Author of Buying A House in Spain, Stewart Andersen has traveled across Europe from an early age, staying in a number of countries during the 1950s. All of this gave him a taste for living abroad as well a smattering of different languages although by the time he was in his early 20s, he had become a working actor in the UK; appearing in such television series as Z Cars and No Hiding Place, as well as working in repertory and touring all over the UK in various productions.

Being careless enough to catch double pneumonia, he was forced to take it easy for a while. It was at this point that an aunt mentioned to him that she had been in the Balearic island of Ibiza in August for a holiday and suggested he should go there to recuperate. This turned into a love affair with Spain that lasted for a total of 20 years until work brought him back to the UK. During the 20 years that he lived there, Stewart learned fluent Spanish, wrote a travel guide, worked for a press agency and hosted a nightly radio programme.

Stewart still has friends in Spain and returns frequently to get a fix of Spain’s culture as well as its food and drink. Asked why he has such a passion for Spain, he explains that the people are among the warmest he has ever met. ‘If you go even the smallest way towards them by taking the trouble to learn a little Spanish, they will embrace you emotionally and probably physically. Certainly you will become part of their family.’

Since his return to the UK, Stewart Andersen has edited such magazines as Homes Abroad, Homes Overseas and Overseas Property Professional. He still edits Overseas Property TV Magazine and writes on overseas property for a number of other publications.