Swapping Stockport for sunny Spain eighteen months ago was a leap of faith that paid off for expat Mark Danby – but he admits that when he returns to the UK for a visit, he realises what he's been missing.
Three Things He Misses
Pubs
One thing Mark really misses is the classic British pub. 'Every time I go back, the first thing I want to do is go into a pub and have a pint of beer,' he said. Although Wetherspoons recently opened its first pub in Spain, in Alicante Airport, it's not quite the same.
British Food
Mark also misses good fish and chips. 'You can't get good fish and chips here... maybe if you go to Gibraltar, I've had some decent fish and chips, but you can't get fish and chips round here that are decent. Fish and chips, steak pie and chips, stuff like that,' he explained.
Family
Of course, Mark doesn't see as much of his family as he'd like, although his 29-year-old son is also planning to relocate to the Costa del Sol.
Life in Spain
Mark moved to Spain on a digital nomad visa, allowing him to work remotely for a UK company. He says, 'You can work, but you can't work for a Spanish company... So I can do remote work and so can my son. We can be located out here, and we're not taking any Spanish person's job away from them.'
In his YouTube channel Tapas Guy, he reflects on how change becomes harder with age, but he has embraced the Spanish lifestyle. He prefers the Spanish winter to the scorching summer, when he has to walk his dog early in the morning or after sunset. 'You live your life in the evenings and late at night,' he notes.
Language and Bureaucracy
Despite embracing Spanish culture, Mark admits he hasn't learned much of the language. 'To be honest, you don't really need it on the Costa del Sol, because everybody speaks English,' he said. Bureaucracy can be tricky, but aspects like buying a house or insuring a car are simpler than expected.
Mark has no plans to return to the UK permanently. 'I'm not planning on coming back, but you never know what life's going to throw at you,' he concluded.
