Hi All

Good to be back after a while.

My company is sending me on a long term assignment to Madrid, Spain. I am very excited about this opportunity and planning to land there with my family asap. We want to work and enjoy the Mediterranean charm and the rich Spanish culture and enrich our lives with Dali, Picasso, Real Madrid , Tapas and Almadovar among the many other attractions. We are already taking Spanish lessons to be able to be immersed in their culture and way of life from day one in Madrid.
However there is a lot of concern here about the Spanish economy in general and safety and security of foreigners in specific. Many reports of violence on an almost daily increasing trend is posing a lot of questions in our mind as to whether this is a good time to be there in Spain with family.
Please advise.

thanks and best regards

Raj

What daily reports about violence? What type and what are your sources?

It will be fine. Please do not worry. What a wonderful opportunity for your family!

Expats are always a bit more vulnerable to property crime, esp. in an environment that is economically depressed or poor. It generally does not translate into a personal safety issue. I have never lived in Spain, but I have lived in and own a house in Portugal. From a safety perspective, I feel safe.

One thing not to do is to read too much into many of the expat newspapers which can be a bit hysterical.

Anyway, enjoy your adventure. I will warn you that it is addictive! We came abroad for a 3ish year assignment and are still here 15 years later!

Where do you live now?

SloJan2 wrote <i>Expats are always a bit more vulnerable to property crime</i>
Eh? where has that come from?
As I understand it locations like Madrid are safer than a lot of other cities .
Give us a clue as to where you are from and we can give you some comparisons.

PS Spain is not all Tapas; Real Madrid; etc...we have a wide variation in culture here.

Thanks a lot for your prompt replies... i feel very encouraged now... sorry if I have hurt anyone's sentiments -- not at all my intention though..

I am from India and most of these reports I have heard are mostly word of mouth and hence thank God I checked with you guys before letting these rumours took wings and spoilt our party...

Thanks again and Hola Espanol...here we come...

bfn
Raj

Raj,

I am certain you will end up liking not only Madrid but the rest of Spain, too. It is, IMO, a wonderful country.

India? Are you aware of all the horror stories some of us have "heard" about that country?

Exactly! You have the right outlook and do enjoy your time in Spain.

Thanks Dukey1... I have the right perspective now...

How exciting for you and your family, what a wonderful experience for you all.

We spent a week in Madrid in late June, our first visit to Spain, and enjoyed it very much. We rented an apartment and felt very safe, no worries. You would take the same precautions you normally would when traveling or at your home. I will mention we had several locals come up to us and warn about taking extra care with my purse but again, you need to be aware of your surroundings as you would anywhere.
Tho our visit to Madrid was only a week we will definitely return to explore more of Spain.

Good luck.

Definitely do not be afraid to move to Madrid. But do take street precautions. The thieves in Spain are very talented and fearless of the police due to our archaic judicial system.

So, be streetwise as you would anywhere in any large city.. do not let purses hang on backs of chairs, cell phones on tables in full view, wallets in back pockets, etc. etc.

I travel to Madrid quite frequently and have never been accosted or robbed but have witnessed such.

Enjoy Madrid and the rest of Spain.

The whole world's in a mess, but Madrid shouldn't pose any problems, but before you get too disappointed, Madrid is not actually considered Mediterranean. For that you would have to head to Barcelona, Valencia and the Costa del Sol.

ribeirasacra, it comes from my personal experience and that of my friends. Many times, expat, esp. corporate expats and diplomats, are seen as a bit more well off than the rest of the population. Therefore, they may be targetted. This has been our experience in central and eastern Europe, but also Portugal.

I doubt that Spain is much different.

But, like I stated earlier, this does not translate into personal safety. I feel much safer on a personal level in any country in Europe than in my home country of the US.

I think someone who seems to be well to do - either tourist or resident - is more likely to be the target of petty thieves anywhere in the world (why steal from poor people?).

This is just basic common sense.

And in Madrid, as in any city, you need to use basic common sense about your belongings. I have never had a problem in almost 100 trips to europe - during many of which it would have been obvious that I was a prime target based on results of potential theft.

Caveat: I'm a native New Yorker, am used to routinely taking care of my belongings, and have never had anything stolen from my person here - despite routinely riding the subway for about 35 years.

I have been to Madrid four times in the last six years....the last visit was three weeks ago.
My experience in Europe has been the same as the PP suggested.
The target of pickpockets may not be so much well off residents as the people who have " tourist"
written all over them - something almost impossible to hide.

I am not talking pickpocketing. I am talking house invasions and car theft.

Raj, the expat forums would probably be a better avenue to get answers on the expat life. Try www.expatforum.com and www.expatfocus.com.

Enjoy your adventure...just be aware that it is totally addictive!

SloJan...Portugal is very different to Spain.
I have not heard or read about the hordes of robbers attacking all the expat enclaves in any country.
I was robbed one on the London underground, now wait a minute it was called a fare!

R - nice hyperbole. I never said hordes. The security profile of an expat is different than a native regardless of what country you are speaking about.