As a Brit living in PT, I talk to many people thinking about moving here and the most obvious issue they have is that they see PT from what I call Tourist Eyes. I would say most that move here never did enough 'comprehensive research' or even understood what they seriously needed to find out before moving, so were guaranteed to come up against difficulties. A bit like moving to Sweden when you don't actually like cold weather but you think about all the nice things it offers....eventually the weather will make you fail. After 5 years here, I think THE most important thing to understand for anyone thinking of moving here is that you should read up (just basic) at least on the last 100yrs political history of PT because it is the past that largely creates today's people/culture. The culture & its people dictate the kind of everyday world you will find yourself living in. Portuguese people are incredibly friendly and helpful in general but you must be aware that the majority of working people here get paid lousy/low wages compared to UK, US, Germany, France etc etc. So, you have a nation striving to grow and develop but the 'tourist destinations' can give you a quick but narrow view that everything is great....it's not. The bulk of working class people live in older, smaller, less maintained apts/houses. This has been so for a long, long time, it is in the main, the normal cultural living landscape. So, for many generations incl today, people needed by necessity to do their own repairs for example. Hence many of those repairs were of poor quality for the obvious reasons. Spread that reality across 100 years or more and what you end up with today is a large part of the population accepting of poor quality work/repairs etc. That can sometimes translate to the quality of work one can expect (as a foreigner) from 'service people'! PT is still a relatively poor country attempting to become a modern nation but with limited resources to actually achieve that. So, things like having your car repaired, shopping, dealing with govt depts etc you come up against the realities of things being confusing, slow, fragmented etc etc. It's only if you have taken the time to understand why things are this way that you may become more accepting that living in Pt IS NOT LIKE LIVING IN UK, US, SCANDINAVIA, GERMANY ETC ETC ETC. The bulk of PT is not like the tourist areas of Lisbon, Algarve, Porto etc. If you don't do enough of the right research before coming here, you will eventually feel yourself disappointed! And that is not Portugal's fault!
In the 5 years you have been living here, have you seen this mistake very prevalent from the people who move from the UK? I know a lot of Brits move to Portugal and it is easier to move from the UK than the US, but wondered how many stay long term.
@@HoneymoonAlways My view is that less 'long term' Brits leave PT than Americans. I have found Brits are less likely to complain about the common problems (after an initial bitch) living here than Americans, other than the more wealthy Americans who don't tend to live in the normal everyday world as us so can deal with most things via money :) I guess being part of Europe, the Brits are experienced and accept the differing cultural quirks because they have seen it all before via regular visits to other EU nations for vacations?
@@TheLastSongbird124 That's a good point. We had only been to Europe twice before moving so it would make sense that Brits would be more prepared for the cultural differences. And have definitely seen how money can make the transition much easier.
@@HoneymoonAlways Yes money can help but people with plenty of money tend to live like perm tourists or detached from the real Portugal. And that is the same the world over I guess.....don't know, never been rich:) The point you make about understanding why u want to move and what you think you will/hope get from it is very important. It's the kind of thing you don't notice until you get hit in the face by those things once you have arrived...and that's a little late to be realizing I think:)
I am portuguese, and what I see is that a lot of foreigners want to live in portugal and navigate everyday life situations like portuguese, without speaking portuguese! Learning the local language is CRUCIAL, this would have avoid all things you mentioned on point 2 for example.
Erica. Unless you’ve done it, you can’t imagine how hard it is to learn a new language. Especially past 40. It takes way longer than I thought it would.
Hi 🤗 I m taking language course, I love it. People I m surrounded by dont speak any other language but portuguese, and I speak a lot of other languages, so I am forced to lear the language and its so much fun. I love it, altho its hard. Yesterday I had to call electricity company to get our electricity back, it was weird, coz my understanding is limited 🤣🤣, but I think it will work out. I just dive in !
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.
Good video! When I was your age I moved from Canada to Chile and lived there for 5 years. I found that it took 2 years for me to feel comfortable. From there, I adapted quite a bit and when I moved back to Canada I felt the same kind of culture shock as I did when I arrived in Chile. Cultural re-entry is shocking and difficult. It took another 2 years before I was comfortable in Canada again. More than 20 years later, I have retained some of the cultural perspectives I adopted in Chile. That said, now I'm in my 50s and have been thinking of spending summers in Europe. Portugal is great so I might do that. Love your channel!!
I'm on various PT forums and RU-vid 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.
We moved to Germany a few years ago from the US and this is all SO true. We're moving to Portugal next year and while we're super excited, we're not looking forward to going through all the adjustments again. My wife and I agree that it is worth it though. And yep, it does get easier with time. :)
hello can you tell me about germany ill move to germany but i think im not making the right choice is it hard to live there what about buraucratie is it very high im lost
Fantastic video all around, and as an American therapist living in Portugal, your suggestions around seeking therapy *before* you move is spot on. I specialize in helping people work through these issues before they make the commitment to move, as well as helping expats who are are struggling after the move. Well done, you guys nailed it!
Thank you guys for this video! Six weeks and counting before we land! I'm 60 and will adapt but although my 23 year old is really excited about living in Portugal, I am getting her a therapist. Your point that whatever issues she has can get augmented made me think of the importance that she stays mentally healthy. Thank you!!
We hope this helps you prepare for your move, or if you're already here, can give you some ideas on how to combat some of the difficulties many people face when moving to a new country! Have you experienced any of these? Is there anything we should add to this list?
I was wondering can you use Google Translate for instance, at the Pharmacy? Or maybe that is not sufficient? It is very important to get your meds correct, especially for depression or anxiety.
Thanks for a nuanced view of living in Portugal. I am an American that has lived in Northern Europe for 12 years recently bought a home in Cascais. I find it worrisome that many Americans who have never been to Portugal or Europe for that matter believe the marketing of a lot of you tubers and Facebook groups. Some remind me of those vegematic salesmen at county fairs. Real Estate agents, lawyers, you tubers with great drone production skills all selling a dream that is really becomes a psychological projection ( especially if they have never been here). Portugal becomes for some everything they want to flee. Free health care ( you better have private), safety ( violent crime is low) but there are a lot of residential burglaries in the higher rent expat communities such as mine. Portugal is on the edge of Europe and the Portuguese think differently about life and family. I noticed a more difficult transition here than living in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The people I worry about are not young remote workers like you guys. I worry about rural retired Americans who struggle finding a Doc that takes Medicare and has an open practice. They watch videos and suddenly they think living in Portugal on a 14-1600 social security check is going to give them a much better quality of life. My Portuguese cleaner and husband struggle living on 1500/monthly. Thanks for keeping things real and not oversell Portugal for clicks and revenue revenue.
I'm 100% with you. I did my homework and am planning to move there but with my eyes opened. It is not cheap and that is a lie. It is probably affordable if you have more than Social Security Income. But, buyer beware if you believe all the hype. A scouting trip is a must!
Also often times people move and DON"T realize they take themselves with them. So that thing they wanted to "leave" is actually themselves. At the beginning the new country is exciting and there is a bit of a honeymoon, but eventually when that wears out; THERE YOU ARE STILL. you still have to deal with YOU and all you did was change your geography. Lol.
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 RU-vid 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: 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!
Great video! Like the old saying goes… the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Seems like no matter where you go, some patches of your grass will get greener and others will get browner.
This video could easily be titled “Reality Check” lol. Although I’ve enjoyed all your content over the past several months, this video by far is the most informative, especially for those like myself who are considering a big move outside my home country and what will definitely be a life changing experience! I’ve travelled 20 different countries and have found that with each new territory came with it its own set of challenges…and that was only when I was on a brief holiday! I’ve come to recognize that my main weakness is having patience in pretty much any challenging situation I might find myself in. As you’ve alluded to…slow down, learn the language, adapt and actively engage your local community. You nailed it here and are well on your way! 😊
Thank you for sheading light on reality. No one else is saying these things. Speaking the language also changes ones aspect. I hear people talking about how cheap Portugal is, but they have low wages, so things have to be cheap to be affordable.I had to live outside the US to appreciate it. I love this country with all of its defects. Great video !
Your point about adjusting to life beyond the US hustle culture is spot-on, and something I've been wrestling with. I never saw myself as part of that hustle culture, but even just being around it for so many years has an impact. I knew coming into this that there would be struggles, but knowing and doing are two different things. I've put a lot of effort into calibrating my expectations for the day. No more big "to-do" lists. Getting one thing done in a day when you're living in a new country and don't know the language is actually a pretty big accomplishment. If people are not prepared for that adjustment, I can see why they'd struggle. In Portugal, patience and persistence beats hustle every day of the week.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and opinions. My husband and I have been living here (in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal) for just over 2 months and I have been nodding my head in agreement with so much of what you say. It is important for people considering a move to Portugal to look at the pros and cons - which may be different for each person. We are loving it, but many, many things are different - every day is an adventure.
Another great video Michelle and Dan! I agree with everything you said. I moved at the end of the year last year and if I didn’t have the Facebook contacts that I made before I left, I would’ve been lost. They helped to make my new country a home. It is also true that things aren’t necessarily as inexpensive as I thought and taxes are complicated!! I purchased private insurance in January and just had my first experience going to CUF to get a check up and to be put in the system. So far it’s been a very positive experience. It’s also very important to learn to go with the flow and have patience when dealing with everything in Portugal. That being said, I love it and have no plans of moving back. Obrigada to you both 🥰
Great video as always! I can relate to all of it. We came to Portugal as a scouting mission to see if this was the place we wanted to live after leaving the US. I think, because we are such introverts, we felt alone for 2-1/2 months. While we enjoy each others company, we should have been more social. We joined meetup but it was when we were a week away from leaving Lisbon. Once we got to Porto we were sick for a week, then her dad came to visit. We should have made more of an effort in the Facebook groups we were in, FOR SURE. The positive side though, it did help us establish our work life on this new adventure, which may have been more important than friends at this stage. Perspective is key. We still LOVED Portugal and plan to come back! What we learned in the process was incredibly valuable either way. We learned so much about what we really want, where we feel comfortable, what we crave as far as food and nature, vs city and touristy. We left Portugal with the feeling of SUCCESS. Did we buy a house or apply for a year long stay, nope, but we now have a greater understanding of the country and what we want. Living there is definitely an option and it is still high on the list. For now, we go see the world 🙂
Great video, as always! My partner and I found your channel months ago at the very beginning of our D7 process back in March and bingewatched all your videos! Now we are living here in Lisbon and loving it. We did not move directly from the US and had residencies in a few other countries for several years before our move here, but we still found so much truth in the points you mentioned. However, the one thing I would add that has been majorly discouraging (in Lisbon at least) is the housing situation. It's been shockingly time-consuming, expensive, and complicated to navigate finding a place to live here, and everyone we meet has said the same. We're used to landing in new places and finding housing solutions much more easily, but it's been a bit overwhelming here, and we still haven't found a long-term solution. I've watched your housing/new apartment videos though, and they give us hope! Thanks for all the awesome content you share, we love following you guys on here :)
I like this video, you’re sharing more of the “immigrant” reality and less of the glamorized online “expat life”. Great Portugal information and love hearing seeing your journey!
Great video guys! I think people get lost romanticizing "moving to Europe," without really knowing why they're coming here or what they're getting into. Adjusting is definitely different for everyone, and really parallels how people adjust to any of life's challenges. Thanks for keeping it real 😍-Kirsten
Thanks for sharing this video! We moved to rural France (from Belgium) and a lot of these reasons could also be reasons to leave here. Another one to add in my opinion, for those with kids, is SCHOOL! That’s something we’ve been struggling with a lot. On paper and from what we researched before we moved, it is very similar here than in Belgium, but in real life, our kids are verry unhappy in school and that has a huge effect on our life here. So we don’t know if we’ll stay. It is something you can’t really know unless you move and try it out, like a lot of things!
I get what you are saying, I'm a Brit and after a few years living in France I just don't bother with local people anymore (we both speak French btw), Just a few English speaking friends. Having said that I never bothered with many people back in the UK. The reason I'm happy here in France is living in the country. House prices are lower than the UK. running a vehicle is cheaper and less people around too, We (my wife and I) often go to places and very often we are the only one's, when we lived in the UK (South of England), you really could not do anything without people all over the place. so it's the fact France suits our live style why we will be spending the rest of our lives here, The country not the people.
This is what many people do that immigrate to USA...they form communities of their tribe, for some reason this is verboten for Americans to do when they move abroad.
@Maisie Poot It is obvious that it is easier to learn the local way of things but let's stop with the constant harranging and virtue signaling that it's somehow politely or otherwise required.
I am a Portuguese citizen living in Toronto since I was a child. I am fluent in Portuguese and love visiting Portugal. I would never live there.There are reasons they continually lose 100,000 people a year. Low disposable income !! Very inconvenient to live. Extreme humid apartments, noise, climate not really that great ( summers cool in evenings). Anyway. Good luck. You are doing something I would never even consider
I respect that. I am a Portuguese Canadian. My sister & I were born in Canada, and my parents were born in Portugal. In 2006, my family & I took a vacation to Portugal. I have to be honest with you, I did not have a good time there. I 😢 get me wrong I love seeing the island, but I just felt like I was out of place. I couldn't speak the language cause the only language I speak is English and the time zone affected me too. Plus I started to feel homesick. I was missing my home. I was happy to be back home. That was my experience when I went to Portugal. I do not want to live there either.
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!
Yes. It also amazes me that the answers to these (what I consider straightforward questions) are not available. And that various tax "experts" differ in their views.
I had thousands of dollars stolen from a real estate agent in Tavira. Portugal is changing. The police were unresponsive when I filed the police report. I haven't seen an investigation yet and the robbery was last October. I understand theft is a big issue in Tavira. The safety ratings for Portugal have gone down dramatically everywhere. It used to be considered safe. Not any more. Be careful. Be safe.
A lot of these things are likely to be true no matter where you immigrate to especially if you don't speak the local language. People have to remember that they may get to a new country and decide it's not for them long term. It's a good reason to invest time/money in a discovery trip that allows you to stay there for a few weeks, not just a short vacation.
Whatever the place you pick to live, always will happen issues, that's normal, you are in a different country, culture, language, costumes, food...everything is new, and takes time to adjust to new environment.
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
Great video! Definitely good to have a balanced view and finding a close community that is nurturing and supportive. People forget you’re moving to a new country with a whole set of values, so there’s bound to be some differences there.
I think this is an excellent video. I can't stress enough how valuable it is--not only for moving to Portugal, but for anyone wanting to become an expat anywhere in he world--and I hope it gets viewed widely. Can I assume your intended audience is 20-something Americans?
We are loving our exploration of Portugal in the past year. We watch a ton of videos and are making our own now too (our new favorite media to consume). Thank you for your informative and thoughtful contribution!
Hello Honeymooners! This is a great video. We currently live in Round Rock, Texas and are wanting to move to Portugal. We look forward to your videos to get the "scoop" on moving to Portugal! We should meet up in Portugal next summer when we go "scope the land"!
Another good video. For me, not really an issue since we have lived abroad for over 20 years. However, for some folks moving out of the US for the first time it could be a serious challenge. The advice and tips presented here can help you prepare and work thru these issues. My thing for anyone making the move, intertwine yourself in the culture. Not from a judgment aspect or a compare contrast (as we Americans tend to do) but for an open-minded, I want to learn and understand perspective. Remember, wherever you go, this isn't America. They do things different (not right or wrong) it's how they do thing there. This change in norms will go a line way in making your transition smooth and may keep you there for the long haul. As far as taxes, well, that's another story. Talk to a tax specialist and prepare in advance. I keep an account that I put money into monthly that's available at the end of the year for things like this. I hope this helps. Again, great video with lots of helpful tips to cope with moving abroad.
As a Portuguese person I am used to some of the stupid things people do and say here like yelling at you for being on the wrong line. 😅 People here just overreact and it doesn’t mean anything. The next moment they may be offering you help and smiling at you! 😊 Hope you enjoy being here :)
Thanks for yours beautiful vídeos. We’re from Texas. It’s very interesting recognizing to be great have your tribe . But everybody is so busy with life. Very understanding.
Great video as always! I love your philosophy that "every situation is a chance to learn". Currently trying to learn patience as our house is taking longer than expected to sell, so it's pushing our timeline back. You both look calm and healthy--happy for you. Can we get the details on those earrings?
I've actually met too many people that it's overwhelming. I can't keep up with all the people that want to hangout every day and I'm having to actively trim my "friends" network. Most of these people are from the Meetup groups, some are random people from restaurants/bars, and some are from another good source not mentioned in this video... WhatsApp groups. We have a "long term friends group", a local neighborhood group, a "social life" group that posts events and random hangouts almost daily, a hiking group, etc.
We have the same issue, now we are working on more meaningful relationships like your long term group. Now I haven’t really used WhatsApp groups for making friends before but sounds awesome.
Take the time to invite over to dinner some of your portuguese connections. Bare with us, we are friendly and sometimes we're just shy, now and then we don't take the first step just because we guess that you're (because you're from abroad) not really into us. Us portuguese, like to be emotionally stable. Most of us don't invest in relationships with foreigners due to the fact that they might leave at any moment and that also because we tend to think that we're not enough for you. We value, really serious, down to the core, attachments... Be kind, curious, open, welcoming, and relieve us from the burden to be english fluent. The majority of us speaks english very well bat just in short sentences. Although we can engage in a conversation, it really doesn't mean that it's effortless. Wish you all the best. Love You ;)
Excellent video. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I am smiling here because this is supposed to be 5 reasons but you keep turning back to the positives. ☺️ It’s great that they don’t over-prescribe narcotics. It’s a horrible situation in the US! Americans are the only people who are double-taxed. (Not my favourite subject either Dan).
A quick note on therapists. Yes, CA law does require therapists to meet other US states' requirements when the client is in a different state or jurisdiction. Because Portugal has no formal requirements, CA therapists can offer telehealth services to current clients traveling or living there. Something to check out.
I'm a therapist. It is tricky. I am choosing to become a mental health coach and avoid all the legal issues. The states I'm licensed in require that you are licensed in both jurisdictions. On top of that, no one will probably insure you so if something goes wrong, the consequences are unknown. Not so easy. But it is possible.
Great content and definitely necessary. Some people give up EVERYTHING for some rosie expectation and the reality is that it's hard and yes about the community! Especially away from the coast, it can be much harder and my friend, a male, got a bit man handled by a doctor! He was grumpy because my friend was a foreigner.
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....
@@HoneymoonAlways Europeans, either from the north or south, don't relocate to the US my friend. The fact you can be in debt for the rest of your life over a splinter on your finger, or get jumped walking the street is scary. That "get rich or die trying" mentality is for people who have no idea what quality of life is all about.
@@armandolima823 I appriciate the comment, but there are still Europeans relocating to the US all the time, its just a fact. And I wasn't even referring to Europe in my comment, but just stating that there are still lots of people who really want to move to the US.
@@armandolima823 FYI-Today (August 30, 2022), at LA’s Dodger Stadium, 2,100 new immigrants were sworn in as new Americans. They came from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. 😬
Pain management … for sure it’s different here (in Europe). I had some injuries that in the US any doctor would have given me pain meds for. I was given Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen. It was kind of a relief because I don’t like narcotic pain meds!
Out of curiosity, how proficient are you folks with the Portuguese language? I imagine there is a strong relationship between language proficiency and cultural adaptability.
You mentioned taxes. Can you share a few recommendations? We want to retire to Portugal. We're scouting this October. Like you I've gotten tons of figures but nothing concrete. I have 1 meeting set up for next week with a Portuguese accountant. Everyone's on holiday in August ☺️ Thank you!
Ive lived abroad all my life..including 14 in hong kong, 15 in London, 5 in Malaysia. Im no stranger to ajustment of any kind languages of all sorts, and burocracies. `The system here is broken, or severely backlogged. I have infinite patience and experience. The problem is HERE. Overhyped, oversold, and now...overpriced. It seems the people heading here have never lived abroad, this is the most difficult country `i have encountered...and look at my list of countries. This was a good move..maybe 10 yrs ago. ITs not us.
Thanks Michelle & Dan for this video. After 2+ years considering a move to PT, I’ve learned to put more weight in YT videos by folks like yourself that live there vs others just passing through. I lived in Italy many years ago and, yes, it takes a lot of time to “figure stuff out”-and I didn’t have Facebook to help me either! BTW-on taxes (not trying to get Dan’s hair to fall out 😁) my approach prior to moving to PT is to consult with both a tax expert at home as well as in PT. Does this make sense? Cheers.
I never understood why people say that Portugal is cheap? Maybe the houses were less expensive, but the rest is about the same. I lived all across Europe and in the supermarket its all about the same. In fact soon I got to Copenhagen, I felt very confortable with the prices. Ok, the houses were about the double of the price than Portugal, but the supermarket was even less expensive.
The taxes are a complicated problem and we all think our government takes to much, but i think most understand taxes are necessary and there is a simple thing everybody should understand, for example to have a good and free health care, the money must come from somwhere, and that "somewhere," is the taxes. If anyone doesn't want to pay taxes, probably Portugal is not the right place. Neither any country in Europe.
We are happy to pay taxes, the problem is it is complicated as an American paying taxes in Portugal and there is a lot of misinformation out there that makes it confusing.
@@HoneymoonAlways you are right. Often the information is short, and if you ask to 10 different experts, you will get at least 5 different answers. My point is that for many people coming from the US they aren't used to pay taxes so hight like the ones we have. I'm not the best informed for sure, but in the US the VAT is not 23%, neither IRS has so many "leves" and hight percentage over the total income. For this i do agree with you, many people aren't well informed, and it's hard to get to the right information. But for some people is hard to understand the reason of so high taxation (even for us i should say), and it can be a shock to realise that a great part of their money flies from their hands diretctly to the pockets of the government. Those are the ones i say that Europe probably is not the right place for them.
If a lot more people are moving to Portugal is absolutely normal that more people end up leaving country, right?? Well, I´m brazilian and I speak portuguese and took me 4 years to start loving Portugal. Now I really don´t want to leave country. There is only 1 thing that I hate here: the temperature of the water in the beach, even in summer (18 degrees north, 22 south).
Love your vlogs and you bring out the basic things that one needs to learn to adjust in a new environment. How was the summer in Lisbon this year. Dallas Tx was brutal this year and Lisbon s should have been a a lot better i suppose, despite this year's hotter summer across the world. Keep up the Good work!. On the tax front for me coming on a D7 with no reason to work the Tax situation should be fairly straight forward under the 10 year NHR rule
If you are not secure with yourself in mind, body and spirit...It does not matter where you move...I have been a legal resident here almost 6 years...Orginally from Austin, Tx...My choice of living in Portugal was quality of life across the board...Is it perfect, uuuummm no, however hands down I would not trade it for the world...The country has plenty of opportunities to explore and meet local folks...Get out of Lisboa and Oporto and etc...I connect with more people in the smaller communities, that are more authentic and outgoing and actually want to engage in conversation...and they are more than happy to show you there Portugal...Get Busy Living! Boa Sorte! 😉🇺🇲❤️🇵🇹✌️🤙🤟😎
This video seems to be geared to those who have never been out of the country or have only been to Canada. I'm only saying that because so much of what y'all are saying should be pretty obvious to people if they decide to make such a big move. If anyone moves anywhere without doing their research, that's on them. That has nothing to do with Portugal. And anyone looking at living abroad so superficially (moving because of beaches and castles) likely would have a hard time living anywhere outside the US. I'm planning to live abroad in a few years, but I've been traveling internationally most of my life and I understand not everything you see on RU-vid is what everyday life is like. But that's not unique to Portugal and I haven't heard anything you've said about living in Portugal that wouldn't apply to anywhere else in the world.
We completely agree. But we are only going to speak on our own first hand experience and we don’t know of any other place that is getting so much hype like Portugal influencing people to move.
@@HoneymoonAlways I hear you there. No doubt Portugal is clearly the "It" spot to move to internationally these days. I'll be moving to Brazil in a few years, but I've been there 10 times and I'm already actively involved in a couple American expat group online forums, and most of what they talk about are the smaller details to consider.
@@HoneymoonAlways Most likely somewhere in Bahia. I love the Southeast (Rio, Paraty, Buzios & Ubatuba) as well, but my money will go further in the Northeast and I can always travel to the other places.
Hey guys, my husband is a therapist and we are moving to Portugal in less than 5 years. (Our son is in college.). We are hoping he can still practice when we move. What are issues might we face?
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.
So silly question. In the US we are hearing a lot of potential bad times for Europe this winter, especially the northern colder regions. How is Portugal looking? Dan does have great hair I have to say. Taxes seem to be the most ominous thing about Portugal. Thank You
@@HoneymoonAlways about how natural gas supplies are being cut off by the Russians. They say that the Germans are heavily starting to cut into forests for firewood. That they are imposing thermostat controls for both cooling and heating.
@@HoneymoonAlways What? The US media sensationalized something? That could quite possibly be it. Being on the Iberian Peninsula you might not be as dependent on natural gas supplies as well, especially in winter. I once had a hair stylist tell me that my hair was extremely stressed. I said, if that is all that is stressed on me then I am doing pretty well then. Taxes in Portugal are a little concerning. I am retired now so it is supposed to be simpler. I like the idea of Portugal because I believe that the climate s similar to California but also Ecuador is favorable because it uses the US Dollar. Sorry, I am rambling. Thank You for the response.
About your doctor’s comments I have to say that unfortunately in Portugal a lot of doctors seem to feel entitled to make remarks or even to criticise their patients in many different situations, coming out as rude, borderline unprofessional. They can be a little snobbish and above reproach, which makes it even worse because generally they don’t even care too much if you complain.
@@HoneymoonAlways that is unfortunate. I have had my share of situations but you experiencing it with several doctors in such a short time was unexpected 😔. I imagine it is also probably compounded by cultural differences and language difficulties - since doctors have such bad "filters" it becomes "easier" to come out as rude in English 😔!!
In the US, doctors have to be Very Careful about any word that comes out of their mouth because they can be sued. This can be very frustrating. For example, my elderly father drinks way too much and is overweight, affecting his daily life significantly. Yet, he always comes back from his doctor's appointments saying the doctor said, "he's fine." They can't be real with patients. Another example: I have a friend who's a cardiologist who sees morbidly obese patients regularly who have heart attacks. When he asks them if they exercise and about their diet, they regularly lie to him (given their size, it's not physically possible for what they say to be true) but my friend the doctor can't call them on their lies. Just listen and advise a healthy diet and exercise... patient leaves thinking they're "fine"... till next heart attack...
@@fs5775 I wasn’t referring to doctors making an analysis about your health or they being blunt about healthier habits, I was talking about side comments or personal judgements that in no way improve health or communication, and many times saying it in a demeaning or paternalistic way. This is more common with older doctors. Younger doctors usually have better communication skills.
I noticed that the doctors don’t introduce themselves when they treat you, I had an ultrasound and thought it was the tech until I had to ask her what her role was. She was the radiologist. In a different Situation a doctor wanted to make a decision for me, basically overriding my preference and educated decision I already made after weighing risks and benefits. I find it very patronizing and inappropriate.
Good advice! I am traveling in Lisbon now for a few days. I wonder whether you can refer me a good English spoken accountant to speak to. Also, I would like to know where to shop for the required medicine policy? Thanks 🙏
There are many more serious negatives, like property prices and quality, virtually impossible to have a front line beach house unless being a famous footballer or movie star (in Spain no problem, so much cheaper!), the bad driving in Lisbon and other busy cities, the postal system (CTT), the endless laws especially about property, etc.
Hey guys! I’m a new subscriber. Thank you for these videos and for being honest and realistic. My husband and I are currently living in the Dallas, TX area but are hoping to retire early to Portugal within a few years. We still need to visit tho (several times) and make sure we like it. We’re thinking the Coimbra area. I’m now curious how one stands in line in the bathroom incorrectly 🤔 and I’m sure I’ll get flack from the doctors too about choosing to be childless as I’m in my early 40’s. Normally anyone having an opinion on my reproductive choices would infuriate me so thank you for preparing me for that. Good stuff here, thank you both 👍🏻
I was wondering about the bathroom thing too, were you in the men’s line? Btw, sorry for so many comments. Really great video! I had to make the husband come watch because he’s a dreamer and thinks PT is great, but he has never left the USA. I’ve traveled to other European countries and stayed a couple of months as college student, so have some concept of the differences and challenges. Thanks for your honesty! ♥️
@@Jo.King_ For one Portugal has long settled the culture war issues that seem to be one of the things that have just put USA as the number one country applying for the Golden Visa Program in Portugal.
