November 6, 2020
After having commuted between Miami and Madrid for several years, Maria Belton now calls Valencia home. In this very joyous interview, we chat about life, what brought her to Spain and how she has been able to make her dreams come true even without making big bucks.
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Commuter Expat Now Retired In Spain (Valencia)
In another of the series of interviews of people who have now made Spain, and Valencia specifically their home, I chat with Maria on the latest podcast, and as a first, also via zoom which was interesting to say the list as it’s a new platform for me. I would love to hear your impressions about the video format. Should l do more, or should l stick to just audio?
I’m kind of undecided myself as it means l have to use the zoom audio part too which to me doesn’t sound as good as what l get with just the audio platform that l currently use. The good news is that zoom has announced they will be upping their game as far as audio is concerned, so it might be a moot point pretty soon.
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Highlights of the Maria Belton, expat podcast episode:
- Life in Miami and the seeds of moving being planted in her mind.
- Dreaming about moving to Europe, France at the top of the list.
- What finally prompted her to make the move.The impulsive decision to move to Madrid.
- Commuting between Madrid and Miami for years.
- Falling in love with Valencia on a weekend visit from Madrid with her family on their Spain visit.
- Buying property on impulse and the end result.
- Now retired, how life in Valencia is shaping up, and if it lives up to her dream.
- The definitely manageable amount of money she spends on a monthly basis.
- How her small pension is more than enough to live on.
- Her advice to others who want to do the same.
I was happy to finally nail her down for the interview. It was a bit easier since she is now living full-time here in Valencia. I originally met her three years ago while she was still commuting. She is definitely a social butterfly. Always out and about, be it biking, beach days, or discovering little neighborhood joints.
I love the life lesson, that if there is a will, there is a way to make it happen. Of course, there will be sacrifices along the way, but c’est la vie. She has raised her family, and is now on her next bite of life! :-). She is without a doubt enjoying retired life, and it’s great to see so many people living their designed lives to the fullest in Valencia, (check out a visit to the IVAM modern art museum here) or wherever.
Listen to the podcast here:
The video version if you prefer:
Other podcasts of interest: Don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes.
Bay Area to France to Valencia
How are you doing during these strange days? Have you accepted the “new normal” yet?
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Great energy – I watched the video and I definitely prefer it to the podcast version. I went on a virtual trip with Google Streetview in Carmen area… brought back some nice memories about Valencia. Happy to hear that it is still affordable – probably it will remain so for at least several years after the entire 2020 madness.
Great advice toward the end, too! You don’t need a fortune to live well.
Thanks for the feedback. I think l will do video ones off and on. It´s interesting to see the difference between watchers on YouTube. There seems to be a preference for video there too but still surprised that there are quite a few of the podcast ones as well. One guy said he likes to download it on his phone and listen when he takes his walks which is interesting. Glad you have good memories of your trip here, so do we, and every so often l still come across pictures of us at the plaza or the pizza place, etc. Good times!
I also think the prices will stay reasonable for a while yet. I don´t see Valencia as a Barcelona or Madrid, it just doesn´t seem to be laid out that way. Nope! You don´t need a fortune to live well. She proves it.
OMG commuting from Miami to Madrid??? I am exhausted just thinking about it…lol. But kudos to her for just getting on with it. Interesting that she has since moved to Spain. Great choice of making Valencia her new home and so glad that she is loving it. I think I prefer just the podcast to the video since it is easier to listen to it at any time, also the camera-shy guests might prefer just the podcast? But perhaps you can do a bit of each? Enjoyed both in this case.
I know right? When l found out, I was stunned as l don’t think l could do that. I would be so disoriented, but l guess it’s something you get used to, especially when you’re as determined as she was. She is definitely loving her life and is quite the social butterfly like l mentioned. Certainly, more energy than l have… haha!.
Thanks for letting me know your preference. I definitely think there is room for both judging from my YouTube experiment where l left both to see. The audio-only had quite strong numbers even though it was lower than the video. I will continue to shake things up and slip in the videos every so often. I am really enjoying myself trying new things. Thanks so much for your support as always.