Things People Get Wrong About Moving to Spain:

Reinventing the Wheel

When people move to Spain, a lot of us, me included, show up with big ideas. We think we’re going to start something brand new, something the country has never seen before. A business, a service, a project. Something that will prove we belong here.

I came with one of those plans tucked in my bag. A whole business plan for a children’s tourist group. It looked smart, detailed, ready to go. And then I got here and realized… Spain already had that covered. Camps, activities, programs for kids, all year long, run by the town halls and cultural centers. There was no wheel to reinvent.

And yet, I wasn’t alone. I’ve met so many others who arrive with the same energy: “Here’s what I can do for you.” I get it. It’s entrepreneurial spirit, but it’s also a little bit of not knowing the place you’re landing in.

Originally, my arrival plan didn’t include business. Long before I landed here, I told myself I’d buy a small home, take care of myself, and just breathe for a while. But instead of decompressing, I let myself get sidetracked, chasing opportunities and ideas before I’d even found my rhythm here. Two and a half years later, I can say it plainly: that was a hard way to learn.

Because the real gift of Spain isn’t in what you can build right away. It’s in slowing down. It’s in letting the culture hold you a little, watching how things work, seeing how the community takes care of its own. Only then can you understand where you fit, or if you even want to.

Spain isn’t a blank slate. It’s a country, with its own pace, its own problems, and its own systems that work surprisingly well. If you want to come here and try something new, do it. But first, give yourself permission to just live here. To decompress. To absorb.

The real opportunity here isn’t in reinventing Spain, but in letting Spain reinvent you.

One of those Spanish mornings where if taking your time were an Olympic event, I’d win the gold.