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Planning a move to another country - permanent relocation from England to Spain!
Submitted by RagsToRich on Thu, 2010-03-04 11:57
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In a few months time I’ll be leaving my safe, secure and financially stable office job in South Yorkshire, selling almost everything which I own, jumping in my Car with a laptop and some clothes, and driving the 3 day drive down to Spain.So far I haven’t been too personal with my articles on this website. Most of them are my advice to you, as a reader, using techniques which I have found to be highly valuable in my own awesome journey.
Well that’s going to change with this post – I’m going to give you some insight into my life and one of the major things I’m working on this year.
I am, after twenty seven years of living in the UK, going to up shop and move abroad this year. The first destination is Spain, and I’m planning on being there for at least a year. That means I’ll be living and working in Spain on what you may as well call a permanent basis.
I have worked abroad before – as a car valet in Vancouver when I was 22. But that was a temporary summer holiday job in an English speaking country – a very much so different situation to the one I’m going to put myself into this year. I have travelled a lot also, I’ve always been a big fan of world-wide exploration – even before I got into personal development.
Why?
Why is a difficult one. Not because I don’t know the reasons, but because there are tons of them, some of them are quite personal and I’m not quite ready to splash all my personal life onto the WWW ;). However, I can certainly reveal some basic points.
I’m nomadic at heart
I don’t like being rooted in one place for too long. I’ve lived in my current city for eight years, that’s far too long in my book. I’m well over-due a relocation – especially with the massive personal changes I’ve made in recent years.Two years ago I was considering moving to London, but a great opportunity came up locally and I had to take it.
Well it seems that my desire to move was repressed and has been building in power ever since. The repression caused it to feed and grow in the mean time. Then about 6 months ago it hit me stronger than ever – I was blown away by an almost all-consuming desire to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. In-fact it was so strong it was almost a desperation to leave.
Obviously I dealt with that with a level head. I accepted what my emotions were telling me, and began making serious and plausible long-term plans.
I’m adventurous
I love adventure, I love challenges, I thrive on new experiences and challenges. Now I feel that not only has this city given me all the things which I need to take from it, but also that the country as a whole has little to offer me in the immediate future.
I’m looking for surroundings which better fit who I am now
I want a change of scenario, I want something more suited to my current lifestyle: recreation, exploration, discovery, philosophy, entrepreneurealship, challenge… you get the idea.
I embrace change – change is goooooooood.
I’ve felt for some time like I’m constantly embracing new exciting realities and my desire to leave England is symbolic of that change.
Where?
Initially I considered Australia and Canada. But after a little investigation I discovered that both the visa-requirements and the cost would provide a fairly large stumbling block to living the lifestyle I live. So then I looked to the obvious destination – EU countries.
Migrating to another EU country is very easy for EU citizens. There’s a little bit of red-tape here and there, but the main barrier is the language barrier – which I’m taking care of.
So I chose simplicity and flexibility.
Spain was chosen from a short-list of warm, relaxed countries. It was clear that out of all my options Spain would be the most fluid transition, and would provide some of the greatest flexibility in terms of lifestyle, migration, cultural integration and future travel to other European countries.
On top of that I have a few boons and get-out-of-jail-free cards which I can call into play in Spain if I need them - a few little back-ups here and there do wonders for the resilience of a good plan.
Where exactly in Spain?
I currently have a short-list with four major cities on it – all of which have been made the list following long discussions with Spanish people, expats living in Spain, and trusted friends. As it stands right now I have two options…
1. Choose a city to go to, go there, and find permanent residence, income sources, and settle into a the local lifestyle. If the surroundings aren’t quite right, then I can uproot again after giving the city a fair go – 2-3 months.
2. Travel the country for 2-4 weeks visiting all four of these locations – at least.
I’d prefer to do 2, but there’s an extra financial consideration involved in that one. If I can get the extra cash together, I’ll definitely do it. It’s more fun, it’s more me, and it’s likely to yield the best location long-term.
What happens when I get there, as in my final destination?
Lots of things. I find somewhere to live, I work on my businesses as usual and look out for new business opportunities. By that time I expect to be skilled in conversational Spanish so I’ll have a decent chance to jump into a supplementary job if I need it.I’ll stick it out for at least 6 months, and see what happens from there. I’ve got my sights set on plenty of countries I’d like to live in for a while and if everything goes to plan then I’ll adapt to a mobile and self-funding lifestyle set-up which will allow me to do just such a thing.
What things do I have to do before I go?
There's quite a very very large list of things I have to do, and am already doing which ranges from selling all my things, to learning Spanish from scratch. ;)
I'll blog on it in the future.
When?
At the latest I’ll be heading out in October, but I’m aiming for August.Time scale is somewhat flexible – mainly due to some personal business commitments, and the unknown element of my financial situation. Obviously I’m stashing cash as it is, but I have some projects going on right now which could either pay off big time, or not quite be ready by the end of this summer.
I’ll keep you guys updated on the progress.
Feel free to ask questions below, especially if you are considering leaving your own country and finding new shores.
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Re: Planning a move to another country - permanent ...
i relate to your sense of adventure and not being able to stay in one place for too long. i used to live in spain and i think you've made a great choice. i'm attracted to madrid because it's truly the city that never sleeps. you can have an amazing social life there. people are super friendly. i too am in a somewhat sleepy area of the uk and have to get out of here asap! my financial situation is quite bad tho, and i am struggling with career decisions and keep my motivation up. i feel quite stuck. but good luck with your travels!
Re: Planning a move to another country - permanent ...
Have you made the move yet? You've got to let us know how it goes :)
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