The Whole Truth

Spain is one of those places. Picturesque and alluring much like this lovely picture shot on location in Malaga. God knows why the sand is that colour however I expect it has been photoshopped or something. Can someone verify this please.

Most people view Spain as one of those places where you just sit around on the beach by day and get bladdered by night. Its a shame really because actually there is lots to do in Spain, and one should not limit themselves to just the beach and the ’strip’ a common name for a row of bars by a beach.

Personal recommendations I have for Spain are below.

• Spain has a lot to offer in the mountains. Well, the views are very nice so I hear. Why not rent a car from a Spain Car Hire firm and simply drive until you run out of fuel. (Its probably worth not doing this as it could end badly)
• Sit by the beach by day and ‘party til you puke’ at night. Hypocritical I know but to hell with it.
• Go Clubbing for a week in Ibiza. Yes this will be fun

Ok, so there are a few ideas as to what you could do when on holiday in Spain, of course there are lots of other places to have fun such as Malaga and Alicante. But I’m of the opinion that advice number two applies to both.

Holidays are THE time of the year when you should relax, when you have saved enough money to have a week or so in the sun or in the joys of a coastal caravan park.

I mainly enjoyed holidays as a child but one stuck out like a sore thumb when it came to how horrific it was. This trip was in coastal caravan park and it ranked amongst the worst. It involved being ‘gassed’ in this old motorhome for a night and waking up feeling like the living dead then having to move out of the old motorhome into a shiny brand new one. It was a shame that perhaps we didn’t check the old vans gas before we went to bed…

Of course the holiday was made a hell of a lot better by the new van!

In 2007 the BBC launched a absolutely brilliant program called “Beat the Bailiffs” which goes under the premise of ‘what would it be like to have bailiffs barge into your house and take your “hard earned” possessions. Then they show you actually how much you would relieve your debt by after the bailiffs auction your possessions. It makes for some pretty alarming television which is perfect for those lazy afternoons when you realise you infact have no money and that they might take your cat…

The “debtors” featured in the program are generally not at the stage when real bailiffs come knock, knock, knocking at your door, instead are put through a fairly traumatic ‘experience’ to show them what it would actually be like to have several fairly large, generally bald men knocking at their door. I guess the aim of the program is to buck up their ideas when it comes to spending money when it frankly isn’t theirs.

The bailiffs turn up, make an inventory of anything valuable in the house and then come back with a van to collect it all. Cameras are set up in the house so the debtors can sit in an observation van outside watching strange men rummage through their personal belongings before loading them up and driving off with the lot. It’s like watching burglars ransacking your home and not being able to do anything about it.

Sounds absolutely horrible doesn’t it? When it comes to the types of people involved in the program they tend to be of the opinion that the products that they own, due to the credit cards they have taken out and never paid back; are theirs. Which is obviously not the case. With the majority of debts encountered in the program being in the 5 figure league, its amazing to think that these people have just decided to spend, spend and spend with money, generally on garish sofas and wide screen TVs and even in one case a Cat which is not theirs.

Of course this is mostly due to the ‘want it now’ culture. After speaking to a friend this morning about the program he decided to give me some good advice and that was “If you want something, save your money. Put it away in a savings account until you have enough to outright buy the product. Of course in some situations it would take a long time, but he’s right. There is almost something scornful about “saving” money nowadays. Of course if your looking to buy a first time buyer mortgage you will need to borrow money!

Thanks to the thoroughly rubbish internet I have not been able to find any kind of video so you will just have to take my word for everything I have said and actually go and watch it on the TV. If you don’t have one, I would go and raid your savings.