How do we move to Spain?

Submitted by: carolyn

Spain is one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, attracting record numbers to relocate to its shores every year and the country has an estimated 1.5 million foreign residents so why is it so attractive? The answer to this question is easy it is due to the country's climate, culture, beauty and cost as well as standard of living.

In a single year it was estimated that 191,000 people relocated overseas from the UK; sadly however out of this number 105,000 Britons returned to the UK having failed to establish their new life overseas. The reason that I am telling you this is so that you can understand why these people failed in their new life so that you don't make the same mistake. By understanding these reasons you are then able to avoid the same pitfalls and go on to succeed where others have failed by fulfilling your dream of starting a new life in Spain.

One of the push factors as to why Britons return home is their choice of location. Spain is very well served by airports and cheap airlines, it also has one of the cheapest rail networks in the whole of Europe but if you decide to relocate you should ensure that you are located in an easy enough place to get back to the UK if you need to and so that if people want to visit you in Spain they can do.

The concept of being accepted in Spain is another reason why so many people fail to make a life for themselves in Spain. The first two years of your life in another country are the hardest as it takes time to build up knowledge of local areas, customs, people and language. Feeling like you belong in your Spanish community will take time so don't give up on it so easily.

Many people seem to be under the illusion that by moving to another country all of your problems will be fixed when in reality moving to another country won't fix your problems as you can't escape who you are and your history or improve your life just by relocating to another country. Keep this in mind when you are making your plans to relocate as you need to make sure that you have realistic expectations of the life that is going to be awaiting you in Spain.

Talking about realistic you need to think about practical issues such as health. When it comes to health it is a good idea to consider the worst possible situation that you could end up in health wise and then protect yourself against that. It is advised that you sort out your health insurance before you make your move over to Spain.

One of the main reasons however that people return home after failing to make a life for themselves in Spain is down to money. The main reason that people return home after moving to Spain is because they run out of money.

If you are hoping to move to Spain you have to have the drive, determination and patience to pull it off. Remember living in Spain is not just a long holiday it is your life.