Mark Danby relocated in January 2025 to embrace the warmer climate of the Costa del Sol, settling in Manilva, a municipality in Malaga, but it’s not been without its challenges
Mark Danby relocated in 2025 to embrace the warmer climate of the sun-drenched Costa del Sol(Image: Mark Danby)
A British man who ditched the UK for a new life in Spain has reflected on the move one year later and how he’s had to turn his life “upside down in the summer”. Originally from Stockport, Greater Manchester, Mark Danby relocated in January 2025 to embrace the warmer climate of the sun-drenched Costa del Sol, settling in Manilva, a municipality in Malaga.
An IT worker and content creator who shares insights about life abroad on his YouTube channel, Tapas Guy, Mark has now settled and is enjoying his new home in the sun. He admitted that he doesn’t particularly miss much about the UK, with the possible exception of the “good old English pub.”
Adapting to a new culture inevitably presents challenges, and Mark – who has previously discussed his biggest Spanish “culture shock” – has certainly faced his own. In an exclusive interview, he reflected on his “new way of life” and highlighted the necessity of embracing change when moving to Spain.
When asked to name some of the most significant challenges he has faced since moving, Mark said: “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 abroad 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.
In his response to a query about the most significant cultural shock he’d experienced, Mark highlighted in one of his videos that Spain seemed to be “about 20 years or so behind the UK” in a particular area. 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 went on to explain that, at the time, he was waiting for his card, but 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 further comments, he explained that you “sort of make another appointment to go back”, pointing out that “everything’s booked up solid”, and everything “takes a long time”. Despite this minor grievance, Mark previously explained that, overall, he was having an “absolutely wonderful” experience in Spain.