Photo by SantiMB
Editor’s note: Apologies for the missing post yesterday – the internet went down in our town so we were cut off from the world. Well almost! This is a guest post by Chris Pinchen.
The days when Spain was a cheap destination are long gone, however it is still a great LIP destination if you want to experience a whole different lifestyle …“Spain is different” was the tourist board slogan 30 years ago and it is still true today. The Spain of all the stereotypes – of flamenco, and bullfights and sangria does exist but it’s not the reality in most of the country.
Indeed Spain as a homogenous country is a misnomer. Here the people are Andaluz, Asturian or Manchegan first. Many Basques and Catalans don’t consider themselves Spanish at all and speak their own languages primarily. But that’s why it can be such a fascinating place to visit – this land of culinary, cultural and geographical contrasts…
Where to go?
- If you really want to learn Spanish, don’t go to Barcelona/Catalonia, Valencia or the Basque country
- If you have no interest in learning Spanish, stick to the coast
- If cycling is your passion you’ll want to be in Barcelona or the Basque country
- If you really want flamenco and bullfighting, it’s Andalucia for you
- Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastian (Donosti) are the most expensive cities
The Practicalities
Spain is generally very safe and tolerant though not necessarily very politically correct. Gay marriage is legal and there is a thriving gay culture. The country as a whole is very safe although pick-pocketing and bag snatching are rife in the most touristy parts of the big cities – so only get your laptop out in an internet cafe and keep an eye on it and your other valuables.
Cost of Living
Housing is now very expensive and food prices are rising so a good LIP needs to know all the tricks to keep their budget down. As housing is an unavoidable expense, these are my best budget tips for keeping your costs down:
Markets
Spain is the fruit & veg supplier to most of Europe – so do your shopping in your local market. Find the biggest queue of old ladies and join it – they are experts in the best quality at the best price. It may seem like a free for all so say, “El último?” (literally “Who is last?”). One of the old ladies will say,”Yo”. (Me).
You are now el último when the next person asks – Do NOT surrender your place and make sure you start ordering when the lady in front of you has been served. Next find the bakers, butchers, fishmongers etc. with the biggest queue and repeat the procedure…
Spain is NOT a place for fast shopping so just relax and take it all in.
Menu del dia
If you are on any sort of budget, this is the only way to eat out. At lunchtime many restaurants offer the menu del dia: 2 or 3 courses with bread and wine and sometimes coffee – for around +/-10€ ($15/£7).
Tapas are an expensive way to eat so save them for a special occasion. If you are a vegetarian you’re probably better buying your own food from the market – unless you’re in a big city, although most bars will try to fix you something if you ask them. Spanish bars & restaurants are pretty accommodating places.
Public transport
Barcelona & Madrid in particular have excellent public transport systems which are really cheap compared to other European cities. Barcelona has also introduced a fantastic bike hire service (for transport not sight-seeing) which is worth joining if you are going to be spending a few months in the city.
Internet
Internet cafes and locutorios (internet and telephone services) are everywhere – the latter especially in areas with a large immigrant population. The bigger ones have many services including printing, scanning, CD burning etc. and often offer monthly or unlimited “passes”.
Housing & Accommodation
Housing is relatively expensive compared to local earnings and by any standard. You’ll find a room or apartment (piso) by asking around, fly posted ads in the street or on university campuses, language schools & bar notice boards or through ads in LoQuo (Spain’s answer to Craigslist), Craigslist, in Madrid & Catalunya classified, and Barcelona Metropolitan among others.
Language
Most young Spanish people can speak some English (but most don’t like to) so to get the most out of your stay you should learn as much of the language as possible. The best and quickest way is to find a good private teacher. If you want to practice the language and meet the locals you can find a language exchange, known as an intercambio (and some-times as an intersexo if you want to get really close).
If you live in Catalonia or the Basque country, learning a few words of the respective languages will open many doors.
Kids
Spain is as child-friendly as it gets, but remember that your offspring will be public property and will be patted and chatted to. Older Spanish people do give sweets/candy to kids with no ulterior motives – so don’t be alarmed or suspicious if this happens. Kids will unlock the real Spain for you and if you want to integrate, there is no better way to do so.
Work Ethic
You’ll have to be strong to resist the temptations and get some work done in Spain – it is the land of distractions and although the practice of siesta (an after-lunch nap) is dying out, it exists for a reason – it’s just too damn hot to do anything at siesta time for much of the year.
And finally…
If you’re looking for romance, remember that the hot Penelope Cruz or Javier Bardem look-alike comes with an entire family and any serious relationship will entail endless Sundays at the “in-laws” and much questioning of your LIP mentality…
A plea from a local: Please go somewhere else to play golf – it was invented in Scotland for a reason. Much of Spain is semi-desert and as I write this, we are already in drought and have only enough water to last until around June. The choice is simple – play golf here and those nice bags of salad you see in the supermarket are likely to be watered with something else – rumours abound about sewage water.
Well that’s as brief as I can make a short guide to Spain – if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments.
Chris lives in Spain and writes on his blog, Slow Spain & runs Cataspanglish – an online language learning resource.
Hi Chris,
Nice article! Just wondering about the visa situation in Spain…Can you stay three months as a tourist and then apply for a longer permit if you’re looking for a job for example?
Do you happen to know of any coastal towns that don’t have SKY football, All-Day Fry-UPs, Carlsberg lager, 3 cocktail jugs for the price of one on offer?!
Hi Greg
If you are from the European Union you have the right to live and work in Spain – the legislation keeps changing and often civil servants aren’t up to date with changes. So at the moment I’m not sure if LEGALLY you need a residents permit, but it’s pretty difficult to do anything without one. What you DO need if you are going to work here, as opposed to to LIPping online) is a NIF – a fiscal number. This is needed for virtually every bit of paperwork here and also for doing taxes. It’s all pretty complicated and if people are interested, I can do a seperate post about being legal – if you’re a freelance language teacher or personal trainer or whatever it is possible to get by without this stuff.
Cadaques in Catalonia is one coastal town which, due partly to its position on one of the unspoiled parts of the Costa Brava, has resisted the unwashed hordes. It’s still quite hard to get to and has strict policies about zoning and businesses etc. It has links to Dali and hasn’t changed a lot from the town he painted.
I spent a lot of time in the Malaga area, which has something for everyone. Generally, if you travel west along the coast you get to the “British Costa Del Sol” – most notoriously, places like Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Marbella. In these places you won’t be able to avoid the smell of fried bacon in the mornings, so if this is what you want…
Head east from Malaga and it’s much more Spanish. El Palo (literally, “The Stick”, though I think any comparison with “being in the sticks” in English is coincidental) is a small coastal town with a sizeable language student community, though it does retain an overall feel of “Spanishness”. Further along from there is the town of Rincon de la Victoria, with a lovely wide sweeping beach and a good selection of bars/restaurants without being geared to the British holidaymaker. Further along the same coast is Nerja – but at times this does feel more like a German & British ghetto than a Spanish town.
I would also like to know about the legality of being a LIP in Europe. That has always been, for me, the biggest stumbling block.
Hi Evan,
Obviously it depends on where you are from, for example many Canadians work legally in Europe because of their family history. In the EU countries, most visitors can stay 3 months as a tourist – if your LIP business is internet based you shouldn’t have any problems in Spain – if you want to be legal it would really depend on your country of origin and credentials – clearly, the North American Insitute in Barcelona must employ teachers from the other side of the pond.
What is your LIP business? Maybe I can get some information for you.
Hi Chris, thanks for the response. I’m actually a filmmaker and film to web consultant. So, all I need to work is a laptop, internet, and my cameras. I’m from California, and though I’ll be getting Irish citizenship within the year, I don’t have it now and my wife doesn’t either. And my business is also based in L.A., with no offices.
Thanks also to you for the inspiration. It always helps when someone says something isn’t difficult. (everyone around me’s a naysayer).
Cheers,
Evan
Hi Evan,
Did you know that a lot of US tv commercials are actually shot in Barcelona? I’ve done voice-overs for some industrial films at the Barcelona studio of a very good friend of mine and he does all sorts of work – TV, exhibitions, company AGM’s (Bacardi, Samsung), internet sitcoms, commercials etc so if you ever get over this way I can hook you guys up. My wife also worked for years as the co-ordinator of a a government umbrella orginisation to promote local TV & Film productions at Cannes, the Berlinale, MIPTV etc
“El mundo es un pañuelo” as they say here – it’s a small world (literally – the world is a handkerchief).
Hi there,
Just discovered your site and find it enthralling. With 2 children at school I am not really ready to travel the world for such long stretches, but i have been pursuing a much freer lifestyle.
Despite owning and running a fast-growing and successful business and with the abovementioned children at school, I have managed to travel extensively in the last 18 months. Hawaii, Queensland (twice), Thailand, Colorado and California have all been on the travel itinerary. This year I have Sabah, Queensland, Lord Howe Island, yachting on Great Barrier Reef, and another trip to south-east Asia are lined up this year.
Its just a matter of changing ones mindset and accepting that you can work and live anywhere if you set your sights on it.
I will be tuning in more often to follow your travels and advice in my own search for the Perfect Life
Great thread Chris.
I am also a Brit and have been living in Spain (Seville) for 7 years, so could really relate to all your tips.
Greg: Seville is not on the coast as such, but we are only about 1 hour away from some of the most beautiful coastlines (in Cadiz and Huelva), and more importantly coastlines that are still relatively “virgin” and not built up with hotels and bars etc. I go to the beach most weekends when the weather is fine and it’s a very easy, stress free journey.
If you want to avoid the British pubs and “egg and chips brigade”, then give some thought to Seville. It is a wonderfully traditional Spanish city. I had only intendeded staying here for 1 year, but my husband and I have now been here 7!!! So I think that says something. Do contact me if you need some specific information on Seville.
Hi Vanessa,
I’ve never really spent any time in Seville but I love Cadiz. Do you stay in Seville at Semana Santa or is it too crazy?
@ Perfect Life Project
As you say, it’s a matter of mindest and with kids everything just takes more planning. However one advantage of living somewhere else is having a tri-lingual kid like my son.
Hiya Chris
I love Semana Santa in Seville, but if you are visiting it can be a bit manic;all the hotel prices and restaurants etc increase their prices by huge amounts because it is peak time in Seville, ans everywhere is packed. Why not consider coming during the Feria of Seville (which is always 2 weeks after Semana Santa).The atmosphere is incredible and not as solemn as during Semana Santa (which if you are not of a religious inclination can be quite heavy!)
Do let me know if you decide to come over and I will give you as much information/tips as I can.
Chris
Trilingual children sounds good. We are certainly aiming for being able to have longer periods abroad but in the meantime are settling with regular breaks instead. Plus a lot less time in office than most “working stiffs”.
For those unlikely enough to have a European ancestor or the right passport most other nationalities: US , Canada NZ Australia can visit any Schengen country in Europe for up to 3 months in a 6 month period – Spain is included as is most of Western europe and an increasing amount of eastern europe – excluding UK, Switzerland – as a LIP I don’t see that you would need a work permit but as tourist you definitly can only stay 3 months in 6
Hi everyone, i´m spanish and i´m glad you like my country, sorry for my english. All of you are welcome. I´m from a little town in Málaga, but actually i live in Madrid (it´s just job), and i´d like to find job in Málaga, but there is not.