Why Move to Spain - Country Guide

Spain is a justify ably popular destination for both holiday makers and property buyers. It receives almost 53 million international tourists a year, which is more than the whole population of Spain (approx. 46 million). Meanwhile, some 800,000 Britons live in Spain, making it one of the most important host countries for UK expatriates abroad.

There are certainly good reasons for Spain being a popular destination for Britons to own property, even before you consider the deluge of cheap homes right now.

Climate. Spain has a generally benign climate. Th is is particularly true of the long Mediterranean coastline, which is blessed by warm winters and hot summers that allow for an al fresco life throughout most of the year.

Proximity to the UK. Easy and quick access to and from the UK is critical for any British owner of Spanish property, whether that property is a holiday home or permanent residence. Spain is 2.5 hours from the UK and has several international airports
that have fl ights throughout the year, including lowcost carriers.

Infrastructure. Over the past thirty years, Spain has been transformed into a genuine fi rst world country. It has a superb road system, good healthcare and schooling and political stability. Mains electricity, water and landline telephones (with ADSL) are
common to most properties and the shops and commercial centres off er all the services that you would expect to fi nd in the UK

Value for money. Day to day living in Spain remains inexpensive compared to virtually anywhere else in Europe, despite the sophistication of life available.

Toleration of foreigners. Spain is used to foreigners and has developed an extensive, user-friendly, English language infrastructure, backed up by the services on off er by the many Britons living and working full time in Spain. Th is, and the relative ease of learning Spanish to a basic level, makes Spain somewhere easy to live for the non-linguist, withthe attraction of Spain being further enhanced by a surprisingly traditional culture in which family and community life still hold true.