British expat shares best part of life in sunny Spain

Simon Calder offers travel baggage advice

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Victoria Watson, 42, is a publicist and coach. She moved to Malaga in Spain after looking for “something bigger”.

Victoria said: “I lived in Manchester for 10 years, where I worked in marketing and travel PR.

“After a bad breakup, I decided I needed a change and moved to London, where I started my PR business working with female founders.

“My time in London was great but after a few years I realised it was a stepping stone towards something bigger.

“I had been thinking about moving abroad for a while, and so I decided to finally make the jump, which led to me moving to Malaga in 2019.”

Malaga is the heart of Spain’s popular Costa del Sol region and very close to some of the country’s best beaches.

The city is also home to the Picasso Museum, and is where the famous artist was born and spent part of his life.

Victoria said: “I had always wanted to move to Spain but it felt impossible. Remote working and the digital nomad lifestyle wasn’t really around even just a few years ago, so that kind of lifestyle felt unattainable.

“However, I went on a coworking retreat to Portugal in 2019 and that changed everything.

“I saw that you could be productive and successful while working remotely, and I made both personal and professional connections that have changed my life and career forever.”

She added: “It feels like people are much more open to meeting and connecting here compared to when I live in London, which might surprise some people.

“Doing the traditional 9-5 felt like being on a treadmill, and living solely for the weekend wasn’t how I wanted to live my life.

“There’s a bigger sense of community here, when people are living away from home, your friends become your family.”

However, managing work remotely might seem challenging to those used to visiting the office everyday.

Victoria told Express.co.uk: “I’ve managed to do this pretty successfully. The majority of my clients are in the UK, and my business has continued doing well since my move out here.

“You don’t need to sacrifice any quality of work to go remote and it lets you set your own boundaries and ways of working.

“It helped that I had already built my business before I left the UK, but I’ve been able to sustain and grow it from Spain.”

She added: “Too many people move abroad to avoid problems back at home and that doesn’t work.

“You need to work out your non-negotiables, what kind of lifestyle you want, how far away are you happy to be from your family, etc.

“Remember that this move doesn’t have to be permanent — just spending a bit of time abroad, even a month, will change your perspective and give you plenty of new experiences.
“Finally, I’m a strong advocate for the fact that it’s never too late to push yourself out of your comfort zone and do something exciting like moving abroad.

“Moving abroad initially felt impossible for me, and now I absolutely love my life here in Malaga.”

Victoria uses Wise to transfer money internationally and has saved money by transferring her UK salary through Wise from her UK account every month.

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