Spain To Go

159 - Columbus, la Virgen del Pilar, and Spanish Identity

I'm recording this on October 12th, which is "el Día de la Virgen del Pilar". So in this episode, let's talk about one of the most important apparitions of the Virgin Mar

158 - General Election, General Strike

Big news here in Spain! We've got a general election coming up on 29 November, so we'll probably have a new government soon. And before that, on 11 November, the Tenants

157 - Maricarmen's Franco-era Rent Contract

Big news about Spain's housing crisis this week: the tenants unions have decided to make a woman named Maricarmen symbolic of how evil capitalists want to throw old ladie

156 - Bilbao and Getxo

Today we're talking about the cities of Bilbao and Getxo up in the Basque country, with reflections on competing nationalities, the ongoing Ceuta crisis, what it means to

155 - Baby Prepping! Prenatal care in Spain & more

Spain needs new babies. If you're having one soon, congratulations! And thanks. In this episode, we've got a report on prenatal care in Spain, and on baby prepping in Bar

154 - Lorca, Antifa, Ceuta

Well, Ceuta is still a disaster area, so here's an update about that. Also, we've got a protest from Save Europe Act (it's about "remigration" and a counterprotest from a

153 - Slow travel in Lyon and Montpellier

I recently went to France (again). In this episode, I talk about Lyon and Montpellier in the south of France, whether backpacking around Europe is dead, slow travel, iced

152 - Ceuta's Immigration Emergency!

Last week the Spanish enclave of Ceuta was overrun by "migrants" crossing the border from Morocco. Up to 70,000 people crossed into Spain, and were (mostly) pushed back b

151 - Gibraltar, the controversial UK enclave "near Spain"

The UK has a small territory called Gibraltar near the southern tip of Spain – or, more accurately, near the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula. So today's episode is

150 - Summer in Barcelona - World Cup, Catalan Nationalism and more

Spain won the world cup last Sunday, and the positive national feeling lasted about 48 hours. Now the Catalan nationalists are back to their usual levels of Spain-hating.

BONUS: World Cup Racism!

Spain has made it to the semi-finals of the World Cup, with a match against France... but the top story is actually about some unfortunate comments by former Prime Minist

149 - Air Conditioning Myths

These days, with a bit of summer heat here in Europe, a lot of Americans are talking about air conditioning. Is it true that Europeans don't use aircon? Is it because we'

148 - Expats, Immigrants, and a HUGE life update

Today I'm revisiting the old "expat" vs "immigrant" debate. What do these labels mean, and does it really matter? Also, a big life update from Daniel and Morena. Sign up

147 - Paris, France

I recently went to Paris, and wrote some reflections about the relationship between Spain and France... plus other important topics. Today nobody's talking about this, bu

146 - Barcelona's Hidden Gems

A few travel tips from a Barcelona local here: if you want to get "off the beaten path" and have a more "authentic" experience, I've got some advice. Check out these hidd

145 - Top 7 reasons you should NEVER move to Spain

Should you move to Spain in 2026? Well, it depends. A blog called Expat Money recently published a list of the "top 7 reasons you should never move to Spain" and I don't

144 - PSOE Corruption, Isak Andic, and the World Cup

On this episode of the Spain to Go podcast I go into the new corruption cases involving Pedro Sánchez, ex-president Zapatero, and the socialist government. Also, some o

143 - Sober in Spain (Practicalities and Deep Thoughts)

It's been more than three years since I quit drinking, and people have asked me for an update. So here goes: some practical thoughts about being sober in Spain, and some

142 - Is Spain a poor country? GDP in Europe and the USA

In today's episode, I talk about GDP and GDP per capita in Spain and the USA, and I try to answer the question: Is Spain a poor country? Turns out, it's a bit complicated

141 - Spain, Suffering, and Self-Compassion (w / Melissa Parks)

An interview with expat therapist (and therapist for expats) Melissa Parks. Melissa is the author of "A Compassionate Mess: a Therapist, Her Monsters, and a Journey to Se