Moving to Spain

We were internet marketers that needed a break. So we started a tapas restaurant in Spain. Some said we were crazy, some said we were brave. We say we are a little bit of both. Read our story, the lessons we learned and our tips.....
It has been almost three years since we moved to Spain and finding our way around has been fun and sometimes a struggle. When you move abroad you realize that you are giving up your career, your house, the lease car and all. But in return, there is a romantic future lying ahead of you; a future without stress, traffic jams, thousands of emails a day, dark clouds, rain. An exiting future with new possibilities, new people and new habits.
Our romantic and exiting idea of the future was setting up a tapas restaurant in a pretty little village on the Costa Blanca. We would only open for a few hours per day, run it together, and cook all kinds of delicious tapas for our guests.
We were able to rent a location close to a very busy weekly market. Definitely a hotspot. As the unit was completely empty when we rented it, we were able to build it up from scratch. Setting up something new is almost everybody's dream. And yes, it is a lot of fun. However, with only little experience in the catering industry (but not completely brainless), little knowledge of the Spanish language, no knowledge of the Spanish culture or business attitude whatsoever, we were bound to get in a lot of trouble.
But somehow we didn't... Although it took endless discussions, brainstorm sessions, continuous questioning and numerous drives along the Costa to find the right suppliers and equipment.
Some examples:

Buying kitchen stuff. If you want to buy kitchen stuff in Holland, you go to a wholesaler. There you will find all equipment neatly arranged with prices and product details. In Spain only few items are on display and they show no prices at all. We first had to go home to look up all the words in the Spanish dictionary (so we could at least ask what we wanted to have). Furthermore, they gave all prices in Pesetas - on purpose I'm sure - although they kept smiling.
Building the bar was something else as well, because we wanted a non-Spanish bar set-up. That made the beer people, the wine people, and all other suppliers freak and run out immediately with the words 'ai hombre, problema!' - probably catching a beer in the bar next door - and not show their face for a couple of days.
In order to get ice-cream, we had to stand in the middle of the street to stop the sales rep and ask him to come in. He delivered once, came for a refill and then never showed up again. Hence, we had to change brands in the middle of summer..
It took us 2 years to finalize the paperwork for the license. It took numerous visits from the 'ajuntamento' and the health inspection before they finally approved it. Each time they came, they brought a new list with rules and regulations, ensuring us this was the final version.

European Removals

People looking for a change and moving to Europe has increased over the past few years. A different culture, way of living and lifestyle all await those moving to Europe and in particular the southern countries such as France, Spain and Germany. With so much culture, history and, of course, better weather it is easy to see why so many people swap the UK for Southern Europe.

The problems arise when it comes to shipping and moving your belongings to the necessary country. This can be quite problematic as you are likely to have a considerable amount of stuff that you want sending and taking it yourself just is not an option. There are now a few companies that can ease the load off your mind by helping you take your belongings with you without you having to worry about it.
These companies are able to use road, air or sea freight or any combination of the three to get your possessions to you in your new country of origin safe and securely. The service you choose depends on your budget and how quickly you want to get them over to the destination. The good thing about Europe is that it is very close and can be accessed easily especially when the company has a list of trusted and accredited carriers.
You may need some items putting into storage days or weeks before you go and this can be arranged. For students who have left their halls of residence this may apply for you as the contract on your halls comes to an end and you need to spend a few weeks at home before making the trip of a lifetime. Instead of moving all your possessions home you can simply have them picked up by the international moving company and put into storage.
You can arrange what date you want them sending out so when you arrive at your new home your belongings will not be far behind. Make sure you have all your documentation to hand and fill out all forms to the fullest. If you need advice on what forms you need then contact the international removal companies for help as they will be able to talk you through which forms you need and how to fill them out.

Spanish Removals Firm

There is nothing worse, on a hot day, when the stress levels are starting to rise, in a traffic jam in the south of France, your kids are screaming in the back, you don't speak the native language, you feel a bit lost, you are hungry, you want to wait until you reach the next town to have lunch and you see the expression on your partner's face that says, very clearly, that they are losing faith in you. The idea of moving to Spain on your own can seen like an easy affair beforehand but hindsight is gained by experience which is sometimes painfully got.

Working with a good Spanish removals firm will take the pressure away. They will do that part for you, or should I say, their multilingual drivers who have done this trip more times than you have had hot dinners will undertake this part of your journey. There will be no 'manana, manana', just listo (ready) and hecho (done). That leaves you to arrive, with your family, at the airport, at today's competitive airline prices, with a smile on your face, relaxed, happy, and ready for one of the biggest adventures of your life. Maybe the removals are going to that part of Spain somewhere along El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, (the road to Santiago) the road that the apostle James took, from the Basque region, through Asturias, Leon and eventually to Santiago in Galicia where he died and was buried in the cathedral of Santiago.
Or maybe your particular Spanish removals process is going to the west coast of Spain, to Barcelona, and instead of arriving stressed out behind the driving wheel, you would rather go for a swim on the way to your new home or you might stop off for a pina colada in las Ramblas which means 'dry flowers' in Arabic, because it was the flower market in the eighteen hundreds. Our removals drivers know Spain intimately, and more importantly, all the short cuts through all the traffic jams that the outsider often finds mind boggling. You are the one that can say 'manana, manana'... at this point, as the street performers and street artists make you realise the diversity of culture that is in the world.
Whether it is Madrid or Malaga, Zaragotha or Cadiz, nowhere is too far of too hot, nowhere is 'manana, manana' for a good Spanish removals company. They will deliver your house contents to any part of Spain. And this will leave you the time and energy, as you arrive, to organize the other things that are important, if your relocation is to be a success: organising your children's placement into school, finding nurseries for your babies if you both work, organising your new home, orientating yourself in your new area, making new friends with whom you can forget about tomorrow, friends with whom you can say 'manana, manana'...

Moving to Spain?

Spain stands as one of the most popular destinations for foreign nationals looking to move overseas. At the end of 2005 it was estimated that 4.8 million people made the move from the UK over to Spain, now it's your turn...
Spain is considered to be a very diverse country with a number of sub cultures in their history, which includes Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia. This demonstrates Spain's multi-cultural society.
Everyone has their own individual reason for wanting to move over to Spain to start a new life. The main reason that so many people decide to make the big step and leave is because of a job opportunity. If you are making the move over to Spain for a job opportunity it is important that you get a contract so that your job offer is secure. Another reason that many people move over to Spain is for retirement. After your kids have grown up and moved out and you have finished working you may wish to live out your days in the beauty that is Spain. The weather is better, the pace of life is slower and the general atmosphere is a lot more relaxed, sounds perfect for retirement. Other reasons that you might be looking into relocating to Spain include a fresh start or to start up a new business. Whatever your reason for wanting to move over there you need to make sure that you have thought everything through to make sure that your move goes according to plan.

There are a lot of things that need to be taken care of when you are planning and carrying out your move to Spain such as your accommodation your transport and your visas/work permits and if you have children who are moving over with you remember you need to find a school for them to enlist at. When doing this you need to think about whether you want your children in a local school or a foreign school. Local schools are Spanish state schools, which offer free education. Foreign schools include some British schools, which teach the British curriculum. To help you decide it is wise that you try and speak to other Britons to see what decision they made.
One other aspect that you need to make sure you have sorted out is your removal company to make sure that all of your belongings safely make it over to Spain to you. To ensure this you need to make sure that you choose a removal company who have years of experience in not only performing house removals but performing international house removals. International removals naturally face countless logistical issues from customs and declaration to unpacking, which is why you need to make sure that the removal company you choose can be trusted with your belongings.
An international removal company should offer you an array of services such as packaging, detailed inventory, a point of contact, freight handling and the unpacking of your household items and personal possessions.