Apart from a few months in Spain decades ago, I’ve lived in the UK all my life so far.
And naturally, when I announced I’d moved with my little family to Gibraltar two weeks ago, a lot of people said, why?
Even more people said, how?
We’ll come onto that in a bit.
First, the why:
- It’s sunny and warm almost every day (I could stop right here – no more reason needed, right?)
- There’s sea and beaches everywhere
- Crime is negligibly low
- It’s a safe, fun place for kids
- Everyone speaks English
- Tax is way lower than UK
- Brits can live here without too much complicated paperwork
- The schools are absolutely brilliant
- People are mostly happy, kind and helpful
Another big reason: Pete Scott and I recently launched a project that’s set to change our business in such a fundamental way, it seemed only right to honour that with a massive life change too.
Now the how…as in, how the bloody hell did we sell-up, uproot and pack-up three lives and a property in 90 days?
Three strands to it: desire, execution and a little good luck.
1: Desire: we’ve been wanting to escape the dreary, grey miserable UK for years. It’s way too crowded, dangerous and politically toxic to stay, let alone bring up a child there anymore. Everything is better in sunshine, and that’s a major driver.
2: Execution: we realised we’d have to sell our apartment in the UK where I’ve lived for 20 years. Rental yields are poor, so it made no sense to keep it. Also we’d have to find a place big enough for our non-negotiables – two bedrooms, my home office, spacious, modern kitchen and lots of outdoor space.
After a few weeks of browsing property listings in Gibraltar, we made a trip here for a week in May and viewed a dozen or more. Picked the one we wanted, and told the agent to hold on while we sold in the UK. He rolled his eyes. Whatever, he thought.
3: A little good luck: back in the UK, I reach out to an old pal of mine who owns the most prestigious estate agency in town. Views our place and says, I have someone who’ll buy this. Sends round his favoured buyer next day who offers us the asking price, on the spot. No haggling, nobody else tramping round the place expressing fake interest. Done deal.
It takes way too long to transact the paperwork, the packing is exhausting and the UK transportation company is a flipping nightmare, but it gets done. Just in time to get Oscar in school on the exact date his classmates go back.
In summary: you can do anything you want to do in life – including moving countries – if you have the desire and you’re prepared to put in the work to execute. A little luck helps too, but maybe you make your own luck if you want it badly enough, eh?
It’s Gibraltar Day next Tuesday, and we’ll be partying in the streets, waving our flags in gratitude from morning till night.
Love this place.