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Working in the blazing sun is, for a lot of people, a dream; to some it’s even a life goal, and moving your own business there is even more mouth-watering a prospect. The idea of waking up every day and not being met by a rush of cold air wishing you a good morning, whilst still feeling safe in the knowledge that you still have the built-in financial security that comes with being a business owner, are just a few things that makes British migration to Spain, for instance, such a tantalising prospect for a large amount of the business owner population. In 2014, the officially registered population of British nationals in Spain was 300,286: that’s a lot of people going in search of a hot summer and mild-winter Mediterranean climate, and there are probably even double that amount back in Blighty right now who would like to join them. But for all those who would there are precautions that have to be taken when moving your business to such a climate, and not necessarily things that necessarily strike as being important.
Dealing With Electronic Devices
Firstly, the sun doesn’t just give you that all-year-round bronzed tan you’ve been longing for all your life: it makes everything, well, hot. Still, you may think that that is a good thing: you want to feel warm 24/7 and in truth that was the whole point in you getting as far away from Blighty as you realistically could; but heat can take its toll (and not in a good way) not only on you but on the working utensils you’ve had to bring with you in order to keep your business afloat. Your electronic devices, specifically, are not likely to thank you for your recent diaspora; unless, of course, you look after them. Tips on looking after a laptop that’s joined you on the journey, for example, include never leaving it exposed to direct sunlight (if you ever fancy working outside) which you probably could have done with the summer sun in England (if you ever saw any) and bringing a glare screen, laptop hood and a stand to keep the device usable, shaded and cool.
Must Have Cooling Devices
And it’s not just your laptop that needs to stay cool to stay alive, you do too. As much as you’d like to think that you can withstand any heat: realistically, as a national from a country that experiences next to no heat all year round, it isn’t that simple. To go from a country that has an average minimum January temperature of -0.2°C, to one like Spain that has one of 13°C, there are precautions that need to be taken to ensure that you aren’t caused any physical damage by the increase in temperature you’re stepping into. Just as anybody coming to Britain would have to invest in heating facilities, you must seek out cooling devices: and not just fans! Air conditioning units, such as a direct expansion system that cools your space by absorbing heat from it, are pivotal; and then, with systems such as this, data centre cooling is also needed. So the thing that is keeping you cool actually needs to keep cool itself, who knew?
Other than that: prepare for the flies and bring parasols, and you should be safe from your diaspora dream turning into a nightmare!