Comments on: Contact Me

By: Dee Andrews

Dee Andrews — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:22:51 +0000

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

By: John

John — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:48:44 +0000

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

By: Dee Andrews

Dee Andrews — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:09:36 +0000

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

By: Maria Barbalho

Maria Barbalho — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:05:49 +0000

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!

By: Dee Andrews

Dee Andrews — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:27:42 +0000

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

By: Gail

Gail — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:29:52 +0000

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

By: Dee Andrews

Dee Andrews — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:44:23 +0000

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

By: Bill Bristol

Bill Bristol — Tue, 31 May 2011 20:36:52 +0000

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

By: Dee Andrews

Dee Andrews — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:15:22 +0000

@ Eilene,

Excited to talk to you and look forward to reading the article!

By: Dee Andrews

Dee Andrews — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:12:38 +0000

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