Should we move to Spain

[old tree man]

I think its come to a point where Jane is in so much pain with the cold damp conditions of britain, on three occasions the doctors have said why not move to a warmer climate and we never really took them seriously, but the last doctor said if i could write you a prescription for Spain i would as it is the only thing that will ease if not cure your pain, the alternative is the rest of your life on medicine that gives you serious side effects.
It hit us like a bolt out of the blue we both discussed the pros and cons and it seemed the right thing to do, i cant spend the rest of my life watching jane in constant pain, now we are not just thinking of running away, we need to plan, i have noticed that we have friends in "ishland" who reside in parts of spain, if you could give us some idea where to start and who do we talk to to get the ball rolling it would be most helpfull, we have enroled on to a Spanish speaking course to give us a bit of a start as we want to do this properly, this really is a life changing decision for us at our age we are scared, excited and really petrified but are determined to do it, if it is meant to be so be it.
so any advice would be great
thanks
Russ

[LBR]

I up and moved to Europe one year. It took quite a while to adjust, get my bearings, and feel that I was living my own life. While living in Germany, I took a trip to Spain. I loved the sun and the warmer climate, the beauty, the softness of the air. I could tell that it would be extremely different living there. There was an English-language magazine for English-speaking residents, at a newsstand in Granada. I glanced through it, and saw that there was a pocket of social infrastructure for ex-pats. However, the political milieu, the difference in values, in history, in government, in attitudes towards almost everything, would be a major change. It is not a country I would want to be old and alone in. Being old is hard enough, being alone is hard enough, being a foreigner on top of that, in such a different world, would be too much.

It's part of why many of us who had lived in Germany for years and years, returned to our home countries. (I was there fourteen years.)

If I were in my twenties, picking up and going to another country for an indefinite period of time, would be very much in my considerations.

I did it in my thirties, it was much harder.

Being in my fifties, the thought of having to start all over again, to adapt to a foreign culture again, etc., is way too much to consider. The only way I would consider it, is if I had considerable financial resources and could live very comfortably, without any financial worry. And, if that venture into foreign lands didn't work out, that I could return to my native soil without anxiety.

Would you consider moving to a warm climate in a place where you would not need to learn a foreign language?

What about the British Virgin Islands? The advantages to having the protection of one's own government, and citizenship, are huge! Don't know if this is the right link, but, it's a start: http://www.bvi.org.uk/business/

I don't know of another British resort-climate location. Maybe someone else here does.

Please do PM me, if you'd like. This is a huge decision.

[contadina]

We're mid-40s and have been in Italy for three years now. We love it and it definitely feels like home, probably because we mostly socialise with Italians. From what I've seen, the expats who don't tend to last or enjoy living overseas are those who tend to stick to expat circles. But it sounds like you are going about it the right way - learn some Spanish (a little goes a long way - you'll pick it up rapidly once you move over if you spend time with locals).

It certainly seems the right decision to improve your wife's quality of life, but if you are unsure, why not look into a long-term let for a winter. This way you could scope out different regions and get a feel for the place.

[Graye]

Speaking as someone who lived there for seven years, I would say please think very carefully about moving to Spain if you are just looking for hot weather and are of retirement age - seriously. There are SO many other factors to take into account. Just a few of these are:

1. Financial. The pound is now almost at par against the euro. When we went there it was at 1.66 to the pound, ie we paid 60 odd pence for a euro, now you will pay a pound or slightly more for a euro. Food shopping has become very much more expensive there in the last few years also. The plusses at the moment are the cost of fuel and also the general expenses such as rates and water. Electricity is similarly priced to the UK. The house prices there are falling rapidly so you may get a bargain but they were horrendously over-priced for years so they are really just sinking back to their true value. As an example, houses in France are still far cheaper. I read in a magazine called the "Olive Press" that they are starting up collections on the Costa del Sol for British pensioners who can't make their pensions stretch far enough, can't afford to relocate back to the UK, etc. If you are totally reliant on income from the UK you willhave to do some serious sums and work out what will happen in the worst case scenario ie the exchange rate gets even worse and the interest on your savings dwindles even more.

2. Weather. Unless you live extremely close to the coast you will find winter weather VERY cold. For instance friends of ours living 45 miles inland have told us about heavy frosts and snow in the last few days and I remember one winter when we were there when it rained every days from November to March. The houses are not usually built to deal with this, they suffer from damp, they have cold tile floors and high ceilings and are often draughty - rarely do they have central heating. Even a few miles inland and you will lose any benefits of warm winters. You will bake in summer and freeze in winter.

3. Culture. My OH is a fluent Spanish speaker and I'm pretty good with Spanish, and still mangling it with French given half a chance. Even so we had problems. This was not always to do with not speaking perfectly well but that there is sometimes an inherent dislike coming from the Spaniards and they choose not to understand. There is a certain level of resentment which is not always immediately obvious when you are visiting on a package tour. We have overheard them being viciously nasty about Brits in various bars in Andalucia when they don't realise we understand exactly what they are saying. The second most serious insult a Spaniard can speak is "hijo de la grand britannia" and I'm sure you will understand the sentiments. I must admit, despite having many very dear Spanish friends, I couldn't wait to stop feeling like a foreigner, a guiri as they so dismissively call us. And you think Prince Harry can get into trouble for name calling!

4. Health. Health care is good and you can transfer into the Spanish system. But there have been instances where clinics will not treat you unless you bring an interpreter with you, especially in communities with a high ex-pat content.

I've just asked OH for his opinion and he has said, very emphatically, DON'T! PM me if you like and I'll give you any info you need. I'm sure many people might suggest you should go and it will all be rosy but please take a lot of time to think it through. Couldn't you consider somewhere on the south coast of the UK? Or consider renting for the three winter months in somewhere like Almuñecar, right on the south coast in Granada. It's warm right through down there and several friends who live inland now do it. Rentals are cheap out of season!

[snapdragon]

Freinds of ours have moved to Portugal recently, is Portugal also on your list of possibilities Russ?

[pumpy]

Could Gibralter be an option?