The weather is probably one of the first reasons that would make anyone choose to relocate to Spain or in our case to the Costa del Sol. Moving to Spain is a way to escape the often interminable grey skies of Northern Europe to a part of the world that has more than 320 days of sunshine every year. Of course it would be foolish to say that it doesn’t rain in the south of Spain, but when it does you always know that the sun will soon return. In fact it may even return later the same day.

Other major reasons for moving to Spain include enjoying a better quality of life. A life free of the frustrations of the big city with people milling around under the pressure of business today and the stresses of modern life. A life where air quality is better. In fact the Mediterranean coast of Southern Spain is classified by the World Health Organisation as one of the healthiest regions of the world for air quality. Spain is also an area where the pace of life is much more relaxed.

But what is it like to go through the experience?

In this book I describe how my partner and I made our decision and how we carried it out. In doing so I also describe the experiences, frustrations and actions of two fairly ordinary individuals for whom costs and potential future costs were, and will continue to be, important. We were going into a semi-retired state earlier than planned and long-term costs needed to be considered. It is very easy for the rich to move from country to country, but when a tight budget has to be taken into consideration things can change dramatically.

This is not a book about an alternative lifestyle or an idyllic return to nature – we are too old for that. Nor is it meant to be a thorough practical guide to take the reader through the entire relocation process - there are other books and publications which do this in far more detail. Rather it describes how two people traded a familiar suburban lifestyle in Britain for a fairly similar lifestyle in Spain. It is, however, a lifestyle with a difference.

You will learn from our real life experiences. In addition, I hope that you will find, interspersed with our experiences, useful information which will help you to make the right decision.

Any decision to move from one country to another must never be made lightly. Even moving within the European Union, there are cultural and lifestyle differences which will inspire or may frustrate. Living on the Costa del Sol is inspiring overall, but when frustrations occur, they are very tiresome. Equally, some frustrations can end up having a humorous overtones.

You will find all this in the following pages . . .