Why are we moving to spain?

Ready for a Change

Over the past 7-8 months, Chuck and I have been discussing our future plans. In the back of our minds, we’ve always known we would leave DC at some point. We realized in the New Year that we were at a place professionally and financially where a big move would be doable. We’ve also lived a long time in DC. Chuck has been in DC for 40 years, and I have lived here for 30 (which is also how long we’ve been together, not incidentally). So, it felt like the time for somewhere new. But where would we want to move? I am the type of person who, while on vacation, constantly fantasizes about what it would be like to live in the place where we’re  visiting. Some of those places were easier to imagine as retirement locations, so we talked through these places before settling on moving to Spain. 

Some of the Places We Considered 

Throughout my 20s, 30s, and even early 40s, we assumed we would move to Coastal Carolina—perhaps near Charleston, SC, or Wilmington, NC.  However, with the continued radicalization of the GOP and their stranglehold on the South, that idea became increasingly problematic. And, of course, once the area became Trumpified—and we observed the region’s childish and selfish approach towards COVID—the idea of moving there became impossible. 

The second place where we seriously imagined living was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Puerto Vallarta is a great place to live, with amazing beaches, great restaurants, and wonderful culture. It’s also on the same time zone as the Central Zone in the US and quite close to the US, making visits home easy. We could have a really big house there and probably lots of help with gardening and housework. 

But as we researched living there, we discovered that there are some infrastructure issues in Puerto Vallarta that were concerning. People have work arounds for them (generators for black outs, home water tanks when the city water doesn’t run, etc.), but we weren’t sure we wanted to deal with these kinds of problems as we aged in place. In addition, Puerto Vallarta is a tropical environment where in Summer there are swarms of flying termites that decimate wood furniture. If we moved there, we couldn’t take any of the furniture we’ve collected over a lifetime—it would all have to be replaced with local Parota wood. We also thought about the lack of viable public transportation, since I don’t drive and Chuck eventually won’t want to drive. There are buses but they are very crowded and generally not super safe vehicles. Therefore, we would be dependent almost entirely on Uber and taxis. So, Puerto Vallarta became less attractive. 

We also briefly discussed Mexico City, Mexico (earthquakes, endless traffic); Oaxaca, Mexico (earthquakes, too remote); and Medellin and Cartagena, Colombia (airports too small). With the exception of Mexico City, these were never considered for more than a day, and usually seen as great places but not right for us. 

Why Move to Spain?

So, why did we settle on Spain? Well, because it’s Spain. Seriously, though, we both had fantasized about how awesome it would be to live on the Mediterranean or in Madrid every time we visited over the years.

As I go into the detail on what led to our decision, I want to emphasize that while there are some factors about living in the current US that are push factors (pushing us to want to leave)–a stolen and illegitimate Supreme Court dominated by religious fanatics; a country obsessed with guns; a related increase in violence; and Trump and his treasonous, proto-facist minions–the primary reasons we are moving to Spain are significant PULL factors. The first of these is how much we have loved nearly every second we have spent in the country over the years. 

Low Cost of Living

One of the main pull factors of living in Spain is the low cost of living. Madrid is one of the most expensive places to live in Spain and prices there are 48% cheaper than DC. Housing is a whopping 61% cheaper than DC!  This means that we can live better on much less money. In fact, when we told our financial advisor about the idea, he thought it was a great thing for us to be doing. Having a low cost of living is appealing as we look forward to the rest of our lives.

LGBTQIA+ Friendly

An important pull factor is that Spain is a LGBTQIA+ friendly country with some of the most advanced policies in the world. While homophobia exists–and there are definitely conservative traditional Catholics, etc.–Spain’s legal situation for LGBTQIA+ folks is exceptional. We’ve seen the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people in the big cities, and those in smaller towns also report that they are accepted. It is not nirvana–there are instances of discrimination and reports that it can be difficult to get police to take this discrimination seriously–but overall Spain is seen as an accepting place with highly visible communities.

Spanish (Castellano)

Another pull of Spain is the Spanish language (called Castellano in Spain). My Spanish is pretty strong, the result of living in Honduras as an undergraduate, doing the minor field of my PhD in the history of Mexico and Argentina, and taking several years of private tutoring. I’ve worked on the language over several years and so other appealing options (such as the stunning Portuguese city of Lisbon) didn’t make as much sense for us. 

Great Weather

Another big pull is Spain’s weather. We are tired of living someplace cold. DC is mild in comparison to Illinois where I am from or Missouri where Chuck did his graduate work, but it does get cold. We often have extended periods in the 20s, it generally snows a bit every year, and it gets into the teens or colder for several days every year. Spain is much warmer and sunnier than DC. While Madrid is colder than the Mediterranean coast where we will eventually settle, it’s still much warmer than DC. Additionally, Madrid gets 147 more days of sun than DC. 

Great Food

Spanish food is also a major pull factor for us. Considered a part of the Mediterranean diet, Spain’s everyday food culture is unmatched. We are especially excited about the availability of fresh seafood. Madrid has the second largest wholesale seafood market in the world, and that seafood ends up at markets and restaurants all over the city and the country. In Europe, only the Portuguese eat more seafood than the Spanish people. In addition, the seafood at markets on the coast is equally pristine. Fresh produce is also spectacular—for instance, tomatoes are in season from March to November. So, as a committed home cook that’s exciting. 

Good Location in the World

We also thought a lot about Spain’s location in the world. Even if we lived in Mexico City (which doesn’t share Puerto Vallarta’s tropical climate or most of its infrastructure issues) or Medellin or Cartagena, Colombia, we would still be in the Americas. From these countries, nearly all flights to Europe have at least one stop and take a long time. The country is in Europe and basically the middle of much of the world. Once we move to Spain, traveling around Europe will be super easy, and it’s a much shorter flight to Asia or the Middle East, facilitating our desire to continue to experience new countries. 

Mediterranean Beaches

We are also super attracted to living at the beach. While our initial city, Madrid, doesn’t have the beach, Valencia’s gorgeous beaches are 2 hours away by train. Ibiza or Mallorca are a quick flight away. Our plan is to permanently settle directly on the beach, but in the meantime Spain’s beaches are very easy for us to reach from nearly anywhere in the country. 

Public Transportation

Spain’s commitment to public transportation is super strong. The nation has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe, and cities and provinces invest in public transport. Even smaller cities usually have some local metro/train/trams as well as extensive bus routes that are widely used. This infrastructure means that our desire to not necessarily own a car is much easier to realize in Spain. 

Low Crime and Good Gun Laws

Spain also has a very low rate of violent crime. While there is pickpocketing and petty theft, especially in tourist areas, violent crime is rare. People report that they feel comfortable walking home at night by themselves, even in the largest cities such as Madrid.

While the reasons for a low crime rate are multifactor and probably relate to Spain’s communal cultural values, a very important part of the low crime rate is that Spain has sane and rational gun laws. Guns are available for hunting and sport uses; however, teenagers can’t walk into a big box store and buy an AR-15. Basically, the only guns permitted are those appropriate for sport shooting or hunting (with exemptions for those with a heightened need for self-defense, security, or with hobbyist interest). Gun permits are issued only after the potential gun owner passes medical and psychological evaluations and is tested on gun safety. What a concept!

Conclusion and Summary

So, basically we are moving to Spain for these reasons, pretty much in order of importance:

• Ready for a change
• Low cost of living
• LGBTQIA+ friendly, culturally and legally
• One of us has solid foundation in the primary national language
• Great weather
• Great food
• Living in Europe with ease of travel
• Eventually living on the Mediterranean 
• Excellent public transportation, eliminating the need for a car in most places
• Low crime rate
• Good gun laws 

I hope this answers some of the questions our friends and family have about our move. Feel free to reach out through Facebook and Instagram DMs with specific questions. Our next blog post discusses our decision to start our new adventure in Madrid (hint, mainly because it’s Madrid). Check it out here.

We also encourage you to follow our new Instagram account dedicated to this adventure, @ourspain.life.