Moving? Moving! Discover the Luxury of Relocating to Spain

Escape the ‘Rat Race’: How Moving to Spain Transformed Our Lives – Part III

It took us five years—from the moment we took our first step toward buying a home on ‘foreign’ soil to finally emigrating. Well, maybe even at least ten years if I count all the time we spent dreaming, talking about it, and making plans.

Mil and I enjoying our time on the beach

So, if I break it down into our timeline: five years of shaping, exploring, and deciding to buy, followed by another five years of frequent visits, adjusting, enjoying, and making final decisions. It was quite a process. Exciting too. And there were several people who had a say in it or were particularly influential.

Spending five years adjusting has at least one advantage: you are less likely to end up in an "I’m leaving!" scenario. That doesn’t mean you won’t still face surprises, but I believe that by tackling new challenges gradually, the stress factor is significantly reduced. A year ago, I used to worry about not being able to foresee everything, but over the past year, I’ve learned to see whatever comes my way as a challenge—something to learn from. And that makes everything so much more relaxed! Besides, we now have all the time in the world; if something doesn’t work out today, there’s always another day.

Over the past few years, we have traveled to Spain regularly. Sometimes by car, more often by plane. Sometimes for short trips, but usually for longer stays. What my wife, Mildred, and I noticed was that every time we had to return to the Netherlands, we did so reluctantly. And once we were back, we’d ask each other, “When can we go again?”

To be honest, I must say that our visits to Spain—apart from a few exceptions—were mostly vacations. You can’t and shouldn’t really compare that to daily life. However, what matters is the feeling—the weather, the outdoor lifestyle, the ease of driving home on a relaxed highway. You have to be patient when dealing with bureaucracy, but if you accept this and go with the flow, it’s actually quite chill. Relaxing. The friendliness of the people—especially when you make an effort to speak Spanish—is deeply appreciated. Sometimes, they’ll even give you a compliment that makes you feel like you’re walking on air. And then, of course, the conversation continues at such a rapid pace that everything I just wrote gets thrown out the window, and I start wondering if I’ll ever truly master the language!

Now that we’ve been here for over a month, I’m curious to see how this feeling will evolve. We’ve already had a moment where we drove 40 minutes for nothing. We couldn’t make an appointment online, they weren’t reachable by phone, and when we arrived, we were told that appointments were required. Can you believe it? Later, we found out we didn’t even have all the necessary documents, so we wouldn’t have been helped anyway. The silver lining? At least we were already there, so we could make an appointment for another time. No problem—we have all the time in the world!

That is Luxury Living!

Sunny greetings,

Carlo

P.S. A decisive factor was our adult son. Once he found his own path, it suddenly became much easier for us to take the plunge.

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Discover the luxury of moving with these insights and tips:

• Be patient and flexible: Adapt gradually to new challenges to reduce stress.

• See challenges as opportunities for growth: Treat obstacles as learning experiences.

• Enjoy the journey: Focus on what brings you joy and fulfillment in your daily life.