# Moving to Spain



## Trevor26 (Nov 10, 2014)

Hi - I am new to the forum. My wife and I are looking at the prospect of moving to Spain not to work but to retire. As you can appreciate this is a huge decision and one that we are having sleepness nights with. I'm keen to have a better quality of life in a stress free environment but my wife is concerned about moving away from her comfort zone and of course leaving her family behind. 
So I guess i'm asking if anyone can share their experience and whether its thought to be a good thing to do, or an act of desperation.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Trevor26 said:


> Hi - I am new to the forum. My wife and I are looking at the prospect of moving to Spain not to work but to retire. As you can appreciate this is a huge decision and one that we are having sleepness nights with. I'm keen to have a better quality of life in a stress free environment but my wife is concerned about moving away from her comfort zone and of course leaving her family behind.
> So I guess i'm asking if anyone can share their experience and whether its thought to be a good thing to do, or an act of desperation.


Leaving one's country as an 'act of desperation' would surely be because of fleeing creditors, the police, vengeful wife/husband....
And if it were not 'a good thing to do' well, most of us wouldn't have done it!

It can be a very good thing indeed providing you do your sums correctly so you are sure to have income and or assets sufficient to enable you to weather any financial storm such as tax increases, exchange rate fluctuations, price rises...
I'd recommend renting for at least a year to check out whether Spain really is for you and if the location you have chosen is the 'right' one. We chose not to buy and sold all our UK properties when we left nine years ago to spend three years in Prague, moving on to Spain six years ago.

My partner and I have always been fairly adventurous and have travelled a lot independently. It's our experience that Spain is one of the least 'foreign' and 'difficult' countries we've spent time in. Spain isn't some exotic developing country, it's a modern, middle-class country with the fourth or fifth -can't remember which - largest economy in the EU, in spite of the truly dreadful economic crisis it's currently going through.

Wherever you choose to live be it in a largely British immigrant area like Alicante, Benidorm, Benalmadena or in a country town or village you will find friendly welcoming people. That has been our experience and we live in a very Spanish community near to a large cosmopolitan city, Marbella and a smaller more Spanish town, Estepona.

We originally intended to stay in Spain for a few years before moving on again, to France or Italy but we have decided we are here to stay. I can't think of anywhere better to spend my retirement.


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## Trevor26 (Nov 10, 2014)

Thanks for the reply, very useful!

Not running away from anything LOL, Probably the wrong word (desperation) Just feel that I have come to the point in my life where I want to spend some quality time with my wife in a stress free environment and of course with some nce weather, instead of the cold & rain.

I guess my real concern is leaving my children & grandchildren behind.

I will have a pension of around £1200 a month plus a healthyish lump sum in reserve, I also have my property of course in the UK to sell and that was my plan to sell and buy but after seeing your post, i might revise that.

I hadn't thought about renting first but taking your point I think that would be a good idea, so maybe I would think about renting for six months first.(Any ideas of how much it would be to rent a 2 bed property)

We was looking at Alicante and that is really because we wanted to be near xpats, so we wouldn't feel to isolated and alone and could mix with some fellow brits, Once I settled and learned the language I would then want to fully integrate with the the locals.


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## tarot650 (Sep 30, 2007)

Trevor26 said:


> Hi - I am new to the forum. My wife and I are looking at the prospect of moving to Spain not to work but to retire. As you can appreciate this is a huge decision and one that we are having sleepness nights with. I'm keen to have a better quality of life in a stress free environment but my wife is concerned about moving away from her comfort zone and of course leaving her family behind.
> So I guess i'm asking if anyone can share their experience and whether its thought to be a good thing to do, or an act of desperation.


Me and the other half have lived here permanently for 20years so you can appreciate we have seen a lot of people come and a lot of people gne of the reasons quite a few people have gone back is family.It's usually the wife who misses the children and grandchildren.Also we have seen a few people go back because sadly their partner has passed away.Yes you can have a very enjoyable life out here.The key is meeting the right people that share your interests or hobbies.If I was coming here now I would definitely rent as the lovely Estepona Mary does as we know one or two people who bought and are desperate to get back to the UK but sadly they just cannot sell their houses.You havn't said which part of Spain.I am sure if you do people can give you advice on area's.Whether good bad or indifferent.Yes a great country to live in but there is nothing magical about it.You will still get your bitchiness and backstabbing people like you do in the UK.At the end of the day there is only you that can make the decision and if you go for it sincerely wish you the best of luck.We have no regrets at all about moving here but would say nowadays it's more of a daunting prospect.Respect.SB.


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## Trevor26 (Nov 10, 2014)

Thank you for your honesty


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I understand that some people may miss their families...but Spain is a short flight from the UK. My son has a property not far from ours so we see them often enough.. Maybe it's a selfish way of looking at things but I think that to some extent you have to think of how you want to live your life when you retire. After all, that's what you bring up your children to do, to make their own life. That doesn't mean cutting yourself off, of course not, but for me it wasn't a consideration. Same with friends. Tbh we got fed up with visitors, as in three years we had over thirty-six visitors...some more than once, more than twice even. We narrowed the guest list when we moved here.

I think you need to rent for at least a year. Once you've bought, it's not easy to resell if you find you've made the wrong choice of location. Rents in places like Alicante are cheaper than further south or in the cities. I'm sure you could find a decent two-bed apartment for around 400 euros.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Hi Trevor, 

I know several people who retired here and were very happy for a year or two, when it was all new and exciting, but ended up going back because they missed their family so much. It's a very important factor, not to be dismissed lightly. And there are other "stress factors" that aren't apparent to start with but become more significant after a time.

If I were you I'd keep your options open. You can stay here for three months before you need to become resident and give up your rights to NHS care and any other UK benefits like pension credits. If you can afford it, why not rent somewhere in Spain for a month or so twice a year, say May and October, when the weather is still nice but the rental prices are lower? You'll always have the next trip to look forward to, but you won't be out of your comfort zone for too long!

Try websites like Owners Direct or HomeAway.com where you can contact the owners directly and get a good deal for a 5 or 6 week rental. Most of them are only too happy to fill those out-of-season weeks.


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## Trevor26 (Nov 10, 2014)

Thank you


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Don't expect it to be stress free- this is a myth
Don't underestimate how much you will miss your family, if you are a close one. skype is great, but it's horrible being here when they are going through a bad time there, and need a hug.
I've known many return to the UK, and in many cases the reason was that they missed the family too much, especially when new grandchildren arrived.
UK may be only a flight away, but there's travelling to and fro airports, etc and whatever your budget is. For your trip , double it, because money vanishes on a trip back.
A compromise would be to buy a holiday home, ensure you spend less than 90 days per visit, and you will have none of the bureaucratic aggro, tax problems etc.
That is the only way you will get your ( nearly) stress free. Retirement!
Spain without the pain!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Hello Trevor,

We moved to a small Island in the Atlantic called El Hierro, Canary Isles, eventually bought property here in 2001. We are two of the four English expats on the island, hardly anyone speaks English, so we had to learn Spanish before we arrived.

Here is now our home, here we are more than settled, this place is special. We cut the umbilical cord some time ago, selling every thing we owned in the old country.

Family, I have middle aged children, who are all self sufficient and do their own thing, they all know where we are, in fact we travel to Tenerife on Friday to meet up with my daughter, who has booked a cheapie. My wife has family but they are not very close. So for us the Family thing is not a big issue.

Your finances are adequate, our basic monthly costs are 800€ for two properties and a car, but the Canaries are cheaper than the European part of Spain.

I would advise you not to sell in the U.K. at first, rent for a winter in your chosen destination, we rented and eventually ended up here 200 miles away from our first choice Gran Canaria. 

Good luck with your new adventure. Photos on the link below of where we live.

Hepa


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

extranjero said:


> Don't expect it to be stress free- this is a myth
> Don't underestimate how much you will miss your family, if you are a close one. skype is great, but it's horrible being here when they are going through a bad time there, and need a hug.
> I've known many return to the UK, and in many cases the reason was that they missed the family too much, especially when new grandchildren arrived.
> UK may be only a flight away, but there's travelling to and fro airports, etc and whatever your budget is. For your trip , double it, because money vanishes on a trip back.
> ...


Well, for us, leaving the UK has been totally stress-free. We left the 'stress' behind. So no 'myth'. Reality.
But then we ensured we had enough income and assets to weather all storms, rented instead of buying so we weren't stuck somewhere we didn't want to be.
Not everyone is tied so closely to family that they can't live without them for a few months. And if they are then best to stay close.

But it should be remembered that grandchildren grow up and do their own thing. Grandparents just grow older and time to do their 'own thing' is running out. 

There need be no pain in Spain if you live within your means and only buy if you are 100% sure that Spain is where you want to be forever.
There are more happy than unhappy Brit immigrants here because at the end of the day Spain is no big deal, no backward banana republic...and there are many places where you can live as if you were in Bognor or Bournemouth albeit with more sun, rarely if ever hearing Spanish spoken and using British services as if you were still in the UK.


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## Trevor26 (Nov 10, 2014)

Wow, it looks fabulous where you are. I'm 100% up for it but unfortunately the wife still needs some convincing, so as you say a trial first to see how we adapt is probably the best option


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Hi Trevor. If you know ahead of time that your wife will have a difficult time without family, perhaps that's a good starting place as to your planning, meaning that you start out slowly like others say here. 

In coming to Spain, one of my hopes was to find my family here, having cut ties with my family in Canada a very long time ago. Our first contact was just a couple of weeks ago, and so far I've talked by phone with one aunt, and met three aunts and two cousins. This week I'll be doing a repeat visit with one of my aunts and cousins, and the wife of a cousin and their daughter will be coming to my apartment this weekend. And I love it. Family is important to me too. The importance of family is subjective and immeasurable. So it's hard for someone else to advise anyone on the importance of family.

But another reason I came Spain is for a completely different life, and this too may be something you relate to, since Spain and the UK are so different. No, it's not actually magic, but it can be magical to be surrounded by completely different landscapes, climate, language, foods, mannerisms, celebrations, architecture, wildlife, etc. As you probably know, the term for this is a geographical cure.  People are pretty much the same everywhere, but the other things I mentioned thankfully vary - thus the possibility for a geographical cure.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Trevor26 said:


> Wow, it looks fabulous where you are. I'm 100% up for it but unfortunately the wife still needs some convincing, so as you say a trial first to see how we adapt is probably the best option




Wimmen, always problems, tell her that you are considering New Zealand, she will soon come round to a two hour flight to España………...


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Trevor, I think you have been given some very good advice already. I think the bit about renting first to see how it goes is especially relevant as you say your wife is reluctant to commit to the move.

During my time in Spain I have known several couples where one partner was keener on the move and persuaded the other to take the plunge. They are all back in the UK now, as the partner who didn't really want to come here (at least not full time) never really settled. The partner who DID want to make the move to Spain then ended up having to go back to the UK unwillingly, if they wanted their relationship to survive. In one case the husband wasn't williing to do that and they separated.

If you rent, either your wife may surprise herself and enjoy life here more than she anticipates, or if not, you will find it much easier to return to the UK without a property to sell. If she doesn't come round to the idea of living full time in Spain, maybe your wife would be happier to compromise by taking a rental for a few months each winter so that you could divide your time between the two countries.

One good thing is that it has probably never been cheaper to rent a place over here. I don't know the area you are thinking of (around Alicante you said, well at least you can still get UK tv via satellite dish there so your wife won't have to miss her favourite programmes, that might help) but if the rental market is anything like here, I should imagine you could rent a place for around €500 per month for up to six months over the winter. Normally the IBI (equivalent to Council Tax) and any community fees (service charges if it's an apartment or house on an urbanisation) are included in the rent but you would have to pay utility bills on top.

Good luck anyway. We've been here 8 years now (early retired) and really enjoy it.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Hepa said:


> Wimmen, always problems, tell her that you are considering New Zealand, she will soon come round to a two hour flight to España………...


 Or even better - threaten her with a move to Canada!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Get you planning right. Cover everything and some. Research the areas you are interested in - you can even have a virtual look around courtesy of Google Earth Street View.

I started planning back in 2001 (age 60) after we had returned from a visit with the in-laws in Colombia (as my wife says - it is s lovely place, it is just a pity about the people - and she is one of them!) I started with a list of about 6 or 7 countries with which we had connections (holidays, relatives, language, etc.). One by one they were whittled down (genuinely - no cheating) until we were left with Spain. Then it was a case of identifying just where we wanted to live.

2005 my f-i-l died so that meant we were going to have to have the m-i-l live with us and that gave us incentive to identify really what sort of property - one in which we three could live without getting in each other's way. None of us likes too much heat nor too much cold. We didn't need or want expat areas. We aren't beach people. So we opted for inland at a reasonable altitude (lower altitudes in summer can be much hotter [as much as 10° or more]).

We ended up inland in a village (pop 5000) between two small towns, more or less equi-distant from Granada, Cordoba and Jaén. We have no close family (apart from my sister who comes here from time to time for a holiday) so no worries on that score. We bought a 4BR 2Ba house on four floors + a basement level which has a patio, a wood store and a workshop. The locals are warm, friendly and welcoming. There are still a few Brits in the village but they don't mix. Most of our friends and acquaintances are Spanish. We are very happy.


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