‘I moved to Spain 3 years ago and I still can’t get over one big difference’ | Europe | Travel
Spain continues to be one of the most popular holiday destinations for Brits looking to chase the sun.
In 2023, approximately 17.8 million visits were made from the UK to Spain. This made Spain the most popular destination for British tourists that year, accounting for 21% of all trips abroad by UK residents, according to the Office for National Statistics. Out of these travels, it’s believed that thousands of Brits move over to the sunny Spanish country every year.
While most Brits will be well aware of the Spanish culture before they move, there might still be certain aspects of the Spanish life that becomes a big shock.
This was the case for Marta Budzyńska, a Polish woman who moved to Madrid in 2022 after having lived and studied in Italy for years before this.
Despite thinking she was already was well-aware of the Spanish and Mediterranian culture when moving to the Spanish capital, there’s one part of her new life that still feels weird to her – and it has nothing to do with the sunny weather.
Taking to her TikTok account, Marta made a video to share what the biggest cultural shock had been for her since moving to Spain.
“One thing that will never stop surprising me about Spain is that they go to eat so freaking late,” she said at the start of the video.
She went on to explain that she’d gone out for dinner with some friends the night before but that their reservation hadn’t been until 10pm, and even then people ended up arriving more than half an hour late, which is common within the Spanish culture.
“And you know you have to think about the order, gets some starters, the main meal. And literally it took so much time,” she said, explaining that they were eating until midnight.
“And I’m not complaining, it was so much fun, I love it,” she said. “I love to live fully with another culture where I’m living or where I’m at, like at holidays. Spain is my home now, but like, that is just so funny and I think it’ll never stop surprising me.”
Marta went on to tell tourists: “So if you go to Spain, just don’t be necessarily on time. Stick […] with easy and chill, it’ll be better for you.”
People quickly took to the comments to share their own experiences, with many Spanish people relating to what Marta had to say.
“As a Spanish this is so true haha,” one viewer wrote. A second person said: “It’s shocking haha. How do you even work the next day.”
A third person also confirmed that similar eating habits also existed in Italy, but that the times could differ between 8pm and 10pm depending on what area of the country you were visiting.
Have you experienced eating dinner at a later time when you’re on holiday? Let us know in the comments.
