I didn’t want to be a typical British sofa slob whose son lives in tracksuits so we moved to Spain – I won’t go back
A UK MORTGAGE broker revealed the reason why she moved her family to Spain, and it’s not because of house prices.
Megan Hall said she wanted to avoid becoming a sofa slob with a son who “wanders the streets in a tracksuit.”
Megan and her partner Chris Cousins, 40, moved to Sotogrande, Spain, in August with the belief they’d become more sociable and encourage their three kids to have a “play-based lifestyle.”
The 32-year-old has caused a stir on TikTok by slamming the UK as “going downhill” and she’s since explained a reliance on screens and feeling less safe means she won’t return.
Megan said she thought adults in the UK would rather sit at home and watch the TV instead of socialising, whereas in Spain they visit a park or go out for food.
She explained that her son Archie Hall, 11, began wanting to “wander the streets in a Nike tracksuit” while in their hometown of Skipton, North Yorkshire, and became too focused on screen-time.
However, since the move the “formerly isolated” mum said she and the family are much more sociable and Arthur doesn’t depend on technology to have fun.
Megan also feared for her children’s safety amid this year’s rise in UK knife crime but said she doesn’t have the same fears in Spain.
The mum-of-three, who helps house hunters in the UK find a home, insists people should try living abroad for a few months as “the idea is more scary than the reality.”
“My son wanted to start walking around the streets with his friends wearing black Nike tracksuits but I wanted to avoid that. That was the main thing,” she said.
“In the UK, it’s all about screens and social media so we decided we wanted to find an environment where parents had the same morals and values as us.
“People didn’t seem to want to socialise as much [in the UK]. They’d come home from work and just put on the TV but in Spain people want to go to the park or go for food together.
“I can’t speak for everyone but that was just our experience of people. We felt quite isolated.
“We wanted the kids to have limited screen time, no social media until hopefully aged 16, and a healthy outdoor lifestyle in a play-based childhood.
“I think people would be more social if they were in a different environment. The weather doesn’t allow them to be as social.
“There’s also the cost of living because everything seems to be cheaper in Spain.
“Arthur didn’t want to leave but when he looked around schools in Spain he understood why we wanted to do that for him.
“He’s realised the things that were important to his friends here, like wearing Nike clothes, are not important there and that it’s less materialistic. He loves it.
How easy is it to move abroad?
Brexit means British citizens now have to apply for visas to move to countries within the EU. While some countries residency restrictions are easier than others, here's what you need to do at home before moving:
- Notify HMRC about your upcoming move.
- Let your local authority know and provide a forwarding address.
- Contact your mortgage and utility providers and bank before leaving.
- If you have paid enough UK national insurance contributions, you can qualify for a state pension abroad – contact the International Pension Centre.
- You can sign up to the Royal Mail’s redirection service.
- If you have outstanding student loans, contact the Student Loans Centre.
- If you have children, give due notice to childcares and schools.
“As a kid in England you’re shunned if you don’t have a phone but in Spain you’re shunned if you do have a phone.
“In the past five years, I’ve seen six-year-olds playing on Fortnite and I just thought ‘I can’t do this.’
“I think the kids would be less safe in the UK too because when we moved in summer it seemed like everyone was getting stabbed in London.”
Megan and Chris, who also share kids Seth Cousins, six, and Pearl Cousins, four, decided Spain was their dream new home when they visited and met friends who had emigrated before Covid.
There’s a massive community here where everyone wants to go out for meals and have coffee mornings.
Megan Hall
“When we went out to Spain we spent a full day with friends who lived there and they showed us around. At that point we were sold,” she recalled.
“There’s a massive community here where everyone wants to go out for meals and have coffee mornings. It seems to be a lot more social.
“Spain is boiling hot so when the kids finish school you can go to the park until six and sit and chat with a friend.
“They’re at an international school and it’s 75% outdoors.”
The pair bought a home there in 2019 but returned to the UK in 2020 to look after family members before reigniting their dream this August.
Megan, who is taking Spanish lessons, said her parents have decided to retire in Spain but her sisters are still happy living in the UK.
She’d encourage UK residents to try out living abroad for a few months and ignore fears of the unknown.
“People say there’s nothing you can get in Spain that you can’t get in the UK but that’s not the experience that I’ve had,” she said.
“I would tell anyone thinking about moving away that the idea is more scary than the reality of it.
“Just go out and trial it in an AirBnb for a few months to see if it’s something you’d want to do because some people scare themselves with the thought of it.
“Now that I’ve lived somewhere other than England I don’t think I’d ever return.
Life just seems easier and nicer when it’s a bit warmer.
Megan Hall
“I’m sure you could be happy anywhere because it’s a mentality rather than a location but life just seems easier and nicer when it’s a bit warmer.”
“You’re watching the UK go downhill so you try to change your children’s childhood experience,” she wrote in a TikTok post.
Users commented to share their dream of fleeing the UK too and even asked for advice on how to do it.
“Wow, incredible. I’d love to do this one day!” wrote one inspired viewer.
“This is the best thing you could do for young children,” agreed a second person.
“My dream. I hope it’s everything you guys hoped for. Your kids will be so grateful to you,” commented a third follower.