A.J. Griffiths-Jones

When we bought our apartment in a small Turkish town seventeen years ago, it was a retreat to get away from the hustle and bustle of our busy life in Shanghai. Somewhere to relax and chill out and an easy flight if friends and relatives from England wanted to join us.

In all those years, there was no conversation about moving here permanently, no thoughts of selling up and taking the plunge, and to be honest it just wasn’t on the agenda.

However, with retirement drawing closer for my husband and both of us craving a life with more sunshine, we started to look at our options and weighed up the pros and cons. Initially, we were drawn to Portugal, seeking a rural retreat where we could be within an easy drive to the sea, but after a nightmare house hunt, we swiftly changed our minds.

Next up was France, the tumbledown longeres and manors tempting us with their history and inspiring ideas of renovation. But then we began to look at the practicalities of such a move. With restrictions on what can be rebuilt and a great deal of legalities regarding the properties themselves and the involvement of local dignitaries, such as the ‘maire’ (mayor), it seemed a minefield of issues. Not to mention the fact that if you buy a house close to a church in France there are even more hoops to be jumped through.

So, what about Spain, we asked ourselves. With plenty of scenic resorts up and down the coastline, it’s a hotspot for sun-seeking Brits, not to mention the many bars and restaurants catering for the English palate, you only need to watch daytime television to see how bargain-loving expats make a great life for themselves out there.

It was at that point that my husband and I looked at each other and shook our heads. No, we weren’t after busy nightlife, English breakfasts and karaoke. But what we did want was the close proximity to the sea and traditional local food. The problem was that we had no idea where to find this combination on Spanish soil.

At this point we were ready to put our house on the market and take the plunge. The question remaining was, where will we go? Putting together our list of criteria was a real eye-opener as it turned out, because the things important to us, like fresh sea air, a farmer’s market with local produce and a view across the water, were right here at our holiday home in Turkiye.

So why hadn’t we considered moving here before? Tales of complex residency applications, minimum savings requirements and long registration processes for utilities had all added to deterring us from moving. But also in the back of our minds was the fact that we had no experience of living in a predominantly Muslim country.

We were unsure how it would affect our daily lives or whether there would be no impact at all. There was only one way to find out.

Now having lived full-time in Turkiye for a little over eighteen months, there is no doubt in our minds that we made the right decision. Life is stress-free, healthier and warmer, and all of the legalities that initially concerned us were easily overcome with the help of the many professional people who offer comprehensive services for people moving here.

Yes, sometimes it is slightly frustrating that our new home country does things differently, but we are the ones who have to adjust, and it gets easier month on month.

The sound of the muezzin calling everyone to prayer is an almost hypnotic way to wake up and something that we would most definitely miss if we ever moved.

Being able to watch the most spectacular thunderstorms rolling in across the sea, generally having a better quality of life and experiencing Turkish living first hand makes all those pieces of the expat-living jigsaw fit together.