So it goes on with the third and here at this point with the highly and sacred promised last part of our daily efforts to offer surfing and surfing lessons.
It's not a lie originally, this topic should be covered by a single blog post. I did not have to spread this over dry matter over three articles. I am astonished myself how much you can write about what happens behind the scenes of our small business. Well it's the work of my team and me that has led in the last few years that standing in my house next to children's toys in every free corner red folders with documents for our surf camp.
I am looking forward to the day when I can begin to dispose of the first of them in an environmentally friendly way or to use campfires as a basis for a great beach. The latter would also have a certain emotional appeal. I am definitely someone who wants to be able to sleep well with what you are doing and that everything is legal. But all the strain on the authorities and the work there to be able to submit anything at all, would be very well with a fire and a good bottle of rum processed. The stars in the night sky should be my witness.
Enough dreamed here the promised last part and I vow to catch as short as possible. Therefore, I save all of us the primary school teachers is repeating the last contributions to come directly to the last point of this topic.
Honestly, I could once again write at least as many articles on my fight with the Spanish windmills. But I think emotionally everyone can imagine enough how the everyday life of a surf camp operator looks like.
A surf camp not only includes the surf course but also the accommodation. In Spain small businesses are only allowed to carry out tourist activities. That usually means you should either offer only surf lessons or only mediate accommodations.
If you do both, you have to become a Spanish travel agency.
Thank you EU the rules have loosened up a bit. Previously, in such an agency, the owner had to have completed a Spanish tourism study. This is no longer the case anyway, but a lot of official effort is needed to become an "Agencia de Vijaes". I believe details I'll spare you. Because the hardest part is still to come, the GmbH (or in Spain SL) must have a capital contribution of 60,000 €. Quasi a kind of insolvency insurance.
Who does not happen to have € 60,000 under the pillow must be creative. Banks issue collateral if the creditworthiness of the company is correct. You can not imagine how many banks I asked for such "guarantees". There were many and always spoke against us to issue this guarantee.
But this story has a happy ending. There are insurance companies specializing in travel agency guarantees. This is not cheap but has allowed us to become an official Spanish tour operator and official Spanish travel agent. Thank you dear universe;)
From next week I promise, this blog is about surfing again!
Cheers, Christof