We never really talked about moving abroad.
Life was here. Family was here. And now there’s a grandson in the mix too. That should have been enough to keep us rooted.
But something shifted.
Recent family events have a way of doing that. They make things feel a bit more… urgent. Not in a panic sense, just a quiet nudge that says stop waiting. We could stay in Yorkshire, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but the reality is our family is already dotted all over the UK. It’s not like we’re all on the same street.
And if any of our kids turned around tomorrow and said they were off to live abroad, I wouldn’t hesitate to back them.
So it felt odd realising we’d been quietly ruling it out for ourselves.
We went to A Place in the Sun Live in Manchester earlier this year. It was good. Useful. Also a bit of a blur. Too many talks, too many options, too many people telling you slightly different things. We cameaway with more questions than answers, but prossibly a littl emore eagre to look more into it.
It’s familiar, it’s proven, and there’s a big expat community which makes the whole thing feel less like jumping off a cliff. But at the same time, neither my wife nor myself want to just recreate the UK in warmer weather. We want a mix. A bit of familiarity, yes, but also the language, the culture, the everyday differences. We would like to beome more integrated into Spanish life.
The loose idea is simple. Rent first. See how it actually feels when it’s not a holiday. No pressure, no big commitments straight away.
And longer term… slow things down a bit. Maybe keep a small income ticking over from home. Something flexible. Copywriting makes sense for us. It fits around life rather than the other way round.
We’re not rushing this. Five years feels about right. Long enough to do it properly, not just react to a feeling.
What follows is the plan as it stands. It will change. It already has a few times.
The Shape of the Move
This isn’t a clean break.
It’s more like easing into something new.
We’ll rent in Spain first. A couple of months to start with, maybe longer if it feels right. Just to see what everyday life looks like when the novelty wears off a bit.
Back here, the house stays. At least for now.
The thinking is to rent it out. Keep it as an asset. Keep a bit of security behind us. If it works, great, it helps fund things. If it doesn’t, we’ve still got options.
Nothing too clever. Just keeping doors open.
The Plan (as it stands)
These are my working notes. Not polished. Not perfect. Just real.
2026 – Property and Budget Goundwork
Mortgage paid off… finally. That still feels good to say.
Where might we move to? We had looked at Salou (we are actually out here now which is why I decided to write this), we like the area, there is PortAventura World on the doorstep (useful for when family come to stay), but it's perhaps a little too busy. Next trip will be further south to take a look and the province of Murcia.
From here, it’s about building a proper buffer. Moving costs add up quickly when you start looking at them properly. Deposits, removals, visas, a bit of breathing space on top.
We’ll start clearing out the obvious clutter. Nothing dramatic. Just stop holding onto things we don’t need.
I also want a rough handle on finances. Pensions, savings, how they behave if we’re living somewhere else. Not deep detail yet, just enough to avoid getting caught out.
And we’ll keep an eye on local rental values. If the house is going to work for us as a rental, it needs to stack up.
2027 – Health, Legal, Reality Checks
This is where it starts to feel a bit more serious.
Healthcare is a big one. Understanding how it works in Spain, what we need in place, and what it actually costs.
Same with tax. I’d rather ask HMRC early than guess and regret it later.
Visa rules will probably change between now and then, so this is more about staying up to date than locking anything in.
We’ll also start learning Spanish. Slowly. Probably badly at first. But it’s part of it.
And we’ll spend time in Spain outside of peak season. Not the shiny version. The normal version.
2028 – Line up the Move
This is when it starts to feel closer.
We’ll begin speaking to estate agents in Spain and properly looking at rental options.
At the same time, get a feel for the cost of moving everything over. Or whether it’s even worth it.
We’ll need to make sure money moves easily between the UK and Spain. Income, pensions, rental payments. It all needs to work without becoming a monthly headache.
And this is where the proper clear-out happens.
Also… Hela needs sorting. Vaccinations, paperwork, travel requirements. All of it.
2029 – Decision Year
This is the one that probably matters most.
We’ll spend a full month in Spain. Not as visitors, just living. Shopping, cooking, getting bored, dealing with normal life.
That should tell us what we need to know.
We’ll also decide what happens with the house. Rent it, or sell it. Right now it’s roughly £175k value and about £650 a month rental, but that’s just a guide and needs checking closer to the time.
Visa applications start here. Residency. Bank accounts. All the paperwork that turns an idea into something real.
2030 – Move Year
If it still feels right… we go.
Move into a rental, or something more permanent if it lines up.
Sort the UK house properly so it’s not something we’re worrying about from a distance.
And then just settle.
Find a vet for Hela. Register with a doctor. Work out where we actually like going for a coffee. Start building something that feels normal.
Where My Head At
It still feels a bit strange writing this down, some days it feels exciting. Other days it feels like a lot, feels like too much.
The thought of leaving family, kids and a grandson is difficult, but like I said earlier, we wouldn't stop any of our family or kids moving away (they are all in different corners of the UK as it is), we know they wouldn't stop us.
But I keep coming back to the same thought ... we’ve spent years doing what we should do. Working, paying the mortgage, building something stable. Bringing up family etc, and all that has been the right stuff, but this feels like something we want to do.
This isn’t locked in. It’s not a perfect plan, and it doesn’t need to be. I’ll keep adding to this as we go, changing bits when reality gets in the way, or when something better comes along.
That’s the whole point of putting it here.
Just start… and see where it goes, at the very least we'll stay in the UK, we have a home that free of clutter, we will have had some great trips to Spain and we'll have a language under our belts.
How's it going!
Progress is slow, it's currently May 2026 and here we are again in Salou, possibly our last visit for now to see if we generally like the area and to take a look in Estate Agents windows.
Still don't know the ruddy language. But we do like the area, so it is still on our short list. Probably look at Southern Spain next, probably around the Murcia region!
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