Is it time for you to checkout of the UK?

With many of life’s key decisions, you’re usually given fair warning of why a change is needed. Finding a new job becomes paramount as soon as it becomes untenable. You know a new car is on the cards when that rattling noise in the engine just won’t go away. And you can tell it’s time for children when you find yourself cooing at each and every passing baby you see.

But how can you tell that it’s time to move to Spain? Sometimes the signs are easy to spot. Other times, you don’t even realise that your current lifestyle is steering you towards the airport exit lounge. So here are three handy signs that I think mean you’re ready to ditch Blighty and hop on a plane to Spain…

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Driving in Spain is a lot safer these days than it was a decade ago

Amid a debate about whether Germany should abolish its speed-limit-free autobahn rules comes some encouraging statistics that shows the dramatic improvements Spanish motorways have made in recent years.

This incredibly detailed data, published in The Guardian, boasts a wealth of figures comparing and contrasting European countries’ road deaths, looking at the proportion that occur on motorways as compared to rural or urban roads, and the overall total of road deaths per annum…

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Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher in a typical Jerez establishment

Hollywood’s hottest couple – Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher – were recently snapped enjoying traditional sherry and the hot Spanish sun in Andalucía’s Jerez de la Frontera.

The stars are currently in Europe while Kunis, 29, films in London. But while the British capital may provide Blockbusting backdrops and A-list comfort, the weather just isn’t reliable enough for this naturalised Californian…

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The staff at El Celler de Can Roca have created the world's finest dining experience

Copenhagen’s acclaimed Noma has been ousted from its position as the world’s best restaurant by Catalonia’s El Celler de Can Roca, which is located a mere 50km from El Bulli.

Ferran Adrià’s famous Catalan restaurant was rated as Restaurant magazine’s best restaurant four years running between 2006-2009, after which point the accolade headed north to Denmark’s Noma, where it has remained ever since…

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Happy, content and secure: the majority of British expats in Spain feel financially stable

If newspapers and popular media are to be believed (pinches of salt all round, we say), then the image of the traditional British expat can usually be divided into two distinct and conflicting camps.

They are either fabulously wealthy and able to swan around in yachts, supercars and cavernous villas with nary a care in the world, or they are close to destitution, and forced to sell their possessions in order to raise the air fare back home…

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Spain's stunning diet and lifestyle is a key ally in the country's charm offensive

It’s been a chastening few days for Spain. Unemployment has hit a record high of six million (or 27.2 per cent), the country’s population has started to shrink for the first time since the 1940s, and even its two leading football clubs – FC Barcelona and Real Madrid – have been given unprecedented 4-0 and 4-1 drubbings by that most ominous of rising powers, Germany.

Yep, Spaniards have probably had enough. But hold on a second. While jobs, security and football are massively important, Spaniards can still hold their heads high in many other respects; and here are three ideas that could help them – and others – remember exactly why Spain is such a wonderful country…

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Marbella's mayor (second from left) meets representatives of British Airways and Turespaña

The Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, recently signed an agreement with British Airways to promote the resort of Marbella on 6,000 of its long-haul flights throughout July.

A dazzling promotional video promoting Marbella will be shown on passengers’ video screens during the summer. Mayor Muñoz is keen to further improve and increase the relationship between Marbella and the British market, which is thought to account for nearly 40 per cent of all tourists who frequent the upmarket resort…

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Recovering from a broken leg while skiing in the Sierra Nevada, Miguel Ángel Jiménez at the launch of his Torremolinos Municipal Golf School

Local boy done good, Miguel Ángel Jiménez – born in Churriana, Málaga where he still lives – recently opened the Torremolinos Municipal School of Golf that bears his name…

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The faithful replica of the schooner 'Pickle' in Gibraltar

OK, so you’ll already have gathered this isn’t about stocking up with jars of Branston from Morrisons, or even with Brinjal Aubergine from the Waitrose shelves at Gibraltar’s new Eroski store.

The Pickle I’m on about is a 73ft twin-masted tall ship, and while she’s not the original topsail schooner that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar and raced to London to break the news of Lord Nelson’s death, she is nonetheless a faithful replica of the famous warship dating from 1799…

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Spain is a bustling, thriving destination for families, holidaymakers and home buyers

Mankind needs myths. As a storytelling tactic, myths are second only to the heroic lead character in a raconteur’s affections.

Myths abound throughout our daily existence: from a snatched glance across the still waters of Loch Ness to the heaving weight of the ‘Self Help’ section in your local book store, the truth regularly bends in order to fit the whims, wants and fantasies of the world.

But sometimes myths are damaging…

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