Long winter sun break ideas: what do you do?

[nickfrog]

This winter has felt like the longest in history for some reason.
We retired just before COVID and always planned to spend 3 to 4 months in warmer climates in the winter and I am preparing to start this later this year now that our son has finished Uni and can "look after" (ummmm...) the house in our absence.

So, what do you do to avoid a prolonged and usually miserable UK winter?

I am thinking Florida but also driving to Southern Europe, Spain, Portugal, Italy...

[belleair302]

Will you be renting property and what about transportation? Thoughts about medical insurance, in Florida or the USA think around £900 a month per person!

[nickfrog]

Good points, it's early days. We will need a car in Florida that's for sure. I can source travel insurance that will include health and repat for a small fraction of that even for 90 days.

No idea on accommodation, I know I can source really cheap but decent winter rentals in Portugal/Spain/Italy at around €1,000/month Inc bills.

[djc206]

I would choose South Africa, the weather will be perfect, the food is incredible and most importantly it’s so so cheap. Florida is nice enough but it’s ludicrously expensive now thanks to the $ rate.

[Aventador 700]

Sitges in spain for us - jan-april

We live in the south of france anyway but contrary to the temperature charts, its far better than the cote d’azur (after many years testing) as its much drier humidity which means our arthritis never flares over winter, masses more to do over winter in spain (track days, events etc) and its easy to get to for us.

We tried marbella for a couple of years but its such a hike and really not much better weather wise tbh.

From uk you could just about do barcelona in one day from a 6:30 dock overnight ferry at caen, marbella is definitely 2 days, maybe 3.

Attitude in Sitges is bloody brilliant as its predominantly a gay district. None of the marbella crowd, guess that could be your thing though..

[Shnozz]

Another one that favours Spain, but you will be limited to 90 days in 180 post Brexit and also has to be said, it can be cold particularly at night. We light our wood burner most days/eves across December and January. I quite like the balance and having proper seasons so sat in a T shirt at lunch but then hygge by the fire of an evening, but if you are seeking out warm weather you perhaps might want to aim further South for the coldest months.

[nickfrog]

djc206 said:

I would choose South Africa

Thanks! Will explore the idea.

Aventador 700 said:

Useful stuff

Brilliant thanks, I know that coast well having driven it up back to France from Ibiza via Valencia (in 1990!!!).

[nickfrog]

Shnozz said:

Another one that favours Spain, but you will be limited to 90 days in 180 post Brexit and also has to be said

We're lucky enough to both have FOM through bi nationality. Spain is the obvious destination but we also have family and knowledge of the Algarve although winters can be very damp there, wrong ocean!!

[rdjohn]

Another for winters in Spain.

We were living in France until September last year, but still spent Jan, Feb and March renting in Marbella. We have now bought in Estepona and got our visas to spend 180 days there.

I do not think we could tolerate either the heat, or tourists during summer, but, during the winter, life is very very pleasant.

[GT4P]

Asia, predominantly Thailand, lots of Europeans do 2-3 months, cheap, good food and plenty of warm sunshine!

[kiethton]

I'd echo the SA shout - having family there I've spent so many winters over there moving along the garden route/driving around.

Great weather, great food and great wine - only issue (potentially) right now are the rolling blackouts

Other left-field suggestion is to head to somewhere like Thailand and chill by the beach (although your son may get jealous!)

[Jaguar steve]

rdjohn said:

Another for winters in Spain.

A whole winter? Serious question then - how will you pass the time?

I spent every school holiday in Marbella through most of the '70s and have memories of endless days being bored rigid back then and often contemplate several weeks over the winter in the Canaries now.

But I'm pretty hopeless at not doing much and can't think of how I'd survive that long without something stimulating and engaging to do or some activity to focus on.

[Aventador 700]

Jaguar steve said:

rdjohn said:

Another for winters in Spain.

A whole winter? Serious question then - how will you pass the time?

I spent every school holiday in Marbella through most of the '70s and have memories of endless days being bored rigid back then and often contemplate several weeks over the winter in the Canaries now.

But I'm pretty hopeless at not doing much and can't think of how I'd survive that long without something stimulating and engaging to do or some activity to focus on.

Sounds ‘re one of those who waits for things to come to them.. there’s masses to do in spain through winter, loads of sports, walks, shows, volunteer work, to name but a few

Last year i volunteered at the local dog shelter and built a load of new kennels for them and it was very satisfying.

If you look, you can find stuff, if you dont particularly want to do anything then you wont seek it out most likely.

[Jaguar steve]

Aventador 700 said:

Jaguar steve said:

rdjohn said:

Another for winters in Spain.

A whole winter? Serious question then - how will you pass the time?

I spent every school holiday in Marbella through most of the '70s and have memories of endless days being bored rigid back then and often contemplate several weeks over the winter in the Canaries now.

But I'm pretty hopeless at not doing much and can't think of how I'd survive that long without something stimulating and engaging to do or some activity to focus on.

Sounds ‘re one of those who waits for things to come to them.. there’s masses to do in spain through winter, loads of sports, walks, shows, volunteer work, to name but a few

Last year i volunteered at the local dog shelter and built a load of new kennels for them and it was very satisfying.

If you look, you can find stuff, if you dont particularly want to do anything then you wont seek it out most likely.

Not at all.

I can easily fill every single day in the UK with things I want to do but have no idea how I'd keep myself similarly occupied through a winter in Spain. Which is why I asked the question in the first place.

[Aventador 700]

Jaguar steve said:

Aventador 700 said:

Jaguar steve said:

rdjohn said:

Another for winters in Spain.

A whole winter? Serious question then - how will you pass the time?

I spent every school holiday in Marbella through most of the '70s and have memories of endless days being bored rigid back then and often contemplate several weeks over the winter in the Canaries now.

But I'm pretty hopeless at not doing much and can't think of how I'd survive that long without something stimulating and engaging to do or some activity to focus on.

Sounds ‘re one of those who waits for things to come to them.. there’s masses to do in spain through winter, loads of sports, walks, shows, volunteer work, to name but a few

Last year i volunteered at the local dog shelter and built a load of new kennels for them and it was very satisfying.

If you look, you can find stuff, if you dont particularly want to do anything then you wont seek it out most likely.

Not at all.

I can easily fill every single day in the UK with things I want to do but have no idea how I'd keep myself similarly occupied through a winter in Spain. Which is why I asked the question in the first place.

Then its even more of a bizarre question, whatever you ‘filll’ your days with in the uk, do the same in spain, there’s as much if not more to do in spain, you just have to be proactive, which you say you are so no problem.

[Shnozz]

Aventador 700 said:

Jaguar steve said:

Aventador 700 said:

Jaguar steve said:

rdjohn said:

Another for winters in Spain.

A whole winter? Serious question then - how will you pass the time?

I spent every school holiday in Marbella through most of the '70s and have memories of endless days being bored rigid back then and often contemplate several weeks over the winter in the Canaries now.

But I'm pretty hopeless at not doing much and can't think of how I'd survive that long without something stimulating and engaging to do or some activity to focus on.

Sounds ‘re one of those who waits for things to come to them.. there’s masses to do in spain through winter, loads of sports, walks, shows, volunteer work, to name but a few

Last year i volunteered at the local dog shelter and built a load of new kennels for them and it was very satisfying.

If you look, you can find stuff, if you dont particularly want to do anything then you wont seek it out most likely.

Not at all.

I can easily fill every single day in the UK with things I want to do but have no idea how I'd keep myself similarly occupied through a winter in Spain. Which is why I asked the question in the first place.

Then its even more of a bizarre question, whatever you ‘filll’ your days with in the uk, do the same in spain, there’s as much if not more to do in spain, you just have to be proactive, which you say you are so no problem.

Indeed. And usually being drier and warmer only aids the ability to enjoy whatever it is you would do in the U.K.

Playing golf and tennis in the dry is far nicer, as is going for a bike ride or a nice drive.

Aside from a couple of months in the summer when it’s just too hot to manage a few sports, I can’t think of anything that would be ruled out by being in Spain over a winter.

[Shnozz]

Bit different to being there as a teenager when you’re away from school mates and annoyed things are closed over siesta.

[nickfrog]

Thanks for all the input so far.

South Africa really appealed to me but was ruled out by Mrs Frog straight away as she has issues with security there rightly or wrongly. She is also nervous about distance to our kids, the other one being in Paris.

This also rules out Florida, which is expensive anyway.

And Asia which I would have really liked, having spent time in Indonesia.

I think we will revisit one of the above inter continental solutions in a few years even if it is for a month only.

But in the meantime we have narrowed it down to Portugal, Spain and southern Italy. The main benefit is mobility as we can easily drive there and have the car with us all that time.

Steve's point is valid in terms of things to do but it can't be worse than in the UK. I play a lot of tennis and I will take my mountain bike so I am sorted that's the main thing

Edited by nickfrog on Wednesday 12th April 18:35

[PBCD]

Jaguar steve said:

I can easily fill every single day in the UK with things I want to do...

Such as?

[Jaguar steve]

PBCD said:

Jaguar steve said:

I can easily fill every single day in the UK with things I want to do...

Such as?

I'm not really into easily transferable interests like sport or art or museums or culture or entertainment and since I retired virtually everything I do to pass time involves practical stuff like lots of tools and a workshop or a boat or old cars or restoring a flaky old cottage with a needy garden and doing things with and for the kids and I can't see any of those easily fitting in a suitcase for a few weeks.

Winter in the sunshine definitely appeals though and I've scoured the Canary islands for things I'd enjoy doing and found very little apart from walking which is why I refuse to go for more than two or three weeks at a time as the resultant boredom drives me up the wall.

One option either there or mainland Spain might be as I've got the piece of paper that says I'm qualified to skipper a tourist boat or a dive RIB or give sailing lessons and I can chef and do bar work pretty well would be to find some casual work but post Brexit I'd need a work permit as well as reasonable Spanish for that and even if I had those as I'm not a local I'd be at the back of a very long queue.

I know there's several expat communities along the Spanish Costas and my experience of them back in the day is all they do is go to noisy parties at each others villas, drink way too much, moan relentlessly about the Spanish and occasionally throw sulky teenage boys into the swimming pool which isn't really my idea of fun so the question remains - unless they have a job or involving hobby what is there to do everyday for weeks on end?