It is rather an unusual combination. Tax, tea and travel aren’t often found together. But there is some logic behind us combining such an odd trio. It’s the run up to the resident tax declaration deadline (June 30th). We are aware that many people living in Spain are still confused about their resident taxes. There […]

There is perhaps an assumption amongst my generation that buying a piece of freehold, be it land or property, is a good investment. We were encouraged to buy our own home as soon as we could. Mortgages were easily available and it was part of the natural order of things to save a deposit and […]

The recession has hit the vulnerable hard. Those already on the bread line have few resources to fall back on when times become even more difficult. It can be easy to block out the hardship experienced by some of the people in our community. It’s just too easy to turn a blind eye. And it’s […]

The economic crisis in Spain is hitting the most vulnerable hard. The unemployed, seasonal workers and the low-paid have children. Through periods of hardship, such as we are experiencing in Spain, they suffer too. We can all feel sympathy for those caught up in austerity. We wanted to try and do something about it. So […]

When you use the word ‘certificate’ it usually conjures up images of  celebration, graduation and prize givings. Some of us have studied long and hard to amass a collection of these things. Sometimes wondering what the point was after all! When it comes to the residency certificate in Spain the usual images of pomp and […]

How valuable is a family holiday?  Time away from the day-to-day grind continues to be a must for many. It represents opportunity to talk to each other without the usual interruptions of work and household routines getting in the way. Two weeks away in the sun has become something that most families aspire to and […]

We are all unique, of course. The reasons why people emigrate to another country are various and can be complicated to unravel. What were the strongest pulls to move to Spain for you? Was it the weather, the lifestyle, the culture? Was it the need to do something different with your third age years? Most […]

It’s the end of the February, half term holiday for most children from the UK. The aeroplanes in the Spanish airports will be full and the journey will be ‘lively’.  Most will be sad to leave Spain. Hopefully they have had a few pleasant days away from the floods and perhaps even managed to play […]

You may have already received a communication about SEPA in Spain. SEPA stands for the Single Euro Payments Area. It is an initiative introduced by the EU governments, the European Commission and the European Central Bank to create an integrated payments market across Europe. It is expected to make financial transaction more straight forward and […]

Signs around every town centre in Spain will point you in the direction of the ‘Ayuntamiento’. They are directing you towards one of the most important buildings in the area – the town hall.  As you would expect, the Town Hall is the official base for the elected mayor. He or she will hold meetings […]

Do you use Facebook?  It has crept, or perhaps leapt, into our lives at a startling rate and there are now few people who do not have an account. If you live in Spain or know someone who does, it has the attraction of being an additional point of contact with your family and friends. […]

  January is a pretty grim month. It’s cold, Christmas and the New Year celebrations are over and most people are out of money. Some people seem to save enough to make the January sales worth a visit, for the majority, it’s batten down the hatches and wait for the next wage slip. Matters aren’t […]

The use of the word ‘embargo’ in Spain is a lot more widespread than it is in many other countries. Whereas it’s often associated with a ban on trade between different countries, in Spain it can refer to an action taken against your property or Spanish bank account. If you have an embargo on your […]

Most travel guides and tourist handbooks introduce you to the main attractions of Spain. Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Granada are covered in depth. They are fascinating places to visit and you could spend weeks exploring them. However, it would be unfair to neglect some of the lesser known but no less interesting towns and villages. […]

Waiting at the airport to greet someone you care about is a wonderful feeling. On Sunday 22nd, it was our turn. My daughter and boyfriend were flying in from Stansted and we took our usual position at the barrier. As the flight was delayed, we had plenty of time to look around at the families […]

I am writing this blog post at Christmas time when the heat is up, at least in terms of present-buying in bulk. However, present-buying  headaches for relatives abroad can happen at any time of the year. There are perhaps two issues for the resident wanting to treat their loved ones back in their home country. […]

Wherever you live in the world, it is likely you have heard of the Alhambra in Granada. The only Muslim palace to survive from the Middle Ages, it was originally Al Qal’a al-Hamra which means ‘the red fort’ hardly an inspiring description for such an amazing building. The history The Alhambra has had an incredible […]

Most people have heard of Gaudi. It’s one of those names, like Picasso or Dali, that if you know nothing about art or architecture you still have a chance of recognising. If you are visiting Barcelona, there is no doubt that you should pencil into your itinerary at least one of the buildings that he […]

How are you at book-keeping? People might fall into three book-keeping categories following a request for an invoice: Category 1 answer:  ‘Here is the invoice for the 31st December 2010’ Category 2 answer:  ‘I had an invoice somewhere for that’ Category 3 answer:  ‘What’s an invoice?’ Some people are just better organisers than others. Hopefully […]

What comes to mind when you think about learning the Spanish language? Is it long lists of vocabulary, verbs, conjunctions and unfathomable grammatical rules? Or is it a fun and challenging experience routed in dialogue, speaking and listening? Chances are it’s the first option. Unfortunately, our recollections of language teaching and learning still tend to […]

Many people who move to Spain are unclear about what their health entitlement might be when they arrive. This confusion hasn’t gone unnoticed by the official authorities either. Too many people are using the EHIC, European Health Insurance Card, inappropriately or are simply returning to their own countries to get treatment even when they are […]

A consultation document was released by the Department of Health (UK) in July 2013. ‘Sustaining Services, ensuring fairness’ is the first steps towards finding ways of balancing the books in relation both to those who enter the UK and look for support and those who leave it and want support to continue. It has already […]

Using the weather to generate electricity is nothing new. With the increasing depletion of the traditional energy sources you would imagine that increasing the consumption of weather power would be high on every government agenda. However, it isn’t as simple as building more turbines or offering subsidies, as Spain’s recent renewable energy problems show. A […]

‘Isn’t it warm for October?’ If you are living on or visiting the Costa Blanca this month you may feel as though you have been dropped into Spain in the middle of August. It is hot. With daytime temperatures up to 30 degrees this year, it is a notch above the usual autumnal weather, even […]

Cast your mind back to 2004. The boom years in Spain. Property prices were rising, tourists were flocking in and the future seemed rosy with an ever growing market and plenty of land to build on. Lots of Spanish airports were needed to meet the demand. Convenient, cheap flights in and out of Spain were […]