For many people, the biggest difference between the UK and Spain is the weather, but one British expat living in Spain says something else has won her over
A British woman has revealed the surprising perk she discovered after relocating to Spain, something that catches her attention every time she embarks on a lengthy motorway journey across the country.
Susie, who uses her platform to document “real life in Spain,” has voiced her frustration with British motorway service stations, arguing that they offer little to keep travellers entertained beyond a quick Burger King meal and a visit to the toilets in a dreary, grey building — all wrapped up within 20 minutes.
Posting a video of herself behind the wheel, she declared that “motorway stops in Spain are different” — and she’s not wrong.
In her Instagram caption, she wrote: “I still can’t decide what surprises me more… the fact this was a motorway service station… or the fact that people here seem perfectly happy having wine and a three-course lunch halfway through a drive.”
Keen to show her followers exactly what they were missing, Susie took them along as she stopped for lunch, offering a candid comparison with what British drivers are accustomed to back home, reports the Express.
“Motorway stops in Spain still surprise me. It’s like walking into a regular bar. There’s beer on tap and jamon legs hanging on the wall,” she remarked, likening the atmosphere to a typical European restaurant.
She went on to add: “There’s even a proper restaurant where you sit down with a tablecloth, have several courses, and fresh bread. There’s even water on the table.
“And what surprises me most is that this isn’t even considered unusual here. It’s just a normal stop on a long drive. Meanwhile, in the UK, most service stations feel basically identical. The same chains, the same shops, the same food.
“In the UK, I would never normally stop for more than 20 minutes, but here, we stayed for around an hour and a half.”
She explained that in Spain, there’s greater opportunity to adopt a leisurely pace and savour a proper meal, without experiencing the urgency to resume the journey swiftly.
In the comments section, one person remarked: “We used to drive to a specific stop by the highway to get stew because it was really nice hahaha, sad they’ve been disappearing where I’m from.”
Another commented: “Love these, they’re all over Europe! But the ones in Spain and Italy are the best, rouiter they’re called. My favourite was a pizza bar just as you enter Italy through the Fréjus tunnel in a town called Bruzzalo.”
One man wrote: “When friends come to visit me in my house in Spain I take them to the local truck stop. The food is epic and my friends always leave flabbergasted by how good it is.”
While a fourth added: “The best part about travelling from one city to another by car in Spain is stopping by in a ‘venta’ (roadside restaurant). The food is usually delicious and huge amounts.” A fifth respondent commented: “It depends… if travelling just for the weekend… 2,3 days… something quick to get to the destination as soon as possible. If it is a week… longer… just choose the best stop with the best traditional food and enjoy vacations since the first moment!!!”
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