How the Improved Economy of Spain is Helping Ease Parent-child Relations

Spanish families continue to be close to there children and may live at

home for longer than northern Europeans

How the Improved Economy of Spain is Helping Ease Parent-child Relations

“Too lazy to earn a living” is how one Spanish judge described a 23-year-old woman who requested she could continue to receive financial assistance from her parents.

While the woman in question lost her cases, these cases became common in Spain after the credit crunch and double-dip recession of 2008. It all left many young Spaniards forced to either return home to their parents, or just not leave the nest in the first place in order to keep a roof over their heads.

When you throw in the Spanish culture, which is one where young people will stay with their parents for much longer than people from other European countries, and you have a cocktail of resentment, lost opportunities, and the cases mentioned above – where young Spanish people are considered to be apathetic and lazy.

It looks like things could soon be changing as the economy of Spain continues to improve, the job market is strengthening, and mortgages are becoming more affordable and available.

As Spain puts a high value on strong family bonds, it’s not an uncommon sight to see young Spaniards live at home until their late 20s. However, the recession saw people in their 30s living with their parents – a situation that left all parties involved dealing with a lot of frustration.

Eurostat suggests that the average of Spaniards leave their homes is 29 – which is nine years later than the average Swede and still above the EU average of 28. Spanish laws have always decreed that parents need to provide for their offspring until their children reach a state of economic dependence and are able to fend for themselves.

This vague law features no upper age limit and it’s been taken advantage of a number of times, but there are some exceptions, such as the recent Cantabrian case. The judge in that case exercised the caveat that the law doesn’t apply when the behaviour of a child prevents them from being able to live their lives properly, such as being lazy or being unwilling to seek their own independence.

The economic situation of today has improved greatly, meaning many young Spaniards are running out of excuses for not being independent. This is good news across the long-term as the young Spaniards that are becoming independent today will provide an additional boost to the economy, as well as ease the tensions with their parents generated by living together too long.

The Spanish also place a high value on higher education, with most Spaniards in their 20s still in some form of full-time education.

Could Spanish Tourism be Improved by Trump Presidency?

Could Spanish Tourism be Improved by Trump Presidency?

Donald Trump hasn’t been president for long, but he’s already had a drastic impact on how the United States is perceived around the world. The top three tourist destinations in the world are Spain, France, and the USA. It sometimes feels like they take turns being the most popular destination each year. Even though there will always be some argument about tourism and visits, there’s a lot of data already suggesting Spain could become the most visited country of 2017.

Looking like another record breaking year for Spain

There is a tight margin however. There’s a lot of undocumented overland travel in France as drivers constantly skim the northern corner of the country and pass through France on their way to the UK, Germany and Belgium. It’s a little easier to keep track of who comes in and out of Spain thanks to the its place in the southwest of Europe.

Then there is the issue of the United States. The US is no doubt the largest country out of all three, with carefully controlled tourism. The country has very strict border patrol forces that are not about let a few thousand people pass through here and there.

There are some years where the USA is the most visited country in the world. Even if it doesn’t take the top spot, there is only a minor amount of fluctuation. This could all be about to change.

President Donald Trump has spent much of his presidency, fresh as it is, being vocal. His harsh rhetoric and his travel bans have scared some tourists away from the country. Airline analyst Hopper has revealed data that shows there has been a 6.5% drop in airline bookings to the USA since Trump assumed office, while there are 17% less searches for flights to the country.

The drops were seen in most major countries in the world with one peculiar exception; there was actually an 88% increase in enquiries from Russia.

The figures that Hopper have would seem to match those of Spanish travel research company ForwardKeys and British tour operator Responsible Travel, which have recorded 22% decreases in inquiries about US holidays following the appointment of President Trump.

ForwardKeys CEO Olivier Jager says that the data suggests the Trump travel Ban has caused a significant drop in the amount of people looking to travel to the USA and it’s had an immediate effect on travel in the future, which is bad news for the American economy.

Even though it’s bad news for the US, it could be good news for Spain. While the US welcomes a wide range of tourists, many of the people travelling to the country are looking to hit Florida for plenty of sun, sea, and sand. If they don’t find the USA as appealing as they did before, thenSpain could easily become a great replacement as it offers families the same great weather and beaches they would get from the States, along with much more.