Thank you for your article! I’m very much a “newbie” even thinking about this topic (moving abroad), so barely know where to start!
My adult son moved to Thailand 15 years ago on a “visit” and never came home! I visited him a few years back for 2 weeks. I didn’t like it much (WAY too hot for me!), but it was a revelatory experience for me in seeing the USA from another perspective
Thank you so much for this post. My wife and I have been considering a move to Europe for several years. I’m looking forward to exploring more of your posts
Thank you so much Nelson! I hope my articles help! I do have a "move abroad" series here on substack :) Everything is free!!! I hope you both end up here, it's amazing!!!
Nope, no complaints. I complain about it all the time but the Portuguese are very positive people and I've been told by dozens that foreigners moving in have increased the safety tremendously. I was told that even 10 years ago the Ribeira (and even the nice area I live now) was unsafe to walk at night but no longer because of foreigners. It's also important to note that we still make up only 1% of the population here and I personally do not recommend people move here, I recommend moving to MANY other places abroad though!!!!
Hi Nelson, my sister lived in France for 20 years and loved it. She's moving back again soon and my cousin lives there now and loves it. While I've spent a lot of time in France I've never lived there but I've heard great things! And I'm told they have a wonderful healthcare system. There are some expats on Substack living there and I'd encourage you to follow them :)
Portugal is suffering from gentrification. It's a very small country. The amount of rich immigrants is unsustainable. It's raising the prices for the Portuguese. I don't know what the solution is, especially now that more and more people want to move here. I always say if I had to do it over I'd move to Spain. The weather is better, and the housing is more affordable. The Balkans are very affordable and not overrun with Americans. All that said, if people do move here, I really hope they give back to the community and are ethical expats. Soaring housing prices of 1M is not good for the Portuguese. The house around the corner from me is selling for that amount. When I first moved here, only 3 years ago, my apartment (I'm renting, I can't afford to buy) was selling for under $200k and now it's close to $400k. That's just in TWO YEARS.
Hi Jane! Thank you soooo much for your comment! I was off Substack for a bit but I'm back now :) I am currently working on a class to help expats but will continue to offer tons of free information too!!!
Love your insight! I think my decision to move to Portugal will be a good one and an adventure one can’t pass up on.
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Thank you for your article! I’m very much a “newbie” even thinking about this topic (moving abroad), so barely know where to start!
My adult son moved to Thailand 15 years ago on a “visit” and never came home! I visited him a few years back for 2 weeks. I didn’t like it much (WAY too hot for me!), but it was a revelatory experience for me in seeing the USA from another perspective
Hi Lucinda, thank you so much for your comment! I recommend starting with my "how to move abroad" series! https://open.substack.com/pub/expatonabudget/p/want-to-move-abroad-start-here
I love that your son moved to Thailand (and obviously loves it there)!!!
There are so many other affordable places that aren't as hot :)
Thank you so much for this post. My wife and I have been considering a move to Europe for several years. I’m looking forward to exploring more of your posts
Thank you so much Nelson! I hope my articles help! I do have a "move abroad" series here on substack :) Everything is free!!! I hope you both end up here, it's amazing!!!
Any complaints from the locals about foreigners moving in?
Nope, no complaints. I complain about it all the time but the Portuguese are very positive people and I've been told by dozens that foreigners moving in have increased the safety tremendously. I was told that even 10 years ago the Ribeira (and even the nice area I live now) was unsafe to walk at night but no longer because of foreigners. It's also important to note that we still make up only 1% of the population here and I personally do not recommend people move here, I recommend moving to MANY other places abroad though!!!!
Why do you recommend people not move to Riberia?
No I recommend people not to move to Portugal! The Ribeira is a district. For Europe I recommend Spain or the Balkans.
Do you have any thoughts on France, Kimberly?
Hi Nelson, my sister lived in France for 20 years and loved it. She's moving back again soon and my cousin lives there now and loves it. While I've spent a lot of time in France I've never lived there but I've heard great things! And I'm told they have a wonderful healthcare system. There are some expats on Substack living there and I'd encourage you to follow them :)
Thanks so much, Kimberly. I’d be grateful if you could direct me to some of the substackers in France. I wasn’t able to find anyone in a quick search.
Why is that?
I meant why do you recommend Spain and Balkans over Portugal?
Portugal is suffering from gentrification. It's a very small country. The amount of rich immigrants is unsustainable. It's raising the prices for the Portuguese. I don't know what the solution is, especially now that more and more people want to move here. I always say if I had to do it over I'd move to Spain. The weather is better, and the housing is more affordable. The Balkans are very affordable and not overrun with Americans. All that said, if people do move here, I really hope they give back to the community and are ethical expats. Soaring housing prices of 1M is not good for the Portuguese. The house around the corner from me is selling for that amount. When I first moved here, only 3 years ago, my apartment (I'm renting, I can't afford to buy) was selling for under $200k and now it's close to $400k. That's just in TWO YEARS.
Thank you for this post. I’m starting to plan what living abroad might look like when I semi-retire.
Hi Jane! Thank you soooo much for your comment! I was off Substack for a bit but I'm back now :) I am currently working on a class to help expats but will continue to offer tons of free information too!!!
Awesome! Thanks for the great information.
Aww thank you!!! ❤️