My Expat Life in Granada, Spain

There are two types of expats – those who move to another country but retain their current lifestyle and live very much within an expat community as they had back home. Then there are those for whom moving is a chance to embrace a whole new way of life and effectively become a local. Molly Piccavey is definitely the later.

She has spent the last 18 years living in Spain, firstly in Barcelona and now Granada where she is largely welcomed as a local. In this interview Molly shares her experiences of living in Granada, why so many expats move home again and what she feels expats need to consider before moving abroad

You can follow her journey and life in Granada at her blog http://piccavey.com

What I learned from this interview:

Be conscious that moving overseas is not a magic bullet. If you are looking to escape from something then be careful you aren’t taking the problem with you! Molly recommends spending the first period of time in a new culture observing how things are done and adapting to the new lifestyle. You are in someone else’s territory and need to embrace the fact.

Be conscious of exchange rates if relying on income from back home. If you can spread your risk by earning some local income this will definitely help

Be careful buying property.  There is a lot of paperwork to deal with and Molly recommends getting a local helper to ease you through the experience and red tape

Spain is a great environment for families as the Wagoners showed. Family culture is important to the Spanish and they embrace it in everything they do.