“We are going to squeeze as much out of this life as we possibly can!” Great quote. It reminds me of a quote by Tupac Shakur, “It’s the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they’re gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it’s my turn to leave.” We head out for our travels in a year. Maybe our paths will cross in the road. Best wishes.
Sounds to me like a good plan to have a bricks & sticks base, especially as no one is getting any younger! I bought my wee place in Albir on the Alicante coast 20 years ago & it was always my plan to eventually retire there until Brexit knocked that on the head. Now my plan is winter in Thailand, spring & autumn in Spain & summers here in Scotland - there is no shame in changing plans, the shame would be sticking rigidly to plans that no longer work for you! I wish you both so much luck & happiness in your new life plans & looking forward to following your new adventures.
You are British citizens, you don't have to lose your citizenship to become EU resident, & that will bring you more freedom regarding the time you choose to spend in Europe. I'm not aware of the fiscal obligations -if any- doing so, but it's something to consider (I have double citizenship & I love it)
Hi Neil and Sarah, some advice on language learning from someone who speaks quite a few. (1) you are never too old! In fact, it is a great way of keeping your brain active as you age. (2) any language teaching experience you have had in school is a joke (like learning tennis by only watching youtube videos). (3) there is only one grammar rule: it is that way because that is the way they say it! (4) get primal! That is you have needs and find the words that satisfy those (think of the GI on a Nato base in Germany and what words he might be learning when he goes off on a weekend leave! Ok your needs might be different). See every restaurant, store, tourist... site as an opportunity to practice those words. You will then find you are missing some very handy words so go and learn a couple more words so that you can get out full sentences. (5) really work on your pronunciation e.g. if you are having issues with certain words or pronunciations, practice them in the shower and even exaggerate as if you are trying to be comical! The locals won't take you seriously if you butcher their language or think you can speak Spanish with an English accent (Scottish works much better!). (6) don't think in English and then translate in your head to Spanish. That will only get you to a level of sophistication that is your competency in your own language when you only have the very basics in Spanish - therefore use the few words you have in Spanish and build from there and of course have faith, you will get there! Cheers, Rod from Honolulu PS Be a person of many words like me who writes and talks too much - great for learning languages!
I drove from Lisbon to Toulouse and ultimately made a complete trip around the perimeter of Iberia. I loved to lose it’s a beautiful city and I would go back for sure.
We have two cars (one of those stories...) in UK and looking to buy in Spain too plus traveling the world. Trying to figure out where to store our cars right now -- next February start date. I like your idea of renting out privately so perhaps Tom could start a biz:) And I'm still bitter about Brexit!
You did great on pronouncing my last name! I'm in Sonoma County, about an hour north of San Francisco, so it's a perfect location for house swapping. I'm considering swapping when I retire. I'm excited to see the TV show when it airs. Is it International House Hunters? Do you have any idea when it'll air? I'm excited to see the Ireland videos! 🎉
My parents did same thing. Setting around just watching tv. Once in awhile do the typical things for shopping. I was horrified watching them just piss there remaining life away. On the other hand if that truly made them happy who I’m I to say they didn’t do it right. I personally think they were scared to do anything other than that so they never tried to. The more they just set around watching tv the more they became intrenched into that life style. I’m not far from my retirement and I don’t plan on doing it the way they did it.
I have watched travel videos for many years now and am disappointed that I am just now hearing about the uncomfortable beds. Maybe I have not been paying attention. Warren and Julie talked about it. Julie says she almost quit at one point because of the bad beds. Their solution was to buy a mattress pad. Well that is great for them, because they have a car. But what about the single person with no car? How does that work? Have you been doing the same thing? Buying mattress pads? I was hoping to travel more, but frankly I don't know at this point. If I can't sleep because of a hard bed, my days pretty much suck. When I was traveling for work I found out pretty quick if I could stay in a hotel or not. And when I went to Panama on a holiday I found the beds there were pretty bad. I stayed in 5 different places and only one had a decent bed (on the last night I was there) and it was a big hotel. Sorry, I had to say this right after you briefly mentioned the bed.
I have to tell you, as someone who spends most of their time in the San Francisco Bay Area, it always blows my mind when I hear that there is a place that you just need to demonstrate that you have $36k a year to be able to stay. Likewise, I cannot even imagine that there is a place that you could buy a house for $100k outside of SE Asia. (Yes, the Bay Area is a ripoff... but still....). It does give me a huge degree of relief that there are actually decent western alternatives out there for residence.
Curious about how you do all your paperwork in Spanish? Does someone translate for you? What if you miss some important detail? Examples might be: 1. Your utility company says “power off for 3 days” but it will be all in Spanish. How do you know this? I’m sure you wouldn’t have a lawyer translate all of your correspondence with the utility company - so then anything in the freezer (or wherever) might be affected - even the security would be affected. OR. 2. Your condo/community finds out that some critter (e.g. cockroach or squirrel) is climbing in thru the radiators (I acknowledge that this is a weird example, but work with me) how would you know this if the correspondence is in Spanish? They might send something like “how to protect your home from these critters” and you may just discard it. Do they offer correspondence in two languages (e.g. English and Spanish). OR 3. Spate of crime in area - this may come in Spanish from your community newsletter. Would someone be translating this for you? And I know you may see a bad guy robber in your home thru your security camera, but what would you actually do about it?
I'm feeling worried for you 2. Each move looses money- selling the home (although you may have done ok with this), buying the rv, selling the rv, buying a home in Spain. Normally I'm very supportive of people and say each of can do our own thing, but what you are doing worries me. The ranks of elderly among the homeless population is increasing. Good luck to you both and us all 😊✨
This was a fun watch. Sad to hear your feline friend has vanished. Hopefully they’ll make a reappearance. Totally get that you’re not able to get one of your own, but house sitting sounds like a good compromise. Do you have an air date for your tv show? Did I miss that?
Most people who try full-time travel slow down after a few years, After you've been to lots of countries, having a home base makes sense even if you're only there for a few months at a time. I've been to 40 countries since 1990, and now there aren't many places left on my short list. I decided to keep my place in the US and travel half the year so I don't need to deal with residency visas, tax, foreign banking and other issues. You can do both on a budget!
That was fun guys! I feel like we've taken inspiration from each other over the last few years. You left on your travels while we were just finishing up with our house and stuff and we watched you enviously. Over the years we've been travelling full time, we bought a camper van and a condo in Mexico to live in the winter (we're Canadian). We housesit at home and internationally as well! We even have a tiny TH-cam channel to document this wonderful life. I will say though that it is very nice to have a little base to land. Congratulations!
Good in practice but sometimes you do get divorced and lose absolutely everything.. going from mortgage free to renting a room in a house@rebeccagreen692
Great video. We bought in your area 3 years ago and were doing 2x 3 months in Spain and 2x3 months in Turkey coz. Over the last year we’ve done the Balkans and SE Asia Did briefly consider applying for a NLV but decided against it and gonna do 6 months in Spain and 6 months in none Schengen We love the area you’re in as there’s so many options 😃😎🍻 🍷
It’s funny, because since I saw some if your Spain-Adventures it’s in my mind to further check out Spain. I plan to retire in about 2 years and I think I could like it. And yes, an airport has to be definitely near by. 😁
I would be interested to know what you do about health /travel insurance for when you are at home in Spain or travelling. Do you purchase travel insurance in the UK if so who with? We travel a lot but are only able to get 90 days travel covered at a time from the UK. Also how does your house insurance cover your house in Spain when it us not occupied? We are thinking of doing something similar to you so this info would be really helpful to us. Thanks mike
Hi guys. I’m sorry but I’m not very good at understanding British English. What did you buy? I hear “butt hole” but I’m sure that isn’t what your saying😅
Can tax residency in the UK be maintained if only there for 1 month per year? Does the HMRC Statutory Residence Test (SRT) only apply if trying to get out of the UK tax system? Cheers
Almost exactly that. I use to think that if need to prove my uk citizenship but conversely is about proving that you DON'T need to pay Tax in the UK. So we're all good.
Hiding the purchase of a house in Spain when you were claiming to be "travelling the World" and living off the proceeds. One of the issues guys is this for me. You come across as valuing authenticity. But you concealed this for a year?
We did and also explained why. We have been going to surprise our viewers with the news of the TV programme as we were told it would have been aired long before now. We were hoping for this to be fun and exciting for our viewers. Given the delay in the release of the TV programme, we thought that we should let you all know now. If that feels inauthentic to you then we're sorry. Not sure how we could have handled it better though given the circumstances. Understand if you choose to avoid or videos in future. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Yes to the live stream. Yes to all videos. Looking forward to all of it. Congrats on the house.
Thanks for answering my question! I think this sounds like a great idea. 🙂
“We are going to squeeze as much out of this life as we possibly can!” Great quote. It reminds me of a quote by Tupac Shakur, “It’s the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they’re gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it’s my turn to leave.” We head out for our travels in a year. Maybe our paths will cross in the road. Best wishes.
What a great video. So meny new aspects and ideas about life in Spain for me. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds to me like a good plan to have a bricks & sticks base, especially as no one is getting any younger! I bought my wee place in Albir on the Alicante coast 20 years ago & it was always my plan to eventually retire there until Brexit knocked that on the head. Now my plan is winter in Thailand, spring & autumn in Spain & summers here in Scotland - there is no shame in changing plans, the shame would be sticking rigidly to plans that no longer work for you! I wish you both so much luck & happiness in your new life plans & looking forward to following your new adventures.
travelling full time is hard work and the novelty can wear off, at retirement we really need a home to return while travelling extensively
You are British citizens, you don't have to lose your citizenship to become EU resident, & that will bring you more freedom regarding the time you choose to spend in Europe. I'm not aware of the fiscal obligations -if any- doing so, but it's something to consider (I have double citizenship & I love it)
Hi Neil and Sarah, loving your video. Snowy,Sam and snowy say hello 🐱🐾🐕🦺
Hi Neil and Sarah, some advice on language learning from someone who speaks quite a few. (1) you are never too old! In fact, it is a great way of keeping your brain active as you age. (2) any language teaching experience you have had in school is a joke (like learning tennis by only watching youtube videos). (3) there is only one grammar rule: it is that way because that is the way they say it! (4) get primal! That is you have needs and find the words that satisfy those (think of the GI on a Nato base in Germany and what words he might be learning when he goes off on a weekend leave! Ok your needs might be different). See every restaurant, store, tourist... site as an opportunity to practice those words. You will then find you are missing some very handy words so go and learn a couple more words so that you can get out full sentences. (5) really work on your pronunciation e.g. if you are having issues with certain words or pronunciations, practice them in the shower and even exaggerate as if you are trying to be comical! The locals won't take you seriously if you butcher their language or think you can speak Spanish with an English accent (Scottish works much better!). (6) don't think in English and then translate in your head to Spanish. That will only get you to a level of sophistication that is your competency in your own language when you only have the very basics in Spanish - therefore use the few words you have in Spanish and build from there and of course have faith, you will get there! Cheers, Rod from Honolulu
PS Be a person of many words like me who writes and talks too much - great for learning languages!
I drove from Lisbon to Toulouse and ultimately made a complete trip around the perimeter of Iberia. I loved to lose it’s a beautiful city and I would go back for sure.
We have two cars (one of those stories...) in UK and looking to buy in Spain too plus traveling the world. Trying to figure out where to store our cars right now -- next February start date. I like your idea of renting out privately so perhaps Tom could start a biz:) And I'm still bitter about Brexit!
You did great on pronouncing my last name!
I'm in Sonoma County, about an hour north of San Francisco, so it's a perfect location for house swapping. I'm considering swapping when I retire.
I'm excited to see the TV show when it airs. Is it International House Hunters? Do you have any idea when it'll air?
I'm excited to see the Ireland videos! 🎉
My parents did same thing. Setting around just watching tv. Once in awhile do the typical things for shopping. I was horrified watching them just piss there remaining life away. On the other hand if that truly made them happy who I’m I to say they didn’t do it right. I personally think they were scared to do anything other than that so they never tried to. The more they just set around watching tv the more they became intrenched into that life style. I’m not far from my retirement and I don’t plan on doing it the way they did it.
I have watched travel videos for many years now and am disappointed that I am just now hearing about the uncomfortable beds. Maybe I have not been paying attention. Warren and Julie talked about it. Julie says she almost quit at one point because of the bad beds. Their solution was to buy a mattress pad. Well that is great for them, because they have a car. But what about the single person with no car? How does that work? Have you been doing the same thing? Buying mattress pads? I was hoping to travel more, but frankly I don't know at this point. If I can't sleep because of a hard bed, my days pretty much suck. When I was traveling for work I found out pretty quick if I could stay in a hotel or not. And when I went to Panama on a holiday I found the beds there were pretty bad. I stayed in 5 different places and only one had a decent bed (on the last night I was there) and it was a big hotel. Sorry, I had to say this right after you briefly mentioned the bed.
I have to tell you, as someone who spends most of their time in the San Francisco Bay Area, it always blows my mind when I hear that there is a place that you just need to demonstrate that you have $36k a year to be able to stay. Likewise, I cannot even imagine that there is a place that you could buy a house for $100k outside of SE Asia. (Yes, the Bay Area is a ripoff... but still....). It does give me a huge degree of relief that there are actually decent western alternatives out there for residence.
How much is this house rented for?
Fantastic Q&A. Thanks for going into all the details to answer my question. Look forward to the follow-up videos.
Ireland citizens can go and live anywhere in the EU without a visa.
Curious about how you do all your paperwork in Spanish? Does someone translate for you? What if you miss some important detail? Examples might be: 1. Your utility company says “power off for 3 days” but it will be all in Spanish. How do you know this? I’m sure you wouldn’t have a lawyer translate all of your correspondence with the utility company - so then anything in the freezer (or wherever) might be affected - even the security would be affected. OR. 2. Your condo/community finds out that some critter (e.g. cockroach or squirrel) is climbing in thru the radiators (I acknowledge that this is a weird example, but work with me) how would you know this if the correspondence is in Spanish? They might send something like “how to protect your home from these critters” and you may just discard it. Do they offer correspondence in two languages (e.g. English and Spanish). OR 3. Spate of crime in area - this may come in Spanish from your community newsletter. Would someone be translating this for you? And I know you may see a bad guy robber in your home thru your security camera, but what would you actually do about it?
I'm feeling worried for you 2. Each move looses money- selling the home (although you may have done ok with this), buying the rv, selling the rv, buying a home in Spain. Normally I'm very supportive of people and say each of can do our own thing, but what you are doing worries me. The ranks of elderly among the homeless population is increasing. Good luck to you both and us all 😊✨
Thank you, Neil and Sarah! Very interesting. We can't wait for the TV program on the house. We really love your more relaxed take!❤
This was a fun watch. Sad to hear your feline friend has vanished. Hopefully they’ll make a reappearance. Totally get that you’re not able to get one of your own, but house sitting sounds like a good compromise. Do you have an air date for your tv show? Did I miss that?
I'm so excited for you. Spain is so beautiful.
Being a money guy I guess you figured out risk reward in terms of timing your house purchase, I did hear they had peaked, or???
Most people who try full-time travel slow down after a few years, After you've been to lots of countries, having a home base makes sense even if you're only there for a few months at a time. I've been to 40 countries since 1990, and now there aren't many places left on my short list. I decided to keep my place in the US and travel half the year so I don't need to deal with residency visas, tax, foreign banking and other issues. You can do both on a budget!
And yes, a livestream here would be great!
That was fun guys! I feel like we've taken inspiration from each other over the last few years. You left on your travels while we were just finishing up with our house and stuff and we watched you enviously. Over the years we've been travelling full time, we bought a camper van and a condo in Mexico to live in the winter (we're Canadian). We housesit at home and internationally as well! We even have a tiny TH-cam channel to document this wonderful life. I will say though that it is very nice to have a little base to land. Congratulations!
We were saying that we wouldn't get divorced either after retirement. It would undo a lot of good financial planning 😂
Good in practice but sometimes you do get divorced and lose absolutely everything.. going from mortgage free to renting a room in a house@rebeccagreen692
Great video. We bought in your area 3 years ago and were doing 2x 3 months in Spain and 2x3 months in Turkey coz. Over the last year we’ve done the Balkans and SE Asia
Did briefly consider applying for a NLV but decided against it and gonna do 6 months in Spain and 6 months in none Schengen
We love the area you’re in as there’s so many options 😃😎🍻 🍷
Does buying the house in Spain cut your 10 year journey short?
Faaaar from it. It enables us to travel longer, with a Basecamp too come back to from time to time.
Congratulations to your new home! If you plan to leave your bolt hole empty for 6 months, how easy is it to get a house and home insurance in Spain?
I'm really interested in watching this TV show you are in!
Great news! Would be good to get a new home tour plus info on the numbers 😀👍
Once the TV show airs, we'll share all.
It’s funny, because since I saw some if your Spain-Adventures it’s in my mind to further check out Spain. I plan to retire in about 2 years and I think I could like it. And yes, an airport has to be definitely near by. 😁
I would be interested to know what you do about health /travel insurance for when you are at home in Spain or travelling. Do you purchase travel insurance in the UK if so who with?
We travel a lot but are only able to get 90 days travel covered at a time from the UK.
Also how does your house insurance cover your house in Spain when it us not occupied?
We are thinking of doing something similar to you so this info would be really helpful to us. Thanks mike
Hi guys. I’m sorry but I’m not very good at understanding British English. What did you buy? I hear “butt hole” but I’m sure that isn’t what your saying😅
Bolt hole. Slang for a place to crash, not really a home to settle down, just a place to hang out and relax.
Can tax residency in the UK be maintained if only there for 1 month per year? Does the HMRC Statutory Residence Test (SRT) only apply if trying to get out of the UK tax system? Cheers
Almost exactly that. I use to think that if need to prove my uk citizenship but conversely is about proving that you DON'T need to pay Tax in the UK. So we're all good.
Make sure the lawyer is NOT in cahoots with the realtor !! 😅that’s a favourite in Spain and Mexico
Im in the rockies. Lol. Bozeman montana. 90 miles from yellowstone. Maybe some time in the future we can talk about house swapping.
So as a home buyer and not a resident, can u buy a car?
How do u stay tax resident in the uk if your going to be in Spain more than uk?
Hiding the purchase of a house in Spain when you were claiming to be "travelling the World" and living off the proceeds.
One of the issues guys is this for me. You come across as valuing authenticity. But you concealed this for a year?
We did and also explained why. We have been going to surprise our viewers with the news of the TV programme as we were told it would have been aired long before now. We were hoping for this to be fun and exciting for our viewers. Given the delay in the release of the TV programme, we thought that we should let you all know now.
If that feels inauthentic to you then we're sorry. Not sure how we could have handled it better though given the circumstances.
Understand if you choose to avoid or videos in future.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah