I moved from New Jersey to Barcelona. Some parts of the process were surprisingly easy, but I made a few mistakes.
October 13, 20240
I was able to keep my freelance job in Spain.
David Ramos/Getty Images
For most people, the biggest hurdle of moving abroad is finding work. Luckily, as a full-time freelancer and content creator, I can pay my bills as long as I have a laptop and a smartphone.
Since I knew I wouldn’t be getting a visa through an employer, I had to look into my other options. They came down to digital-nomad, student, or teaching visas, and it took me some time to weigh out the pros and cons of each one.
I had enrolled in a Spanish-language program in Barcelona, so applying for a student visa ended up being the best choice for me.
But even after I moved, the visa logistics loomed over my head.
I’m living with a roommate in Barcelona.
Shayna Conde
Once I had a plan for my visa, I shifted my attention to lodging, which I thought was the next most important step.
I used a rental app called BADI to look through listings for open rooms in apartments in Barcelona.
It was much easier to move in with a roommate. But now that I’m settling into my life in Spain, I plan to search for my own place on Idealista, a popular apartment-finding website in the area.
Luckily, I feel comfortable with the roommate I ended up with, and I can rent on a month-to-month basis until I’m ready for my next step.
Barcelona will be my home for at least the next year.
If I want to stay more than a year, I’ll have to go through the visa process again.
Shayna Conde
As a single, child-free woman who’s already fairly nomadic and minimalistic, I recognize that I had fewer logistics to deal with. But moving abroad still had a lot of moving parts.
Nevertheless, I’m overjoyed to be living in Barcelona. Unlike my experiences traveling on tourist visas, I have plenty of time to enjoy everything Spain has to offer.
It might seem like a hassle to endure all this red tape for one year of stability, but for me, it’s been more than worth it so far.
