# moving



## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

my wife and myself are in the process of selling our property in wales in the UK and are trying to get as much advice as possible about moving to spain, we have only been to spain 3 times ie cadiz, benidorm and majorca, all holidays and it seems a long and difficult process, did you all find it difficult or were you a bit apprehensive about making the move? we are both in our fifties and have seen a sharp decline in the UK with immigration, gang culture, and prices etc we will make the move eventually but would like some honest opinions 
thank you


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

jay5858 said:


> my wife and myself are in the process of selling our property in wales in the UK and are trying to get as much advice as possible about moving to spain, we have only been to spain 3 times ie cadiz, benidorm and majorca, all holidays and it seems a long and difficult process, did you all find it difficult or were you a bit apprehensive about making the move? we are both in our fifties and have seen a sharp decline in the UK with immigration, gang culture, and prices etc we will make the move eventually but would like some honest opinions
> thank you


Hello & Welcome

You have come to the right place for information and whatever your questions you will usually find someone here who has been there, done that etc.

The actual processor moving is relatively easy... pack your bags, load your van and set off. There is nothing complicated in getting here. Finding a place to live is also easy with markets flooded with rental and for sale properties. 

Finding work is a different matter. You say you are in your 50s. Will you be self sufficient or looking for employment or to start a business (if you don't mind me asking)? Realistically anyone coming to look for work is likely to face many problems.

How is your Spanish? Those with the lingo always inevitably get on and up the ladder so to speak faster than those who don't.

I know Majorca a little and I know Benidorm like the back of my hand so any info on those places (particularly benidorm and anywhere in the Alicante region) I can help you with no problem.

Do you have specific questions, concerns, queries or anything like that? Just ask away on here or maybe better to start a separate thread for each subject otherwise these things get messy! Theres loads of things you may need to know.. healthcare, work, housing, areas, rent or buy, money, banning, phones, you name it.. just let the forum know your queries.

It's a great life here but not easy if you need work as I am sure most will agree.

I wish you well and am happy to help and advise in any way I can!


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## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

Thanks for your quick reply steve, all help is greatly appreciated, if we do move over we wont be bringing any furniture etc just personal items, secondly I probably only know about 3 or 4 words in spanish but could pick more up eventually, maybe we would have to rent for a couple of months whilst applying for citizenship and all legal aspects, as you say work is harder to find over there which as you probably know is getting worse here, maybe we will live on our savings until we adapt to the lifestyle and hope something may turn up, I used to have friends in Altea but they moved to australia 10 years ago so I would have to rely on expats to advise me, but as we go along the more information we get the easier it may be (hopefully) the property market is in decline as it is here so that is one bit of good news, maybe not for people selling though, lastly we would prefer alicante region but not benidorm so if you can advise on good areas with english people that would be really good to know, thanks again steve and will be back here very soon


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

If you cannot survive long-term without work you may encounter serious problems, especially as you speak no Spanish. Unemployment in Spain is at an average 25%, in Malaga Province it's over 30%. There are thousands of British immigrants looking for any kind of work.
You may not qualify for free health care in Spain, that will depend on whether you can transfer your UK contributions. 
Many British immigrants who bought property in the boom years are finding it hard to live on their pensions or to survive unemployment. They are trapped as the value of their properties has depreciated and there is a glut of properties on the market.
Your best course of action is to keep your UK property and rent a place in the area of your choice for a three to six month period. Then you can see for yourself how things are.
Living in Spain is not cheap and it's not all sunshine. Currently the only immigrants who are comfortable here are those who are retired with a good income in pensions and investments, professionals with a secure job contract and good salary, those who have e-businesses and can work from anywhere in the world and those who have work outside of Spain and commute.
Otherwise, the outlook is bleak, far, far worse than in the UK.

By the way, you don't need to 'apply for citizenship'. Spain is part of the EU...


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jay5858 said:


> we are both in our fifties and have seen a sharp decline in the UK with *immigration,* gang culture, and prices etc we will make the move eventually but would like some honest opinions
> thank you



You don't like 'immigrants' but you will be one....
That's my honest opinion.....


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## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

my problem is not with immigration as such but with overrun schools hospitals etc, which is probably the same as what you are saying about spain today, only thing different is everything is free in UK and not in Spain, we will see what happens in the near future
thanks for your thoughts on the matter


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jay5858 said:


> my problem is not with immigration as such but with overrun schools hospitals etc, which is probably the same as what you are saying about spain today, only thing different is everything is free in UK and not in Spain, we will see what happens in the near future
> thanks for your thoughts on the matter


Glad to hear it.
Actually, not everything is 'free' for immigrants in the UK.Many people believe that to be true but some benefits are conditional on your NI contributions and tax.
In my village there is anti-immigrant graffiti on walls...'Death to immigrants' kind of thing. That's because unemployment is so high, it's not aimed at all immigrants, obviously...just those they think are taking their jobs.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> If you cannot survive long-term without work you may encounter serious problems, especially as you speak no Spanish. Unemployment in Spain is at an average 25%, in Malaga Province it's over 30%. There are thousands of British immigrants looking for any kind of work.
> You may not qualify for free health care in Spain, that will depend on whether you can transfer your UK contributions.
> Many British immigrants who bought property in the boom years are finding it hard to live on their pensions or to survive unemployment. They are trapped as the value of their properties has depreciated and there is a glut of properties on the market.
> Your best course of action is to keep your UK property and rent a place in the area of your choice for a three to six month period. Then you can see for yourself how things are.
> ...


Completely agree with everything Mary has said (as usual!). Before I moved to live here I spend 6 years visiting, took on a flat on a long let, and eventually came 1 week of every month whilst still working in the UK so I really got to know Spain and became established here before I made the move. Mary gives sound advice ... if you have only been here for a few holidays then you need to experience it, but not in holiday mode, in living mode which is completely different. Keep your house, rent it out and use the money to rent something here. Get yourself settled, look for work, see how you get on and then if you hate it or it doesn't work out you can throw your tenant out and move home. Prices of houses are low but getting lower so even if you buy now you could get trapped.

Yeah.. Citizenship doesn't apply. EU people just come and register on a few things and stay. Healthcare they are strict on, if your not entitled you don't get it!


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> In my village there is anti-immigrant graffiti on walls...'Death to immigrants' kind of thing.


That's only in retaliation to the graffiti you write though Mary isn't it!


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Areas... well.. near Benidorm you have VillaJoisa, Finestrat, La Nucia etc. All very ex pat and quite nice places. Further afield you have brits everywhere in varying numbers... Gran Alacant is nice, La Marina has many brits, Torrevieja, off the list goes on... me thinks you need some "reccy" trips.. hire a car.. get out and about and explore! So many places to choose from, all with different things to offer.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Wherever you choose, try it first in the winter months before committing. I rented for five years and eventually ended up on a completely different island to my initial choice. 

The language is very important, you should now be studying in order to obtain at least the basics.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Hepa said:


> Wherever you choose, try it first in the winter months before committing. I rented for five years and eventually ended up on a completely different island to my initial choice.
> 
> The language is very important, you should now be studying in order to obtain at least the basics.


Couldn't agree more.. problem is if you go to somewhere with a high brit population its so easy to fall into the trap of mixing with the brits, working with the brits and playing with the brits (so to speak) and completely isolating yourself from real Spain. 

Learn as much Spanish as you can before you come... go to classes, buy cd's, use websites, read books, etc and when you are here try to throw yourself in as much as you can to the deep end... At first I relied on british businesses, british everything but now I deal 90% with Spanish... amazing how much you save and how much better life becomes!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jay5858 said:


> my wife and myself are in the process of selling our property in wales in the UK and are trying to get as much advice as possible about moving to spain, we have only been to spain 3 times ie cadiz, benidorm and majorca, all holidays and it seems a long and difficult process, did you all find it difficult or were you a bit apprehensive about making the move? we are both in our fifties and have seen a sharp decline in the UK with immigration, gang culture, and prices etc we will make the move eventually but would like some honest opinions
> thank you


Are you working in the UK?
Is it difficult for a 50 year old to get work in the UK?

PS Why Spain if you've only been here 3 times? Why not Italy, France, Cyprus, Croatia, Cornwall???


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## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

I take on board everything that you say even the immigrant issue, which I have to say is quite different from the UK, it doesnt matter if you have worked here or not the immigrants get benefits, pay nothing into the system and get free NHS treatment free dental treatment housing benefit you name it, and no it doesnt go by NI contributions, you may hear differently but its a fact, living in wales is even worse because the last big employer here hotpoint moved to poland, a year later came back offering agency work and guess what (the polish got the majority of the jobs) so it is a lot different in spain, my daughter came up with an idea maybe you know better, how about if I bought two properties there one to live in and one to rent out would that be feasible? I know I still have to go over for some time to look around but this seems a good idea


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

jay5858 said:


> I take on board everything that you say even the immigrant issue, which I have to say is quite different from the UK, it doesnt matter if you have worked here or not the immigrants get benefits, pay nothing into the system and get free NHS treatment free dental treatment housing benefit you name it, and no it doesnt go by NI contributions, you may hear differently but its a fact, living in wales is even worse because the last big employer here hotpoint moved to poland, a year later came back offering agency work and guess what (the polish got the majority of the jobs) so it is a lot different in spain, my daughter came up with an idea maybe you know better, how about if I bought two properties there one to live in and one to rent out would that be feasible? I know I still have to go over for some time to look around but this seems a good idea


I know what you mean about the UK situation... does make ones blood boil sometimes when people take the benefits and do nothing. As for the polish etc though, in fairness to them they work hard on the whole and so command the respect of employers. A friend of mine owns a transport company and said that his polish staff never bunk off, never turn up late, and always get the job done.. more than a lot of the british lads.. so thats why they get the work and in that respect fair play to them I guess...

As for buying 2 houses... IMO buying 1 is a bad move right now... so buying 2... double trouble.. and there are endless empty rental properties... I could take you to Benidorm as an example and show you 100 empty flats waiting for tenants all in the space of an hour!

The advice so far of you keeping your UK house, and renting here for 6 month minimum (maybe longer depending on markets) is probably the best you will get...keep your options open and if you feel like spain is the place for you and you want to be here long term then go for it.

Will you be seeking work? What do you do? Where do you stand on things like healthcare?


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## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

I understand what you say about the polish they are hard working, maybe its the unemployment over here everybody is moaning about, I havnt worked for 2 years my last job was renovating old welsh cottages but with the market the same here people tend to try and do it all themselves and not employ anybody, as for the other point I didnt think the rental market was that bad until you said, (well thats one plan out of the window) for now, I havnt gone into healthcare just yet but that is for later, I forgot to say my daughter goes to Madrid a couple of times a year teaching english to foreign students, not that it has anything to do with my situation but thought I would mention it, anyway will keep on getting info and then try getting over there for a while


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## stevesainty (Jan 7, 2011)

steve_in_spain said:


> Areas... well.. near Benidorm you have VillaJoisa, Finestrat, La Nucia etc. All very ex pat and quite nice places. Further afield you have brits everywhere in varying numbers... Gran Alacant is nice, La Marina has many brits, Torrevieja, off the list goes on... me thinks you need some "reccy" trips.. hire a car.. get out and about and explore! So many places to choose from, all with different things to offer.


Steve you didn't mention El Campello in the list. Do you have an idea of the ratio of Spanish to Brits and other expats there?

Jill


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

stevesainty said:


> Steve you didn't mention El Campello in the list. Do you have an idea of the ratio of Spanish to Brits and other expats there?
> 
> Jill


El Campello has a lovely promenade with some nice places to eat and drink. Nice for a walk on a summer evening but not my cup of tea to live.. Seems to be a main beach prom and a main row of shops and then all the rest of the housing and flats are just on row after row kind of thing.. not really for me!

I don't know about ratio but I am guessing its about 2:1 (2 brits) no? Actually I really dont know but most coastal towns along that drag have a fairly high population (or saturation) of expats.

I guess the OP needs to be clearer on what exactly he wants for area ideas... for me the ultimate it up a mountain overlooking the sea, others like hussle and bussle, while some prefer campo. What have you got in mind?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jay5858 said:


> I take on board everything that you say even the immigrant issue, which I have to say is quite different from the UK, it doesnt matter if you have worked here or not the immigrants get benefits, pay nothing into the system and get free NHS treatment free dental treatment housing benefit you name it, and no it doesnt go by NI contributions, you may hear differently but its a fact, living in wales is even worse because the last big employer here hotpoint moved to poland, a year later came back offering agency work and guess what (the polish got the majority of the jobs) so it is a lot different in spain, my daughter came up with an idea maybe you know better, how about if I bought two properties there one to live in and one to rent out would that be feasible? I know I still have to go over for some time to look around but this seems a good idea


Sorry but you are wrong. I do not 'hear differently', I know, both as an employer and as someone who has worked in the field of pension and employment law.
There is a widespread misconception that ALL immigrants receive benefits of all kinds which is whipped up by the gutter press and spread by organisations such as the BNP.
Yes, some immigrants receive help...would you like them to starve? EU immigrants receiver the full range of UK benefits when and only when they qualify. Until then they receive only EMERGENCY dental and medical treatment as would you if you came to Spain. There are of course very many British people who see a life on benefits as an entitlement.
You mention Poles taking employment in your area and yes, that is a problem. Imo the UK Government should have done as most EU states and imposed a quota to protect British jobs for British workers. But you imply that you wish to find work here in Spain...so you would be in the same position as a Pole, Latvian etc. in the UK, wouldn't you....I don't know if it is true as we had no foreign employees in our businesses but people we know who employed EU workers say they are more reliable, hardworking and better educated than their British counterparts.
Your daughter would be advised to investigate the Spanish property market. Rentals are two a penny here. Rents are being forced down by the sheer number of desperate property owners who need to rent to pay the mortgage. Since we rented our village over three years ago we have reduced our rent by 800 euros a month...Our landlord was happy to agree to such a reduction as he knew his house could stay empty for years if we left. By the time you have paid tax on your rental income you won't have much to live on either.
You say yourself you have visited Spain only three times. You need to come and see for yourself how things are here. You cannot decide before you know all the facts.


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## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

yes I know what you are saying about the property market/rentals etc which differs from the UK because you will rarely see an empty rental property where I live in Wales, the average rent here is approx £500 per month I dont know how that compares to Spain but there is such a demand here, we wouldnt need a mortgage in Spain so that is ok and we know that we could decide where to live by spending a week or two over there, maybe some people take longer, our daughter is due in Madrid in march/april and she has told me it is too expensive to live in Madrid, but she has a lot of spanish friends who can pass on information to her which will also help us out,


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

jay5858 said:


> yes I know what you are saying about the property market/rentals etc which differs from the UK because you will rarely see an empty rental property where I live in Wales, the average rent here is approx £500 per month I dont know how that compares to Spain but there is such a demand here, we wouldnt need a mortgage in Spain so that is ok and we know that we could decide where to live by spending a week or two over there, maybe some people take longer, our daughter is due in Madrid in march/april and she has told me it is too expensive to live in Madrid, but she has a lot of spanish friends who can pass on information to her which will also help us out,


The only thing I will say about deciding in a couple of weeks is that there are countless places to live in Spain and even after 10 years of being here on and off and nearly 3 years of permanently living here I am still refining my ideal area. What feels perfect during a holidayer even an extended holiday can soon change when you have been there a few months. When I first arrived I wanted to be around other brits but soon learned that for me being in a Spanish area with access to british people within an hour was better for me.

I also find that as far as people go, here you tend to mix with completely different types of people to what you would back home.. maybe its an expat thing but my circle of friends now is much more varied in ages, sexes, nationalities.. actually its better than home!

People, facilities, etc all affect the area and so at least rent for a few months until you know for sure where you want to be... you can easily move on form rentals but not if you buy!


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## Classified (May 9, 2010)

Hi Jay,

Its not all doom and gloom over here, all power to you in your future endeavours. You only live once.


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## stevesainty (Jan 7, 2011)

steve_in_spain said:


> El Campello has a lovely promenade with some nice places to eat and drink. Nice for a walk on a summer evening but not my cup of tea to live.. Seems to be a main beach prom and a main row of shops and then all the rest of the housing and flats are just on row after row kind of thing.. not really for me!
> 
> I don't know about ratio but I am guessing its about 2:1 (2 brits) no? Actually I really dont know but most coastal towns along that drag have a fairly high population (or saturation) of expats.
> 
> I guess the OP needs to be clearer on what exactly he wants for area ideas... for me the ultimate it up a mountain overlooking the sea, others like hussle and bussle, while some prefer campo. What have you got in mind?


I thought El Campello might be viewed by some as a mini but much quieter Benidorm. Lovely beach, nice prom and high rise front line.

For us, I don't know if our ideal place exists. We are retiring and moving to Spain later this year. Transport and a 5 week let to get us started already arranged. We're planning to rent for at least the first year and possibly forever. 

We would like to be within fairly flat walking distance of the sea (not necessarily a sandy beach). If not walking distance only a few miles inland with a regular bus service to the sea, we both drive now but we we won't be able to do that for ever nor do we want to spend hours looking for coastal parking in the summer months. We would also like to be within walking distance of a few shops, bars restaurants in a fairly lively but not rowdy area that remains open all year plus of course the farmacia and bank. We would like contact with some Brits but not to live in a mainly expat area, we don't want to feel as if we're living in a warmer version of the UK. Public transport links to larger towns is also high on our agenda.

Do any places fitting this description exist between Denia and Los Alcazares?

Thoughts so far:

Denia - like the town, train to Alicante, probably very picturesque journey but slow.

Javea - like the port area, public transport doesn't seem good. Most of the accommodation is apartments which isn't our preferred option.

Moraira - closes down in winter according to some reports, expensive, hilly.

Calpe - we like but mainly apartment accommodation and poor public transport links

Altea - beautiful but hilly and mainly apartments. Access to train/tram?

L'Albir - like the town, hilly in places, not much accommodation available but has access to train/tram

Benidorm - beautiful beach but too much high rise for our taste,

Villajoyosia - I didn't take to this place and don't really know why, the chocolate could be a draw though.

El Campello - lovely beach, possibility for us but again mainly apartments. Does have the train/tram.

Guardamar del Segura - lovely beaches and quite like the town, a possibility.

Torrevieja - interesting for visits but woulldn't like to live in the town.

Orihuela Costa - good transport links, a lot of it walking distance to the coast but are there any bits not full of expats?

Torre de la Horadada - not much of a town, seemed to be mainly housing and didn't seem very lively even in summer. Transport links not good.

Mar Menor towns Lo Pagan, Santiago de la Ribera, Los Alcazares - possibility for us but apart from LA being on the N332 I don't know about the transport links nor how much there is going on there. They all seemed fairly quite in September last year.

Inland we had considered the Ciudad Quesada/Rojales/Benijofar area but some of that is hilly and we don't know if it is a completely expat area.

Any comments, corrections to assumptions, other ideas would be very welcome.

Jill


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Classified said:


> Hi Jay,
> 
> Its not all doom and gloom over here, all power to you in your future endeavours. You only live once.




I think it has been pointed out many times that those of us on good incomes from whatever source are very happy with our lives in Spain. I certainly am.
But anyone who were to take such a casual attitude to the very real economic situation would be displaying rather ostrich-like tendencies, if I may say so....
I wouldn't wish to be responsible in any way whatsoever for any influence however slight on people's choices that wasn't based on fact, not sentiment.
You only live once...how truie.
So isn't it best to try to make that life as pleasant and disaster-free as you possibly can?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

stevesainty said:


> ?
> 
> Thoughts so far:
> 
> ...


You're right about Altea town, although would you actually need to be in/ go to the town? What about the areas near?

We went to Guadamar on holiday. It seemed like a nice place with a lovely wild beach just out of the town as well as the beach in the town which wasn't too crowded either. The fruit was exceptional - a huge variety and good quality. Maybe a little small to live there, and I don't know whether parts would close down during the summer.

Orihuela was everything I personally don't like about the Spanish coast. It seems to be given over totally to the European immigrants who have made it their home to the extent that it's difficult to get Spanish papers, food and tv. However, as I have said before, a friend of mine has a house there and when it's not rented out goes sometimes. She uses a scooter to get about and the town is much better adapted to people with mobility problems than our hometown here. And the public transport is good.

Don't know the other places.


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## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

Is anybody in spain worried about this european crisis coming from greece, all the experts in the UK are saying that if it collapses now with this new bailout the whole of europe will collapse as well, I am not an expert in these matters but reading between the lines they reckon the Euro will go this year and bring europe to its knees, any experts in spain know if any of this could be true or what it will do to affect everybody


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jay5858 said:


> Is anybody in spain worried about this european crisis coming from greece, all the experts in the UK are saying that if it collapses now with this new bailout the whole of europe will collapse as well, I am not an expert in these matters but reading between the lines they reckon the Euro will go this year and bring europe to its knees, any experts in spain know if any of this could be true or what it will do to affect everybody


Not all the 'experts' are saying that. Some are.
It is highly unlikely that the 'euro will go'....I'm not sure what you mean by that. If Greece defaults as is highly likely the consensus seems to be that the ECB can provide sufficient liquidity to avoid a repeat of 2008.
The media love to frighten people. Some people on this forum have been forecasting the collapse of the euro, civil war in Greece, riots, bloodshed, revolution etc. etc. on the streets of Spain. It may happen....it may not.
What do you mean by 'bringing Europe to its knees', I wonder? 
Most countries in the eurozone have debt and deficit problems. Spain's main problem is its very high unemployment, its low productivity and lack of competitiveness. The situation is unlikely to improve for a few years yet.
But whatever happens, there is nothing you or I -or most Governments - can do about it so why worry.
I just wouldn't buy a ticket to Spain yet if I were you...unless you come for a holiday and it's a return.


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## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

see what you mean, it seems the greedy bankers across europe are causing the problem and its probably true what you say with the media scaremongering, I am putting my situation on hold for now and see what happens later, a lot later


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jay5858 said:


> see what you mean, it seems the greedy bankers across europe are causing the problem and its probably true what you say with the media scaremongering, I am putting my situation on hold for now and see what happens later, a lot later


Not just the bankers....they are part of a whole system that stinks to high heaven.
All the deregulation that came with Thatcher's free market ideology is part of the system and so is the free movement of capital and labour across the world. That's the reason for you finding it hard to get decent work and why Poles are getting jobs that imo British workers should have.
You're right - hang on. It will take years but this crisis will end.
Not before a lot of people have suffered needlessly, though.


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## Nigeljay (Dec 1, 2010)

stevesainty said:


> I thought El Campello might be viewed by some as a mini but much quieter Benidorm. Lovely beach, nice prom and high rise front line.
> 
> For us, I don't know if our ideal place exists. We are retiring and moving to Spain later this year. Transport and a 5 week let to get us started already arranged. We're planning to rent for at least the first year and possibly forever.
> 
> ...


As our place is in Moraira I feel I should respond to the oft used "shuts down in winter" comment. Like many Spanish towns along the coast a number of restaurants and shops in Moraira close during the main winter months. However, there are plenty of restaurants and all the essential shops that are open all year. It is worth remembering that although Moraira is no longer a fishing village, it has controlled its development and has no high rise or large shopping centres anyway. This is it's charm.. Life in Moraira in winter is very comfortable thanks and there is ready road access to a mall or Benidorm if that's what is wanted. If there is no car then selecting the right part of Moraira is important (or indeed Teulada it's inland sister town). As I know from experience, although Benidorm is one of the more successful year round resorts, even there some bars and cafes close up in the winter so that the owners can take their holidays.


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## therustynail (Feb 13, 2012)

steve_in_spain said:


> Areas... well.. near Benidorm you have VillaJoisa, Finestrat, La Nucia etc. All very ex pat and quite nice places. Further afield you have brits everywhere in varying numbers... Gran Alacant is nice, La Marina has many brits, Torrevieja, off the list goes on... me thinks you need some "reccy" trips.. hire a car.. get out and about and explore! So many places to choose from, all with different things to offer.


My advice is to stay away from the expat areas. Move to Polop - you will be able to rent a 3-bed flat for about 400€ per month. You will learn the lingo faster. Do not join the expat communities. They are littered with 'moaning societies'. There will even be a president and treasurer of the moaning society. They will drag you down. 
My final piece of advice is - DONT GO!!


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## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

not thinking of moving to spain at the moment because all this news about europe and the euro is making everyone think twice, somebody said on here a while ago that the euro will never collapse but nobody knows what will happen, personally I think europe will come to a standstill, the euro will go and the banks will fall flat on their greedy faces, but not being into finance who am I to say what will happen, something has got to give and I think this will be a bad year for moving to europe


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jay5858 said:


> not thinking of moving to spain at the moment because all this news about europe and the euro is making everyone think twice, somebody said on here a while ago that the euro will never collapse but nobody knows what will happen, personally I think europe will come to a standstill, the euro will go and the banks will fall flat on their greedy faces, but not being into finance who am I to say what will happen, something has got to give and I think this will be a bad year for moving to europe


I think that is very sensible. You are right, no-one knows what will happen. I personally don't think the euro will collapse but I'm beginning to accept that Greece will default, whether in or out of the euro.
That in itself would have consequences for Spain, of course.
But it's the job situation here that should really make people think twice, which you have obviously done.
Maybe things will improve in your area job-wise..fingers crossed!


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## jay5858 (Feb 6, 2012)

the job situation wont improve here in wales thats for sure, it seems we are all in the same boat at the moment, maybe things will improve but I cant see that happening for a long time as you will probably agree, I worked mainly in the building trade which has virtually gone over here so lets see what the future brings, at least summers on its way ha ha


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