Once upon a time sun, sea and sand were the essential ingredients to an improved quality of life. A few years ago that was all estate agents had to mention in their usual homepage spiel and we were all flying out in excited petition just begging to sign on the dotted line and part with their hard earned cash. Since then a lot has happened and today people are far more informed and prepared before they make the move. Today anyone caught trying to persuade savvy shoppers by promises of Disneyland and railway links had better be ready for their retorts.
People are now equipped to make their own minds up. They no longer take for granted the biased information provided by those better life abroad programmes and their sister magazines. Instead, they turn to forums for real life experiences from those who have actually done it for advice. Thinking back, just four or five years ago, those moving to Spain were actually quite clueless and naïve to think that sun, sea and sand was enough and that everything would fall into place.
After much careful research more and more people realise that unbearable heat for two months of the year that prohibits you from doing anything remotely physical is not a feature of an improved quality of life. They also realise that there is only so much time you can and should spend on the beach because it does give you wrinkles and skin cancer. Again, wrinkles and skin cancer, to me, is not what an improved quality of life is all about.
Most importantly they are no longer blinded to the possible reality of living without street lights, refuse collection and mains water connection. They have read all about it and are understandably cautious. There is no way that this lot will be giving into hard sale and good for them .Hopefully, they won’t be caught out like the rest of us that came before them and are still paying for our hasty, poorly researched decisions.
Nowadays people want to know everything. In the past we were quite prepared to make sacrifices of the things that we took for granted. People now want to be sure that they can still go to a decent gym and entertain their children with activities other than the beach.
They realise that an improvement in their quality of life also requires good schooling for their children and healthcare. Today those that are choosing to relocate to Spain have definitely done their homework. Their motives for improving their quality of life are less shallow than those who embarked on the adventure a few years ago. They are probably approaching it with a much healthier attitude and should be more successful than the recent influx.