Three ways to make your move to Spain a permanent one

You arrive in Spain mainly from the plane, but you don't have to return before you're ready

Recent research by visa experts Global Visas has revealed that more and more Brits are looking to move abroad – but 33 per cent of them end up returning earlier than planned.

In 2012, the company processed 257,389 applications from Brits hoping to flee the UK for a new life overseas: a figure that was up from 223,042 in 2011. When polled as to why they wanted to leave, the most popular reasons given were the weather – particularly after the UK’s wettest summer and chilliest spring on record last year – and the lack of good job opportunities…

“The bad weather, combined with a lack of jobs, has prompted an increase in the number of requests for visa applications to our UK office,” Gary Smith, Global Visas’ sales and marketing director told the Telegraph. “People are currently looking to move overseas for brighter career prospects, better living conditions and quality of life.”

Yet despite the increased exodus, the company has found that nearly a third of all expats are forced – or decide – to move back to the UK earlier than planned. Of those polled, the top five reasons cited for moving back were financial difficulties (62 per cent of those polled), homesickness (47 per cent), cultural differences (44 per cent), visa expiration (39 per cent) and lack of social interaction (27 per cent).

Now, if we take that top five and apply it to expat life in Spain, there are three points we can draw upon (visa expiration isn’t a concern for EU citizens in Spain, and lack of social interaction can be explained away by cultural differences, so two become one).

So if you are planning on moving to Spain or already live there, here are three ways to make the move permanent…

1. Secure your finances
Way easier said than done, of course. But the stats don’t lie: lack of financial security is by far the main reason for people to return home. It is also the toughest to reconcile, too. If you really are homesick, then returning home isn’t so much of a problem. But having to flee because you’ve run into financial difficulty is a tough pill to swallow.

Now, there is no elixir here for economic prosperity. The only advice is something you will have heard before, and it’s boringly pragmatic, too: don’t take a financial leap of faith and move over without a coherent plan. This could be anything – a lottery win, an inheritance, a solid job or pension – but gone are the days of packing it all in for a life in the sun and not a care in the world. Unemployment in Spain is notoriously high, so jobs are hard to come by. If you’ve a transferable and desirable skill and can speak the language, your chances of sticking around are far higher.

2. Remember why you wanted to leave
Homesickness can strike at the strangest of moments. I remember once sunbathing in the height of August on a Marbella beach – sweating from the heat, sipping a San Miguel to cool down, watching a procession of happy families frolic and play in the surf – when I was struck with an unexpected pang of homesickness. I missed the chill in the air, the soft grass and drizzle of late-UK summertime.

It passed as quickly as it arrived, but it struck me: even a fully-fledged Hispanophile like me is susceptible to homesickness. It will happen. You just have to try to remember why you left in the first place.

3. Accept local customs
Fitting into a new culture is never easy, but if there’s one that makes it as simple as possible it’s Spanish culture. Sure, you’ll have to drag yourself from your comfort zone, learn a few new phrases, adjust your body clock and widen (in some places, quite literally) your palate… but it’s all worth it.

Problems 1 and 2 will be greatly diminished if you can master this one. Again, there’s no quick fix to this, you just have to dive in and go with the flow. You won’t regret it: that, I can promise you.