LITTLE EXPATS
LITTLE EXPATS IS HERE
Big World. Little Explorers.
Spain has been explored by food critics, travel writers, expats, influencers and grown-ups with very serious guidebooks. We thought it was time to ask the people who are usually dragged along: the kids.
There is a particular sentence every parent travelling with children knows.
“Are we there yet?”
It normally arrives approximately seven minutes after leaving home.
Closely followed by:
“I’m hungry.”
“Why do we have to see another church?”
And the international classic:
“This is boring.”
Welcome to LITTLE EXPATS.
The newest – and quite possibly cheekiest – member of The Expat Press Club family.
A place for little travellers, international kids, Spanish kids, expat families, parents, grandparents and everyone discovering Spain with somebody small enough to ask the questions adults stopped asking years ago.
Because Spain looks rather different when you’re 120 centimetres tall.
And we think that’s exactly what makes it interesting.
SPAIN – FROM A DIFFERENT HEIGHT
Adults arrive in Madrid and talk about architecture.
Kids discover that Retiro has boats.
Adults visit Sevilla for history.
Kids want to know why there are orange trees absolutely everywhere – and whether you’re allowed to eat the oranges.
Adults discuss Barcelona’s design heritage.
Kids look at GaudĂ and quite reasonably wonder whether somebody built a house while eating too many sweets.
Adults analyse Spanish gastronomy.
Kids conduct significantly more important research:
Where are the best churros?
And frankly, both perspectives deserve a place in a good magazine.
That’s why LITTLE EXPATS isn’t simply another family travel section.
It’s Spain through younger eyes.
Sometimes clever. Sometimes chaotic. Frequently hungry. And never boring.
MEET THE LITTLE EXPERTS
Of course, we couldn’t possibly investigate an entire country alone.
So we’ve assembled a rather unusual editorial team.
They’re younger than our usual contributors. Their expense accounts are mostly spent on ice cream. And their editorial meetings may occasionally involve crayons.
Meet our Little Experts.
Four curious personalities who will accompany us through Spain – each looking at the world slightly differently.
There’s The Explorer.
If there’s a mysterious staircase, tiny alley, castle tower, hidden beach or door marked Do Not Enter, we already know where we’ll find this one.
Then there’s The Foodie.
Museums are acceptable. Cathedrals can be negotiated. But mention tortilla, croquetas, churros or ice cream and suddenly everybody is walking considerably faster.
We also have The Clever One.
The question-asker. Why does school start at a different time? Why do Spanish children eat so late? Why are there so many different languages in Spain? Why does everyone disappear in August? And why, exactly, does every grandmother believe you haven’t eaten enough?
And finally… The Rebel.
Guidebooks say turn left. The Rebel turns right. Naturally.
For now, that’s all we’re telling you about them.
You’ll meet the Little Experts properly very soon.
NOT JUST ANOTHER KIDS’ TRAVEL BLOG
Because LITTLE EXPATS is about something much bigger than holidays.
Millions of children around the world are growing up internationally.
Sometimes they move because their parents have accepted a new job. Sometimes families decide to start a different life in Spain. Sometimes Mum is Spanish and Dad is German. Or Dad is British and Mum is French. Or home is simply a mixture of countries, languages, grandparents, traditions and passports.
For these children, the question “Where are you from?” doesn’t always have a one-word answer.
And we love that.
LITTLE EXPATS will talk about what it means to travel, learn, live and grow up internationally. The wonderful parts. The confusing parts. And the parts nobody mentions in the glossy relocation brochure.
SCHOOL, BUT MAKE IT UNDERSTANDABLE
Moving to Spain with children normally produces one very large parental headache: School.
Spanish? International? British? American? German? French? Bilingual? Public? Private? Concertado? And what on earth is Bachillerato?
Don’t worry. We’re going in.
Our School Files will explain the Spanish education system without requiring parents to obtain a second university degree simply to understand the terminology.
We’ll look at international schools across Spain, compare educational systems, visit interesting schools and talk about languages, uniforms, school lunches, admissions, costs, holidays and everyday school life.
But we’ll also ask something adults sometimes forget: What is the school actually like for the child?
THE LITTLE CITY GUIDES
Then comes the fun part.
We’re taking LITTLE EXPATS on the road.
Madrid. Sevilla. Málaga. Marbella. Barcelona. Mallorca.
And eventually far beyond.
But these won’t be ordinary city guides.
We want the places families actually need: the hotel where nobody looks horrified when a child appears at breakfast; the restaurant where adults can have a fabulous dinner without condemning their children to chicken nuggets; the museum kids genuinely talk about afterwards; the secret garden; the brilliant playground; the beach worth driving an extra 20 minutes for; the Sunday brunch that works for three generations; the rainy-day lifesaver; the shop kids don’t want to leave; and the place nobody told you about.
We’ll do 48-hour city escapes, weekend adventures and proper family guides – with enough information for parents and enough mischief for children.
TINY TASTEMAKERS
Naturally, this is The Expat Press Club. We were never going to leave food out.
Welcome to Tiny Tastemakers.
Spain has one of the world’s greatest food cultures, and children should get to discover more of it than the children’s menu.
We’ll investigate markets, bakeries, ice-cream shops, restaurants, tapas, local specialties and the people making them.
There may be taste tests. There may be disagreements. There will almost certainly be chocolate.
Our only promise is this: No boring food journalism.
SUMMER IN SPAIN
And then Spain does what Spain does best. Summer arrives.
Which means school finishes and parents suddenly realise they have approximately 487 days to fill before September.
LITTLE EXPATS is coming to the rescue.
We’ll investigate summer camps, surf camps, football academies, tennis, sailing, riding, language programmes, creative camps and family escapes.
From AndalucĂa to Mallorca. From the mountains to the Mediterranean. From tiny adventurers to teenagers who would strongly prefer their parents not to describe them as tiny adventurers.
TEEN SPAIN
We’re not stopping at small children.
Teenagers deserve better than being awkwardly attached to family travel articles as an afterthought.
So they’ll get their own world: Teen Spain.
Fashion. Sport. Music. Food. Beaches. Shopping. Language programmes. International friendships. First independence. And the places teenagers themselves actually think are cool.
Parents may read this section. Obviously. They just don’t need to tell anyone.
AND THEN THERE ARE THE BOOKS…
This might be the part we’re most excited about.
Because LITTLE EXPATS isn’t going to live only online.
We’re developing a new collection of travel guides and books for young explorers.
Books designed to make children want to discover a city rather than simply survive their parents’ sightseeing programme.
There will be stories. Characters. Challenges. Food. Culture. Little mysteries. Things to find. Things to taste. Things to draw. Things to remember.
And those wonderfully strange details about another country that children notice before adults do.
Our Little Experts are only just getting started.
And we have a feeling they’re going to get into quite a lot of trouble.
The educational kind, obviously. Mostly.
THE PARENTS’ SURVIVAL GUIDE
Don’t worry, grown-ups. We haven’t forgotten you.
While the Little Experts are busy conquering Spain, we’ll quietly build something extremely useful in the background.
The Parents’ Survival Guide to Spain.
Schools. Childcare. Activities. Birthday parties. Family restaurants. Doctors and everyday logistics. Holiday calendars. Moving cities. Language questions. Teen activities. Summer planning.
And all those tiny practical questions that suddenly become enormous when you’re raising children in another country.
Because international family life can be extraordinary. But occasionally you just need someone to tell you what time school finishes on Friday.
SMALL PEOPLE. BIG WORLD.
Ultimately, LITTLE EXPATS is about curiosity.
About showing children that another language isn’t strange. Another culture isn’t strange. Another way of eating, learning, celebrating or living isn’t strange.
It’s simply another way of doing things.
And perhaps growing up internationally gives children something rather wonderful:
The understanding that home doesn’t always have to be one place.
It can be a collection of people, languages, smells, foods, streets and memories.
Madrid can be home. Sevilla can be home. Hamburg can still be home. Grandma’s house can be home. And sometimes home fits into a little suitcase.
So pack the backpack. Charge the camera. Bring the trainers. And somebody please remember the snacks.
The Little Experts are ready. Spain is waiting. And we’re going exploring.
LITTLE EXPATS
BIG WORLD. LITTLE EXPLORERS.
TRAVEL • SCHOOL • FOOD • SPAIN
For little people with big questions — and the grown-ups lucky enough to explore with them.