
Moving abroad is HARD, y’all! Lately, we’ve been meeting people who have moved to Portugal from other countries, and are now choosing to leave. This can come with feelings of shame and guilt, but we don’t think it should! We’re sharing 5 reasons we’re seeing some people choose to leave Portugal after moving here, and what we think can help. We hope this helps people better prepare for their move, or if you’re already here, we hope it can help you feel less alone. (It’s okay to change your mind!)
// ABOUT US //
Dan and Michelle are travel writers and owners of HoneymoonAlways.com. We both left our corporate digital tech careers and sold our home in Austin Texas to live in Portugal to be able to work full time on our honeymoon travel website.
// MOVING TO PORTUGAL RESOURCES //
// SUBSCRIBE //
// INSTAGRAM //
// TIKTOK //
// TRAVEL //
Check out our travel website
0:00 Start time
0:56 Misset expectations
3:21 Moving without a clear purpose
7:01 Lack of community
10:44 Difficult to find support
14:06 Taxes
15:54 Conclusion
source
As always, very awesome video! Hey Michelle, does it bother you that Dan has such great hair? Do you get jealous about it?
Hey guys, what a great video! I normally don't comment on videos but you did such an honest take on why some people would leave Portugal and I have a few points to make to anyone who might bother to read this.
Lisbon is my hometown but I've been living abroad for 8 years and only came back to live here again this year, it was not an easy decision as changing countries never is (even if it's to go back to your own) and finding Dan and Michelle on Youtube who are sharing their experience with the whole move to Portugal from the US , explaining it from the point of view of someone who decided to live here when they could easily choose anywhere else to live, was one of the things that motivated me the most to power through the re-adaptation process required to adjust to a life back in Lisbon.
With this said, I found many challenges coming back as things are way more expensive now than they were before I left, rent prices in the city are ridiculous (in comparison to local salaries) and the locals are struggling to be able to pay rent (it's not unusual to have people in their 30s living with their parents) if you are a digital nomad with a salary from a rich country then you should be able to afford a pretty comfortable life.
A sense of community is important, I know I'm lucky as I have friends and family here so a sense of community is not something I was lacking but let me tell you I missed meeting people from all over the world, so I did join some meetup groups and met some nice people! It can be a great experience, just bear in mind that most people on these meetup groups do not live in the city they're usually just passing through, if you choose to stay then get accustomed to seeing people come and go.
To your point about finding a therapist, if anyone is looking for one we have an online resource where you can choose licensed therapists (and other types of doctors) who speak English, it's called: https://www.doctoralia.com.pt/
However, based on my personal experience, despite English not being an issue for me, I can honestly say that the only time I ever "clicked" with a therapist was with a Portuguese person, there's something about speaking your native language with someone with a similar cultural background that made it easier to communicate the difficult things.
Also doctors here are difficult 😂it's unfortunate but you really need to be lucky to find a good doctor, but they exist, I can say I'm lucky in that department with my family doctor but I also know some people don't have access to that, it might be worth considering health insurance in case you need a faster response time with a doctor, however, please know that they basically do the same thing the public doctors do, just at a faster pace as they have fewer patients.
And yes it's true, strong pain killers are not a thing here, if you're suffering they'll give you ibuprofen or something similar, but rest assured they'll give you something stronger if you break a leg or something serious.
And lastly, I've had trouble adjusting when I left my country for the first time too, the adaptation process takes a while when you move somewhere new and even though I already spoke the language (English) when I left it didn't mean I understood the culture or people's background or what they actually meant when they said certain things.
This is something that took some time, for me it became easier and started getting better after my first 2 years living there and to this day it was the best thing I ever did. Anywhere you move will have its challenges so if you want to stay comfortable then it might be best to stay where you are, change is always uncomfortable but it's totally worth it if done for the right reasons, knowing why you're moving somewhere rather than just having a vague idea, or the need to escape where you're from, really does make a difference, thanks Michelle for pointing this out.
If anyone is considering moving please know that the adaptation process will always take a while and will probably be difficult in the beginning, so good luck!
Thank you so much. We moved to Porto in February 2022 and love it. We appreciate your videos. We're finding, like you, that the challenges are not because of Portugal and the Portuguese but with our expectations of ourselves and the little gnawing voices that tell us what we should be doing or should have known to do. Being here puts a whole new slant on having a "beginners mind". Thank you again.
Awesome video! Would you be able to share your tax consultant’s contact info? We are looking to connect with a few while we consider our move to Portugal. Ty
I didn't see a subscribe ✅ Burton.
Portugal is a poor country and one of the oldest in the world, as it was recognized as an independent nation in 1143 with current borders since 1297, but we were once a rich empire and a world power.
Today, being in the EU helps to disguise some unhealthy points, and it scares me to see that many foreigners with strong purchasing power can make the lives of residents more difficult, as the market will adapt to foreigners and harm the natives, as prices rise as is already the case with the housing market, whether for sale or rent.
And for those who care about politics, we have a government formed by the Socialist party and there are communists elected in the Assembly of the Republic (our house of representatives, let's say) Don't be scared, we are a free and civilized country.
3 curiosities: 1- Only in very rare cases can a civilian have a personal defense weapon. Hunting weapons are many but well controlled.
2- António Guterres Secretary General of the United Nations is a former Portuguese Prime Minister, also a Socialist.
3- Our constitution says that we are neutral in the global military aspect but we are still part of NATO, I don't know why.
4- The greatest navigators in history were Portuguese. Vasco da Gama, Pedro alvares Cabral, Fernão de Magalhães and Cristóvão Colombo, among others.
Dan's hair is glorious!
Standing in line wrong? Super curious about that! 😄
A lot of Portuguese like me dream of living in places like Bali, and you guys (digital nomadas) come along wanting to live her, it's funny. 😆 No one is never happy with what they have, some may just want to escape their family, or some other person….
As a foreigner here I can tell you it's an amazing place to VISIT but to live it is very difficult because its a different planet!
The cultural difference is huge when you settle in!
Everywhere you go for services people are trying to conn you, it's actually disgustingly sad!
There are HUGE "hidden" costs here day to day, that no one speaks about!
Either you buy a beautiful place already done (or prepare for huge headaches and being conned) and love your own company, or forget it!
Friendly people my ass!
Either you got something to give them or forget it!
Its a very hard life experience but hey easy doesn't make you learn anything so up to you!
Here be ready to grow as a person… that's the good thing, that's why I am still here, my life was bliss and easy before and I thought that's all there was to life but like the FADO it goes way deeper and if we don't experience it down there we never get the complete picture.
You can always go to the Algarve or a place with lots of English or foreigners here to make the experience a little easier
The best thing about Portugal, Lisbon, is that it is 2hrs away from London. Places like Portugal are a nightmare when things go wrong. The governance is nonsense, useless and if anyone from the government is reading this, they are hopeless. The best way to appreciate your country is to move some where like Portugal. There are so many Portuguese people in the UK that would not move back to Portugal.
Fantastic episode. Really comprehensive in its approach to the potential downside. Thank you, both!
These are all issues, but aren't necessarily tied to Portugal. I live in South Korea and all these things apply to my life here.
Brasilian imigrants tend wrongly to consider Portugal a second Brasil. They come, ( 400.000) between 2016/2022 ) they struggle for 3 years at least and some ( 3500 ) returned to Brasil with economic faillure, while all the others remain working and living here. After getting portuguese residence card in 2 years some 8% go to other european countries but they soon realize that portuguese quality of life is only possible here and they return. Our diversity attracts 170 different nations of students studying here during this year. Golden visa coming from China from 2010 wich are now leaving are being substitued by Americans. It's like a wave of oportunity. Those who found their roots here will stay, others will go away
Typical talk of a gringo You Tuber: your American middle class/upper class values, and life style have to accommodate to the Portuguese society. LEARN Portuguese which is the 3rd most spoken European language in the world.
Average portugese are very poor and resentful believe me!
I gated to see the salaries 650 euros average in the slgarve,struggling to find a house,a place to live,sky-high rents and electricity! If s a very corrupt country! I m 61 and I prefer Mexico!
I'm on various PT forums and YouTube programs, I've been an expat for years, and I'm moving from Asia to Portugal next week — OMO (On My Own). EVERYTHING you've mentioned I've learned along the way and will learn with the next journey. This video is a true PSA (Public Service Announcement). You guys rock.
You guys are exploiting Portugal for your financial gain. Go home!!!
About pharmacys one other information: in Lisbon we have a 24h pharmacy open 365 days a year in Benfica at Av. do Uruguai.
I appreciate the real content here! Also EFF TAXES!!
Thank you so much for these insights. After so many uplifting videos of life in Portugal, I've been yearning for more realistic details.
This applies to all countries in the world – if you want to emigrate, you have to go on vacation several times in the country you know about the residence and visa conditions and building regulations. and of course have enough money in your pocket. many return to their home country because they don't have enough money. the younger generation has not learned how to deal with money, but older people also stick to old habits. that starts with eating. no one needs 3-6 meals a day. no one needs processed or fast food – that's all wasted money. we also don't have to change clothes every day and buy new clothes every month. emigration is expensive, so everyone should downsize their previous lifestyle
I just got back from Portugal 4 days ago. I was in Lisbon and Porto only. I came across quite a number of people that didn't speak English or Spanish which is the other language I speak… thank God I knew some Portuguese otherwise I don't know what I would have done. I know for sure that I wouldn't not be able to live in Lisbon or Porto. Too spread out for me. Now I live in the heart of the countryside in Puerto Rico and I'm having mixed feelings. However, I would like to return. I absolutely loved it there, but I'm now sort of debating if I would actually live there.
How about learning the language and culture … that will give you heads up
In order to understand a lot of stuff… you have to learn the language
I have been looking into taxes prior to making the move. Have gotten conflicting answers on various issues. Taxation of Roth IRAs, IRA withdrawals and Social Security, etc. Fell into a rabbit hole when I found out that US brokerage companies don’t like expats and investing in Europe can trigger severe issues with the IRS. Not stopping me though, I will someday make sense of it all!
I know some people who have come to Portugal on a true trial basis. They haven't divested themselves of their home in the US and after a year or two, its a big decision for them to stay or go back
The Truman Group provides counseling to expats throughout the world. Their therapists are English speaking. Thanks for your video
People have this wrong assumption that everybody speaks English here. Wrong, wrong suuuuper wrong. I’m Brazilian and I speak fluently but everybody who worked with me didn’t and were working in one of the major portuguese banks. You can’t live in a bubble.