Who are you?
My name is David and together with Danya I am responsible for the How To Traveller blog. I am originally from Dublin in Ireland, and Danya is from São Paulo in Brazil.
Where, when and why did you move abroad?
We first moved from Ireland to Malta to live in 2010 and enjoyed some great times there.Then in 2016 we made the move over to Andalucia in the South of Spain, as I had found work in Gibraltar.
What challenges did you face during the move?
There is a certain amount of red tape that has to be endured in order to become a Spanish resident. This involves a lot of filling in documents and tramping around to government offices and is not much fun at all. Luckily Danya speaks fluent Spanish, otherwise it would’ve been twice as difficult.
Are there many other expats in your area?
We live on the Costa del Sol, so there is no shortage of expats in these parts.
What do you like about life where you are?
The weather is a definite plus, and as we live close to a beautiful beach the summers are fantastic. Andalucia is also full of new cities, towns and villages to explore – not to mention some fantastic natural spots – so there is always something to do and somewhere new to explore.
What do you dislike about your expat life?
It would be nice to see more of family and friends from back home, but otherwise we enjoy living in Spain.
What is the biggest cultural difference you have experienced between your new country and life back home?
It is a bit of a cliché, but I have to say that the combination of afternoon siesta and late, late evening meal really stretch out the day here in Spain. I just cannot get used to eating a meal at 10 or 11 at night and I’m not sure that I ever will.
What do you think of the food and drink in your new country? What are your particular likes or dislikes?
I love the tapas culture here in Spain, it’s a great way to try new foods. It has taken me a while to get used to the bread-based Spanish breakfasts, and while they’ll never beat a full Irish fry-up I am slowly being converted.
What advice would you give to anyone following in your footsteps?
Don’t be afraid of something new – moving to a new place will pose some difficulties but no matter how it works out the new experiences will bring more positives than negatives.
What are your plans for the future?
We don’t plan to leave Spain any time soon, we are enjoying it too much over here!
You can keep up to date with David's adventures on his blog, How To Traveller.
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