Thanks for this very comprehensive article, and all the resources you provide.
My wife & I are also contemplating staying in Portugal for a few months of each year, to be closer to our children, who have relocated to Lisbon (eldest daughter and her husband) and the others to Austria (youngest daughter and our other son-in-law).
We have travelled through large areas of Portugal during previous scouting trips, and decided we liked Setúbal the most. It ticks most of the boxes on your list (at the sea, large enough to have most amenities, not really a holiday town, large nature reserve and estuary adjacent, lots of history, and close enough to Lisbon and its international airport).
Unfortunately we didn’t spend enough time there during our last trip, so we need to go back and do a proper reconnaissance. We think we’ll do it in June this year.
Thanks for your comment, Vernon. Setúbal is a favorite place for expats to live in, long or short term. I think it's wise to take time to explore it before making a final decision. Keep me posted and let me know how it goes. - CW
A great post! Love your sentence "Portugal is Portugal". I don't understand why some one would like to have the same kind of life in a new country. But that's on me, I know :) But one important thing when moving to a new country is to accept and respect how things are and that change may happen in a different way. The pace of life here in Portugal where an important reason for our move. So I am not complaining over the slow bureaucracy. 1+1=2, right?
I think this is why we'll likely be "renters for life," or at least "renters for a very long time." Not only are people unique from one another (what works for you might not work for me), but people change over time. What we like today, we might dislike tomorrow. At this point, we don't even know if Portugal will be a goof fit, much less Lisbon, much less our particular neighborhood. I'm always blown away by the people who buy properties as part of their D7 applications. As you so correctly point out, there's no substitution for on the ground research and experience. And that just takes time.
we are covering as much as possible in two months. learning so much in the planning of the scout. we will hopefully get the vibe we are seeking. hope to meet you along the way:)
Hello Carol,
Thanks for this very comprehensive article, and all the resources you provide.
My wife & I are also contemplating staying in Portugal for a few months of each year, to be closer to our children, who have relocated to Lisbon (eldest daughter and her husband) and the others to Austria (youngest daughter and our other son-in-law).
We have travelled through large areas of Portugal during previous scouting trips, and decided we liked Setúbal the most. It ticks most of the boxes on your list (at the sea, large enough to have most amenities, not really a holiday town, large nature reserve and estuary adjacent, lots of history, and close enough to Lisbon and its international airport).
Unfortunately we didn’t spend enough time there during our last trip, so we need to go back and do a proper reconnaissance. We think we’ll do it in June this year.
Thanks for your comment, Vernon. Setúbal is a favorite place for expats to live in, long or short term. I think it's wise to take time to explore it before making a final decision. Keep me posted and let me know how it goes. - CW
A great post! Love your sentence "Portugal is Portugal". I don't understand why some one would like to have the same kind of life in a new country. But that's on me, I know :) But one important thing when moving to a new country is to accept and respect how things are and that change may happen in a different way. The pace of life here in Portugal where an important reason for our move. So I am not complaining over the slow bureaucracy. 1+1=2, right?
I think this is why we'll likely be "renters for life," or at least "renters for a very long time." Not only are people unique from one another (what works for you might not work for me), but people change over time. What we like today, we might dislike tomorrow. At this point, we don't even know if Portugal will be a goof fit, much less Lisbon, much less our particular neighborhood. I'm always blown away by the people who buy properties as part of their D7 applications. As you so correctly point out, there's no substitution for on the ground research and experience. And that just takes time.
I love your perspective! And I think a person needs to be open to possibilities and discovery. You are very wise and insightful.
we are covering as much as possible in two months. learning so much in the planning of the scout. we will hopefully get the vibe we are seeking. hope to meet you along the way:)
Porto’s population, including the entire metropolitan area is approximately 1.7 million, not 3.5 million.
Thank you! I'll revisit that statistic.