, 2013)

I would relax about your time frame. You can come here with your husband as a tourist,
and start getting the paperwork together. He can register as a resident first, and then you
follow when you have your marriage certificate from Holland, and have it legally translated. You are not in any danger here, as you are legally married to an EU citizen. 
I was "illegal" here for many months, compiling the paperwork to get married, and there
was no problem.
Also there is, as kalohi says , there is no 6 month tourist visa, as far as I know.


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## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

Yes, relax! We actually looked into everything, weighed our options & decided our wedding day shall be on June 21, here in the US after all since he is coming home early to get that done & help me finish up with the emptying of our house to send on over. So that has been sorted, thank heavens! No worrying that they'll haul off & deport me on some technicality, separating me from my babies or some nightmarish insanity like that. (I think too much)
I just assumed that Spain would offer a Visa similar to the one my fiancé has for here in the 'States but that was my mistake, I had no idea if that was possible. I am however feeling much more comfortable with the advice & info I'm receiving on here so I thank you all immensely. He actually said thank you too & he's happy you all seem very nice & helpful as well! We don't know anyone over there so any help we can get it very much appreciated. 
We're still unsure about the place to settle (while renting) although despite the Valenciano I am quite partial to Moraira or Javea. We had a realtor friend of a friend of family & she actually turned out to be no help, only shot down our original idea of Torrevieja & the area around it & was very negative about the move altogether. "It's not like it used to be..." rhetoric was all we got. The thing is, considering his work not even being in Spain but on ship & my position as a stay at home Mom with an option to work down the road once both children are in school I don't think the economic situation will affect us that negatively...or am I mistaken about that too? We want to move there to be part of a place, put into a community we can be proud of, where our children are safe to have a good life & education & options for their future. A home they can be proud of & want to come back to, where the weather doesn't cloister them indoors for more than half the year & they can be healthy & active. I see the difference between how my fiancé was raised & I was & despite the old world values my parents were able to instill in us they still had our environment to contend with & it's just so different here than it was for him in Holland. Too bad the weather there is hideous & they rush around for everything. I want better for my little ones than we both had & Costa Blanca seems to have it. 
Sorry about the tangent there, haha but I'm hoping once we get there, to the area we finally choose, that we can really get to be a part of it. 
Thank you all for your advice & knowledge on the matters I've asked about. Like I said I will be keeping this thread posted so if anyone else is in the same boat as us they can have something to read to help them out too


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## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

Update: we are still moving and things are about to start taking off, which is good because my fiance is about to start a four month contract that will make this planning difficult and fall on me quite a bit. We are meeting with movers (we contacted Bekins) on Thursday to discuss moving our belongings. We have decided that International schools are out of the question (the cost is outrageous!) being a teacher myself I will just have to rely on my own ability to keep English alive at home. Hopefully if we can connect with others in the area with a similar situation and children of similar ages we could set up a group to further keep it up  Our move is planned for July 1st and we are currently waiting on information on a rental in Moraira that we will be in for at least 3 months until the season is over so we can look into a more permanent residence once October rolls around unless we have the ability (and desire) to stay in that one. 

Matters still of vexing us: 

Buying a car. Why do we need to provide proof of rental in a place for longer than 12 months when all the rental leases only are 11 months? Are we looking in the wrong place to buy a car? Is this standard?

Proof of insurance for residency. Although the questions in that area have been almost entirely answered in another thread any added advice is welcome.

Gester. (Not sure if I'm spelling that right) we keep getting the answer that we "should get one" to help us out. Anybody know anything about that?

Taxes. The doozy. Does anyone know of any tax adjusters who are trustworthy? Anyone have any experience with sailing contracts that involve stay at home dependents? 

Again touching upon making connections, which was my main reason for joining this forum, I invite anyone who is in a similar situation, moving to the Costa Blanca region with small children not knowing anyone to please feel free to reach out. My personal site is listed and I welcome any personal messages. I've lived on my own in a place where I didn't know anybody and it's not easy, let alone going to a whole new country being an ocean away from friends and family. Making friends at our age isn't easy and being a stay at home Mom only makes it more difficult but I know that having someone who you can at least talk to can make all the difference in the world.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

As for buying a car, at least according to one source you need at least one of these..



> -an official residency card (Tarjeta de Residencia) or
> -proof that they are a Spanish home owner (by showing title deeds) or
> -documentation that proves the holder is a registered member of the local community, the certificado de empadronamiento (available from the Town Hall / Ayuntamiento) issued within the three months prior to the purchase) or
> -a rental contract for a duration of minimum one year or
> -an NIE/NIF number (Foreigner's Identification Number) in Spain


Which if you are coming over and registering properly anyway then you will have at least one of these requirements.

It's the 11month contract that is dodgy, they should be 12 month minimum.

We haven't used a gestor yet, I guess it's up to you to decide if you need one.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Pazcat said:


> As for buying a car, at least according to one source you need at least one of these..
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Quite correct, 11-month contracts are illegal and not worth the paper they are printed on - PLEASE do not accept one.

However, with the recent changes in rental law, contracts now must be for either 6 or 12 months. So 6 months is the minimum term that they can be for.


To buy a car, all you need is the padron, NIE number (on your 'residencia') and the funds.


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## elisa31bcn (Jan 23, 2013)

It's gestor, and with residency, and basic issues, most people find they are able to do things on their own. If you're buying property, of course, that's a different matter.
For a rental contract, if your Spanish is not up to par, get a translation,and if you feel more confident having a third party look it over, it's not that expensive, and it might give you piece of mind.


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## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

snikpoh said:


> Quite correct, 11-month contracts are illegal and not worth the paper they are printed on - PLEASE do not accept one.
> 
> However, with the recent changes in rental law, contracts now must be for either 6 or 12 months. So 6 months is the minimum term that they can be for.


We are looking into a place for 6 months, which while we know that agreeing to anything without seeing it first hand is dicey at best, 6 months is a negligible amount of time in the long run and having somewhere to jump off from is the first step. We are working with Hamilton for it. The villa looks to be in an ideal and central part of town, now we're just waiting to find out what internet access, utilities and parking is exactly all about.


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## Mrs_A (Nov 22, 2013)

*Moraira*

Hi Basbelle. 

We moved to Moraira in December - and we love it. My husband works away in the UK and flies over every weekend. We have 2 young children 1 and 2 years old and can't fault the state nursery we send them to. 

Basically, I think you're making the right decision in choosing this area. As long as you have a car everything is accessible. We chose to send our children to 'guarderia' in Benissa simply because we got a lovely 'feel' from them when we went to visit and we were advised the state school which they will attend when they are 3 is really experienced in intergrating all different nationalities and gets good results. Our girls have settled in really well and are making friends so we are happy with our choice. There are 2 nurseries in Benissa, 2 in Teulada and 1 in Benitatchell all of which are close enough to Moraira (which doesn't have a nursery), although it does have an infant school. We were quoted between €380 - €550 per month for both children to be in nursery full time with food, just as a benchmark for you. 

Many people told us that Moraira was too quiet throughout the winter, but we can honestly say we have not been bothered by this since we moved here. There is a lovely friendly atmosphere and still plenty of people eating out and frequenting the local cafés in town. It's really well located between Javea, Denia, Calpe and even Benidorm if you need a little more vibrancy, but it honestly only takes 10-15 mins to get into Javea or Calpe, so it's not exactly isolated  

There's quite a bit available to rent, so don't let Hamilton's overcharge you - we first rented through them for our first visit here, but have since found our own rental whilst we search for a house to buy, however we found Hamilton's fine to deal with. Let me know where you're interested in and I'll give you honest feedback if necessary. There are a couple of Facebook sites which are quite good to post on for rentals, 'sell your stuff Spain' and 'everything moraira and surrounding areas'. There are a couple of people that are private letting agents and always post their availability lists on there. 

As for a car, long term rental is extortionate over the summer period, but super cheap during the winter (I've just paid €240 for 3 months rental, insurance included), however once you have your NIE and preferably residencia then you may buy a car over here which is the best option. You will need to show 3 months regular payments into your bank account of around €600 per person in your family (including children) plus hold private medical insurance in order to obtain residencia (if not employed on a Spanish contract), but you can apply for your NIE immediately - and you will need to get this in order to get your children in school and buy a car etc. 

Get back to me if you need any other info, I hope I've been able to answer some of your queries re Moraira especially. 
Good luck with your move and hopefully you'll settle in as comfortably as me & my family have. xx


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## basbelle (Sep 28, 2013)

This is probably the best reply I've received in this whole search for answers! Thank you so very much for the advice and first hand experience too. As you probably read I have children (a boy and girl) the very same ages so I would be very interested in talking to you again, at length! I'm so happy you're having a good experience and since we just booked our flights yesterday (yikes!) for June 30th to arrive on July 1st news like this brings our confidence up a couple notches...thanks so much for reaching out


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## Mrs_A (Nov 22, 2013)

Hello Basbelle

I've sent you a friend request on FB (I can't respond to your pm - as apparently I haven't posted 5 times on this web site - so I'm not yet allowed to pm!!!!). Sorry for not responding earlier... I'm moving to Lanzarote on Monday for an 8 week training period with my new job, and as my husband works in the UK, I'm having to organise the children and bring my mother too..... So life's a little hectic right now - just like yours!. 

Honestly, feel free to ask me anything re Moraira, I know exactly what you're going through  

I can't write for long as - my eldest is a little unwell at the moment and is coughing quite badly in her sleep :-( 

I'm from Manchester in UK, that's about 4 hrs driving from. London, however I've lived all over the world (Spain, Cuba, Sri Lanka to name but a few) my background is as a a tour guide so quite similar experiences to you. 

It'll be great to meet you when you finally get here...

Speak soon

Jo x


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