Posted by More than 17 years ago I moved to Spain in search of a better way of life and i really think that I have found it and would never go back to the UK for more than a quick visit.
Being married to a Spanish girl now and having run a few businesses here along with buying and selling several properties here has given me a real in depth look at the way of life here and I post about what i have learned here so as others can make better decisions if they are thinking of moving to Spain.
There is so much I have learned but here are my top 3 tips.
There are 3 top tips that I can give people who are thinking of moving to Spain that if they take heed of they will save time money and stress for sure.
- The most important tip i can give anyone moving here is to Learn Spanish. Ok so i always say that and it may seem obvious but over the years I have seen many people move here and say that they will learn but after a few months they give up and in time these are the people who struggle here. if you move to a new country you need to learn that language or you will not enjoy the full potential of what it has to offer.
We Brits do find it hard to learn and personally so did I but if you really want to integrate with the Spanish then you need to stick with it and it really will make a big difference to the way to live here. Try downloading the free apps like the kids learning ones that are easy and fun to follow and will help give you the basics.
2. Research. is very important and so many just DONT do enough. If you just come to Spain for a short trip then buy that may not be enough. There is a lot that you can do from the UK even before you move here.
A great tip is to just rent a car here for a week and have a good drive around the area that you think you may like. This is not a holiday but a research trip. If you do research online first you can narrow this area down a bit and that will save you time and money.
Choosing the right place can be hard and we all have different ideas of what is the perfect place to live but if you do loads of research first that decision will be a lot easier to make once you are here.
3. Last top tip. RENT first.
So many times I have seen people move here to what they think is the right place but in a few months they have second thoughts as there may be things that they dont like. For example. its not until you have lived in a place for a few weeks or months that you get to know the neighbours and maybe they leave for work very early or are noisy or have loads of kids playing right outside your window every night. Maybe the shops are further away than you thought or the parking is bad. Or the community pool is full of kids late at night.
All these things can really get you down after a while and its not until you live there a while that you get to really see what its like so this is why renting can save you loads in the long run.
Pleases leave a quick comment if this has helped. Are you renting first or have you bought ?
I hope these tips have helped and there are loads more in my new books see below.
Living and Working In Spain 