Can you imagine moving across the world and living on a mediterranean island? You can see the ocean out your window, walk everywhere you need to go, and bask in the warmth of the sun in an adorable beach town. For me, this dream became a reality, as I started living in Ibiza, and it could for you too!
The September after I graduated from college, I moved to Ibiza, Spain – an island off the coast of Barcelona and Valencia known very well for its party scene. I wasn’t able to study abroad during my time at Penn State, so I was looking for a way to travel for the year after my studies. During my time living in Ibiza, I visited several cities in more than seven different countries! I also enjoyed the many world class clubs, stunning beaches, and top level restaurants that Ibiza has to offer. If this sounds like something you’d like, keep reading to see how I did it and my final thoughts about my location choice.
How I moved to /lived in Ibiza
The program: NALCAP
I applied to a program called NALCAP. The North American Language and Culture Assistant Program is where you help teach an English class in Spain for only 15 hours a week, from October to May. While there are a few programs similar to NALCAP, I applied to this one since it was through the Spanish government. This felt more legit to me and the application process was entirely free (besides paying for your visa and background check). I have an entire blog post about NALCAP, so if you are interested in the nitty gritty details, it’s linked here.
I also have another post, here, about different ways to move or travel long term if that’s more up your alley.
What I found through this process was a universal truth that the slower the style of life, the slower the government takes. Unlike the US college application process, applying for a Spanish visa took a very long time. There are little to no updates, just waiting and hoping that you did everything correctly. I have a post linked here about what I wish I knew for the visa process beforehand.
This taught me to have patience and faith in the process. You will need both during your NALCAP year(s) for getting your residency card as well. It’s somehow even more frustrating of a process! I’ve learned that more capitalistic countries also have a bit faster systems in place, which I now cherish and enjoy about the USA.
Regional Placements
When you apply to NALCAP, you get a choice of where you would like to be placed. All the regions are separated into three columns. You get to choose one per column to rank in your top three. Of course, all of the most populated regions or regions with the most big cities are in one column. That means, you have to choose between Catalunya (where Barcelona is), Madrid, Valencia, and other larger cities. The program also shows the amount of people placed per region from the year prior.
Initially, I wanted to be placed in Barcelona. When I saw only 22 people out of the 8,000+ that applied got placed there, I changed my mind and strategy. I wanted to be somewhere with great nightlife and beaches. I found the Balearic Islands were an option and realized that Ibiza and Mallorca checked off my wants. Many fewer people had the Balearics as their first choice. Also the program offered spots to people there at the end of the summer. That told me it wouldn’t be incredibly unlikely to get placed there if I put the Balearic Islands as my first choice. I put them down and got placed in my top choice of Ibiza! I had a fantastic time and have a billion recommendations! If you are visiting Ibiza at any point, check out this post on the best things to do on the island.
Review by time
September/October
The first month and a half of living in Ibiza was amazing. For three weeks, it was hot and I could go to the beach every single day. Compared to my North East beach, this was a MAJOR upgrade. The weather was fantastic and I only worked three days a week once my job started. The clubs were starting to wind down, but there were still massive closing parties to attend. During this time, the island is alive while starting to close down towards the end of October.
Everything was new and exciting. There was tons to do at first which did start to wither away as it got colder. We started to try and figure out getting our residency card. You need all this paperwork for an extremely difficult appointment to get. We weren’t too stressed at this point. I went to Madrid in October with my new found friends and was planning tons of trips.
The only downside apart from the island closing, was how the airport also closes down. During the off season, not many people want to come to Ibiza. That means in order to get anywhere, I would have a layover in Madrid or Barcelona. This wasn’t terrible, but it added tons of travel time that may not have been necessary if I was placed elsewhere. At this point, I was ecstatic with where I picked to live and had no doubts about my choice.
November to March
This was for sure my least favorite time of the year living in Ibiza. The only direct flights were to other places in Spain, and the majority of restaurants and stores are closed. Coming from an NYC suburb, I am used to having tons of things around me to do. This made living in Ibiza a new and quiet experience for me.
Since I worked three days a week, I had tons of free time for four days. I taught some private lessons, used public transportation to explore the island since it’s free for residents, and went for long walks. Unfortunately I didn’t have an international drivers license. I couldn’t rent a car like my friends could to go where public transportation didn’t take me. I wanted to save my money for traveling and for when the island opened up. At times it felt like I had to spend money to do anything else than what I listed above. I wish I was doing an online masters degree at the same time or some other remote job.
Residency Card
I would fly to Barcelona to go watch movies that just came out and honestly leave the island to travel whenever I could. Thankfully I got my residency card in time so that I could go home for Christmas. The process is slow and if I wasn’t on top of it, I wouldn’t have been able to go home! Thankfully, one of the parents of a student at my school was a police officer. He got me an emergency appointment to bring my paperwork (a passport sized photo of me, my padron (a paper signed by my landlord and I) and my work contract) and my card came in a few days before my flight back.
Finances
I booked tons of trips on Black Friday and did lots of traveling from January to March. While my roommates and friends planned on staying for another year, I knew this would be my only year abroad. All the money I had brought was put towards travel and food. In Ibiza we got paid 875 euros. My rent was about 600 euros with 20-30 more for electricity. The rest of my paycheck went to food/toiletries, so anything like eating out or buying clothes came out of my savings. Living in Ibiza is more affordable compared to my home of Connecticut, but with the amount I was getting paid, I was often tight on money.
None of the super clubs are open in the winter, besides some opening for New Years. Fortunately there are some places you can go and have fun. I have them listed in this blog post! This is nowhere near the same as summer clubbing, but still can be fun.
During this time period, I traveled to Lisbon, Barcelona, Monaco, Nice, Milan, Rome, Venice, the Dolomites, Iceland, Morocco, Baqueira-Beret, Naples, and Capri.
I thoroughly enjoyed that I was able to spend Christmas at home and travel to tons of different cities! I think had I not saved up to travel this much and not been able to go home for Christmas, I would have felt quite lonely and disconnected from the amount of socialization I am used to.
April to June
This was for sure the PEAK of living in Ibiza. It was getting warmer, I worked until the end of May, and had my apartment until the end of June. The island was coming alive again and there were tons of things to do. My roommates and I started signing up for the resident club passes, so we could go to Ushuaia and Hi for free most nights.
It was finally beach weather and I could enjoy the crystal clear waters. I could party for little to no money. Eventually I didn’t have to work and could be fully on vacation. I traveled some. I went to Palermo and Bari in Italy, as a part of my Easter break trip. My mom and I went to Paris, then the week after I went to Amsterdam. I went to Scotland with my cousin and my final trip was to Barcelona for the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix.
I had the MOST fun at this time. But I was also grappling with the worry of returning to the US. Living in Ibiza was great. What would post grad life at home be like? What kinds of jobs would I apply to? My quality of life was about to irrevocably change. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do in the world. I was devastated that my life would never be the same. This was the ONLY downside of this time. The shadow of these doubts creeping in. The rest of my friends were staying in Spain the coming year except me. With no work to distract me, this was a reality of what I thought about every day.
Living in Ibiza: Would I Recommend it?
NALCAP has tons of locations to place you. Locations that are lively all year, have cheaper rent where you can live more comfortably, or both! Living in Ibiza is neither of those. You’ll be tight with money and have less to do for more than half of your time in Ibiza. Making friends with the locals is not easy. Their level of English is not super high in comparison to people on the main land. I’ve learned if you don’t have a pretty high level of Spanish, they don’t want to take the time to get to know you. The immigrants, like the Moroccans are great! The locals deal with thousands of people coming and ruining their island every year. For that reason, I understand they don’t make an effort, but it doesn’t hurt any less.
On the other hand, living in Ibiza is a once in a lifetime experience. There are world class clubs and restaurants, travelers from around the world you can meet, and stunning beaches and mountains. The airport is small yet goes tons of places in the busy season with hardly any waiting (I have a post about it here). You’ll have crazy stories to share for the rest of your life about the crazy partying and people you see.
If you come with enough money, you can travel everywhere you want during the low season and enjoy the island to its fullest when its open. I had a fantastic time living in Ibiza. I made great memories and even better friends. If I were to redo this past year, I would still pick Ibiza. But if I were to do an additional year, I don’t think I would. I would want to be somewhere more affordable and more lively year round.
The Type of Person You Should Be
If you like to do things for the plot and to have great stories, if you will come with lots of money, and if you like to keep yourself busy, living in Ibiza might be right for you. It’s not the easiest and most stress-free place to live, there will be trials to overcome and a billion opportunities to grow. So if you are looking for a challenge, to experience something that no one else in your life will ever, to balance exploring the world and relaxing on beautiful beaches, you should pick the Balearic Islands and Ibiza for your NALCAP placement!
