EXCLUSIVE I saved for years to retire to a villa in Spain but now I'm working as a cleaner. Don't make the same mistake I did
After years of hard work, careful saving and investment Alan Brozel was able to achieve his dream by retiring at 50 and swapping his life in north London for a large villa on Spain 's beautiful Costa Blanca.
But, 25 years on, he finds himself aged 74 and back working as a cleaner in holiday villas as well as pet sitting and driving friends to the airport to make ends meet.
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BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
Ibiza trip 'more chilled' this year
French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz says his short trip to Ibiza was "more chill" this year as he looked to recuperate "physically and mentally" before defending his Wimbledon Alcaraz, 22, headed to the Balearic party island last week for a three-day break after beating rival Jannik Sinner in an incredible French Open world number two fought back from two sets down - saving three championship points in the process - to win his fifth Grand Slam he has done in each of the past two years, Alcaraz travelled with a group of friends - including Tottenham footballer Sergio Reguilon - before heading to London to play at Queen' said his team - who indicated in a recent Netflix documentary they wanted him to be more professional - did not raise any concerns about the trip."It doesn't matter the place you're going," said Alcaraz, who added having a "few shots" was the wildest part of the trip. "It's time to turn off your mind a little bit, to refresh physically, mentally and coming back to the grass season as good as I can. "It was great to disconnect from everything and have fun." British number one Jack Draper took a different approach to his Queen's preparations, spending time relaxing at home in London instead of a sunshine a fourth-round exit at the French Open, the world number four says he had a couple of days off before getting back down to 23-year-old Englishman has never gone beyond the second round at Wimbledon in three main-draw appearances, but will go into his home Grand Slam tournament as the highest seeded British man since Andy Murray in 2017."I don't really feel the urge to be going out partying and all that sort of stuff," he said."I'd rather just come home and chill out for once and not have any obligations, not think about anything."Striking the right balance between recuperation and preparation is something Draper is continuing to figure out as he looks to go to even greater who won the biggest title of his career at Indian Wells in March, said he watched Alcaraz and Sinner go toe-to-toe on television at level on show further underlined to Draper what he must do to bridge the gap between himself and the world's two leading players."I aspire to be at that level. What those guys are doing is setting the way and changing the game," Draper added."Players like myself are going to be working very hard to get to that point."
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Furious anti-tourist protesters blast holidaymakers & hotel workers with water guns & hurl smoke bombs in Barcelona
HUNDREDS of fed-up locals have descended onto the streets of Barcelona - blasting holidaymakers with waterguns and launching smoke bombs. Under the slogan " Tourism steals our bread, homes, and future", the demonstrations in the Spanish capital came amid a huge wave of anti-tourism protests across the country. 11 11 11 11 11 Similar protests occurred this time last year, with both demonstrations being organised by the Assembly of Neighbourhoods for Tourism Degrowth. A spokesperson for the group said they had encouraged members to bring water pistols, which he said had become "a popular symbol of resistance against the plundering of the tourism monoculture". Daniel Pardo Rivacoba added that the tourism industry was "incompatible with life", and demanded " tourism degrowth now". Astonishing images showed scores of furious activists calling for the decline of tourism in their city and across Spain. Pointing their loaded water guns in the air and at holidaymakers, they called for the boycott of AirBnB and the end of rampant tourism. Some were seen refilling their weapons using public water fountains, while others even taped up hostels in an attempt to keep tourists locked in their accommodations. Riot police lined up to monitor the situation and keep the marches in check. Demonstrators also used smoke flares and vandalised shops such as the Louis Vuitton store in Passeig de Gràcia. The march set off from Jardinets de Gràcia just after 12:30pm local time. Workers rights amid soaring overtourism were at the centre of the rally. Anti-tourist protesters take over sightseeing coach in Majorca with smoke bombs ahead of mass march tomorrow Unions representing migrant workers, street vendors and cleaners took part in the huge protests. Spokesperson Pardo also said that the tourism industry "subjects the people who work in it to the worst working and salary conditions". He cited the housing crisis as another devastating impact of mass tourism. The controversial expansion of Barcelona-El Prat Airport has also been a flashpoint for locals. A spokesperson for one of the campaigns against this expansion, called Zeroport, emphasised that this message was being delivered to politicians and not to tourists. Ariadna Cotèn said: "Tourists are not really to blame for this situation happening in Barcelona." But her message didn't stop the hundreds of raging tourists who shouted in English for tourists to "go home". 11 11 11 They held placards with messages such as "one more tourist, one less neighbour", and "tourism is killing Barcelona". Anti-tourism protests also unfolded on Sunday in holiday hotspot Ibiza, Donostia-San Sebastián, Palma, Granada, and the Pyrenees. But they have also spread across Europe - with some taking place in Lisbon, Portugal and across Italy this weekend. It comes just one day after Spanish protesters held up a sightseeing bus in Palma de Majorca ahead of the major anti-tourism demonstrations. The raging locals said the popular Spanish island is overwhelmed by tourists and driven by profit over local needs. These demonstrations came after Spain's first major overtourism protests of the year kicked off in April after thousands of people across 40 cities took to the streets. Majorca, one of the centres of the protests last year, hosted the first mass protests of the year. Nearly 40 organisations from the Balearic Islands are believed to have marched in Palma. What is overtourism? Overtourism refers to the phenomenon where a destination experiences a volume of tourists that exceeds its manageable capacity The term is often used to describe the negative consequences of mass tourism, which includes overcrowding and environmental issues As a result, popular destinations have become less enjoyable for both visitors and locals Local communities, in particular, bear the brunt, facing rising costs and a depletion of resources In response, national and local governments have started to implement measures to reduce overtourism Some solutions include: Safeguarding historical and heritage sites Promoting off-peak travel Tourism caps and regulations Promoting lesser-known destinations Later, in May, thousands flooded the streets of the Canary Islands in Spain's third wave of protests of the year. Demonstrations took place across the Spanish archipelago's islands, including Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. The march carried the slogan: "The Canary Islands are not for sale, they are loved and defended." Other banners read: "The Canary Islands have a limit and so does our patience" and "Enough is enough!" Spain's anti-mass tourism movement began gaining serious momentum in April 2024 - particularly in popular tourist destinations. Locals have been demanding an end to the problems associated with mass tourism, including pollution, traffic chaos, the lack of affordable housing and low wages for tourism workers. 11 11
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Anti-tourism protests break out in Spain, Italy and Portugal
Protesters in Spain, Italy and Portugal are calling for a curb on mass tourism - with Barcelona organisers telling demonstrators to bring water pistols to shoot at holidaymakers. Campaigners say excessive levels of tourism are forcing locals out of affordable housing, raising the cost of living and making the city centres unusable. The latest in a growing number of protests in recent years, anti-mass tourism demonstrations were planned in Barcelona as well as in seven other Spanish cities, including Granada, Palma and Ibiza. Protests were also seen in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, as well as in Italian hotspots Venice, Genova, Palermo, Milan and Naples, according to announcements issued by several of the organising groups. It comes after Sky News reported on makeshift camps on the island of Ibiza, where dozens live with no electricity, water or waste services. The Menys Turisme Mes Vida (Less Tourism More Life) campaign group had told us: "We say enough to the destruction of the territory, to the precariousness, to the housing crisis, to the loss of rights." 10:30 Carmen Narajno, a 21-year-old student from Barcelona, told Sky News that some tourists see the Catalonian city as "an amusement park". "With the rise of social media and Airbnbs, it seems like we have given up our traditions, festivities, local spots and so on in favour of mass tourism that does not properly engage with Spanish and Catalan culture and our small local businesses," she said. "People come and see it as an amusement park, to the point where they have had to close some some landmarks that locals enjoyed going to because of overcrowding." "It is not fair for the people of Barcelona to have to endure precarious salaries in hospitality in order to serve mass tourism that stays in these short-term rental apartments, pushing people out of the neighbourhoods we grew up in, as we cannot afford housing anymore." Daniel Pardo, one of the organisers of the Barcelona protest, told the Associated Press: "It is very likely the water pistols will be back. "In fact, we encourage people to bring their own." Txema Escorsa, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Barcelona's residential Gràcia neighbourhood, also told the news agency: "It is tough for me to imagine what to do next. "If I leave, will I be contributing to Barcelona losing its essence that comes from its locals? But there comes a time when I'm fed up." He added that he has stopped using Airbnb when travelling, saying that "in the end, you realise that this is taking away housing from people". Jaime Rodriguez de Santiago, Airbnb's general director for Spain and Portugal, said that "a lot of our politicians have found an easy scapegoat to blame for the inefficiencies of their policies in terms of housing and tourism over the last 10, 15, 20 years". "If you look at the over-tourism problem in Spain, it has been brewing for decades, and probably since the 60s," he added. Mr Rodríguez de Santiago noted that hotels are still the leading accommodation for tourists - with hotels in Barcelona accounting for 20 million tourists in 2024, compared with 12 million who used homes, according to local data. He also pointed out Barcelona's mayor Jaume Collboni backing the expansion of the city's international airport. International travel spending in Europe is expected to rise by 11% to £617bn this year, with Spain and France among the countries set to receive record numbers of tourists. Spain hosted a record 94 million international visitors in 2024, compared with 83 million in 2019. According to studies cited by its economy minister, the country could see as many as 100 million tourists this year.
