It's My High Time To Leave The United States

The 2024/2025 timeline for our move to Spain

It dawned on me the other day—2024 will be my last year in California.

If you would have told me—at age 19 in 1995, headed off to Miami to continue a radio career I started when I was 13—that I’d wind up living more than half of my life in this state, I would have told you were crazy.

But, fast forward to age 48 and California has been pretty good to me. San Francisco—Orange County—Los Angeles—Santa Monica—back to Los Angeles. That said, the economic, social and political landscapes have changed/are changing so much in America that it’s high time to say thank you and politely show myself the door. Don’t worry—I won’t let it hit me in my ass on the way out.

When my (as of this Saturday!) wife and I decided to move to Spain, I set the goal of celebrating my 50th birthday there. If all goes as hoped, planned and intended I’ll begin the official second half of my life on foreign soil. My unofficial second half started in 2023, when I turned 48. If all goes as hoped, planned and intended, I’ll die in Spain no earlier than age 100.

The move is happening for a confluence of interconnected reasons.

1. We prefer the culture and social and built environments in Spain.

2. The cost of living is lower in Spain. I put this second because, even if the cost of living was the same in Los Angeles or money was no object, we would still make this move because of #1. Plus, we’re not the type of people who say, we can get this amount of house (the biggest, most prohibitive cost of living element) in LA for X amount of money, but in Spain, we can get so much more for the same amount of money. Ultimately, we think we will spend less overall and get exactly what we need and want.

3. It’s critical to remain intellectually and physically motivated and engaged during your second act. We’ll walk more. We’ll be outside more. And we’ll have to learn and navigate an entirely new way of doing many things in the seemingly mundane day to day and larger scale bureaucracy around relocation and renting, then eventually buying an apartment. Plus, I’ll have to learn a new language. Remaining firmly planted and comfortable in a familiar place would—for me—stop many key muscles from getting the work they need at this point in my life.

This timeline of what to expect over the next two years—and beyond—brings these points to practical life. To distill it down, it’s about situating ourselves to work less now so we can work less longer as we enter relative old age.

In less than two weeks, we leave for a February-long trip to Spain and France with nothing but two lighter backpacks.

When we come back—

• I will begin working with a one-on-one Spanish tutor. Enough said.

• I will continue to direct my hopefully consistent Medium earnings to my Wise account. This money is ideally earmarked to cover most relocation expenses, plus rent for—if all goes as hoped, planned and intended—our first year in Spain. If the strategy remains intact, it will continue to pay the rent. This will allow me to save more for the eventual apartment purchase.

• We will contact the person(s) in Spain who will help us with the process and applying for the digital nomad visa (which is hardly a digital nomad visa) on our behalf. We could apply on our own, but this is the best route to do it right the first time, deal with any issues that come up and get some help/referrals with the next steps.

• We might accomplish one of those next steps from Los Angeles at the Spanish consulate by securing our NIE (foreign identity number) before we move. Seems like a straightforward process, so why not? We’ll see.

• I will continue developing my work and ensuring it’s structured—and we’re set—to meet the visa requirements. From what we’ve heard, they’re specific and somewhat strict, but not too daunting.

• We’ll start assembling the documents we need for the visa. This requires dealing with federal and state agencies as well as securing apostilles and sworn translations of some documents.

• We’ll start selling and giving away items as we drastically lighten our load ahead of the move. I plan to take only two bags of clothing, essentials and other items and—maybe—ship a box or three.

• I’ll sell my car. Add the proceeds to the Wise account!

• Melisse will continue taking classes for her career transition from salon owner and hair stylist to full-time artist.

A Sample Semi-Retired Life Budget ... Actually Cash Flow Allocation Plan

You can get a glimpse into what she’s doing toward the end of that link.

This might be what I’m most excited to write about this year and throughout the entire process, if not for the rest of our lives. Melisse is super talented and has so many directions she can go in. While she has a general sense, the journey will determine the specifics. This is exciting. And there’s nobody better equipped to carry it out than Melisse. Expect a lot more about this going forward.

In 2025—

• After we get on the schedule of the person who will do the visa for us, the plan is to book one-way flights to Spain. While we could apply for the visa through the LA consulate, success only results in a one-year residence permit. If you apply online from Spain, you receive a three-year residence permit. Better and easier all around and, because Melisse is Puerto Rican, she can apply for Spanish citizenship after two years of residency, not the standard ten.

• We land in Spain around the first week of January, rent a temporary apartment, apply for the visa and wait. Turnaround is less than 30 days absent any issues.

• All at about the same time, we will secure our padron, TIE (foreigner ID card) and register for autonomo (self-employed) status for tax and Social Security purposes. The NIE is distinct from the TIE. The former is for administrative purposes, while the latter indicates that you’re a foreigner legally living in Spain. The padron puts you on the books as someone who lives in the Spanish city or town where you register for it.

• We’ll rent a permanent apartment.

• We’ll keep saving to buy an apartment.

• We’ll integrate into and enjoy the Spanish culture and lifestyle.

I’m likely forgetting a few things. But this is a pretty solid rundown of what lies ahead for us.

If you don’t usually read this far or don’t open every email, the links throughout this post contain lots of good and relevant information. Even if you’re not relocating to Spain or moving abroad elsewhere, I think and hope our process can entertain you, if not inform some aspect of your journey.