Paper short abstract:

Lifestyle migration and similar forms of privileged mobilities such as retirement migration are an increasing phenomenon worldwide challenging previous conceptions of migration. Compared to other forms of migration, leisure time and recreational activities play a crucial role for the social actors involved, as a case study from Spain will show.

Paper long abstract:

Migration to a foreign country with a perceived higher quality of life has become a widespread retirement strategy among affluent elderly people worldwide. In Europe, Spain is the most important retirement destination with an estimated number of more than one million leisure-oriented migrants from Northern European countries being drawn to its coastlines by the prospect of permanent sunshine, lower costs of living and an active and healthy everyday life. Seen as a self-realization project linked to individualisation, wealth and mobility, retirement migration reveals changing attitudes towards ageing, individuality and lifestyle choices in postmodern capitalist societies. For most retirement migrants moving abroad implies a twofold rupture, since previous work related activities as well as social networks are left behind in the country of origin. Therefore, new forms of everyday activities must be pursued to fill up the new amount of leisure time. What specific functions do leisure time activities have in this particular new life-context characterized by ageing, the social reality of retirement and a new social and cultural environment? And which activities are chosen for what purpose? The paper will present first qualitative results from ethnographic fieldwork on the Costa Blanca, as well as quantitative results from a large-scale study conducted in 2010 by the Spanish National Research Council on retirement migration to Spain.