Boneyboy

Hi, I'm new to the forum and have a few questions I wondered if I could get answered by those that have already made this journey. My wife and I (no kids) presently live in Canada, both of us born in the UK. I am retiring in June and we are considering moving back to Europe and settling in Spain. We've had enough of the winters here and having spent many vacations in Spain, we feel it will be the right place for us due to the better climate and proximity to the UK where we have family. We are planning to go over this summer and rent, whilst touring around deciding where to settle. We intend to look from Barcelona down to Malaga as there is lots of places we haven't seen. When we rent accommodation, is 6 months viable or will the landlord want a year? I was also wondering about transportation for us to get around. Would it be best to just buy a car or rent when we need one? Any suggestions? We won't need to work and speak a little Spanish. Once we live in Spain permanently, we will do all we can to become fluent. I regards to a phone, I have a unlocked Iphone which I should be able to use in Europe?
Thanks for listening, and any suggestions on places to look out for or any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

missile

Hi,
Sounds like a great plan. To answer your questions:
Check on line for EA in the area you wish to reside and ask them to forward details of properties for a 6 month rental. June is peak season, but there are lots of properties available and should be easy enough to find one to suit your requirements.
I would suggest rent a car.
iPhone will work, all you need is a new SIM card.

Read the posts on the forum

Moses2013

Sounds like a good plan and great that you're considering various areas. Renting a car would be cheap enough, but June might be a bit more expensive. I'm sure there are still good offers if you rent a bit longer. I would find a permanent base for yourselves in a not too touristic area and when school holidays are over, hotels are so cheap (especially further south).

Boneyboy

Thanks for your replies. One other question, staying in Spain for 6 months, do we have to let the authorities know we're there or can we just be tourists for that length of time?

Boneyboy

We wondered for those now living in Spain, having moved there from far away (we're in Vancouver) is living in Europe, everything that you thought it would be? We're really excited to leave Canada and get back to Europe, mainly for the warmer climate, the culture and having so many places nearby. Here in Canada it takes hours, if not days to get anywhere. Flights seem really cheap in Europe compared to North America prices. When you moved to Spain, did you take advantage of your location and cheap travel or did life just become the same as before? The thought of a weekend away in other major cities seems amazing to us.

missile

To answer your questions:
1. Many do not bother, but I would suggest you register at town hall.
2. We all different. Most of my friends just live and enjoy their local area and there is nothing wrong with that. We enjoy visiting new places and find it easy to travel throughout EU (and beyond).
3. Not sure that I would agree that flight prices are cheaper than equivalent flights in Canada and US.

Horlics

Flight prices. My last 3 trips from the UK to Spain have cost less than 35 UKP.

My last trip from Spain to Italy was under 50 UKP.

They are more expensive during holidays and peak season for travel, of course, but when retired you have flexibility and can find the cheaper ones.

Note, prices are per person per flight.

Have a look at Skyscanner.net and use the "Whole Month" option to see how cheap it can be.

Porth

We both have iPhones when in Spain and now within three weeks where and on a pay as you go basis can one obtain new SIM cards. On the net or whilst in Spain. Need them for Telefonica are going to be some time before they connect us. Sorry to interject the discussion

missile

Any phone shop or carrefor will sell you a SIM, or if you prefer / are not in Spain you can order online. Spanish SIM card to avoid all Spanish mobile roaming charges

You will need a micro SIM to fit an iPhone.

amideislas

Pay as you go is usually a lot cheaper than a "contract". If you have a Telefonica land line, then they have special deals for mobiles as an add-on. But even with that, Telefonica is still generally more expensive than having PayGo alone.

Porth

thanks everyone another tick in the box

am grateful

scrubbedexpat095

Actually its a Nano sim for Iphones 5 and up, Micro sims are only for Iphone 4

time4tea

No one has mentioned climate. You say you want to winter in Spain and are looking from Barcelona down. Well, I can tell you that I used to live in Catalonia and the winters there can be comparible with the UK. Generally, wet and windy and COLD. So if its a winter retreat youre after, I'd say you need to be looking further south, Murcia and down would be my advice.

Cars. You can get pretty amazing long term hire deals in some areas, but that's something you need to check out, however you CANT buy a car here unless you register as a Spanish resident, that will in turn make you liable for local taxes, etc. Another idea is to buy a UK registered car and take it back every 6 months, much easier on the paperwork. You can easily insure a UK car in Spain and you may be lucky enough to find a left hand drive model as well.

Renting- The normal terms are 6 or 11 months, so a 6 month rent is perfectly normal and doable. Also, as youll be renting off peek, you should be able to get a good deal as many properties are empty for the quite part of the year. However, have you considered the hasstle and upheaval of actually doing this EVERY year? I recently moved from Catalonia to the Costa Del Sol and I found the entire process to be a nightmare, the thought of willingly doing it yearly seems a bit harsh.

snikpoh

Absolutely NOT. Long-term lets are for 6 or 12 months automatically renewable for up to 3 years.


11 month contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on!