Anyone looking to move to Spain has never been so prepared as they are today. Even going back as recently as three years, if you were planning a move to Spain resources on everyday information were limited. In our own experience, we ploughed through bookshop shelves and glossy magazines trying to piece together a puzzle of what our new life was going to be in this foreign country.

The thing is Spain is no longer that to us. It is no longer foreign, as we are so informed to everything from the health system to empadronamiento, that those relocating now know exactly what to expect and even know what order to do it in. Back in the day, when the veterans first landed, it was a big adventure. The first couple of months were spent getting their heads around the system and filling in forests worth of paperwork.

Today, it all so different. What took a couple of months to do and a lot of tiring days chasing about in the heat, can now be carried out in a week. People can do the bulk of the prep work from the comfort of their  UK home. There are so many web sites and forums that you can collocate as much information as you need and do all the necessary ground work before you have even booked your flights. The best part about it is that it is all free. Whereas, in the past people used to pay for services such as NIE application etc, there is no need. It is simply a case of looking through a couple of ‘Spain’ websites and you are bound to find an article or a forum post stating exactly what you need to do. People even know what restaurants they will be eating in and exactly where they are going to buy their fruit and veg, bread etc beforehand

In the past, when you used to tell people in the UK that you were moving to Spain their responses would normally include “Oh, but what are you going to do out there?” and “Aren’t you going to be lonely out there, far from your family and friends?”

I wonder if these questions still get asked as nearly everybody who is moving over today or will be moving over will know somebody who has already done it. There is such an ever growing support network out there via strangers on forums or friends and family who have already moved, that moving to Spain is no longer only for the brave. And the point about being far from your family and friends in the UK is no longer valid, as the flights operate on a timetable akin to buses. In fact, a friend of mine in the UK couldn’t believe that I set off from Spain at the same time as her husband and I arrived there quicker than he took him to get to one side of London to the other. Nowadays, moving to Spain, moving to Scotland from England, even moving across a couple of counties, it’s all the same.

Although, those who are moving out today have certainly got it easier in terms of being prepared. In some respects,  I feel a little sympathy for what they are missing out on, the unknown. The drawback of the familiarity and information overload is that it just isn’t as special and exotic as it used to be. Perhaps, this is what drives die hard real Spain fans with a yearning for adventure to seek out less ‘known’ places such as Galicia and Extremadura. These places hold what even the Costa del Sol held thirty years ago, the opportunity to be a pioneer in a new land. However, with the Brits being the Brits, there is barely a stone left unturned from the far north to the most southern tip of Spain so you will never be the only Brit in most Spanish towns.

I wander if once we have exhausted the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca of information, will we then move on to unveil the less known areas of Spain to further spoil the fun of future relocators. One thing is for sure, if you don’t like the thought of the unknown then Spain is definitely for you as those who have gone before you are always keen to share their experiences.