Reasons Why Moving to Spain Might NOT Be For You 

Exclusive Christmas deal! Go to nordvpn.com/spainspeaks to get a huge discount PLUS 4 months extra on the 2 year plan! It’s risk free with NordVPN’s 30 day money back guarantee!

I don't know what mythical land you came from, but this sounds just like everywhere else!

I was very surprised as a Spaniard that it is mentioned both in the video and in the comments that there is this culture here that "everyone does their own thing" and I am even more surprised that these opinions (which I respect but do not share) come from people foreigners who call themselves expatriates. In the area where I live, which is the southeast coast and also on the Costa del Sol, there are hundreds of thousands of foreigners living, and many of them (especially those who come from English-speaking countries) are crowded into colonies in the form of housing estates where they literally They are in a “little Britain”. They have their supermarkets with products from their countries, English bars and restaurants and the majority do not speak Spanish despite having been here for decades. I do not complain about this, I respect that decision of isolation but in these circumstances they should not be in the position to judge the type of life that we Spaniards lead and which most of us love. And regarding opinions about the labor market, I am almost fifty years old, have few studies and have never lacked work nor have I ever had financial problems. Since I speak English, I have worked in an airport for more than 15 years and I have also lived in the United Kingdom. I spend 8 hours of my life e every day with European foreigners and I know them very well. And there in their countries there are also things that work poorly and they also have bad social habits. Let's be fair, and those who really cannot or do not want to adapt in Spain, just as they found the door open to enter, have it open to leave. and I don't say this out of sarcasm, simply as friendly advice since I myself would be the first to leave a place that didn't make me happy. Many times we set high expectations for a place and then when things go wrong we blame the country or the citizens, when perhaps the problem is within ourselves.

Hi, you have just described England except in Spain it doesn’t rain every week , try living in England for a few months and you will be begging to get back to Spain .

Very rare to hear such honest comments from expats - exposing the elephant in the room. Normally, as regards UK expats, they defend Spain to the hilt - to a fault. Many of the ones I know have burned their bridges behind them in the uk (unintentionally) and cant afford to go back - so they slag of the UK and praise spain to high heaven. I have a holiday home in Spain but live in the UK and am totally fluent in Spanish (through learning and practicing hard). Im so embarrassed for the vast majority of my fellow brits in spain who simply cant be bothered to learn the lingo (even slightly). A great honest exposé of the reality of Spain's problems and shortcomings - that non-many expats will admit.

I am in the countryside in Alicante about 20 minutes from coast , lovely beaches, sunny again today. I find the Spanish very friendly that I know, I learnt Spanish at the official school of languages in Alicante. All my neighbours (5) are Spanish and give me figs and lemons. I give them almonds. Its what you are saying thats important, in whatever language. Some like to practice a bit of their English so I let them. I showed a boat to a broker yesterday and he was from the Punjab spoke Spanish perfectly. I prefer to speak Spanish and Im in Spain ! Off to the gym today mostly Spanish, some Romanians, Ruissians, Latvians, Ukrainians in big Unanizations. A mixture on the coast here. I prefer being here than Bournemouth England mainly because of the weather, people , food, better prices, wine, veg, historic churches etc. but also go back every few months.

As a former migrant to Australia (I lived in Brisbane for 14 years) I find your comment about people in Spain not trying to understand people with a low level of Spanish quite irritating; This is precisely what I found in Australia on too many occasions. People who did nothing to understand you or looked at you with contempt calling you a "wog" or worse. You can find nasty people like that everywhere. In general, people in Spain are hospitable towards foreigners and appreciate and try to understand when they try to speak the language, no matter their language level.

The reason not to move to Spain greatly depends on the country you're not happy with and want to leave.

In our village it doesnt matter that we dont speak fluently but accept us and are friendly and helpful. Been here 23 yrs.and have no problems at all. Xx Its same in UK. Xx

When I was living in El Puerto de Santa Maria, I asked my friend why she got excited about the upcoming feria, considering it's an annual event. She responded, "You don't understand. Sometimes the feria is the only time of the year when we get together with our family and celebrate." It all made sense after that.

"Spain is different" used to be the motto of the Spanish tourist authorities in the 60s, in the deep years of the dictatorship. What you describe, which I confirm after having lived in four EU countries in the last 40 years and recently returned to Spain, means that Spain is no longer different; some of the negative points that you describe I easily overcome: I avoid crowds, I avoid having a Spanish wife with an extended family and I don't talk about politics with anyone; I'm retired now, so I don't have to deal with all the other problems you correctly describe either. My personal conclusion is that Spain is still a good place to live if you are a rentier, that has not changed; otherwise, Spain is no longer better than most other places in the EU, although it still has good weather, food and private health services. All the best.

I aggre with you , I spend 1 week each month in my home in Spain and 2 months in the summer , for the last 20 years , luckily for me I wouldn’t need to work in Spain , if I did I wouldn’t move there , perfect for people with a decent pension and an Irish passport 😊, move back and forth as much as you like and get the best of both worlds. That’s how I do it anyway 🇪🇸

Believe it or not Spain seems to be way better than my current place, Greece. We have the same cons only that the salary here is around 500 to 700€ per month but our prices are 200% up than Spain. I see the prices of similar supermarkets we both have like Lidl and I can't believe how much more we pay for the same things, except olive oil. Here is still a bit cheaper than there. Less than 10€ for a liter.

Be honest Stuart, did you look up the fares for a one-way ticket to Australia right after shooting this video? 🤣🤣

As a Spaniard with British nationality who returned "home " after many years abroad l agreed with you 100%+++ Eres muy valiente 😉👏👏

Hope your cold is better soon. Good video and accurate. My wife has 12 brothers and sisters and we are constantly going to family events. At first it was a little overwhelming for me but now I've grown to look forward to these events. As my Spanish language skills improve, they become more interesting.

Thanks Shaun. You didn't mention one more thing that bothers me about moving to Spain and that's the squatter issue. It blows my mind to think the someone could take my home away from me simply by breaking in and if I wasn't quick enough (maybe I was away) I would have little recourse to the government basically support the squatters.

Interesting thoughts Stu... I have spent a load of time in Spain since about 2008 but never really wanted to get residency for most of the reasons you mention. Love visiting Spain for many reasons - loads of positive for visiting but not to live permanently.

As a Spanish person living in the United Kingdom for a few years now, I completely share your opinion regarding how challenging it is to integrate into society and the language barrier that comes with it. It also affects me, and I believe these are aspects that impact any expatriate. However, yes, you are right in your observations about Spanish society.

Hey Stuart. Like your videos but I’m afraid the best thing about this one was the ad for Nord vpn. We’ve lived in a town of 11,000 in Andalusia for 7 years and find the people friendly, the lifestyle great and of course the weather is fantastic. Yes, there are frustrations with red tape etc., but that’s the same everywhere. Compared to what I see of the UK at the moment Spain is sooo much better. Okay, we took early retirement and don’t need to work so those related difficulties don’t apply to us but I’d still rather be here than anywhere else. You were one of the convincers when we decided to move here, watching your early videos, so I’m disappointed that this vid is so negative. I’m going to put it down to the fact that you’re under the weather and you live in Madrid 😀

Well as a spaniard in highschool the taught us to respect the tourist , and do not disturb the tourist for the simple reason that The tourist industry is our main sector , as for english now in spanish school they have the language assistant program so many classes are only in english ,the younger generation are better at english and french that the previous one , as for unfriendly spaniards maybe is due to the economic problems that we are facing , high inflation in food and in the spanish politics , as for learning spanish , is an easy lanfñguag for english speakers , and spoken in 22 countries ( including the United States in wich is the second language ) I know Scots , Irish and americans that speak perfect spanish , also learning a new language prevents Alzheimer and other memory deceases. SPAIN is still a friendly country in spite of it's problems.

I love the routine and traditions. My daughter, who is British, love routines and traditions. It is just what we love doing.

Fantastic post Stuart, my son lives in Spain and I’ve lived in Portugal for about 15 years and spend some time visiting Spain, your comments are so correct

There are places in Quebec, Canada where if you don't speak their dialect of French they won't speak to you either. That's just how some people are. As far as the burocracy goes, yes, that is what I am least looking forward to having to deal with once we get to Spain! Regarding online services abroad, the US Visa website kicks you out every few minutes while you are completing the application regardless of your activity on the site, so Spain isn't the only country with online services that are lacking.

Mate, if you hadn't mentioned you talk about Spain, I could have sworn you talk about Germany! It is absolutely the same in almost every regard.

In Andalucia, people are friendly but they never onvite you in their home. You are right when you say its family oriented. I find it odd not to meet people speaking a foreign language. Here in Huelva, nobody speaks English and the majority of people I met never travelled to Portugal (40 kms away !) And not to Marruevos (only 150 kms away). They have all they need here !

You had some valid points... (low salaries, high taxes, the cost of living rising, the difficulty of doing business with Spain, and the fact that creativity is not always encouraged because, "this is how we've always done it..:" or, "this is how it's done in Spain" - I've gotten both). I don't think that the issue with (some) locals possibly not wanting to speak to a person because that individual speaks differently than they do is something that is solely related to Spain. Also, it's done between Spaniards, e.g., the people of northern Spain poke fun at the way that people of southern Spain speak to the point where I've heard them say, "I don't understand what they say..." And you know that is not true because it's the same language, so the foundation of the language is the same. It's good that you share these things so that people moving to Spain are aware that it's not all unicorns and rainbows (or sangrías and flamenco).

great vid stu!imust say we still thank the stars we came to tenerife! we came to the north of the island after 25 years in the touristy south! not a lot of english spoken in our town but when we make the effort to speak spanish we find that local shops etc, really apreciate our efforts to speak spanish!our only regret is not learning it sooner! we have lovely neighbours that dont speak any english! why should they!its up to us to imerse our selves in this lovely canarian culture!!❤

Appreciate all your detailed thoughts, sir. Thanks. :)

Hi Stuart, All of your points are valid, but I think compounded by the fact you live in Madrid. I have lived in a smaller city in inland Alicante ( 60,000) for 14 years. We get very few tourists, and while prices have gone up, it's still way more affordable than other European cities. While I always look forward to taking the AVE to Madrid but once I am there, I can't wait to leave as it's just too busy. Hope you feel better!

Spot on. I am dual nationality native to both UK and Spain (Dad travelled all the time), with a house in both countries. Speak native english and spanish. My education is UK and Spain, with a university degree in each country. Used to travel backwards and forwards, to live and work. Stopped completely 2017, when my neighborhoods got hostile, both countries. Now I just live and work in London, waiting for the recent unpleasantness to go away.

Oh dear Stuart, it sounds like you were having a bad day. I could have sworn you were describing the UK for much of what you were saying 😄Of course, we tend not to be very family oriented when it comes to our extended families and we've definitely become less friendly towards each other, especially if you live in the bigger towns. And as for everyone crowding together, you should try visiting Brighton during the August Bank Holiday - you'd hate it! As for the language barrier, I'm from the south-east so have difficulty understanding any of my fellow Brits who live north and west of London (my fault not theirs). So, all in all, I should be right at home in Spain! 🤣 Love your videos x

As a native spanish following your channel for years I can fully agree with your points. People in Spain are getting colder day by day (though not so family oriented lately). That being said, you are welcome again to Chinchon so we have some tapas together. I wish I could make you feel like at home. Cheers to my dearest foreigner in Spain. Thanks for your channel and your effort.

Nevada must be a part of Spain because so much of what isn't great about Spain is also true about here. It took nearly six months for me to renew my drivers license, rents have increased dramatically, jobs don't pay enough for anyone to buy a home & whenever there's an annual event, there are LOTS of people taking up space mostly to be seen & not because of any real interest in the event. And through it all, it's family, family, family.

Thanks for the video Stu, it really made us laugh 😂 We live in Spain too and everything you said rang so true. Great work 👍🏼

Hello Stuart. 🌺 I.m Dutch i.m living in Ibiza since the year 2000 .After 21 years i lived for 2 years on the Costa Blanca. Close to Alicante in one small village on the mainland .I didn.t like it so much .And now i.m again back for living in Ibiza Because i feel directly the difference between the mainland and a small island like ibiza.. In Ibiza the atmosphere and the Spanish people are much more open and friendly than the Spanish people on the mainland. Because the Ibicencos grow up with many foreigners like English, Dutch, German ,Swedish and so on who also living there since the 60' and 70's .And because many Spanish local people mixed with those foreigners .The had Children who are now around the 50 years old .And the have now also Children with other foreigners. So it's a completely international mix off people. My son 20 years old son born here in Ibiza .His father is Spanish .So yes I.m totally understand and agree what you say and feel in your video .I feel that the same way on the Spanish mainland .For this I.m back again in Ibiza for living . For me Ibiza is totally different .Its a small international mixed island where many foreigners like me living there who have no any or no many family in Ibiza .And also the Spanish people from the mainland who are living in Ibiza like my ex husband. The are in the same position. The have no family eighter in Ibiza .So for this the most people on Ibiza are in the same position like you and me and for this the make more easily contact with eight other .I felted on the mainland very sad and alone.. So yes I understand what you mean .Well have a nice Christmas with your own family 🎉 Byee.

Well done Stu great video very honest and I agree with a lot of your points

finally, thank you so much for an honest opinion! have been in spain for eight months and my observations perfectly match yours.

I have lived here with my husband the past two and a half years. We are still in the mid career years of our life and because of high cost of self-employment have decided to leave and return to our home country of Canada where self-employment is encouraged through incentives. We also feel the squatter issue and the lack of support for homeowners and landlords in general makes Spain a very bad place for real estate investment.

I found this vid quite amusing. Thanks for putting it together.

Interesting. Thanks. As a French, I just made it to Spain to have a look around and understand whether I should move here or not.

You have put a smile on my face. I am Spanish, and especially in the first part that you have mentioned about language, if people is really friendly or just they pretend, customer services, routine, .. It is exactly how I feel, but in my case is living here, in the UK, I do not know what it is, but I feel exactly in the same way... and it is something that I feel more now than when I arrived here 17 years ago. I do not know if before I did not notice, or it is just not getting better with the time, I believe it is the second one, UK is changing a lot in different ways.... with the rest, I totally agreed with you, I do not like crows, big family things, or loudly people, and I prefer do not talk about job or opportunities in Spain. If in the first part I fell like you, about jobs and opportunities. I do have to thanks British people that they have gave me the chances that I never got in my own country.. still, my plan is move back to Spain in few months, for other reasons :) but I really thank you to help me to see what I can expect and what unfortunately it has not change ..

I feel that all countries are suffering post Covid, the loss of liberty has hardened the social attitude, sad but true. Coupled with the economic situation, how many do you know who are in debt, credit card especially, with large interest charges. Finally, the politicians have not lead by example, rather do as I say and not what I do. Great video 😊

Hi Stuart. Something that, perhaps, you could have mentioned : through 9 years of Winter caravaning in Spain we have found Spaniards to be rather noisy. This isn't just mine and my wife's opinions, on a campsite a couple of weeks ago the manager told us that she discourages Spaniards from coming because they make too much noise, which is offputting for other nationalities - and don't forget, that was said by a Spaniard !!

Great video,most people judge Spain as a cheap sunny place but that’s normally because there on holiday there,keep the videos coming and have a peaceful xmas and new year all the best ,steve from Leeds uk

You are giving negative reasons to not live in Spain that are typical in any city in any Country. I live in Los Angeles and what you're talking about is nothing compared to how difficult things can be here. I have spent a lot of time in Spain, don't speak fluent Spanish and I have never had anyone be rude to me. Sometimes that has to do with the negative vibe a person gives off.

Thanks Stu! Language and insularity, I don't just think it's language. Brother let me tell you, coming from the US, local insularity, shines out of dialects and regional cultures. For the most part the cities are more homogenous and interchangeable culturally, hustle and bustle. But as soon as you step out of a city anywhere, you're going to be treated like an outsider in your own country. And I understand perfectly that that's a two way street. People from small towns comi g to the city, they're going to have a hard time adjusting to all the people that don't care about who you are, what you do, how long you've been there. I hate to say it, but it's probably like this to a degree everywhere. So this is a human problem, no doubt probably worse than other places, but being objectified and only being allowed to look in, that no doubt spans the globe. I'm getting up there in years too, things felt a lot easier on these social issues in youth, or maybe I was just a lot more oblivious when I was younger and just never noticed it. In hindsight, it absolutely had to have always been there and always has been a factor. Interesting that the Spanish have their own version of "keep your eye on the ball" that also means "keep to yourself." Let me tell you that's true in the US and also might be indicative of human nature or our historical moment. It's many things, but remembering back to before the pandemic, or remembering youth, there's just no time or patience for other people, and I almost can't blame anyone for it. I dont think it can be attributed to any one thing besides human nature. As social as we are as a species, we're somewhere in between ants and apes, and that's a well documented social evolutionary feature. As much as we are grouped into nations and cultures and local societies, we are also individuals, and imo that also must come with age. There's just no time or energy in the day to swim against that current. I wish it were different sometimes, but personally I've grown to appreciate and relish in almost complete social isolation, and it was a thing before the pandemic, but the pandemic seemed to bring out some of these basal instincts, if they could be called that, out of survival. When it comes to workers in shops and resraurants, as someone who has worked in hospitality all my life, many of the customers over the years have made it hell. Most people are fine and polite, but an increasing number of people are actively hostile to actively reflect whatever it is, class divisions perhaps, real or perceived, that can make almost everyday working an imminent living hell. They say jump and we are expected to leap for them and grovel because they have the power in the momentary relationship. This is some sort of social breakdown I suppose and has myriad reasons. The kids these days have identified this as "main character syndrome," a few years ago it was called narcissism, but it's not so much a mental illness as it is some sort of social default for a significant minority of the populatio, and no matter where you are in life or what status you have, they are there to gnash their teeth and exercise their humanity like we are all a bucket of crabs. I can't immediately see any parallels in the US with routine and extended family socializing. My parents are somewhat like this and seem peculiar for it. It's something to do with safety and security, predictability, changes are bad. My dad for example has been semi retiring and he's taken it upon himself to wear his welcome with extended family lol. Suddenly he's adopting new family, this is uncle so and so! This elderly man that you befriended through a family friend is jot your uncle! Haha. And he has so far spent 2 entire years out of the last 3 years traveling almost aimlessly helping people and trying to recreate what he imagines society should be. I don't know if he's fulfilled doing that, but it takes up a lot of his time and effort trying to swim against the currents and maintain farflung social contacts. So maybe my dad's the exception tk some of these things. Politics. I don't even want to comment on this too much. The US has been on fire politically for the last almost 15 years. And it's likely not going to get any better anytime soon. I'm an outlier in my area, which for the most part is fine, but if conversations ever come up, I have to turn myself into a fly on the wall and nod my head. Because there's totally a shadowy cabal and mass of Jews and foreigners always out to get us at all times, trying to appeal to our humanity to make us better people and better our societies. They're the enemy though, and if I open my mouth, I will be too. Economics, it seems the same around the world. Getting good work is getting harder, getting good pay is harder, and the cost of everything is up up and up. You could be a professional with 20+ years of experience and could run the place, but you are still going to be treated like a fresh faced teenager and expected to rake an entry position and entry pay. This is the style of economics, and it's anathema to question it, or you end up being sorted by class and politics like above. Yeah, beuracracy. I don't know why things need to be made more difficult, but that just seems to be the way things go. Efficiency and making tuings happen, that's just not how anything works anymore. Crowds and crowds of people. Personally, I've maximized my work and social life and the few things I need to do structured around minimizing human contact.i just can't take it anymore, from driving, shopping, or working. I don't know if I'm autistic, or if my social anxiety has compounded over the years, but I want nothing to do with the masses of humanity that hers like cats in crowds and dive like swallows in traffic. If i were in Spain I'd likely be a recluse until tourist season is over, just like here in the states.

Stu, thank you for being so candid and revealing. I have been to Spain in various opportunities and have some Spanish friends. However I had noticed (inconsciously) practically all the aspects of Spanish life that you have mentioned here, but no one seemed to bring them up. I am glad I can now also get them off my chest. Cheers!

Stuart I am not sure if you’re having a bad day or what’s going on. I will not disagree with a single thing that you say but you really should consider moving back to down under.

100% agree with you Stu, the routine is so regimental and the lack of spontaneity is unbelievable. Re the language, again no matter how well/correctly we speak Spanish we are often greeted by vacant looks until eventually they repeat the first thing we said, so frustrating. We don't correct them when mistakes are made.. Agree with a lot of the comments, Spain is changing and will no longer be our forever home 😢

Not my experience at all. 2 years in. Live in Valencia. People are beautiful. Trying to learn the language. People help and encourage you to speak espanol. I think living in a city like Madrid, London, etc will be unwelcoming

Completely agree with everything you’ve said. We lived in Valencian community for 16 years , we speak total fluent Spanish but could never make good Spanish friends. We always say to people two weeks holiday in Spain is totally different from living there. When you speak the language you know what’s going on and it’s not always a good thing. It can be very stressful living there with the bureaucracy. Good programme ,we have been waiting for you to tell it as it is.

You are right, and you don't have to be from another country to experience all these frustrating things. Housing is unaffordable, salaries a disaster, etc. Just for you to know, many Spanish people like me also agree with your points of view.

Good video but I'm wondering how have you been able to survive decades there?

Most of those reasons apply to most countries in the West, and things are far, far worse in many of those countries. For example, things are so bad here in the UK, they make your list of reasons not to move to Spain seem unimportant by comparison!

I just came back to oregon from 2 weeks in Madrid and I agree people were not that friendly. In fact sometimes even rude, once they hear me American accent they stop smiling

Great video Stuart. I totally agree with everything you have said after living here and running a business for 22 years nothing’s changed just got worse. No incentives to encourage businesses and help for the younger people. Everything is too slow. And too many holidays.

I’m Spanish living in England and I really appreciate your honesty.

i agree with you after 6 years living there, not frendy people, i found this when shopping in bars ,

Refreshingly honest video. Thanks Stewart.

Honest video Stuart! 👍 Being from the Netherlands myself, I can hardly imagine a country's people being more individualistic, hasty and self-centered than the Dutch. I suppose modern western society is someone equal everywhere, but the first thing I notice every time I go to Spain is the general calmness, friendliness and lack of ego centric behavior in the streets. Is it the weather? I believe everything you say, but could it be that it is not such a big deal in practice? I know; it's a very subjective thing of course. My point being: Here in Holland hardly anybody seems to care about each other anymore. Besides from tiny villages perhaps. I went to Barcelona & Madrid and even had talks with random people that kindly approached me.❤🙏

I’ve never felt unwelcome by the locals in El Puerto de Santa Maria. We have made several friends some of which don’t speak English. They are very patient with us.

Loved seeing outside your car windows; pretty areas. I'm an introvert so I couldn't care less if I was accepted or not (I hope that doesn't sound rude). Of course, if I was attempting to conduct business and got push back that would be annoying. I can see spending a couple of months in Spain, we're not ready to become expats (yet). Our first trip to Europe earlier this year took us to Bilbao, Cadiz, Motril, Ibiza, Mallorca and Barcelona. All of them felt very safe. Bilbao is very pretty (love the river running through town), Cadiz felt a little like here (San Diego), Motril felt quiet (which I like), Ibiza is for young people, Mallorca (Palma) is just gorgeous (and I love islands anyway) and Barcelona has too many people and the air quality bothered my lungs. Buenos noches! :)

Hi Stu, my wife and i have lived here as residents for 6yrs. I agree with all that you say and if it were not for the good weather here on the Costa Calida (La Manga) we would return back to the UK. Keep up the good you tube channel.

Hi Stu, some things sound familiar, some could also relate to other countries. One thing that you did not mention which is a pet hate of mine, and that is the lack of punctuality. Everyone does it, even your own friends. The amount of time I have spent waiting for people in Spain, regardless whether they are tradesman or friends. It makes me angry as I find it disrespectful. With regards to being friendly, I do find it depends in the region where you live. I find people in Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria friendly, although through the years the "Tu" seems to have taken over, even in some banks believe it or not. Another pet hate which I have, which is not regional, is that the Spanish are so loud and care not about anyone around them, day or night, You just have to find a circle, a small one, of companions/friends that are like minded, which is hard. Get well soon Stu, you sound a bit p155ed off today.

Thank you for the video! Is it hard to find a job in your area?

Weather is good...as an English teacher are you confident about your pronunciation of entrepreneur?

I got the same problem in UK. Some people do not bother to talk with me because I am a foreigner. lol. My English is not from birth, so my accent is Spanish. I feel uk people are ok, but very serious and life is boring. They are very individualistic and they prefer being in their private gardens rather than go out to the world and socialize. In Spain I go to the local bar, the local shop, and people talk with you easily, not here. Here is like, do not bother me, I prefer being with my mobile phone.

Hi you must be feeling really ruff this week . as to a lot of your comments don't visit France or Belgium and the UK. will really piss you off. cheers Andy, Feliz Navidad to you and your family

Hey Stu, Top Man, great video, great points. Best regards Marco 👊

You had me at: "Low salaries and bad working conditions...unfriendly wait-staff" My wife is from Madrid, we met there while I was attending my brother's wedding. We got married, but she keeps hinting at moving there, but I've done a lot of research and I have serious doubts about moving there. I don't mind visiting 2-3 times a year though. Having a good salary and working for a great company gives me most doubts. Plus I've talked to plenty Spaniards and they all complaint about their working conditions and crappy salaries.

Telling it like it is , nice one Stu , it’s brought out a lot of interesting comments

I had first hand experience with Spanish bureaucracy a year ago. Out of the blue, I received a speeding ticket in the mail, 3 months after the infraction (its justification is another matter), and had to find a way to pay it from here in Canada. Long story short, it took a further 2 months of concentrated and convoluted effort on my part to get it paid after being directed from pillar to post and back again. The over-riding cause was simply unclear payment guidance from the DGT’s English website. As I write this, I’m thinking they must figure that by making the process excruciating enough, people like me won’t do it again. Right or wrong, they’re right.

Thank you so much Stu for sharing these opinions and suggestions. Moving to other country is always challenging and it’s good to know the pros and cons before making te decision.

You sound as if you'd move elsewhere - back to Australia? - if you didn't have your family here. I have reconsidered moving to Europe (from US) over the past few years. First, Portugal became less affordable and the bureaucratic Hoops to jump through for Residency have become much more onerous. I gathered documents for a claim to Italian Citizenship by Descent, but I can't locate my immigrant Greatgrandparents' Marriage Certificate in the US, without which I would have to claim Descent through the Greatgrandma and pretend they weren't married but 'lived in Sin' for 20 years and had 10 illegitimate Kids. It's too much weirdness. Then I considered France, but I really have no interest in France. But while I've been following these Bureaucratic regulations and changes - ALL of Europe seems more and more unstable and unpredictable and expensive. The US is unstable, unpredictable and expensive too - but at least I'm HERE and don't have the trouble and expense of attempting to migrate elsewhere.

I have three outstanding speeding tickets. What should I do? These outstanding tickets is impeding my plan to go to Spain. Any suggestions. I want to clear my name.

I’m Scottish though live in Colombia ,went to Madrid for ten days , Found the poeple very unfriendly,,,compared to Colombia where the poeple are warm and friendly.

Thanks for the video Stuart. I really like how you speak from the heart and give your honest opinion on all things. Keep up the good work. Love your youbtube channel

As someone who has moved to Spain from another country I can agree with most of what you said. I suppose that every country will be different and I do not expect every one to be the same. I have lived in 5 different countries (for at least 2 years) and many others for shorter visits. I find Spain somewhere toward the lower end in my personal rankings. I find the people somewhat very high on the scale of being rude. It isn't just to foreigners, but to everybody. My daughter who lives here too keeps telling me it is "just a cultural thing" and is not a "bad" thing. I disagree. Much of what you said points to that direction. The criticism of language skills, political opinions and the "do your own thing" attitude just foster a culture of being a bit selfish. That "do your own thing" attitude can get a little tiring. For example: throwing your trash in the street because it is too much trouble to walk the 3 meters to a trash can, pushing others aside to be the first on the bus, or a group of people gathering to talk while blocking the entire sidewalk and not caring that someone has to step into the street to get around them is just rude or a lack of manners. I also find it hard to make friends here. Maybe it is just me or my experiences, but making friends with Spanish people has been a struggle. I have tried many ways to meet people and have had some temporary luck at the time, but suggesting a continuance beyond that time is often met with a " we will see" and then nothing. It is frustrating when I want to practice the Spanish that I am learning in class and can't do it outside transactions in a store or bar. I will have to disagree with you, at least partially, on the cost of living. Outside of the axis of Madrid/Barcelona/Seville things are not that bad. Where I live, Zaragoza, even being a larger city, I find is reasonable. The differences can be quite large. Housing in Madrid is just crazy. Prices are at least double, or more, from where I live. It is the curse of large cities. The US has the same problem with New York, Miami and all of California being just as overpriced. Food here is much less expensive (although that is changing) and public transit is very cheap. I won't even get into the fact that most Spaniards are underpaid and overworked and that may be a factor in where the society is today. Don't get me wrong, I really like Spain, but many days the good is sometimes outweighed by the less than good.

How come you did the video while driving? It was interesting though.

Having lived in Spain for more than 35 years, I do agree with you and your analysis of the cons you have presented. The ones that bother me most are the lack of community feeling/spirit and the economic aspects. It is becoming harder and harder to lead a decent life in Spain but I still love this country and would find it very difficult to move back to Britain or to France which is even more bureaucratic than Spain!!!

Personally I fully respect and understand Spanish people's penchant for sticking to their language and rightfully so - But they're going to be left out of the main stream of Business & global way of the living. My 2 cents FWIW.

The family part I think just revolves around Latin families period. You don’t have to live in Spain to have that issue. My dad is 94 and i still always have the struggle of putting boundaries with him even though he doesn’t even understand my boundary. Lots of Latin families want to control, control and it’s a constant battle. No joke! Thank you Stew for letting us know the good with the bad when it comes to living in Spain.

Stuart, you are absolutely right on! I live in a very small village in the very heart of deep Andalusia... Before Covid I observed more civility. Since Covid folks in general are now much more pedant, and lack even the most basic level of courtesy. Low class, common folks in Andalucia in general live on the surface. They have their inner circles, and those who they grew up with. No one else will becomes a part of that. Very narrow minded folks. I am very independent, and do not need any approval. I do not care for such narrow minds, and surface folks. What I find most disturbing is the amazing extent of mascot waste, garbage, and other refuse all over. This is very common almost every where. Rarely is there a honest clean location in the South. I am an American. Retired US Military. Former adventurer, and survivor. I also detest crowds, and loud stupid people. Spain is not cheap at all. Cheap for those who have extensive finances. Most folks here are actually on the poverty line. Most buy on credit, and take months to pay the full cost. Very few folks here speak English or any other language for that matter. You will find better category of people only when you meet those in the highest social strata. They tend to be truly educated, and speak several languages in good order. My heritage is from Aragon and Basque Country. Living in the South is completely opposite to how I am. But, I make the best of it. I am blessed to be retired. I would not live in Spain if I had to rely on the local economy to live. Spain is a wonderful land plagued with internal issues, corrupt, poor leaders, and a people who choose to be backwards rather that forward. Some folks are exceptional. Not many. Stuart keep up the good work. Chin up and live day by day. That is what I do. Maybe I stay longer. Maybe I move to some other location. Good speed, Mate.

As I've gotten older I've become less tolerant of things that didn't bother me before.Must have thought red tape and waiting lists would eventually be a thing of the past.

Someone woke up in a good mood today 😂😂😂

Stu, I'm planning on retiring soon. Thinking of moving to Spain from California (USA). I speak Spanish, not perfect Castellano, but enough to understand and conversate. Any recommendations on living in the city (Madrid) or the outskirts? I'm projecting my retirement to be around 13,500-15,000 USD a month. Also, do you recommend on purchasing or leasing a vehicle? My other options are Barcelona, Mallorca, or Ibiza... Most of Spain has similar weather as my current home. My goal is to live in Spain 6-7 months a year.. Any recommendations or guidance would be greatly appreciated. CJ.

My myself and my lovely future ex-wife we are considering moving to Vigo in a couple years. We traveled through Spain extensively over the last seven years, and we find the people very very friendly and welcoming.

As a Spaniard I have to confess that the second point made me laugh a lot. And I would like to contextualize to let people understand when we use that expression. "Ir a tu pvt4 bola" we use it when for example you are going against the rest of the majority. Like a fish that swims agains the direction of the rest of fish. For example in an hipothetical world where majority decides to: - Use a very easy, fast, practical, effective and efficient way to measure; but you prefer to use a 800 years old adn archaic system to do it, based in the size of an arm, finger, or even something so random like a barleycorn to determine the size of the shoes. - Like in the example of the fish... you can imagine the same point in that hypothetical world but with roads. - Or the same obviously about the driving sides in the cars. - Or if you decide to join a country party, but you wanna keep having your own money. But all that in a hypothetical world... But yes, remember that are spaniards ,only spaniards and nobody else, who "van a su su bola".

Absolutely true! Great job!!

I feel like the opinions in the video can be said about any country. But i guess what's the reason you want to move there. Retiring in Spain might be more pleasant than working.

Refreshingly honest opinion as always. It’s difficult to find like minded people even in one’s own country, it must be so much more difficult in a foreign country without mixing in an expat community. Traditions, nuances, accents etc all means so much even without us consciously thinking about them. I come from a really tough low income area in the north of England, never had any trouble. Couldn’t say the same for anyone crossing the boundary from neighbouring districts.

The premise of this of this video seems to be don't move to Spain, move to Mars. Where exactly is the paradise where these broad generalizations don't apply? Australia? Give me a break. I suggest mars or Venus.Sure, the cultural aspects of a country different to your own can sometimes be difficult to get used to. It depends what you're looking for, how adaptable you are, where exactly you move to. Besides Spain, I've lived in the Netherlands and several regions of the United States. All had their pros and cons. But the UK now, that's seems to have become one big CON.

Sounding a bit quimado there pal. Have to agree on most points there though. In fairness about half of what you raise is just down to modern life, same in uk and other places. The rest well yeah it sucks, at. Least for me where i live in the south there are more positives to compensate..

One thing I miss is popping round other people's homes. Not every meet-up has to be in a bar.

I loved traveling to Spain over the years and so many people have suggested that I move there. No thank you. Visiting a place and living there are two different things altogether.

😂At the moment, I have been looking into moving to Gijón and just checked rent prices in Terrassa . Have got the shock of my life a 100 square metre flat with 4 bedrooms (quite small) and 1 bathroom, the rent was 1,250€ and not a central area. In the Centre of Terrassa about same type of flat goes for around 2,500€!!! Who can pay that when you are lucky to earn about 1,200€ a month!!! Crazy!!!

Congratulations, you became fully Spaniard; we complain A LOT about our country. Just one comment: enjoying extended family get-togethers is part of the Mediterranean people, so you cannot avoid that. We don't associate in clubs where members share the same hobby as the British, here the social knitting is done with family ties. I think is healthy in some sense, as you have to accept many different types of opinions and people. On the flip side, they will favour anyone in the family before you.

So, in your opinion, where is the better place/country to be?

Dear Stuart, seasons greetings. It's not often I say this about a RU-vid video, but; I literally and wholeheartedly agree with every sentence that you spoke. May I say what an articulate and accurate and fulsome critique of modern day Spain. Couldn't agree more. Its not the sharpest society in the world. But as you say it does have some redeeming feature that attracts people like us. Basically its aways going to beat the UK weather-wise and that I'm afraid for all its ill, this can compesate for alot. Keep up the good work.