Five Tips: Moving to Spain
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 @ 1:37 PM
I am often asked by people in US & UK about rental prices, Healthcare, schools and jobs in Spain. While people try to decide if it is viable to move to Spain or buy a holiday home in España.
Here are 5 Tips that I think may help to begin a succesful beginning in Spain
- Make friends with the locals. Life will flow far easier if you interact on a basic level with the local community. Whether it be a school, neighbours or a local business. It may take a while but it will be worth it. Just a Hola each morning may make a difference!
- Rent before buying. This is very important. Make sure that you know the area where you want to buy or build a property. Make sure that all licenses and Spanish paperwork is in order to avoid nasty surprises in the future. Get legal documents translated professionally so that you understand all the small print. Rent a property while you decid if the area is right for you and your family. Also see the town/village in all seasons. Does the idyllic village get floods in Springtime?
- Be adventurous with food. Spanish food is amazing. There are many things available here that aren´t available in other places. Chirimoya anyone? The quality of produce is very high. (the are huge exporters Spain) Be adventurous and try new foods. The Spanish are experts at seasonality. The food complements the seasons. You won´t often find cold soups in winter for example. Often the fruit which is in season is delicious and low cost too.
- Explore the country. Spain is a huge country. Explore the different regions. Discover the difference between Asturias in the North and Cadiz in the South for example. There is so much to see and discover. It seems the longer I live in Spain the more I found out that there is to see.
- Learn Spanish. Yes I know...boring... This maybe an obvious tip. But when you are ill or have a problem knowing what people are saying to you is invaluable. Misunderstandings can cause alot stress due to words lost in translation.
I hope some of these prove useful.
Enjoy your Summer
Molly