# Who made it?



## Mushu7 (Jul 17, 2015)

Reading through lots of old posts and iften left windering whether they did it or not, whether they made the move to Spwin. Long time members I am sure would have seen hundreds of posters come and go over the years (still sitting on their sofas in old blightly watching Corrie).

So who started off on her with an array of questions and actually did make the move?

And what do the actual expats think of the constant stream of posts about moving that you know aren't going to amount to anything?

I ask as in a few years (hopefully) i would like to look back at my time and contribution to this site and think, wow i did.


----------



## chica escocesa (Jul 23, 2012)

We didn't! Hummed and hawed but decided economic climate wasn't good enough. Still in Scotland (but don't watch Corrie, no time or inclination). We have also considered Canada, France and Australia as potential destinations. We are still thinking about it but kind of thinking now that a holiday home or a long term rental may suit us better. Enables us to protect our incomes here.


----------



## bigdrunk (Aug 12, 2014)

You can add me to the list of people who have done it. Well, I will be. Ferry and one way van hire is booked for 24th August!


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

It would also be interesting to know about those who came full of the 'Spanish dream' and were obliged to return to the UK when their dreams turned sour.

As for my views on the subject....like others, I give advice if I feel it could be of use. But I'm too busy getting on with my life to give much thought to what others did or didn't do. All the advice in the world won't stop people determined to do something from doing it and experiences of any kind whether good or bad are, for most people, invaluable learning aids.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

We did it. We bought a house in Spain 12 years ago, initially as a holiday home but always with the intention of retiring here when we were able to. When we bought the house we did it without asking any questions on a forum (I didn't know the existed at the time!) but I did do a lot of research on the internet about the buying process, tax, healthcare, etc. We knew the general area we were interested in pretty well from numerous holidays, at various times of the year including winter, and narrowed the search area down to one area in one town from preliminary visits.

Duriing the period between buying the house and moving over permanently, I did join a Spanish forum (not this one, I wish I'd found it earlier) and, as you do, outlined what our plans were. I was immediately showered with negative comments and advice including "the amount you will have to live on won't be enough and you'll run out of money", "well I couldn't live on a fraction of that, why on earth would anybody want to", "you'll get bored not working and end up wanting to go back to the UK, I know lots of people who did that", "you have no idea what it's like to live here full time and the weather is awful, too hot in the summer and too cold and wet in the winter", blah, blah, blah.

Well, here we are, coming up to 9 years since we ignored the doomsayers and moved. No, we didn't run out of money and now have our pensions coming in (although it's true that when the financial crisis hit - we moved towards the end of 2006 . the fall in the exchange rate did mean that our spending power was considerably less than originally expected). No, neither of us got bored or have any wish to return to the UK. No, we don't find the weather awful. There are a few days each summer when it's too hot for comfort and it rains sometimes in the winter, we can cope with that.

When I read questions now from people wanting to make the move, I am generally supportive if they have an income coming in (from pensions or any other source), or sufficient capital to last until they have, and are being realistic about where they want to live (personally I think it's unwise to live in an isolated spot when you are gettiing older). I dscourage those who say "we're in our 20s/30s/40s with a young family, we're fed up with life in the UK and want to move to Spain, we'll need to find work but we'll turn our hand to anything" because I don't think they have any real idea of just how hard that will be given the unemployment situation in Spain.


----------



## Keithtoon (May 7, 2015)

Lynn R said:


> We did it. We bought a house in Spain 12 years ago, initially as a holiday home but always with the intention of retiring here when we were able to. When we bought the house we did it without asking any questions on a forum (I didn't know the existed at the time!) but I did do a lot of research on the internet about the buying process, tax, healthcare, etc. We knew the general area we were interested in pretty well from numerous holidays, at various times of the year including winter, and narrowed the search area down to one area in one town from preliminary visits.
> 
> Duriing the period between buying the house and moving over permanently, I did join a Spanish forum (not this one, I wish I'd found it earlier) and, as you do, outlined what our plans were. I was immediately showered with negative comments and advice including "the amount you will have to live on won't be enough and you'll run out of money", "well I couldn't live on a fraction of that, why on earth would anybody want to", "you'll get bored not working and end up wanting to go back to the UK, I know lots of people who did that", "you have no idea what it's like to live here full time and the weather is awful, too hot in the summer and too cold and wet in the winter", blah, blah, blah.
> 
> ...


wonderful post.....


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

I have no desire to live in Spain full time but I don't spend my time "sitting on the sofa" watching Corrie. Neither does anyone else I know. If that is what you do then you will probably find yourself doing the same in Spain especially during the dark winter months. Most take their baggage with them. I know some who still eat "tea" at 6pm.


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

We did it too - our situation was very similar to Lynn's. I didn't discover the existence of expat forums until a couple of years after moving here permanently, but fortunately we had a couple of good friends here who helped us through the bureaucracy. We've never had any regrets and our money has lasted much longer than we thought it would, but we always plan for the worst case scenario.

After a few years on here I can usually tell the posters who just want to move to Spain because they are sick of their lives in the UK. That's not a sound basis for upping sticks and emigrating, especially if you have children. A change of location doesn't alter who you are; you need to come to terms with what's making you miserable, and the weather isn't a good enough answer. They are just setting themselves up for disappointment.


----------



## Maureen47 (Mar 27, 2014)

We are nearly there , completed on the house and ferry booked for Nov 18th this year with a dog friendly cabin on the Bilboa crossing, we planned this for a number a years and seriously planned for the last 2 , it took around 18 months to find the right house , we have been learning Spanish for the last 3 years and its getting easier but a long way to go. In May we realised how much better our Spanish was when we had Menu del Dia with no written menu , just a list of things given to us in Spanish from the waiter and we got exactly what we wanted ! We also went and bought the correct battery for my OH's motorbike with no English spoken so we know we can get by. The area we will be living in is rural Spain with little English spoken locally so speaking the language is a must. We did lots of homework and the forum has been useful , I was probably one of those posters who came on with my 'moving to spain' thread and then realised over time on the forum how many of those posts there are ! We are retiring early but have a number of things to do in Spain but are not relying on these to support us, any money we make on these will be a bonus. I plan to start a blog post in the next month or so to track our journey and adventure in Spain , mainly as a kind of diary for me and if its of any use to people thinking about moving an honest story of how it is. We are all looking for different things in Spain but for me I guess its knowing I will have a better quality of life with the funds we have available. No where is perfect but some are better than others.


----------



## Calpedream (Mar 7, 2015)

maureen47 I would be very interested in reading your blog so please let us know when you are up and running. I do read other blogs on other forums where people have made the move to Spain and these do give people food for thought with good and bad experiences. We are currently in the planning stage of our move, looking to finish work and start a new life journey sharing our time between the UK and Spain from Jan 16. Our planning is going well, started to de clutter this week,

Good luck for Nov and I look forward to reading your blog


----------



## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

I arrived in Spain in 2011 after my daughter who is a teacher here told me to emigrate to Spain as I would love it, and I do. I have never been one to plan ahead and I arrived here just 3 weeks after my daughter asked me to with my 7 year old labrador in the back of the car and lived on the 4th floor of an apartment block in the centre of Madrid with no lift, it kept my Labrador really fit but almost killed me. I now live in a beautiful 5 bedroomed house south of Toledo with 1000 square feet of garden and share it with 5 dogs 2 cats 2 turtles and 200 tropical fish, oh and a rabbit called Rick O Shea because he had had so many homes . I teach English for about 20 hours a week and can honestly say that my life is idyllic. I have never been one for planning ahead as life takes so many twists and turns as I realised when my wife died of cancer at age 46 and I raised my 2 kids alone. Just make your dreams a reality, I did.


----------



## chica escocesa (Jul 23, 2012)

Aww lovely post trubrit and very inspiring!


----------



## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I first encountered the beautiful Canary Islands in the springtime of 1962, arriving from Trinidad in the Caribbean, for a short stay in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Who would have thought then, that some 53 years later I would be living here, certainly not me, I was more concerned about the injections that were needed for the next destination, Nigeria.

However that first visit triggered off a sequence of events, starting with winter holidays in Gran Canaria, to exploring the other islands, and eventually in 1995, whilst on La Isla Bonita, La Palma, looking out to sea in a southerly direction, there was this lump of land, El Hierro, it had to be visited. Lots of enquiries with travel agents, revealed to my dismay, that El Hierro, to them, did not exist. A phone call to the Spanish Embassy in London, proved otherwise, and in the October of 1995, we were on our way.

El Hierro, the island, the people, the countryside, the culture, the cuisine, were something different, something special, almost a lifestyle from the 1950's, we just had to return.

We returned, time and time again, and eventually in 2000 we bought our house, completing in 2001.

This place, somewhat re furbished, is now home, at first we used it for winter painting holidays, painting walls mainly in white, but eventually managed to sell the bungalow in Yorkshire, bunged everything in a container and moved here. What relief when at long last the umbilical cord, with mother England was severed, it was a huge weight off our shoulders.

Life here is good, once there were about 17 or 18, from the U.K. and Ireland, but nearly all of those have died or left the island, now there are only five residents from England, and maybe a Scot who plays a trumpet in the middle of town. So friends are the locals and other immigrants from South America, Iberian Spain, Germany, and Africa.

The Las Palmas visit, all those years ago, started me thinking, and we still take great pleasure obtaining a 45 minute flight, and visiting. Maybe more so now, Barcelona and Real Madrid and many others will be there to entertain.


----------



## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Isobella said:


> I have no desire to live in Spain full time but I don't spend my time "sitting on the sofa" watching Corrie. Neither does anyone else I know. If that is what you do then you will probably find yourself doing the same in Spain especially during the dark winter months. Most take their baggage with them.* I know some who still eat "tea" at 6pm*.


Like many Spanish do - except they call it "merienda"


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

We moved to Spain in 2008. We didn't do much planning as we weren't looking for work and had financial resources for the lifestyle we wanted. We took retirement from, in the case of my partner, running a medium-sized business and a professional career (me) at a comparatively early age, sold our properties in the UK and Canada and moved to Prague where we spent three interesting years.
We moved to Spain chiefly because my partner found it difficult to be a vegetarian in the Czech Republic.. My son and dil own property here so we moved into their house until we found our own place. I wasn't very happy for the first few months but settled down once we moved into our house and I got to used to things.
I had no 'dreams' of living in Spain, or anywhere, for that matter, as I was happy with my life in the UK. Spain is now our home, we won't be going back to the UK, we get regular visits from family and friends so I can see no reason to go back. When we lived in Prague and for the first couple of years here I used to do regular weekly commutes to London working on an expenses basis for my Trades Union.
I feel totally settled and comfortable here. We have many friends of all nationalities, speak Spanish and are involved in community activities, my partner works with an animal charity, I am involved with politics and a group that works for equal rights for women, LGBT people etc.
If anyone asks me again what I find to do with my time now I'm retired and living in Spain I will hit them.
I like living here very much but I don't see things through rose-tinted lenses. Spain is a country _comme les autres._ I think that if you are a contented sort of person, have good friends, family and a stable relationship plus of course enough money and reasonably good health you could settle more or less anywhere. If I didn't live here I would happily live in Berlin or Munich.
I think life is more or less what you make it, wherever you are and fully agree with Alcalaina and Lynn: you take your problems with you in your suitcase.... If you can't hack it in the UK, which is much kinder than most countries, you'll fid it hard to survive anywhere.


----------



## JAH123 (Aug 30, 2014)

We moved over to Spain last February.

Now my non EU-citizen wife has one foot in the EU. Except for heat waves and lack of work it's nice here.


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Mushu7 said:


> Reading through lots of old posts and iften left windering whether they did it or not, whether they made the move to Spwin. Long time members I am sure would have seen hundreds of posters come and go over the years (still sitting on their sofas in old blightly watching Corrie).
> 
> So who started off on her with an array of questions and actually did make the move?
> 
> ...


I'd like to know how many people "drop out" as well for what ever reason. I think it's only natural to wonder about the people that you've egged on or warned against moving. Inevitably the ones who made it and are happy with their lot are the ones who will tell you about it. The people who decide against Spain often seem to think that people will think they have failed if they say they didn't come, or that they went back but it's the best possible end in many situations


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Lynn R said:


> Duriing the period between buying the house and moving over permanently, I did join a Spanish forum (not this one, I wish I'd found it earlier) and, as you do, outlined what our plans were. I was immediately showered with negative comments and advice including "the amount you will have to live on won't be enough and you'll run out of money", "well I couldn't live on a fraction of that, why on earth would anybody want to", "you'll get bored not working and end up wanting to go back to the UK, I know lots of people who did that", "you have no idea what it's like to live here full time and the weather is awful, too hot in the summer and too cold and wet in the winter", blah, blah, blah.
> 
> Well, here we are, coming up to 9 years since we ignored the doomsayers and moved.


Funny you should say that after all the criticism that posters on this forum get for being "negative"!!


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Trubrit said:


> I arrived in Spain in 2011 after my daughter who is a teacher here told me to emigrate to Spain as I would love it, and I do. I have never been one to plan ahead and I arrived here just 3 weeks after my daughter asked me to with my 7 year old labrador in the back of the car and lived on the 4th floor of an apartment block in the centre of Madrid with no lift, it kept my Labrador really fit but almost killed me. I now live in a beautiful 5 bedroomed house south of Toledo with 1000 square feet of garden and share it with 5 dogs 2 cats 2 turtles and 200 tropical fish, oh and a rabbit called Rick O Shea because he had had so many homes . I teach English for about 20 hours a week and can honestly say that my life is idyllic. I have never been one for planning ahead as life takes so many twists and turns as I realised when my wife died of cancer at age 46 and I raised my 2 kids alone. Just make your dreams a reality, I did.


You have always sounded really happy with your life in Spain
Except
when you had sewerage coming up through your bath!!!


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Chopera said:


> Like many Spanish do - except they call it "merienda"


True, but merienda isn't a main meal is it? This will be followed by La Cena by the Spanish or those following a Spanish timetable any time between 20:00 and 23:00


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Funny you should say that after all the criticism that posters on this forum get for being "negative"!!


I generally find the comments made on this forum which some people interpret as being negative are in response to enquiries made by those whose plans sound risky, and rarely are they sneering about people who want to make the move on a fairly limited budget, or who can't afford to keep their house in the UK as well as have a place here, which is just not an option for a lot of people.


----------



## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> It would also be interesting to know about those who came full of the 'Spanish dream' and were obliged to return to the UK when their dreams turned sour.


Well it would. And you could start a thread called "who didn't make", rather than hijack this one


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Horlics said:


> Well it would. And you could start a thread called "who didn't make", rather than hijack this one


Its nice to have a good mix though! I'm a "didnt make it", but survived to tell the tale and will try again when the time is right!

Jo xxx


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I'd like to know how many people "drop out" as well for what ever reason. I think it's only natural to wonder about the people that you've egged on or warned against moving. Inevitably the ones who made it and are happy with their lot are the ones who will tell you about it. The people who decide against Spain often seem to think that people will think they have failed if they say they didn't come, or that they went back but it's the best possible end in many situations


I think maybe you have (at least) two different types, there. Those who perhaps initially thought, after, maybe a holiday on the Costas (or wherever), that it seemed a great place to which to move (for whatever reason but often because, they no longer want to live where they are, i.e. they are moving away from something) and live, or want to retire to a "Place in the Sun." 

The first type, start making serious enquires, then when they realise that it is a lot more complicated than just moving to the next town and after considered research, there was no way that the 'dream' could become, for them, a reality so they put that plan back on the shelf to, maybe, consider at some point in the future (say when the children have grown up and are off hand).

The second lot will take the point of view that those who are giving them sound advice, even if it is not what they want to hear, i.e. it doesn't paint a rosy picture that fits in with their dreams, are a load of t*ssers and come to Spain anyway. Those who thought they could make a living from 'bar work', being a 'nail technician', and the others who will eventually ride on the 'B Ark' only to find that, if they can find such work, it pays peanuts and has no job security. Those who chose to retire and sunk their savings into some property (because it was a nice English (must be honest) gent, carnation in buttonhole, who said the rest of the properties on the patch were selling like hot cakes (probably burnt and uneatable like Alfred's) and it would be a good idea to snap one up at just slightly over the original asking price because the prices were going up and there would soon be no properties left especially after they were shown on a forthcoming episode on TV, then realise that the gloss of the TV programme is just that - gloss and go back home.


----------



## Gazeebo (Jan 23, 2015)

We are not there yet. Villa rented and ferry booked end of September. Who knows what we will eventually decide - we don't! We are hoping for a better quality of life, which will be slower and give us time for our own interests, fresher food and a beach or swimming pool that we can enjoy for at least 4 months a year. We look forward to making new friends and - yes, we are also going for the weather, as for me, 8 months of good weather far outweighs 1 month of good weather. Don't get me wrong, we live in a lovely part of the country, in a nice house and with lovely surroundings, but now is the time for something different and to experience new adventures. There will be good times and bad times, only time will tell. All the best to those who are taking the pluge.


----------



## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

We have been here 12 years 

LOVE IT . and have no regrets !!

Cheers Tony , Agost Alicante


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I've met a fair few people who decided not to stay in Spain but to return to the UK, since we bought our house. Some of them made that decision unwillingly, and hung on here until the very last minute (when it would have been more sensible, IMO, to have seen the writing on the wall earlier and go back while they still had more financial resources to help them get back on their feet in the UK) and returned penniless, at the mercy of the benefits system or sleeping on friends' floors - with children in tow, in some cases.

Others decided they wanted to return for a whole variety of reasons. Bereavement and the survivor deciding they preferred to be nearer family in the UK, serious illness ditto, some just didn't settle (usually seemed to be in cases where one half of a couple had been much keener on the move than the other, and had persuaded the more reluctant spouse but it didn't work out), and some really made the wrong decision for them about the type of area they'd like to live in and would probably have had a happier time in Spain if they'd chosen a different place.


----------



## Mushu7 (Jul 17, 2015)

Thank you for all the responses so far, interesting reading. Would love to hear from people like jojo as well. 

I joined this forum to hear the pros and negatives and find my way in the middle do need a balanced view of both.

What i have learned considerably quickly in my short time here is the REAL issue with unemployment. It hasnt put me off moving whatsoever, but certainly taking that pretty serious issue on board and considering that in any decisions - plus saving that bit more as a safety net.


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

At the risk of repeating what long-time sufferers on the forum have heard before, I will repeat our story [Chorus groans from the Upper Circle and the cheap seats]:

Year 2000, I am 59, SWMBO is 41. The in-laws live in Colombia. The f-i-l (artist and architect) has been almost ruined by the collapse of one of the banks) we are returning to UK from a holiday, there. We know that our financial situation is such that we will not be able to afford to live in UK after retirement so we need to start thinking about the future. At the time we have a 1-bedroom attic flat (on a mortgage) but with an extension into the adjoining vacant roof-space that could be another bedroom. 

We have a number of countries with which we have ties - family, language, holidays, including Colombia and the USA (about 7 in all.) So we review each over several years and start crossing off the list, those which, for one reason or another, fail to make the grade:
Colombia - high crime, financial instability, guerillas and the drugs trade...
USA - high healthcare costs...
UK - high property costs, high cost of living... 
France - high levels of taxation...
Belgium, Holland - wild cards, in many ways too much like UK but have charm...
Portugal - SWMBO doesn't want to learn another language (already speaks English, French and Spanish, with a small amount of Portuguese)...
Spain - We spent a weekend there with SWMBO's padrinos very early on in our marriage; I have spent a few weeks working there. Good possibility!

2001, in-laws move to USA(FL). F-i-l tries to get work (he is graduate of Univ. Houston, we extend mortgage on our flat to provide deposit on a villa in Florida for them to live in
2005, f-i-l dies following cancer. Bring m-i-l to UK for a few months over Christmas. Take a quick break to Spain flying into Sevilla and visiting Córdoba, Granada, Ronda and Sevilla. All of us like Andalucía very much.

M-i-l will have to move in with us since she has no pension and will need somewhere to live. First need to sell villa and clear mortgage there. Cheated by dishonest realtor. Eventually sell with another realtor in 2007 (after the crash has started) m-i-l moves to live with us.

In the meantime, we have researched areas, especially for climate (avoid Guadalquivir valley - extremely hot in summer, freezing in winter [frost-hollow]). 2006: Decide to make a shortlist of places to look at. Using several agents look at various properties, some of which one wouldn't wish on one's worst enemy. Looking round the various towns and villages, decide that we need to look a little (20-30km) farther north. SWMBO definitely doesn't want campo because, with two ageing (bl**dy cheek) relatives, she is conscious of how long it might take an ambulance to find us. Next property search visit (June 2007), almost at the end of our two weeks, we find the house we are looking for. It seems to say to us, as we walk in the door "Ah, you've got here at last" as if it was expecting us. The price is 87k, we offer 85k - accepted and feel that it is worth every centimo especially after what we have seen. We leave a holding deposit.

September 2007 we visit again and, having further extended our mortgage, pay a chunk of the balance and then pay a bit more from capital in February 2008. We already have our flat on the market with a few sniffs but no takers. Eventually September 2008, we take a final extension on our mortgage and finish buying the house in Spain. The previous owners will move out almost immediately (they rented the empty house, next door). We instruct builder on what we want done - rewired, replumbed, kitchen door and wall onto the terrace moved (make kitchen larger), walls and dispenser between the lounge and dining room removed to make one through lounge-diner, etc. In the meantime we have been packing so that we will be ready to go as soon as...

Almost immediately, a cash buyer appears for the flat (he will also buy my old Volvo Estate because it has a cherished plate [came with it when I bought it]). Finish packing, hire a van and drive it down loaded with a couple of tons of stuff (lots of books, furniture, china, etc.) plus m-i-l. Arrive at house on Tuesday 4th November 2008. We could have arrived the night before but wanted m-i-l's first view to be in daylight. It is a disaster area with builders working and rubble everywhere, but omelettes are not made without breaking eggs.

After a couple of weeks of getting furniture (flatpack) from IKEA, etc organised and assembled, we return to UK (leaving m-i-l to get acquainted with some of the neighbours - having lived for 50 years in Colombia she speaks fluent Spanish) to load up the second load and take that down to Spain, unload and get some organising done. We buy a car and leave that at Granada airport. We do a final clean of the flat, hand the keys to the agent and take temporary lodging with friends while SWMBO goes back to work for a couple of months and her replacement is sought. I fly back to Spain.

SWMBO's notice expires and I fly back to UK, catch bus from Stansted to be met at bus stop by a much relieved (stress is falling off her shoulders in chunks) SWMBO. 

We sell SWMBO's Micra but with a delayed hand-over, so that we can still use it to run-around. Get some treatment for my frostbite (the Spanish house, as yet, has no heating other than a couple of convectors) then fly to Spain arriving here February 10th. We have been back to UK once, driving our own car, in September 2009, saw a few friends and relatives, shopped for things which, at the time, we thought we could not do without (we can and do!). 

So now you have it, we are happy here which, as far as we're concerned, is our little bit of heaven on earth!

So I guess you could say we made it, but it does require some work. SWMBO is an English teacher - her name was put forward by our abogada to an old schoolfriend who is managing a language academy, and I have my OAP.


----------



## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

I enjoyed your more explicit post and could say, with reference to Columbia, exactly what I thought of Mexico. I have met a lot of Spaniards here who think Mexico is wonderful and yes it is exotic and in many ways surrealistic, but the holidaymakers go to Cancun (a fair number of the big hotels now owned by Spaniards), and to the Riviera Maya, but that is not Mexico.
Like Baldilocks, the thought of living in a drug culture, express kidnaps, extortion, and all the other drawbacks to a failing state were leaving me more depressed than ever. With two children who had already left and a husband who could retire with a reasonable pension and my mini one from the UK, it was now or never.
Like Baldilocks, I knew it had to work, cos there was no going back. Three years on and was the best decision of our lives.


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

For us, the recession spoilt our plans for my husband to join forces with an existing company in Spain, so he commuted to the UK to carry on running his business there - he got fed up with the commute and actually he didnt really ever settle in Spain and was spending less and less time coming over and more time in the UK. My 10 year old daughter hated it from the minute we landed - she hated the heat, the insects, the dust and the Spanish. She missed family and friends in the UK and simply wasnt going to settle. My son liked it, but at 16, he wanted to go to college in the UK and wanted a part time job...... So we came back. Luckily we had rented the UK house out and rented in Spain, so it wasnt too costly or complicated. I still miss it dreadfully and We will return, although without the kids!!!!

Jo xxx


----------



## chica escocesa (Jul 23, 2012)

Baldi, you were not up-front about that frostbite at all! Sneaky!!


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Not everyone who came and 'failed' packed up and went back to the UK or wherever, though.
Some who started businesses, ran bars etc. and were either hit by the recession or failed through personal reasons simply picked themselves up, downsized or started over again, wiser for the experience, those who weren't soured and embittered, that is.
Lynn is quite right in what she says, pointingout a few facts and aspects of reality to those who seem unaware of how things are in Spain now and for the short to medium term future is no way 'negative', just telling it like it is.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Maybe I will when I find time.
It would also be interesting to hear from people who are still living in Spain whose lives haven't worked out as planned but decided to stick it out.
I know a couple of people who had to have a radical rethink and a life change because business or work plans didn't turn out as they had hoped.
Maybe the same new thread,when I get round to it...


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Could it be that the greater incidence of vehicles with new registrations (we took ages to get from the Ds to Gs, then we were into the Hs and now the Js is an indicator that the economy is picking up?


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

baldilocks said:


> Could it be that the greater incidence of vehicles with new registrations (we took ages to get from the Ds to Gs, then we were into the Hs and now the Js is an indicator that the economy is picking up?


Not sure, but we have just decided to get a new car with a more economical engine. With Plan PIVE you get €1500 off the new car when you trade in one more than 10 yrs old. Rather than have money sitting in the bank earning hardly any interest, we decided to splash out and save ourselves €20 a month on petrol.

It will be nice to finally have a left-hand drive vehicle as well.


----------



## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

It's a good post and interesting to see maybe who did and who didn't. I really hope that people made their own mind up and either moved or didn't based on thorough research and not just because of advice (or otherwise) on a discussion forum.

I suppose the common theme throughout the numerous threads though are that if you need a job, there's no point, unless of course you have some specific skill that's required. But if you intend to retire, then the strength of the pound against the euro means that the cost of living is much better in Spain. I retired here and haven't regretted it one bit.


----------



## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

Interesting thread.I first came to Spain 1972 then over the years many holidays here.Then in 1995 me and the wife were put in a nice position where we could move here permanently which we did. We have no regrets at all about coming to live here.Sorry yes we have one regret wish we had done it 10years sooner than what we did but were not in a position where we could.In just over 20years of living here we have seen a lot of changes,some good,some bad and some indifferent.Our life today is a complete contrast to when we first came.Having experiences life on the Costa del Sol and a more rural way of life which we both prefer.The nice thing where we live the Spanish people what we have as friends don't give a damn about what car me and the wife drive or how big our home is or how big our bank balance is.They have accepted us for what we are but like anything in life you get out of it what you put into it.Anybody thinking of coming here now I would say go for it or you might wake up one day thinking what if.For us there has only ever been one time we thought about going back and that was after the devestating bomb that ETA detonated in Fuengirola.Believe me that was bloody scary.Just like to say to JoJo admire you for putting your family first and over the years a lot of people have done the same.If we had been in the same position as you we would have done the same.Utmost respect.SB.


----------



## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

My wife and I sold everything in Norway and moved here with our 2 (age 2 & 3) daughters in 1999. The year before, whilst on holiday, we bought a 7500m2 plot of fruit trees in the countryside. Two years later our house was built, my wife's company in Malaga thriving and everything was on the up. This continued until about 2006 or 2007. 
Cash flow problems (due to not getting money in that she was owed) meant she was late paying her (Spanish) workers. They virtually rioted, stole over 50K worth of her equipment and set up a rival company and she was forced to close. Police & insurance would not look at it as they said it was an inside job! Our bank tried to take our house as they were using our house mortgage payments to help bail out the company and said we had defaulted on our mortgage! We struggled on with a remortgage & extra loan to cover the theft and have managed OK. About this time her best friend was murdered, not far from where we live, and my wife got cancer (now successfully treated).

Now my girls have completed school (they are fully bilingual) and sadly have little prospects in Spain. The eldest will start working offshore in Qatar next month and the youngest is looking at studying in the UK. Both have done well at school but would have done so much better in the UK with much less old fashioned teaching methods etc (the language did not hold them back, as they were both fluent in Spanish a couple of months into nursery school).

A year and a half ago, my wife left me, to go to live in Norway & work in Denmark. I have the house (and loans, with the lovely clauso suelo) on my own. Would never have managed without my offshore salary from abroad. Been a very rough ride the last several years and if I had the choice I don't think I would do it again, however, I have to make the most of it. Will soon be the only one out of the four of us left in Spain. Hoping things pick up and will maybe sell up eventually if the price is right:fingerscrossed:. 

As has been mentioned before, Spain is great when things are going well but can be a bit rubbish when they are not. Still, with so much free time, I would not like to spend the majority of it in cooler climes.
In the meantime, I am improving the property and have just bought a Porsche convertible and hope to have some fun (or maybe it is a midlife crisis?).


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

el romeral said:


> My wife and I sold everything in Norway and moved here with our 2 (age 2 & 3) daughters in 1999. The year before, whilst on holiday, we bought a 7500m2 plot of fruit trees in the countryside. Two years later our house was built, my wife's company in Malaga thriving and everything was on the up. This continued until about 2006 or 2007.
> Cash flow problems (due to not getting money in that she was owed) meant she was late paying her (Spanish) workers. They virtually rioted, stole over 50K worth of her equipment and set up a rival company and she was forced to close. Police & insurance would not look at it as they said it was an inside job! Our bank tried to take our house as they were using our house mortgage payments to help bail out the company and said we had defaulted on our mortgage! We struggled on with a remortgage & extra loan to cover the theft and have managed OK. About this time her best friend was murdered, not far from where we live, and my wife got cancer (now successfully treated).
> 
> Now my girls have completed school (they are fully bilingual) and sadly have little prospects in Spain. The eldest will start working offshore in Qatar next month and the youngest is looking at studying in the UK. Both have done well at school but would have done so much better in the UK with much less old fashioned teaching methods etc (the language did not hold them back, as they were both fluent in Spanish a couple of months into nursery school).
> ...


I wish you all the fun in the world, El Romeral...you deserve it.
Have your mid-life crisis until you reach the age of a hundred or more..and enjoy!!xx


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

el romeral said:


> My wife and I sold everything in Norway and moved here with our 2 (age 2 & 3) daughters in 1999. The year before, whilst on holiday, we bought a 7500m2 plot of fruit trees in the countryside. Two years later our house was built, my wife's company in Malaga thriving and everything was on the up. This continued until about 2006 or 2007.
> Cash flow problems (due to not getting money in that she was owed) meant she was late paying her (Spanish) workers. They virtually rioted, stole over 50K worth of her equipment and set up a rival company and she was forced to close. Police & insurance would not look at it as they said it was an inside job! Our bank tried to take our house as they were using our house mortgage payments to help bail out the company and said we had defaulted on our mortgage! We struggled on with a remortgage & extra loan to cover the theft and have managed OK. About this time her best friend was murdered, not far from where we live, and my wife got cancer (now successfully treated).
> 
> Now my girls have completed school (they are fully bilingual) and sadly have little prospects in Spain. The eldest will start working offshore in Qatar next month and the youngest is looking at studying in the UK. Both have done well at school but would have done so much better in the UK with much less old fashioned teaching methods etc (the language did not hold them back, as they were both fluent in Spanish a couple of months into nursery school).
> ...


To "like" your post doesn't seem quite appropriate, but thank you for telling your story so honestly. I think it's really important for people who may be thinking of setting up a business here to hear first hand how difficult things can sometimes be, rather than just anecdotes as in "I knew somebody who ...".

Whether it's fun or a midlife crisis, you certainly seem to have earned it so enjoy!


----------

