A British man who swapped the UK for Spain has shared his thoughts on the relocation one year on, revealing how he’s had to turn his life “upside down in the summer”. Mark Danby, originally from Stockport, Greater Manchester, made the move in January 2025, drawn by the warmer weather of the sun-soaked Costa del Sol, where he’s now based in Manilva, a municipality in Malaga.

Working in IT and creating content about Spanish life on his YouTube channel, Tapas Guy, Mark has now established himself and is relishing his new lifestyle. He confessed there’s little he misses about Britain, apart from perhaps the “good old English pub.” Adjusting to a different culture naturally brings obstacles, and Mark – who has previously spoken about his biggest Spanish “culture shock” – has encountered his fair share.

In an exclusive interview, he discussed his “new way of life” and emphasised the importance of accepting change when relocating to Spain.

When asked about the most substantial hurdles he’s encountered since the move, Mark explained: “Adapting to a new routine, a new way of life; you do have to adapt, and you haven’t, I mean you have to, you’ve got no choice. And I think that is one of the biggest challenges of moving.

“And a lot of people don’t realise; I think a lot of people think that… If you are sort of moving, you just bring your life with you, and you’re just going to be living in Spain with different weather. No, it doesn’t work like that. You do have to…you change. And you know, we’re humans, and we do adapt to different changes in the environment, don’t we?”

“You do really have to fully embrace it and accept the changes you have to make to your routine, particularly in the summer. I mean, it is hot. You really do have to turn your life upside down in the summer. You can’t sort of go out doing things during the day.

“You have to keep out the heat, take it steady. Life comes to a complete standstill here in Spain in the summer, and then you have to live your life in the evenings. So you do have all these changes in routines that you have to adapt to.”

Back in July 2025, Mark discussed how he thought the country was “about 20 years or so behind the UK” in one particular aspect.

Having entered Spain on a digital nomad visa, which allows foreigners to live in Spain while working remotely for companies overseas or as self-employed, Mark said he discovered that some bureaucratic processes can be slow, suggesting this could be the result of a stark “contrast” between Spain and the UK.

Responding to a question regarding the biggest cultural difference he’d encountered, Mark emphasised in one of his videos that Spain appeared to be “about 20 years or so behind the UK” in a specific regard.

He said: “And I describe it as being Spain being about 20 years or so behind the UK in kind of technology. Everything takes so long. They don’t go for electronic systems. They like their pieces of paper; that is the biggest shock.

“They are paper pushers; they’re pen pushers. Everything is paper, like when you go for visa applications. I’m now waiting for my TIE card, which is my foreign residency card, everything is paper processed.”

He continued by revealing that, at that point, he was awaiting his card, though they’d “already kind of accepted it”.

He noted that those applying would present their documents at a police station, where they would have their fingerprints taken, and the individual would produce the card. Mark added: “If they had a little printer machine by them, they could just press a button and print it out, but oh no. You know, it has to go through the paper process.”

In additional remarks, he described how you “sort of make another appointment to go back”, highlighting that “everything’s booked up solid”, and everything “takes a long time”. Despite this small complaint, Mark had previously shared that, on the whole, he was having an “absolutely wonderful” time in Spain.