Becoming an expat in Spain Volume 1
Hello everyone,
As I am entering my 4th year living full-time as an Expat in Spain I have been encouraged to jot down a few pointers to anyone out there that maybe considering ''upping sticks'' permanently and moving to the Spanish sunshine (today is November 14th and we are enjoying 82 degrees temperatures today!
The series will be in 26 parts and each part will be issued weekly and will hopefully be informative and ''lighthearted'' also.
I live in Quesada which is on the Costa Blanca and about ½ an hour's drive equally from Alicante and Murcia airports.
Quesada is a sprawling town primarily populated with British people alongside Scandinavians, Dutch, Germans and Irish and the local culture reflects this (permanently drunk lol!).
There are many aspects to being an Expat and I will attempt to cover these over the next 6 months, however, I can only speak from my own experience and of course from my experience in the part of Spain where I live so do take that on board.
So, here is a list of the things I will be covering over the next 6 months:
Language and lessons
Buying/Renting a Car
Renting/buying a property
Health insurance
Getting an NIE number
Making a Will
Organising a Power of Attorney
Arranging a Prepaid Funeral Plan
House insurance
Registering at your local Town hall
Taxes and how to avoid them!
Pensions
Driving licences and what to be aware of
Moving your possessions over
Pets and Vets (Is that a business name? - if not it should be)
What are Red Days and how many of them are there
Festivals and Fiestas
Tapas Trails
Supermarkets and local produce
Getting involved in your local community
TV and Radio/Broadband
Sport and activities
Services for those in need of help
Flights/Trains/buses and travel
Schools and education
Weather - what to expect and when
Post and relying on it
So, that is what's in store - e mail me if you feel there is an area you would like a post on and so long as it's not Quantum mechanics and its application to AI, I will include it somewhere.
Right, another G+T me thinks!
Paul Blackmoore