Five tips for digital nomads in Spain

Spain is one of the most popular destinations for Brits – a trend that even Brexit will not break. From Sotogrande to Benidorm, there are countless Brit-laden mini societies on Spain’s mainland. This article will look at some useful tips for such expats, and in particular the digital nomads.

UK TV

One thing one often misses when abroad is a TV show from back home. Companies such as Tiekom.com look at ways to fix this by offering IPTV so it’s possible to pass through region blocks and watch favourite shows. Plus, it’s more cost-effective than paying for many mainstream streaming services. This way, whether it’s one a laptop, TV, or smartphone, it’s easy to access UK TV with nothing more than an adequate Internet connection.

Money transfer services

An important transition to make when in Spain and using Euros is to steer away from the traditional high street bank. These offer very slow international transfers and very expensive currency conversions. Instead, companies like Revolut and Transferwise have much more accessible apps where users can one-tap a transfer from a virtual UK GBP account to a EUR account, where it’s then easy to withdraw from Spanish ATMs for free, with extremely competitive conversion rates.

Choosing a city wisely

Spain has a lot of British communities, but it’s not a good idea to pick one on that basis alone. For those working in IT, for example, it’s going to be a struggle for local work or networking when living in Benidorm, Sotogrande, or even Marbella. Instead, Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia are all buzzing tech scenes with more opportunities, and even Seville and Granade have lots of jobs too. Of course, these are the places with great Internet connection too.

Learning Spanish

This one sounds obvious, yet many people make no attempt to learn Spanish because they think they can get by without it. Well, this is partly true, but most of the older generation and citizens in smaller towns still struggle with English, and work opportunities will drastically improve when for applicants who are conversational in Spanish. Plus, Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn for an Englishman, and knowing the language is necessary for true cultural immersion!

Adapting to the local working culture

For those in the country to work and not lie on the beach all day, it’s a good idea to try and adapt regular work patterns to fit with the locals. Generally, places of work tend to open later and close later. 9am is a fairly standard time to start work, but many will have extended lunches and then work until “night” time – of course, Spanish nighttime is considered to be somewhat later than the UK’s, with a tendency to eat and sleep later. Brits can also learn something from Spain’s emphasis and priority on family and social life over work.

Conclusion

Overall, being a successful digital nomad in Spain comes down to indulging in the local culture. Those travelling for remote work have a tendency to stay on their laptops in their AirBnBs, which can make it difficult to integrate. Instead, learning Spanish history, culture and values can be very rewarding. It’s possible to do this by going to co-working offices where there are Spanish workers, as well as making an attempt to align with Spanish culture and language.

The editorial unit