painterhombre

Curious to know what the "thing" is with Spain.

We all sacrifice so much to go there it seems. Some last and some dont.

Starting to reflect back now on what has kept my dream going.

Not sure really if there really is a word for it but it wont go away for me.

Classic examples would I think include
Spiritual?
Sun?
Sometimes an escape from all things that are too familiar and worn out?

What is it and what do you think.
(paintermujer)

pete_l

Well, obviously everyone is different, but I'd hazard a few guesses

The chance to "get away from it all" or "make a new start" is very attractive. Chuck in your humdrum, dull life in Britain and go somewhere new, romantic with opportunities in front of you You can make it happen, all you need is hard work and determination

The chance to retire somewhere quiet and relaxing - a lot of people go to british seaside resorts and some are drawn to Spain - it's still cheaper than Poole.

and not forgetting all the TV programmes, which seem to have resonated (or created a market) with so many people. I would suggest that a lot of the "Place in the Sun" wannabe's are most often the ones heading back to Britain.

but for most, I reckon the weather is the single biggest factor, after all not many people emigrate to Greenland.

leckytech

For me

A [hopefully] better life for my kids

The lifestyle

The people

The climate

The Wine! maybe that should be higher up the list

Dick Dasterdly

Pretty well agree with that list with the possible addition of brandy and beer,
......and maybe the snowbirds,.........the local women are hard work and anyway they talk too much.
Every time I go in a shop, I come back out with earache!...

jay01

For me it is the challenge and the experience of something new, learning new skills, language and customs . 20 yrs is a long time to have waited and in all that time the dull ache of longing has never wained, so it is the right thing to do . I personally think if you want the place you move to, to be just like the Uk then maybe your in the wrong place.

painterhombre

i couldnt agree more. The LAST thing we want is england-on-sea which is why we chose a traditional Spanish town

whitelinen

eeerm I dont know anyone who sacrificed anything in order to live in Spain.

Dick Dasterdly

Some maybe do it just for the sun,sea,sand and sangria etc on the Costas,
but those who go for a complete change of lifestyle in a Spanish village or the Countryside are the biggest winners,subject to being fortunate enough to end up in the right spot.

Even with all the searches,preparations and surveys etc you cant be sure its right till youve picked a spot and been there a while.
Neighbours are very important,more so than in the UK.
If you get good ones and I think most in the Spanish villages are good ones they are worth their weight in gold and often treat you almost like family.

Believe it or not after years of searching in many areas I bought my place after a chance overnight stay in a Spanish village en route back to the UK for Xmas.
Saw it the night before,got advice, closed the deal and was back on the road to the UK by the afternoon of the following day.
Everything checked out OK while I was in the UK, so after one slight hiccup I was back and moved in a month later.
It was everything I dreamed of and much more with fantastic neighbours and many hidden bonuses.

I see some of the local property shops here actually list good neighbours as one of the main selling points of the houses.

savateur

For us it's the people (mostly), the weather, as we both enjoy an outdoor's life, the laid back lifestyle, the culture,the opprtunity to learn a new language, and the opportunity to start over

Hondon Voyager

just about answers the question totally ,doesn't matter which order you put your answers

HBG

Sometimes we go all around the houses, talk about culture, magnificent churches, ultra-friendly people, and those are all true, but the reality is the weather, that topic much favoured by British people because theirs is bad.

And, to be honest, cheap booze and fags, bingo and quiz nights, and good luck to that tiny minority who are picking olives on their finca in the middle of nowhere, or plugging in their ear plugs as the motos race past in their typically Spanish town.

There's room for all of us.

littlelambfound

I think the title could read with any country substituted.
Reading through the list, the only non-brainer is the climate (and I'll add the food)..
The "life-style" of many appears exactly el mismo as from whence they came. Just they do their same lifestyle thing but with added sun.
As to "the people", this I find interesting. (Here I shall take the liberty of generalisation).The Spanish are a pretty insular group...you've probably seen them on tours. They like to be together. They have huge extended families which helps their togetherness. They like to live at home. This is their security.
We on the other hand are normally a nuclear family, with little background of either Spanish history or culture. Or language. Of course the Spanish are "nice" to us. But I believe that many expats mistake this for more than it really is. Because they themselves are feeling slightly "lost" here, they tend to grab at even the smallest gesture and inflate it to "friendship". That's just human nature. But many expats who return to their own countries, always say that they missed their friends. Implying that the new lot were not enough.

me me

This is a very true post especially the bit about inflating friendships.
Our real friends are in the UK, and that will never change. I have made other friends here but fall between 2 camps. The Spanish (including our own extended families) ones are very superficial, they seem to class me as more their firned than I do them. That is because they have nver had typical British friends.
Most of the British here are somewhat similar, we can go for a drink and such, but I alway feel that we are in more demand because of our usefulness with the language more that for ourselves.
I would say we are more bar room buddies than friends.
With the Spanish, it is more for obligation, as we are invited by friends of friends for meals and such like,and feel bad refusing all the time.
Give me my great buddies in the UK, who made me feel welcome from the day I arrived there.
I mean a real welcome not as littlelambfound said about "little gestures and inflated friendships"
HBG makes some very good points too, and I am sure that the majority are here for the same reasons.

Regards,

JLFS

rugbymatt

The women, without a doubt, the women.......