Hi, I am hoping to move to Southern Spain within a few months as i’ve sold my house in London. I was originally going with a friend to rent for a few months then to buy something between us either inland Murcia or Granada but now unfortunately my friend can not go for another year!! As I am now renting in London which is very expensive, I was going to go on my own but my family & friends say it’s not safe for a woman on her own in another country!  I have already been advised to consider a urbanisation but i have a little dog and thought this may be a problem. Any advice from singletons who have made the break alone would be really appreciated.

Susannah

Hi Suzannah,
    I am also planning a move to southern spain, and am also a single women.  In this instance I think two heads are better than one.  Perhaps we should keep in touch with one another.  I can tell you that my step sister lived in Barcelona for a couple of years without any problems.  I plan on going over June, to get a better lay of the land.  I am currently locateted in Ontario, Canada.  Yes its COLD.  My thinking on this matter is that as long as we are “careful” we should be okay. 

Where do you plan on living?  (I also have a dog)  I LOVE DOG PEOPLE!!!
Do you have employment as of yet?  I have just started my job search.  I am still waiting for my British passport.  It should be about 8 weeks.

I would love to keep in touch with you regarding your move. 

Cheers,
Amanda

Hi Ladies

My mother-in-law moved to Spain 6 years ago on her own. She lives in a small village in the mountains just south of Valencia. She has never been happier. She did have her handbag stolen once, but that would have happened even if she hadn’t been on her own. She has joined lots of clubs and made plenty of friends. I’m sure it would be similar in any part of Spain.

Good luck to both of you if you decide to go for it

Hi!  I lived on my own as a student in M?laga with no problem at all.  I know tons of Erasmus girls that come on their own every year.  And MY mother-in-law has been here five years, has her own flat, business, friends, and a boyfriend in every major city.

Don’t let folks discourage you- live the adventure!  Just try to make friends quickly once you’re here.

Susannah39 - 02 April 2008 05:35 PM

Hi, I am hoping to move to Southern Spain within a few months as i’ve sold my house in London. I was originally going with a friend to rent for a few months then to buy something between us either inland Murcia or Granada but now unfortunately my friend can not go for another year!! As I am now renting in London which is very expensive, I was going to go on my own but my family & friends say it’s not safe for a woman on her own in another country!  I have already been advised to consider a urbanisation but i have a little dog and thought this may be a problem. Any advice from singletons who have made the break alone would be really appreciated.

Susannah

Hi Susannah, nowhere is 100% safe, but Granada and Murcia are much safer than London, in my opinion. One thing that makes a difference is that people in Southern Spain really live life in the streets and are out at all hours, especially when it’s hot. You see bars full of extended families eating tapas at midnight, grannies and babies out in parks and squares in the small hours of the morning, nobody gets fighting drunk and nobody makes a nuisance of themselves (unless you count noise as a nuisance - by God, they can make a din!). I’m talking about cities, but the villages are even safer - everyone knows everyone and keeps an eye out for each other. Also Spanish machismo may be patronising, but it has a flip-side whereby Spanish guys are quite respectful and gallant, at least compared to Brits. And there’s that thing about not getting blind drunk again…..  There used to be a Spanish male assumption that Suecas (“Swedish girls” - it was the term for all Northern European women) were easy, so they attracted unwanted attention.  But now Spanish women are so liberated, I’m not sure it applies any more.

However, if you don’t know a place like you know London, you may feel uncomfortable. Obviously there are dodgy areas everywhere and most Spanish cities have at least one slummy, druggy or red-light neighbourhood.  I suggest you rent somewhere short term that’s friendly and busy, where a lot of people hang out on the street - in Granada, the Realejo is good - and get to really know the city before you commit to buying or a long-term let. If you speak Spanish try reading local papers on-line - http://www.ideal.es/granada/ for Granada, http://www.laverdad.es/murcia/ for Murcia.  You should start to get an idea of neighbourhoods from these.  If you don’t read Spanish, then you need to learn. 

You don’t say if you are going to work or not; regardless of money, it might be a good thing to do to make friends and get to hear about which areas are pleasant, safe and affordable.  You shouldn’t have a problem with a wee dog if he or she is happy in an apartment - Spanish people take their dogs everywhere.

I don’t think urbanisations are the safest places in Spain, I’m afraid.  They are often largely empty out of season, and everyone knows this.  High profile crime by Eastern European gangs seems to concentrate on these places (the Spanish press probably exagerrate, but there’s obviously some truth in it).  Anyway, good luck.

I live in spain for many years, i’ve traveled all over spain as also over many other countrys, and i can say spain is since years very safe. Sometimes people think they are going to some “rare” country instead of a part of europe, where most of the things are at the same level as the rest of europe, including security.

Regards

Hi Susannah,

I don’t think you have anything to worry about. The Spanish are probably the least aggressive nation in Europe, and Spain is almost certainly one of the safest places to live. In fact, I imagine you’ll be safer in Spain than in London. Of course, one should always be alert wherever one is, but in general, this is a much better place to live than the UK. Of that I have no doubts.

Cheers,

Paul

Hi Susannah
I lived in London for 13 years and I?m British.  I am now living in Murcia with my boyfriend who?s Spanish.  We had the option of living in London or Spain because we met in London. I spent 1 year travelling backwards and forwards and fell in love with Spain.  The main reason for this was the extraordinary Spanish culture which embraces family and friendship.  Witnessing children playing in the parks until 10 at night safely was what really won me over.  Spanish men generally are absolute gentlemen, I was constantly wary in London for my safety, I worked in a central large hospital as a nurse and didn?t even feel safe during working hours.  I can leave my door open here without worry (although I try not to!) and often walk through the streets of Murcia on my own late at night with no fear.  As for bringing your little dog, the Spaniards are mad for their animals, particularly small dogs so the only hassle you?ll get is people wanting to speak to him/her.  I brought my big tabby cat with me and he?s absolutely loving the Spanish lifestyle!

So, my advice is do it and don?t worry, I also know Granada well and although it is a very different city to Murcia I still felt safe.  Their is a large Gypsy population and people sell drugs on the street corners openly.  I would however probably not walk about alone late at night there.

Hope this was useful and good luck!

Hi there, It?s a lot safer in Spain than in UK. Everything is family oriented though, from stays in hospitals to being self-employed, those are the bugbears to watch out for, because if you?re ill hospitals usually expect your family to help look after you, although if you don?t have one they will cope.. and as for self-employment, the cost in National Insurance before you even start, is 250 euros a month (which is geared to families because that will cover the whole family for medical treatment).. however if you are single and thinking of working part time or not working flat out all the hours god sends to make it worthwhile, then forget it. It can be hard sometimes when it seems everyone is a couple and I have known quite a few single women to be very ostracised on that score, because couples in general don?t know what to do with a single female and tend to steer clear of spending lots of time with single women, but if you are independent and strong then that doesn?t matter. Make a point of seeking out other single people. It?s a lot cheaper and much less spoilt by tourism inland, but if you don?t speak Spanish you might prefer the coast where more expats live and more people speak English… but it?s also a lot more expensive. Your dog will be fine and you?ll be glad to have him with you for company! No problem there at all! Oh and just one more thing.. superficially the men are pleasant and polite but because anyone over 25 (and many below 25) are brainwashed by some incredible laws regarding the treatment of women that were only changed in 1980 as far as women were concerned, watch out for the most awful chauvinism in quite a few of Spanish men who still think that a woman is an inferior creature with no right to an opinion of her own and no say in how she spends her own money… it?s particularly trying when dealing with traders like builders or trying to get a ‘fair deal’ where any negotiation is involved.. many are fine but be careful, you need to be strong. You won?t know about this from people in couples because on this score having a man around makes all the difference. Anyway there is plenty to enjoy in Spain, it?s a very personal thing how you get along in Spain.
Good luck!

Without being too negative.

Spain has less media hype about crime and it does feel safer.

Although I would express caution in so much as if you believe that a place is crime free you then could become complacent and possibly put yourself in a position that could make you venerable.

Tourists suffer from this all over Spain, they seem to think its quiet safe, then become victims.

Although I`m sure Granada has less crime than London, but then again it is much smaller, as are all the cities in spain with the exception of Madrid and Barcelona.

Being in a country of high or low crime dosn`t mean you`ll be a victim, its how you handle situations and your level of awareness that can significantly improve your life.

Thanks for the level head, Santi.
I am also single and moving to Spain alone (due to a job transfer) at the end of this year.
After reading the posts above, I felt as if I were moving to a Disney kingdom rather than a real country.
Safety seems a relative discussion.

I have one ridiculous question:  Is it common for singles to live alone or will this practice be contrary to the common culture of the area?

heatherfawn - 13 July 2008 01:34 AM

Thanks for the level head, Santi.

No probs, after reading this post i did a google search and came across several articles from UK press about UK having Euro highest levels of crime, yet the surveys they referred to weren`t given links of reference to the results.

The Guardian, Telegraph all quoting how bad the UK is, but I find it strange the source they referred to wasn`t available to read.

I watch the Spanish news daily, and all the crime happens in Spain as in the UK, its difficult to survey the worst places in europe.

I am also single and moving to Spain alone (due to a job transfer) at the end of this year.
After reading the posts above, I felt as if I were moving to a Disney kingdom rather than a real country.
Safety seems a relative discussion.

There is a high amount of crime against drunken tourist in Spain, many people get attacked because they put themselves in situations they may not have done in the UK.

My personnal experience comes from my parents who visited us, they`ve never experienced crime in the UK, nothing.

On there 4 day here, my mummy was helping my father and her bag got snatched.I doubt in the UK she`d have put the bag down, but she had the usual tourist mistake of leaving the brain on the plane.

I`m sure the same thing could have happened in the UK, but so far hasn`t in there 60 odd years there.

I have one ridiculous question: Is it common for singles to live alone or will this practice be contrary to the common culture of the area?

In large cities its not unusual, a friend of my OH lives on her own in Madrid, she`s a thirty something workaholic.

House prices are an issue though, our neighbour has 3 children living home, the youngest is 25yr, the oldest 32yr, there all working in average jobs, but in an area that a 65m apt cost`s around 180,000 Euro`s.

So Spaniards tend to wait until they in relationships or financial well off before moving from the family home.

In the south here though there are many farmers and its very common for them to build more than one property for the family on a piece of spare land.

I`ve been to clients also who have had large gardens and built wooden villa`s in the garden for the children to live in.

You can buy in Spain wooden houses, similar to the ones you see in B&Q;in the UK only much bigger.