Portugal, With Eyes Wide Open

Moving to Portugal: A Realistic Look at What's Ahead

Next year, my wife and I are moving to Portugal. When we tell people, the responses are always the same: "That's amazing!" "You're so lucky!"

And while we're genuinely excited, we're also intentionally keeping our expectations grounded. Because the truth is, moving to another country—no matter how beautiful—isn't an escape from reality. It's a trade. We're exchanging one set of challenges for another, one way of life for something different.

Here's what we're preparing ourselves for.

There's a Thriving Expat Community (With Caveats)

Portugal has become a hotspot for expats, and that community is real and welcoming. There are meetups, social groups, and plenty of people who've walked this path before us and are eager to help newcomers navigate it.

But we're also aware that much of the expat community skews older—retirees with different life stages, schedules, and priorities than ours. That doesn't make it any less valuable, but it does mean we'll need to be intentional about finding our people. We might need to seek out younger couples, digital nomads, or locals who are open to cross-cultural friendships.

The Culture Is Different (And That's the Point)

Portuguese people are warm and friendly, but friendship here looks different than it does in the States. Hospitality isn't usually expressed by inviting you into someone's home for dinner. Instead, social life happens in public—at cafés, in town squares, at local festivals and neighborhood gatherings.

This isn't coldness. It's just a different cultural rhythm. Portuguese culture values community, but it plays out in shared public spaces rather than private living rooms. If we're expecting American-style backyard BBQs and dinner parties, we'll be disappointed. If we meet people where the culture actually is, we'll find connection.

The Pace of Life Is Slower (In Every Way)

One of the reasons we're moving is to escape the relentless speed of American life. In Portugal, people prioritize rest, enjoyment, and presence. Meals are longer. Workdays have rhythm. Sundays are sacred.

This slower pace is one of the greatest gifts Portugal offers. But it also means things take longer. And that includes bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy Will Test Your Patience

We've heard this from every single expat we've talked to: Portuguese bureaucracy is slow, complex, and often frustrating. Residency paperwork, getting a Portuguese driver's license, opening a bank account, registering for healthcare—these aren't quick tasks. They require patience, persistence, and often multiple trips to government offices.

We're going in with the mindset that administrative tasks will take twice as long as we think they should. We're building buffer time into our plans and reminding ourselves that this is just part of the process.

The Language Barrier Is Real

Yes, many Portuguese people speak English, especially in Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve. But if we want to truly integrate—if we want to build real relationships, navigate daily life with ease, and feel at home—we need to learn Portuguese.

We're not expecting fluency on day one (heck, I’ve been trying for a WHILE now) but, we are committing to the work. Language learning will be ongoing, humbling, and essential. Without it, we'll always be on the outside looking in.

There Will Be an Adjustment Period

No matter how much we prepare, there will be moments of isolation, frustration, and homesickness. We'll miss family. We'll miss the convenience of knowing how everything works. We'll have days where we question the decision.

This is normal. It doesn't mean we made the wrong choice—it means we're human and adjusting to a massive life change. We're giving ourselves permission to struggle, to feel lonely sometimes, and to ride out the discomfort until we find our footing.

Why We're Still Going

Despite all of this—or maybe because of it—we're more committed than ever.

We're not chasing perfection. We're chasing a life that aligns more closely with our values: less consumption, more presence. Less speed, more depth. Less convenience, more humanity. Less suburban neighborhoods where people don’t go outside. More travel and public spaces filled with humanity.

Portugal offers us affordable living, stunning landscapes, fresh food, and a culture that hasn't traded soul for productivity. It offers us the chance to live more intentionally, to rebuild our daily rhythms around what actually matters.

Will it be hard? Yes. Will there be challenges we can't anticipate? Absolutely. But the discomfort of growth is still better than the comfort of staying stuck.

We're not running away from America. We're walking toward something—a slower, richer, more connected way of being in the world.

And we're doing it with our eyes wide open.