About US
Hi! We’re Frank & Lissette.
In 2014 we left Canada to travel full-time. For 6 years we “slow travelled” the world, usually staying in one location 1-2 months and using it as a base to explore a region. In all we’ve visited about 50 countries during our travels including a year where we lived in Croatia.
We’ve written about our travel adventures on our other blog, The Travels of Bbqboy and Spanky.
In 2019, we decided that 2020 would be the year that we settle down somewhere. We decided that “somewhere” would be Spain.
After Covid locked us down for 4 months in León (in Northern Spain), we made it back to Canada where we applied for a Spanish non-lucrative Visa. We were accepted – and on the 1st of October 2020 we flew back to Spain to start our new lives as Spanish Residents.
So why Mapping Spain? The Travels of Bbqboy and Spanky will always be our primary blog but it’s a general blog about travel, travel destinations, and travel experiences. Readers there might not be interested in always reading about Spain. That’s why we’ve set up this website. Mapping Spain will drill down in greater detail and will cater more to those specifically interested in travelling to Spain and/or looking to settle in Spain as we have. I’ll be writing about Spanish destinations, culture, food, wine, as well as hiking and cycling (a couple of my favorite activities). I’ll only cover Spain on this blog.
We hope our blog helps and inspires, in turn we appreciate any feedback or ideas!
Related: Why Spain? How we got here
Contact info: [email protected]
Nice site and blog, guys! Always appreciate helpful information. I’d love it if there were some interviews with professionals who are familiar with the local legal procedures, like a lawyer, gestor, realtor, tax consultant…etc. There were many surprises about certain requirements here especially for those who are renting rather than home owners. I’m about to embark on a whole other journey of converting my NLV to something that permits employment, the thought of the process is daunting already! Anyway, keep up the amazing work, guys!
(We’re from Malaysia & Ireland and moved here from Hong Kong after living in several countries in Asia the past decade)
Hi Emily,
Thanks for your comment and suggestion. Yes, we will have a few posts along those lines coming up. The only thing is that many issues (such as the one you mention about converting an NLV) are very specialized and unique. Believe me, I have my own issues 🙂 But if you ever need a good lawyer let me know, we have one that’s been very helpful.
Hello!
I’ve been enjoying reading your articles aand you’ve got us watching YouTube videos, of Nerja! It’s so lovely…
I wonder if you can offer any information regarding some our (not “must haves”) “ would like to haves”:
We are active retirees- originally from NYC, currently living near
Austin, Texas (to be near our grandchild, who’s now turning 20!)… we feel it’s our time, now… we’ve traveled through Europe often but would love to find a permanent location somewhere near Malaga- the main thing that would offer comfort is knowing if there are communities specifically for 55+ folks… urbanizations that’s would offer “age appropriate “ sense of community… preferably in the hills – do you have any idea if those even exist over there? I’ve had a hard time trying to get that info! 🤷🏼♀️ Thanks so much for any input! Beth
Hi Beth,
Thank you for the comment!
Tons of 55+ people here, it’s actually the main demographic among foreigners. I’d even say it’s 60+, ie. retirement age. Especially along the coast. We’re on the young side here 🙂
Lots of places in the hills. How about Frigiliana for example? (we’ve got a visit & video planned in near future).
I hope I’ve answered your question. If not let me know…
John-I’ve started looking into the tax issue and my preliminary investigations do suggest that the 10% tax on pension income provides a significant advantage. What I have also found out is that there is much less property in desirable areas in Portugal than Spain
Hello, thx for the research and postings. Many sites on line say Portugal is favorable over Spain for expats due to a 10% lower tax rate. Got any idea how to confirm this or really see how taxes affect a non-lucrative resident is affected?
You’ve given me a great topic for a future post 🙂 I honestly haven’t looked into any of that.