Future plans - Travel - Rental Accommodation etc..

Hi Tricia

If you drive here alone it all depends how long you are prepared to drive before an overnight stop. We allowed three stops but we had a dog and there were two drivers to share the load. But if you drive here and intend to live here you will need to change your car within six months. I ended up driving the car back and selling it in the UK, flying back to Almeria and then buying a car here. So unless you definitely need to load up your car with stuff you may find you save a lot by flying here and renting a car to explore the area to decide where to live.

Tunnel or ferry? All a matter of personal preference and cost comparisons. We much prefer the Tunnel.

Short-term rental? That’s for less than three months basically. Does that mean you intend returning to the U.K. to live? If not and you plan to stay longer you will have to obtain legal residency within 90 days of arriving. And you will need to do that before the Brexit Transition period ends 31.12.20.

Also - in the latter event - you really need to be looking for a LT tenancy. They are not easy to come by but Jan and Feb are the best times to get one.

Yes, it’s cheaper to rent inland. But colder in the winter so you will get additional heating costs. However whilst renting on the coast costs more it can be cheaper in Roquetas de Mar than in Mojacar.

Is age a factor? If you are a UK state pensioner your health care will be covered. If not you will have to pay for private health insurance. It’s a legal requirement for Spanish residency. And you may want to ensure you have reasonably close access to key health facilities like hospitals and clinics. However in Spain you are never far from a farmacia.

Friendships and language. Do you want to live in an English speaking community like Mojacar, or an isolated but charming Spanish village community - or in an area like Roquetas where there are some Brits but almost all the chatter along the paseo is Spanish? If you speak Spanish already the obvious answer may be living in a village. But if you don’t it is a good idea to find out where the local lessons are. Here in Roquetas there are three lessons a week for €25 a year: amazing value!

Can’t answer all your questions but good luck with your search!

Chris

Thanks for your reply Chris,it has been most helpful. 

I've been thinking about renting first before purchasing. 

My retirement will be in 2021, so I have some time. 

I've checked out the area you mentioned and it looks pretty nice, obviously, a trip across the water, hopefully this year, would be good to get a better feel on the area. 

Regarding driving over, this would be of course just for a visit, there again, I could just fly over and hire a car. 

I have a British European passport (for the time being, but also have an Irish one, due to having been born in Dublin) 

The Spanish language...? This is something I'm taking up. I know from past experiences, having lived in a fair few countries, that knowledge of a countries language is obviously a plus. 

As far as moving things over, it'll only be personal items. 

I have a house here in the UK and will probably rent it out (long-term) during my time away. 

Lots to think about 😂 and thanks again for the information.