My wife and I never really talked about moving abroad. It never crossed our minds.
Life was here in the UK. Family was here. And now there’s a grandson in the mix too. That should have been enough to keep us rooted... but something suddenly changed.
I guess recent family events have a way of doing that. They changed the way we thought about life. Both my wife and I suddenly realised that life is for living. It has to be fun and enjoyable, and maybe a move abroad could do that for us.
We could stay in Yorkshire, or in the UK at least, 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.
My wife watches a lot of A Place in the Sun, and the life you can have out there, especially in early retirement, looks pretty idyllic.
And if any of our kids turned around tomorrow and said they were off to live abroad, we wouldn’t hesitate to back them.
It was while we were holidaying in Salou, Spain, at the Costa Durada Hotel, in September 2025 that we both suddenly twigged that Spain could actually be our place in the sun. A new home, maybe.
It ticked a lot of boxes for us. A good and cheaper holiday base for the kids and grandchildren, PortAventura World right next door, only around a two-hour flight from the UK, and roughly 7 to 9 hours of sunshine a day for much of the year. In summer, it regularly hits 10 to 12 hours a day. Great.
Within a couple of days, we had drawn up a draft five-year plan. That plan is below, but I've also added for download in my Google Drive.
We went to A Place in the Sun Live in Manchester earlier in 2026. 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 came away with more questions than answers, but probably a little more eager to look into it properly.
The A Place in the Sun guides have been a massive help too. They don’t make the move look effortless, which I actually like. They make it clear that Spain is still possible after Brexit, but there is paperwork, planning, tax, healthcare, visas, and a fair bit of patience involved.
That feels more useful than pretending it is all sun loungers and cheap wine.
Spain stayed on our radar. 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 I want to just recreate the UK in warmer weather. We want a mix. A bit of familiarity, yes, but also the language, the culture, and the everyday differences. We would like to become 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.
I personally think I’d get bored just sat in a Spanish home watching the sun rise and set every day, so maybe we need something that keeps us busy and generates a small income.
Something flexible. Copywriting makes sense for us. It fits around life rather than the other way round, and we’ve done it before as a small business.
We’re not rushing into this. Five years feels about right for us. Long enough to do it properly, not just react to a feeling. Long enough to get plans, figures, and ideas properly into motion.
What follows is the plan as it stands. It will change over time as we get things sorted.
I have also started putting together a simple downloadable five-year moving plan checklist for anyone else thinking along similar lines. It doesn’t replace proper visa, tax, legal, or property advice, but it gives you a year-by-year framework to scribble on, tick off, and adapt.
Download the generic five-year Spain moving plan checklist
The Shape of the Move
This isn’t planned to be a clean break. Certainly not from the beginning.
We want it to feel like we’re easing ourselves into it.
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.
While we were at A Place in the Sun Live in 2026, we spoke to a wealth manager who pointed out that a house in the UK can still drain cash. Yes, it’s an asset, but we would have to pay someone to manage it for us. We would also have repairs and maintenance to pay for, even though virtually everything is brand new, including the roof, doors, windows, bathroom, and kitchen.
He recommended selling and using the cash to live off.
I must admit, the most appealing part for me is keeping it. But the thought of strangers living in it and not keeping it as I would like does bother me.
All that said and done, right now, we are still thinking about renting it out. Keep it as an asset. Keep a bit of security behind us. If it works, great, it helps fund things in Spain. If it doesn’t, we’ve still got options for returning.
Our Perfect Property
- At least two bedrooms and two bathrooms (need a bath)
- Good garden space (bonus)
- Terrace and/or solarium
- Pool (either private or shared not too bothered)
- Parking
- Size - above average. Something over 85 square metres
- Aircon and heating, a heat pump would be perfect
- Open plan living area is OK
Our Perfect Location
- Somewhere thats busy but not too busy
- No more than 20 minutes drive from the coast
- We would like a small ex-pat community, but we also want that traditional Spanish community
- Need easy access to an airport
The Plan as it Stands
These are my working notes.
2026 - Property and Budget Groundwork
Mortgage paid off in August ... finally. That still feels good to say.
Where might we move to?
We had looked at Salou a couple of times now. We are actually out here now at the H10 Salou Princess, which is why I decided to write this. We like the area, and there is PortAventura World on the doorstep, airport is handly, lots to see and do, which is useful for when family come to stay. But it is perhaps a little too busy, and if we are being honest, as it's very popular, the prices of property do reflect that.
As of May 2026, minimum of 70sq.m, 2 bed, air con, balcony, parking and the use of a pool, you're looking between £145k - 210k.
In the Province of Murcia the prices tend to be between £85k - £470k, yeah a wider range of prices, but lots available in what appears to be more affordable (granted, we need to see what these properties are like!), so ours next trip will be further south, to take a look at the area around Murcia (between Cartagena and Águilas).
From here, it’s about building a proper buffer. Moving costs add up quickly when you start looking at them properly. Deposits, removals, visas, legal costs, translations, insurance, and a bit of breathing space on top.
We did find out that transporting the dog to Spain could cost us £3,000 alone (apparently she'll neeed her own pallet in the hold).
Passports valid for 10 years checked and OK.
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, and 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 financially.
We also need a proper Spain living budget. Not holiday spending. Normal life spending. Food, utilities, healthcare, travel, insurance, dog costs, car costs, eating out, and the boring things that keep life ticking over.
2027 - Health, Legal, and Reality Checks
This is where it starts to feel a bit more serious.
Healthcare is a big one. We need to understand how it works in Spain, what we need in place, and what it actually costs. Private health insurance will need proper research, especially by age, cover level, exclusions, and any waiting periods.
We also need to understand how healthcare changes at State Pension age, including whether an S1 form applies to us later. That one feels important.
Same with tax. I’d rather ask HMRC early than guess and regret it later. We also need proper advice on Spanish tax residency, especially if we keep the UK house and rent it out.
One thing we are already learning is that becoming tax resident isn't always as simple as spending 183 days in Spain. Where your income comes from, where your assets are, and even where your spouse lives can all play a part. Definitely one for proper advice rather than guesswork.
Visa rules will probably change between now and then, so this is more about staying up to date than locking anything in. The non-lucrative visa looks like one possible route, but the digital nomad visa may also be worth looking at if we keep some kind of remote copywriting income going.
We need to check what each visa allows, what it rules out, what income we need to prove, and whether any work has to come from outside Spain.
We also need to understand Spanish wealth tax and inheritance tax. From what we have seen already, these can vary by region, so where we live may matter more than we first thought.
That feels like proper advice territory, not “read a few blogs and hope for the best” territory.
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, we’ll get a feel for the cost of moving everything over. Or whether it’s even worth it.
We also need to check the driving licence rules, including whether our UK licences need exchanging and what happens if we become Spanish residents.
We’ll need to make sure money moves easily between the UK and Spain. Income, pensions, rental payments, and any savings. It all needs to work without becoming a monthly headache.
We also need to look into Spanish banking, currency transfer fees, and whether our UK banking apps, pensions, and mobile numbers will still work smoothly once we are spending longer periods abroad.
If we end up buying later, we need to understand NIE numbers, Spanish bank accounts, notaries, lawyers, property taxes, and all the official steps that come with buying or registering properly.
We also need to get important documents organised. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, and anything else likely to be needed for visa or residency applications. Some may need translating and apostilling (legally authenticating an official document so that it is recognised as valid in Spain).
We also need to understand Spanish urbanisations if we look at resort-style areas or managed communities. Community fees, rules, shared maintenance, pools, gardens, and any restrictions around rentals could all make a big difference.
This is also when we need to look properly at removals. Since Brexit, taking belongings into Spain is not as simple as just hiring a van and driving over. We’ll need proper quotes, customs advice, inventories, insurance, and a decision on what is worth taking.
And then there is dog transport. The £3,000 figure sounds high, so we need to compare options. Specialist pet transport may be worth it, but we should also understand what can be done ourselves, what paperwork is needed, and what Hela would cope with best.
And this is where the proper clear-out happens.
Hela needs sorting too. 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 £1,000 a month rental, but that’s just a guide and needs checking closer to the time.
If we keep it, we’ll need proper numbers. Letting agent fees, maintenance, insurance, tax, empty periods, and the emotional side of someone else living in our home.
Visa applications start here. Residency. Bank accounts. Documents. Translations. Apostilles. All the paperwork that turns an idea into something real.
This is also where we need to get organised with wills and estate planning. UK assets, Spanish assets, inheritance rules, and what happens if one of us dies first. Not cheerful, but necessary.
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.
Then comes the official stuff. TIE, padrón, healthcare registration, local paperwork, banking, insurance, and whatever else we have missed along the way.
One thing the guides repeatedly stress is not leaving the paperwork until later. Registration, residency documents, and local administration seem to start almost as soon as you arrive.
And then just settle.
Find a vet for Hela. Register with a doctor. Work out where we actually like going for a coffee. Find the local shops. Meet people. Keep learning Spanish. Start building something that feels normal.
Where My (Our) Head’s At
It still feels a bit strange writing this down. Some days it feels exciting. Other days it feels like a lot. Sometimes it feels like too much.
The thought of leaving family, the kids, and a grandson is difficult. But like I said earlier, we wouldn’t stop any of our family moving away. They are already in different corners of the UK as it is, and we know they wouldn’t stop us.
But we 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 a family, and doing the right stuff.
And all that has been right.
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.
At the very least, we’ll still have a decluttered home, some brilliant memories, more trips to Spain under our belts, and hopefully a bit more Spanish than we have now.
How’s it Going?
Progress is slow. Very slow.
It’s currently May 2026, and here we are again in Salou. Possibly our last visit here for now, just to see if we generally like the area and to take a look in estate agents’ windows.
Property here is a little more expernsive that other areas we have looks at, we have decided that our next trip is likely to be down in Murcia (between Cartagena and Águilas).
Still don’t know the ruddy language.
But we do like the area, so it is still on our shortlist.
Next, we’ll probably look at southern Spain, most likely around the Murcia region.
We also have a cruise lined up for November 2026, which takes in Vigo on Spain’s northwest coast, so our next proper Spanish move trip may have to wait until 2027.
