Wow! Time flies! Its been 3 months since we relocated from the UK to Malaga in Spain and I wanted to write a post to note down the experience and journey we have had so far!
Early November 2021 Miguel had a meeting at work with a senior member of staff, and there was a suggestion that David Lloyd was acquiring 3 clubs in Spain, and Miguel had been put forward as a possible candidate to relocate and help with the integration of the old and new businesses. We were asked where we would choose to relocate to out of Zaragoza, Barcelona and Malaga and we knew it would be Malaga, for obvious reasons!
Knowing there was a chance we would move, we started the process of selling lots of our stuff on FB Marketplace and getting out of the contract of our flat rental 6 months early ( we were only in a 12 month contract for 6 months at that point!) Miguel had to terminate the contract on his car aswell and I had to hand in my notice as a PT at DL Brooklands and notify all my clients. This was BEFORE it was 100% confirmed!
We also thought it was a good idea to be officially married before we moved, and we had already started the process at the registry office. Luckily there was a cancellation on 24 November, otherwise the next appointment wasn't until February, so although neither of my sisters could make it we decided to go ahead and marry with my parents as witnesses.
So we got married very quickly and quietly, and the luckily on 14 December we had the confirmation that we could move on 7 January!!
We booked flights (8 pieces of luggage was the max we could take!) and booked an AIRBNB right next to the club where Miguel was going to be working. We expected to only stay in that AIRBNB for 1 week, and in that week, find a nice place to rent for the next 12 months.
So we landed on Saturday 8 January and at much excitement at the sun and prettiness of Pedregalejo we checked into the AIRBNB. We enjoyed the first weekend, looking around, eating esparto on the beach, lots of fish and went into Malaga town for a nice dinner.
The next week we dedicated to finding a place, only we could never have guessed how difficult it would be. The listings on the rental websites were all old and outdated, and speaking to the agents (luckily Miguel is Spanish because communicating with them in English would have been a nightmare) they said there were barely any properties available and the good ones were being snapped up immediately. We saw a couple of crappy flats, and then we saw a really nice 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom overlooking the sea and with a community pool.
Super excited, we let the agent know immediately that we wanted it. The agent asked us to send over some employment information which we didn't have seeing as we have worked in the UK and not Spain, but we sent over alternatives and Miguel's dad as a guarantor. This was Wednesday afternoon and we were supposed to be moving out the AIRBNB on Saturday.
We chased Friday & Saturday, and apparently we had competition for others who also wanted the flat, so the paperwork was with a lawyer. Friday afternoon we had another couple of viewings, the final one Miguel only as I was busy, and Miguel said the final flat, in an area called El Limner, was perfect, much cheaper than the other one and right on the beach. Only problem was we couldn't move in until 1st Feb.
So we extended the AIRBNB for another 2 weeks and signed the contract for this flat, that I hadn't yet seen, to move in start of Feb :) so we were in a tiny studio flat for 3 weeks with all our stuff in bags!
I was working from home in a remote sales project in real estate at the time. Even though I had moved countries, I was still the best sales person in the company and smashing my targets. Coming to the end of January when we were just about to move, this contract came to an abrupt and hostile end. I was very upset at the manner in which it was handled, and it left me without this stream of income, just after moving country and 5 months before our big wedding. Nice. Luckily they paid me my final cheque and a big fat sales commission for being the best in the company!
Anyway that weekend we moved into our new flat and I felt we could finally start settling down. The weather was great, Miguel's job was going well, we even had a lovely cocktail party with all of the senior managers and the Spanish team which I was invited to. Although barely any of the Spanish team spoke English, it was going quite smoothly.
February we visited Firigliana, Nerha, Torox, Marbella and we enjoyed the nice Feb weather. I decided to get into FOREX trading with Arise Academy, and so spent all my time training in the gym, organising the wedding, and learning how to trade. It was going well and I had doubled my initial investment, until Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February and the market went crazy and I lost my entire account in one day.
I was trying to figure out how to gain my National Insurance number equivalent in Spain, so I would be 'legal' as a resident. The information available on the internet is quite unclear, although I found one helpful blog which informed me I needed to book an appointment at the police station in Malaga to get my NIE number. You need this number for everything, including collecting parcels from the post office, so I was keen to get it. I booked my appointment, paid a fee, and prepared all the paperwork (completing a form and taking photocopies of every page of my passport.)
I went home to the UK for a week, sorted out a lot of wedding stuff (bought bridesmaid dresses, veil, tiara etc) and enjoyed speaking English and hearing English again for a few days :) I didn't realise but Malaga, versus Marbella, is a very local place, not many people speak English. So I have to get used to hearing only Spanish and speaking Spanish everywhere I go - and learning is an absolute priority!
Came back and turned up at the police station for my NIE appointment, only to wait an hour and then be told in very bad English that, as I was living in Spain as a woman married to a Spanish national I had to get residency, not an NIE. That is a lot more complicated, and we have actually hired an immigration lawyer to help get the residency, and paid 300 euros, as again there is no clear direction online about how to do it. So we have now sent our marriage certificates which has to be sent to the UK to get an 'apostille stamp'. We have provided my passport photocopies again, Miguel's proof of salary and DNI number. My parents full names also. That process is now underway :)
Miguel then had his surprise stag do, his friends turned up and 'kidnapped' him and took him to Grenada to party. We then had really crazy bad sand storms, where the entire Sahara desert seemed to rain down on Malaga. Then my parents visited for a week - they drove through France and Spain to reach us in the car. Unfortunately when they were here, we had another sandstorm and a lot of rain :( so it seems like March and April are the worst weather months here.
In the background, the Russia war has made trading extremely volatile, so am still learning that, and figuring it out. I am learning HFX (high frequency trading) and figuring out a fail proof system to teach others who want to get involved.
Anyway, 3 months in, lessons are to prioritise learning Spanish, and continuing to prepare for our wedding and honeymoon! It's all fun and games, up and down, and has been surprisingly stressful, probably the toughest 3 months of my life so far. But all worth it, especially for Miguel to be working an amazing job in his home country and for our family lifestyle.
