Life in Spain

Move safely to Spain - the ultimate guide to Spain, life in Spain, moving to Spain and buying or selling your Spanish property.

About Me

Nick Snelling

Nicholas Snelling is married with two children and lives permanently in Spain within the Valencian mountains above Gandia. In the UK he studied law before running a construction company based in central London. In Spain, he has worked within the real estate industry as well as undertaking investigative journalism and writing three books. A keen sportsman, he spends most weekends climbing.

Why Spain?

I moved to Spain with my family over six years ago, having known the country since the days of Franco. My mother is a poet and has lived here for the past forty years and so I have always looked upon Spain as my second country. When, by chance, I was asked to work here I jumped at the opportunity and came to live in Spain permanently.

In fact, moving to Spain has turned out to be an inspired choice, not just for me but also for my family as well. Indeed, as every year passes, we seem to enjoy life here more. In a way, this has been a surprise, possibly because Spain is such a deceptive country. On the surface, to the casual visitor, Spain can appear to be little more than a banality of fine beaches and great bars - with a dose of Flamenco and guaranteed sun mixed in. However, this is a false impression.

Spain is a very complicated place with a culture and way of life that is radically different to the UK. Indeed, the dynamics of the country are fascinating with each region offering a quite different way of life. Spain is nothing if not interesting and has sufficient depth, activities and vibrancy to keep anyone eternally surprised - and, more often than not, absolutely enchanted.

Of course, Spain is a country of contradictions. Its explosion out of a long dictatorship has initiated huge social and economic changes. On the one hand it is as sophisticated as anywhere in Northern Europe whilst, on the other hand, it has a lifestyle that often seems unchanged for generations. It is a country that can quickly seem impossibly confusing.

When Jose Ivars of Currencies Direct mentioned that I should write a book about moving to Spain, it was to help explain these complications that were primarily in his mind as much as mine. After all, what are you to believe about the country?

Is Spain a paradise - or somewhere where you are guaranteed to lose your property to 'Land Grab'. Does it have good healthcare and a quality education system - or are these vital facilities defective? Is corruption impossibly endemic - or can you invest in property safely? Can Spain really deliver a better quality of life than the UK - or is the perception of a country filled with gentle, old-fashioned nuclear communities a myth? Importantly, is Spain somewhere to which you can move for the long term - secure in the knowledge that you have chosen a country that will deliver your dreams?

The answers to these questions from both Jose (a native Spaniard) and I would be much the same.

Spain can provide everything that you could wish for or be unforgiving and badly damage you both financially and emotionally. Be careless and naive and you will face significant problems - just as you would in any country in the world. There is certainly no denying that serious pitfalls exist. However, most of them can be easily avoided through adequate preparation and knowledge.

My aim, of course, is to help you come to Spain or buy within Spain - and enjoy the experience for the long term as much as we have done. To do this, I have written 'Move Safely' with the emphasis being always on 'safely'. Without doubt, given the stakes involved when you come to another country, the 'safely' bit is far more important than anything else. So, it is this aspect that I have concentrated upon in my book and that I shall emphasise, time and again, within my Blog.

My Blog

  • Buying Spanish property, the right time to purchase?
    Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:58
    Recently, I have seen a flock of articles about buying Spanish property – many of which, frankly, look like barely concealed press releases from parties with vested interests in ‘talking’ the Spanish property market ‘up’. Meanwhile, there have been continued reports about the considerable problems of the debt laden Spanish banks, who are deeply troubled, [...] ... read more
  • The Euro, stable Currency or Hot Potato?
    Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:57
    It’s been a week of ups and downs for GBP/EUR exchange rate! Each day has bought news that has set the rate diving and climbing, swinging between 1.19 and 1.20. Of course, if you’re someone that doesn’t pay much attention to currency exchange rates, it might look like not much has happened! But in fact, these wild swings reflect market nervousness [...] ... read more
  • Culture of Spain, an amusing pastiche!
    Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:37
    I could not resist putting up these two wonderful ‘maps’ of Spain and Europe, as seen from the ‘imaginary’ eyes of the Spanish – although whether done by someone Spanish or not I do not know.  They have just been sent to me by my son, who spotted them on Mapping Stereotypes.  They are, of [...] ... read more
  • Spanish economy inherently troubled, with unemployment in Spain set to rise further
    Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:32
    It has just been announced that unemployment in Spain has reached 5.4 million people, amounting to an unemployment rate in Spain of 22.9% – some 400,000 people more than during the third quarter of 2011.  Meanwhile, 48.6% of Spain’s 16-24 year olds have no work, creating a living tragedy and a ‘lost’ generation. Can anyone [...] ... read more
  • Paddle4Heroes, from Gibraltar to Marbella by kayak
    Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:40
    On the 31st May this year, nine men from Paddle4Heroes are going to paddle from Gibraltar to Marbella in Spain by kayak to raise funds for Help for Heroes and a new charity called Families of The Fallen.  Both of these charities should touch the heart of anyone British, as they are at the forefront [...] ... read more