EXCLUSIVE: Mark Danby moved in January 2025 to embrace the hotter climate within the Costa del Sol, settling in Manilva, a municipality in Malaga, but it surely’s not been with out its challenges
Mark Danby relocated in 2025 to embrace the hotter local weather of the sun-drenched Costa del Sol (Picture: Mark Danby)
A British man who swapped the UK for Spain has shared his ideas on the relocation one yr on, revealing how he is needed to flip his life “the wrong way up in the summertime”. Mark Danby, initially from Stockport, Larger Manchester, made the transfer in January 2025, drawn by the hotter climate of the sun-soaked Costa del Sol, the place he is now primarily based in Manilva, a municipality in Malaga.
Working in IT and creating content material about Spanish life on his YouTube channel, Tapas Man, Mark has now established himself and is relishing his new life-style. He confessed there’s little he misses about Britain, other than maybe the “good previous English pub.” Adjusting to a distinct tradition naturally brings obstacles, and Mark – who has beforehand spoken about his greatest Spanish “tradition shock” – has encountered his fair proportion.
Mark mirrored on his “new lifestyle” and highlighted the need of embracing change (Picture: Mark Danby/YouTube)
In an unique interview, he mentioned his “new lifestyle” and emphasised the significance of accepting change when relocating to Spain.
When requested about essentially the most substantial hurdles he is encountered for the reason that transfer, Mark defined: “Adapting to a brand new routine, a brand new lifestyle; you do should adapt, and you have not, I imply you must, you have obtained no selection. And I believe that is among the greatest challenges of shifting.
“And lots of people do not realise; I believe lots of people suppose that… In case you are type of shifting, you simply carry your life with you, and also you’re simply going to be dwelling in Spain with totally different climate. No, it would not work like that. You do should…you modify. And you recognize, we’re people, and we do adapt to totally different adjustments within the atmosphere, do not we?”
“You do actually have to totally embrace it and settle for the adjustments you must make to your routine, notably in the summertime. I imply, it’s scorching. You actually do have to show your life the wrong way up in the summertime. You’ll be able to’t type of exit doing issues throughout the day.
“You need to maintain out the warmth, take it regular. Life comes to an entire standstill right here in Spain in the summertime, after which you must reside your life within the evenings. So that you do have all these adjustments in routines that you must adapt to.”
Again in July 2025, Mark mentioned how he thought the nation was “about 20 years or so behind the UK” in a single explicit side.
Having entered Spain on a digital nomad visa, which permits foreigners to reside in Spain whereas working remotely for firms abroad or as self-employed, Mark stated he found that some bureaucratic processes might be gradual, suggesting this could possibly be the results of a stark “distinction” between Spain and the UK.
Mark has now settled and is having fun with his new house within the solar (Picture: Getty Photographs/iStockphoto)
Responding to a query concerning the most important cultural distinction he’d encountered, Mark emphasised in one in every of his movies that Spain gave the impression to be “about 20 years or so behind the UK” in a particular regard.
He stated: “And I describe it as being Spain being about 20 years or so behind the UK in type of know-how. Every little thing takes so lengthy. They do not go for digital techniques. They like their items of paper; that’s the greatest shock.
“They’re paper pushers; they’re pen pushers. Every little thing is paper, like while you go for visa functions. I am now ready for my TIE card, which is my international residency card, every thing is paper processed.”
He continued by revealing that, at that time, he was awaiting his card, although they’d “already type of accepted it”.
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He famous that these making use of would current their paperwork at a police station, the place they might have their fingerprints taken, and the person would produce the cardboard. Mark added: “If that they had a bit printer machine by them, they may simply press a button and print it out, however oh no. You understand, it has to undergo the paper course of.”
In further remarks, he described the way you “type of make one other appointment to return”, highlighting that “every thing’s booked up strong”, and every thing “takes a very long time”. Regardless of this small grievance, Mark had beforehand shared that, on the entire, he was having an “completely great” time in Spain.
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