From the moment I started to tell people I really wanted to move to Spain and particularly Ibiza, I noticed how many people dream of this. And when I went for it, I got a lot of questions to please share my experience. So, here it is!
Why did I decide to move to Ibiza, Spain?
As a kid I went to Costa Brava (mainland) every summer with my parents. I always said: one day I’ll live in Spain. When I got older, I forgot…
Until I suddenly remembered, with my then adult mindset of: I’m not going to wait until I’m in my 50’s and I work for myself so I’m free to go!
When I was studying I tried to live in Barcelona for half a year, but my school didn’t allow me to graduate there. During that time I won a giveaway to Ibiza.
I loved it and visited many more times, mostly alone. And then I started to feel: I want to live on Ibiza. However, I had the wish to move with a partner.
Doing it all on my own felt too intense. But when that partner didn’t come in the Netherlands, I decided to not wait with my dream and go for it alone!
How did I move to Ibiza?
To lower stress I decided to try Ibiza life in low season first for half a year, as I was allowed to rent out my appartment in the Netherlands for that time.
I found a room in a retreat vila just before an upcoming Ibiza trip, so I visited and then it went really fast.
I said yes, fixed everything in the Netherlands and 1 month later I left. Knowing damn well that I wouldn’t return…
For these 6 months I just travelled with suitcases and I asked my father to bring me for support.
I had already told my family and friends that IF in that time I would find a nice place to stay longer, I would not come back.
Obviously that happened 😉 I met a guy in the first month, he left his studio 2 months later and I could have it. So just 3 months in, I manifested it!
The real emigration to Spain…
I flew back for 2 weeks to sell and donate the stuff that was left in my house.
Then a friend helped me drive all the way to Ibiza in my packed little car. This was another big step for me, but it was so cool 🙂
And then the whole administration started. I can’t go into detail (yet), but that caused me a LOT of stress for a long time.
I already knew the exact emigration steps you need to take before I left, but to actually get into the process was a struggle (for many people here).
I even heard stories of people having to move 5 times in 1 year…
If I wouldn’t have had that process struggle, I think the emigration would have been doable – even alone – without almost getting into a burn-out.
Building a new life in another country
And suddenly I didn’t have a house in the Netherlands anymore and I am where I wanted to be. Well, it took me 1,5 years to process that!
I think mainly because the half year option came so fast and then the stressful process, which prevented me from the feeling of truly settling.
Besides roadblocks and losing our family dog when I had just left, I noticed another thing: I completely lost routine and even my identity/vision.
I had a clear idea of who I was and a plan for my work and life here. Well, I had to let go of control. This is probably also very typical for Ibiza specifically.
You can’t escape the emotional washing machine 😉 It’s not that I fully lost myself or changed a lot, but in an unexplainable way I’m not the same..
Everything takes more energy in the beginning. You build a new life from the start: a new supermarket, new brands to try, a new bank app, new routes to drive, new people to get to know and learning a new language.
And that comes with all kinds of feelings: exhaustion of having to do it all alone, sometimes loneliness, sudden anxiety cause you’re safety net isn’t here and even the ‘regret’ of: am I enjoying this enough while I’m surviving it?
So am I happy here or do I regret it?
Even though my nervous system and energy are still recovering, and I’m not where I want to be with building my new life yet, there hasn’t been regret.
There’s not 1% of me that wants to move back to the Netherlands. I’m happy here and that helped in the process, because I knew what I was doing it for.
In an upcoming blog I’ll share more on how it is to actually live here.
Want to move to Spain too? Here are my tips:
- Do what feels good for you: leave it all behind ór take it step by step
- Come with money in your bank account (enough savings), so that you can catch yourself in different situations (low season, finding work etc)
- Ask for help when it feels like too much on your own. Family/friends with moving stuff and you can go to a Gestor for administration help in Spain
- Start a diary from the start, just for yourself. To process everything that happens on a daily basis and to be able to look back on later
- Allow yourself to feel everything. Don’t give up too easily, but take rest
If you have more practical/personal questions, you can book an online call:
And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for real Ibiza life in pictures!
Saludos,
Mariëlle