Just checking in to say hi! And…to tell you how amazed (and jealous) I am of your adventure… and to say I enjoy your writing…and ESPECIALLY to say you have some awesome photos!!!
The one on the slope in Morocco is a absolutely beautiful terrain!!! Another of spice bowls and jars behind is captivating.
OK, all the fun places you’ve been and the kids shots too are wonderful.
Bruce, So fun to hear from you! Thanks for commenting; it’s great to know who’s reading and enjoying Travel and Travails. Hope you are well and the Windy City still treating you right. ~ Dee
Dee, Thank you so much for your two nominations at darngooddigs.com!! We just posted your review of the Gamirasu Cave Hotel on our blog as part of our travel writer and blogger series. (I hope that’s ok with you!) The hotel truly looks extraordinary! We plan to post your review on our main site, as well of your nomination of the Riad Diana soon. Please let us know if you want us to make any changes.
Thanks for the post on your website, which is a great resource by the way! I wish I had known about you a year ago when I was looking for darn good digs at a reasonable price. I’ll use you in the future though!
Hello, my name is Anne Mounsey, and I am a friend of the Wiltens. Our kids go to school together in Denver. We are moving to Madrid this summer for one year with our 3 children. Caroline and Tom suggested I contact you, particularly about visa travails, which we are presently experiencing.
Hi Dee – I’ve run Dave’s Travel Corner for a number of years, http://www.davestravelcorner.com and I was wondering if you have some time to check my site out and if you like what you see, perhaps you could add a link back in your “Resources” section.
I have already added your site under my Resources >> Blogs of Travel section.
Hi Dee. I’m a writer with the Christian Science Monitor newspaper http://www.csmonitor.com), doing a story about families who have left their normal lives behind for a while to travel, educate themselves and/or do service work. You and your family sound like perfect candidates for this story. I’d love to interview you for it. If you’re game, could you contact me via email: ezimmerman@sbcglobal.net or phone: 619-582-2192? Look forward to hearing from you. Best, Eilene
We are thinking of doing EXACTLY this kind of thing. Probably not for one to two years. Currently our children are seven and five. I was curious id you could give me some info on Visas and such. How do you live abroad for a year? What did you think of the schools in Spain?
I highly recommend it! If we do it again, hopefully someday, I think 6 months would be a good amount of time. One year was too little (and too long) and two years would be great to really immerse.
Our daughters went to an international British school for about six months. It was a positive experience. Our oldest daughter built a strong foundation in Spanish and has continued it back here at home. Our youngest didn’t pick it up though; most of their school day was in English, and she’ll tell you she learned British! =)
Happy to answer any specific questions and strongly encourage you to make it happen!
I read about you guys deciding to live en Espana para un rato in the “Christian Science Monitor magazine.” It really fascinated me because living here in southern California I learned some Spanish and I always dreamed of going to Barcelona. Maybe sometime I can.
In the original edition of “Clutter’s Last Stand.” the author tells about, I think it was his wife’s parents decided to “Chuck-it-all” and went to Alaska to live for about 10 years.
A few years ago my son and I went to Joshua Tree national Monument for a few days. My boss asked when I got back if I had “found” myself. Some people go out to the desert to “find” themselves. I didn’t but I told her that I did find myself – Lost! Fortunately I had my (doubting) Thomas mapbook of Riverside county so I could find myself getting back.
Hi Dee Very interested to read your article. I am searching for the best area to live in Spain. I have recently visited Barcelona and loved it though Im not sure there are many expats lving there and it is very expensive. I dont like the south as there are too many brits! I have a working knowledge of spanish and would like to use it. Are you happy living in Javea? Are there expats there? I know that it can be isolating living in spain even if you do speak the lingo. Just looking for a happy medium really. Would appreciate your advice regards gail
Hi Gail, We did enjoy Javea, particularly for its beautiful outdoor scenery, both mountains and sea. There are quite a few expats who live there, though much less than on the Costa del Sol, and we found, while mostly British, also German, Russian and Dutch. You can find Spanish speakers or English speakers and the locals also speak Valenciano. Denia is on the other side of the Montgo, much larger and a more working Spanish community vs. a resort village like Javea. I also really enjoyed Valencia if you’re interested in a city experience. Best of luck! ~ Dee
Hi Dee, Congratulations for your blog, it has lot’s of good information. My family is planing to live one year in Spain and we are considering the costa del sol region, we are still on the first researches. Could you tell me about Spanish schools, I want my daughters to master Spanish while they are there. Also, do you have any Realtor to recommend, not sure how to find place to rent. Thank you!
Hola Maria, Glad you find Travel and Travails helpful! We focused on towns that also had international schools just in case something with the local schools didn’t work out. And that was good, because we discovered that the town we chose to live in, the locals schools taught in Valenciano, a regional language, not Spanish! So we were happy to have the international school option, where the kids had a Spanish lesson every day and also a class taught in Spanish, usually PE. We also enrolled our daughters in the local recreation center sports classes which were almost all local kids and Spanish coaches.
The requirements for Spanish schools, once you have your visa, are: Your child’s birth certificate or passport (original and photocopy), with an official Spanish translation (if necessary) and the parents’ passports (originals and photocopies). Proof of immunization. Proof of residence (empadronamiento) from your town hall (ayuntamiento). Two passport-sized photographs (for a student identity card and school records).
We didn’t use a realtor. Just type the town and rental apartments or “long-term lets” into Google and a ton of options will come up. If you know Spanish, search in Spanish for more “local” options vs. tourist options.
Hi. I was referred to your site by a friend. I am planning to travel to San Sebastian Spain in the spring and spend a couple of months there as a base for exploration. How may I proceed to obtain information from you?
Have you heard a book “Moving to Spain”. I was told it is a Moon Publication. Would it be valuable to hunt down?
How is your camino preparation going? There is so much information on the internet I hope you are able to get through it. You will have an amazing experience and I cant wait to see your posts.
We are getting nearer our departure for a year in Spain and I had a question about the plane ticket. Since we are departing for a year and we have to have a ticket to get the visa approved- what ticket did you get? Did you buy a plane ticket for as far out as you could and pay change fees? do they still sell an open-ended ticket and does that work? We are hoping to leave in August for the following year in Spain.
Hi Dee, my family and I are moving from Ireland to Javea in June. We have sold our house and are currently looking for a rental property near the international schools. My children are 11 and 13. Would love to hear your views and any advice you can offer about Javea would be gratefully received!
@ Yvonne, Congratulations on your move to Javea! Here is a link to a home that will consider long lets and is managed by the woman we met in Javea and leased our villa from, http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/javea/123939 While this may or may not be what you’re looking for, Caroline might have other suggestions for long-lets.
Which international school will your children attend? The Lady Elizabeth Senior School is actually not in or near Javea, maybe a 45 minute drive from the center of town. There is a bus for the students though or perhaps carpooling options. The XIC senior school is near the arenal, or at least it used to be! We have friends who moved their kids to XIC because the commute to Lady Elizabeth was just too long. I think both are good schools. Lady Elizabeth is more British in flavor, and we thought XIC a little more international.
Let me know what questions you have about Javea. It’s a great little town! We’re actually visiting again this summer.
@ Katie, I’m getting excited for our Camino and think I have my bag all packed… about 15lbs so hopefully not too bad!
If you plan to leave this August, I recommendation you get your appointments with the Consulate now, they fill up quickly over the summer months with the students. Overkill on financial information is always good, and if you know ANYONE in Spain ask them to write a letter of “recommendation”. Be prepared to have challenges getting fingerprint criminal background report quickly and know that now you also have to have that certified with the Department of State which is in Washington DC and takes a lot of time if you are mailing it in. If you know anyone in DC maybe they can walk it in for you so the turnaround is faster.
Our airline tickets were one year tickets with open end return date. If you are not sure when you are going to return but know you’ll be back in a year then this is the best option. Try British Airways. Or you could buy round trips (cheaper than one way) and let the return be thrown away, especially if you think you’ll be staying longer. The consulate never asked to see our plane tickets, just wanted to know when we planned on departing.
My wife Ellen and two children (15 & 10) will be commencing our year in Spain in January 2013. Having read all your information we are now committed to Javea! Did you meet any Australian expats in your travels? Cheers Michael
@Michael. We didn’t meet any Australians in Javea but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some there! We did meet one other American family from Los Angeles who then moved to our hometown in Colorado after leaving Spain. That was a small world! Glad to have helped with information! Enjoy your experience!
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Travel and Travails is about life, change, and journeys around the world. It chronicles traveling with my family as well as a year living in Spain. Discover ideas, inspiration, and the humor and lessons of travel travails. Find new paths in your life.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Just checking in to say hi! And…to tell you how amazed (and jealous) I am of your adventure… and to say I enjoy your writing…and ESPECIALLY to say you have some awesome photos!!!
The one on the slope in Morocco is a absolutely beautiful terrain!!! Another of spice bowls and jars behind is captivating.
OK, all the fun places you’ve been and the kids shots too are wonderful.
Keep up the great stuff! Cheers!
Bruce,
So fun to hear from you! Thanks for commenting; it’s great to know who’s reading and enjoying Travel and Travails. Hope you are well and the Windy City still treating you right. ~ Dee
Dee,
Thank you so much for your two nominations at darngooddigs.com!! We just posted your review of the Gamirasu Cave Hotel on our blog as part of our travel writer and blogger series. (I hope that’s ok with you!) The hotel truly looks extraordinary! We plan to post your review on our main site, as well of your nomination of the Riad Diana soon. Please let us know if you want us to make any changes.
Best,
Michael and Allison
Michael and Allison at Darn Good Digs,
Thanks for the post on your website, which is a great resource by the way! I wish I had known about you a year ago when I was looking for darn good digs at a reasonable price. I’ll use you in the future though!
~ Dee
Hello, my name is Anne Mounsey, and I am a friend of the Wiltens. Our kids go to school together in Denver. We are moving to Madrid this summer for one year with our 3 children. Caroline and Tom suggested I contact you, particularly about visa travails, which we are presently experiencing.
Hola Anne,
I’ll give you a call about visa travails! Will be easier to discuss on the phone.
Hi Dee – I’ve run Dave’s Travel Corner for a number of years, http://www.davestravelcorner.com and I was wondering if you have some time to check my site out and if you like what you see, perhaps you could add a link back in your “Resources” section.
I have already added your site under my Resources >> Blogs of Travel section.
Thanks.
Dave
Hi Dee.
I’m a writer with the Christian Science Monitor newspaper http://www.csmonitor.com), doing a story about families who have left their normal lives behind for a while to travel, educate themselves and/or do service work. You and your family sound like perfect candidates for this story. I’d love to interview you for it. If you’re game, could you contact me via email: ezimmerman@sbcglobal.net or phone: 619-582-2192?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Eilene
Hello,
We are thinking of doing EXACTLY this kind of thing. Probably not for one to two years. Currently our children are seven and five.
I was curious id you could give me some info on Visas and such. How do you live abroad for a year? What did you think of the schools in Spain?
Thank You,
Liz
Hola Liz,
I highly recommend it! If we do it again, hopefully someday, I think 6 months would be a good amount of time. One year was too little (and too long) and two years would be great to really immerse.
Visas and immigration can be time consuming and expensive, but is a necessary evil if you want to stay longer than 3 months. Let me know if you have any questions after reading my post, linked above.
Our daughters went to an international British school for about six months. It was a positive experience. Our oldest daughter built a strong foundation in Spanish and has continued it back here at home. Our youngest didn’t pick it up though; most of their school day was in English, and she’ll tell you she learned British! =)
Happy to answer any specific questions and strongly encourage you to make it happen!
Dee
@ Eilene,
Excited to talk to you and look forward to reading the article!
Hi,
I read about you guys deciding to live en Espana para un rato in the “Christian Science Monitor magazine.” It really fascinated me because living here in southern California I learned some Spanish and I always dreamed of going to Barcelona. Maybe sometime I can.
In the original edition of “Clutter’s Last Stand.” the author tells about, I think it was his wife’s parents decided to “Chuck-it-all” and went to Alaska to live for about 10 years.
A few years ago my son and I went to Joshua Tree national Monument for a few days. My boss asked when I got back if I had “found” myself. Some people go out to the desert to “find” themselves. I didn’t but I told her that I did find myself – Lost!
Fortunately I had my (doubting) Thomas mapbook of Riverside county so I could find myself getting back.
Best Wishes
Billy
Hola Billy,
I hope you make your dream of going to Barcelona happen!
I would love to visit Joshua Tree one day too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts here at Travel and Travails.
Best, Dee
Hi Dee
Very interested to read your article. I am searching for the best area to live in Spain. I have recently visited Barcelona and loved it though Im not sure there are many expats lving there and it is very expensive. I dont like the south as there are too many brits! I have a working knowledge of spanish and would like to use it.
Are you happy living in Javea? Are there expats there? I know that it can be isolating living in spain even if you do speak the lingo. Just looking for a happy medium really. Would appreciate your advice
regards
gail
Hi Gail, We did enjoy Javea, particularly for its beautiful outdoor scenery, both mountains and sea. There are quite a few expats who live there, though much less than on the Costa del Sol, and we found, while mostly British, also German, Russian and Dutch. You can find Spanish speakers or English speakers and the locals also speak Valenciano. Denia is on the other side of the Montgo, much larger and a more working Spanish community vs. a resort village like Javea. I also really enjoyed Valencia if you’re interested in a city experience. Best of luck! ~ Dee
Hi Dee,
Congratulations for your blog, it has lot’s of good information. My family is planing to live one year in Spain and we are considering the costa del sol region, we are still on the first researches. Could you tell me about Spanish schools, I want my daughters to master Spanish while they are there. Also, do you have any Realtor to recommend, not sure how to find place to rent.
Thank you!
Hola Maria,
Glad you find Travel and Travails helpful! We focused on towns that also had international schools just in case something with the local schools didn’t work out. And that was good, because we discovered that the town we chose to live in, the locals schools taught in Valenciano, a regional language, not Spanish! So we were happy to have the international school option, where the kids had a Spanish lesson every day and also a class taught in Spanish, usually PE. We also enrolled our daughters in the local recreation center sports classes which were almost all local kids and Spanish coaches.
The requirements for Spanish schools, once you have your visa, are:
Your child’s birth certificate or passport (original and photocopy), with an official Spanish translation (if necessary) and the parents’ passports (originals and photocopies).
Proof of immunization.
Proof of residence (empadronamiento) from your town hall (ayuntamiento).
Two passport-sized photographs (for a student identity card and school records).
We didn’t use a realtor. Just type the town and rental apartments or “long-term lets” into Google and a ton of options will come up. If you know Spanish, search in Spanish for more “local” options vs. tourist options.
Please share with us here where you end up! ~ Dee
Hi. I was referred to your site by a friend. I am planning to travel to San Sebastian Spain in the spring and spend a couple of months there as a base for exploration. How may I proceed to obtain information from you?
Have you heard a book “Moving to Spain”. I was told it is a Moon Publication. Would it be valuable to hunt down?
Thanks, John
Thanks, John
Hello John,
Happy to answer any questions; you can email me directly at dee@travelandtravails.com.
That book sounds familiar. I don’t remember the particulars, I read so many to prepare, but it might be worth finding at your library.
~ Dee
Hi
I found your blog by chance and am wondering if you ended up living in Jaeva and if so would you recommend it after living there.
We are english empty nesters who have lived in New Zealand for 20+ years and really fancy a year or so in Spain, so would welcome your thoughts
Thanks – Gaye
Hi Dee-
How is your camino preparation going? There is so much information on the internet I hope you are able to get through it. You will have an amazing experience and I cant wait to see your posts.
We are getting nearer our departure for a year in Spain and I had a question about the plane ticket. Since we are departing for a year and we have to have a ticket to get the visa approved- what ticket did you get? Did you buy a plane ticket for as far out as you could and pay change fees? do they still sell an open-ended ticket and does that work? We are hoping to leave in August for the following year in Spain.
Thanks,
Katie
Hi Dee, my family and I are moving from Ireland to Javea in June. We have sold our house and are currently looking for a rental property near the international schools. My children are 11 and 13. Would love to hear your views and any advice you can offer about Javea would be gratefully received!
Regards
Yvonne
@ Yvonne, Congratulations on your move to Javea! Here is a link to a home that will consider long lets and is managed by the woman we met in Javea and leased our villa from, http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/javea/123939 While this may or may not be what you’re looking for, Caroline might have other suggestions for long-lets.
Which international school will your children attend? The Lady Elizabeth Senior School is actually not in or near Javea, maybe a 45 minute drive from the center of town. There is a bus for the students though or perhaps carpooling options. The XIC senior school is near the arenal, or at least it used to be! We have friends who moved their kids to XIC because the commute to Lady Elizabeth was just too long. I think both are good schools. Lady Elizabeth is more British in flavor, and we thought XIC a little more international.
Let me know what questions you have about Javea. It’s a great little town! We’re actually visiting again this summer.
@ Katie, I’m getting excited for our Camino and think I have my bag all packed… about 15lbs so hopefully not too bad!
If you plan to leave this August, I recommendation you get your appointments with the Consulate now, they fill up quickly over the summer months with the students. Overkill on financial information is always good, and if you know ANYONE in Spain ask them to write a letter of “recommendation”. Be prepared to have challenges getting fingerprint criminal background report quickly and know that now you also have to have that certified with the Department of State which is in Washington DC and takes a lot of time if you are mailing it in. If you know anyone in DC maybe they can walk it in for you so the turnaround is faster.
Our airline tickets were one year tickets with open end return date. If you are not sure when you are going to return but know you’ll be back in a year then this is the best option. Try British Airways. Or you could buy round trips (cheaper than one way) and let the return be thrown away, especially if you think you’ll be staying longer. The consulate never asked to see our plane tickets, just wanted to know when we planned on departing.
Good luck… truly it’s a nightmare so be prepared!
My wife Ellen and two children (15 & 10) will be commencing our year in Spain in January 2013. Having read all your information we are now committed to Javea! Did you meet any Australian expats in your travels?
Cheers
Michael
@Michael. We didn’t meet any Australians in Javea but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some there! We did meet one other American family from Los Angeles who then moved to our hometown in Colorado after leaving Spain. That was a small world! Glad to have helped with information! Enjoy your experience!