# Living in Spain and Commuting to London



## temp444 (May 30, 2010)

Hi there,

I am currently investigating living in Spain and commuting to London (via air) during the week. (eg. fly in Monday morning, fly out Thurday evening)
Working as an IT contractor, I have been able to arrange flexible working hours with my employers, usually after working a few normal weeks of Mon-Fri 9-5 to prove myself.

Does anyone currently do this? and what has been your experiences?

Also I am want to know what are the main areas that I should concentrate on ... (ie. living near an airport that is well serviced by cheap flights to London).

Any help much appreciated!
David


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## lynn (Sep 25, 2008)

temp444 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I am currently investigating living in Spain and commuting to London (via air) during the week. (eg. fly in Monday morning, fly out Thurday evening)
> Working as an IT contractor, I have been able to arrange flexible working hours with my employers, usually after working a few normal weeks of Mon-Fri 9-5 to prove myself.
> ...


Hi David,

Well, there are a number of families who commute back to the UK in this area, and we have been doing it since last September. There was a thread covering this:
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...-spain/47698-commuting-uk-spain-husbands.html
This is more from the perspective of those living here without their OH, but it might give you an insight into the pros and cons.

To make it work, you need to be close to a large airport both ends, with a choice of carriers. If you are tied to the Monday - Friday routine, you won't find 'cheap' flights, and during holidays they can be horrendously expensive. Weather and volcanos made the winter and spring particularly difficult. When things go to plan, it can be remarkably easy to do, but when there is a spanner in the works like a cancelled flight, it becomes very stressful. 

We are lucky as my OH is going to be over here permanently very shortly. Yippee!! We were very comfortable with the arrangement, but don't know how we would feel after a couple of years of it?
You also need to get some professional advice regarding your tax position. It is very complex and needs careful planning.
Feel free to ask questions and good luck if you decide to give it a go - I know we haven't looked back....


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

yep, we do it too!! And Lynns dead right, you need to be near a good airport at both ends. My husband has it down to a fine art now, he knows when the cheap flights are and has various loyalty cards which offer perks. However, we've been doing it for two and a half years, and its stressful! The winter was awful cos of the snow, volcano, floods and torrential rain here, so my husband couldnt get over as often as he'd have liked, meaning I was left here with the two children and quite frankly, if I could have returned to the UK I would have. The summers here now and its okay again, but its not perfect!?

BTW, both Lynn and I live near Málaga airport and our husbands do the Málaga - Gatwick run with either Aer Lingus, Monarch or Easyjet !!!!



Jo xxx


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

Seville airport has good london links as well. the flights tend to be a bit cheaper than Malaga.


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