Make sure to pick a place far away from any eucalyptus plantings in Portugal.
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Maybe book a tourâ and then tack on 5 days at the end to just explore the non-touristy stuff on your own? I have never been to Portugal so canât help you with practicalitiesâ but Iâve traveled lots of other places where a guided tour is helpful for orientation, and then you can âfreelanceâ to dig deep on what a resident would care about vs. a tourist. And if itâs a tour where you arenât being hauled around all day on a big bus thatâs probably a better fit with what you are looking for. Mass transit for example- any tour that involves moving around a city like the locals do will be helpful. A tour that doesnât provide three restaurant meals a day- that means you will be forced to stop in a grocery store and navigate picking out lunch (or figuring out how the locals get their caffeine fix at 7 am). Etc.
What did you find stressful about the planning??? I think folks on CC can help you with that as well.
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In this situation, I would visit 2-3 places (cities) and then spend a week or more in an area that looks to you as a place to stay regularly long term, all in one trip to Portugal. My parents did this and found an area in the south where many British people vacation and then returned to that area 2-3 more times for 2-3 weeks. They rented but maybe after a visit you will be clearer on the possibilities.
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Thanks for the tip on eucalyptus, Bunsen! Weâd like to be near a city so hopefully avoiding any strife in those areas.
@blossom - I really like your idea of a combo planned tour + time on our own. That sounds like a great balance.
Re: prior travel concerns - yes, people on CC were super helpful when I was planning our 2023 Italy trip (as well as other friends, Rick Stevesâ books, etc.). There was a wealth of information.
It was just the unknown + decision-making + it was the 1st big trip for my two adult kids/husband/me in 20+ years that wasnât entirely planned and organized by his older siblings (as an extended family vacation).
So I felt a lot of pressure (Is the AirBnB going to be sketchy? Will kids like it? Will we make the train in time to use our expensive prepaid tickets? Will this prebooked tour be fun and will we get there in time for departure? etc.!). Add in my penchant for extensive (probably overly extensive!) research.
Clearly much of that stress was self-imposed but also exhausting - and Iâd like to find a better way.
Maybe that combo tour and free time could be it!!!
Check out an Airbnb âexperienceâ for the self-guided part of your trip if you go that way. People think of these as âattend a folk dance festivalâ or âlearn to bake the regional delicacyâ and they do that.
But you can also just request âA Day in the Lifeâ type of experience. Grocery shopping in the town you are considering. Check out the local library. Have the guide book you lunch at a big communal table at the local diner/dive restaurant with other English speaking ex-pats.
That way you get the spontaneity of a self-guided trip without the pressure of arranging so many disparate events/opportunities in a short period of time.
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You can also split the difference by planning most of the travel in your own but doing day tours when needed to make your life easier. Portugal is very easy for traveling, food is great as long as you like seafood (and pastel de nata) and everything is relatively inexpensive. Have fun!
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I find that for lower stress, it can make sense to not change accommodations more than needed. I do like the idea of a tour (or self touring) of typical sights followed by a stay in a less-touristy location.
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Portugal was delightful! I went on a very spontaneous trip - just 7 days and will definitely go back. I spent most of it in Lisbon and then spent a few days in Algarve. I found Lisbon to be very accessible even without a tour. I bought a multi day metro pass and just explored.
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I think there are likely a lot of YouTube videos on retiring to Portugal, for example, https://youtu.be/ckl-fgWdmfY?si=Q6RYBALD82wQ2giM.
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Thanks so much for this great, additional feedback.
I love the idea of getting âexperiencesâ tied to an AirBnB in Portugal, and how awesome would it be to connect with some ex pats while there? Appreciate all the encouragement and links.
Definitely agree that not changing accommodations too much will reduce stress.
Iâve watched several Portugal videos this AM and have a burgeoning research doc. My challenge might be keeping âover research/over thinkingâ at bayâŠ. 
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We recently watched a House Hunters episode where the family was moving to Lisbon. You might find it online.
When my friend was looking at places to move they made multiple trips to Portugal and Spain. They originally thought they wanted to be on the coast south of Lisbon. Once they visited they felt that area was very heavily populated with English speakers and didnât have the Portugal feel they were looking for. They knew they wanted to be on the coast so rented a car and traveled north of Lisbon up into the north west coast of Spain. They ended up north of Porto in a village that was a mix of locals and expatriates. The husband loved it, his wife loved parts of it but missed family. A smaller city we visited with them was Viana do Castelo. North of Porto but a short train ride into Porto.
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Thanks, @mom60 for the video tip and sharing your friendsâ experiences.
On the financial side of travel - I recently heard a podcast about a family who AirBnBâd their âregularâ suburban NJ house each time they took a trip â and came out ahead financially. For fun I looked at my town and - yep - a few folks are renting out rooms or whole places - some with over a hundred reviews!
Between that and the possibility of joining Trusted House Sitters or other house sitting group - it seems like there could be some options for reducing travel costs.
Which would be really nice if I wanted to explore more (slow travel etc.) before deciding where to move (and keep my house/local friends). It could also make more feasible the option of switching to part-time work to have the time to do it.
Not sure what H will think of all this, but worth exploring and having a discussion!
Thanks again for the really insightful tips.
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Call your homeowners insurance carrier before you do the math. There are folks in CA whose claims are being denied after the wildfires because the insurer pulled up their listings on Airbnb or similar to show that the home was being offered as a rental and therefore was not a full-time primary residence. You will need a more expensive policy to protect against a catastrophic lossâŠ.
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Saw a bumper sticker for Sit. Stay. Trips. and just looked it up. Seems to be a married couple who pet sit through Trusted Housesitters and I guess their website is about how to get started? I havenât really dived into it. https://www.sitstaytrips.com
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From what Iâve picked up from a few friends are some questions to ask yourself if considering an out of country move.
How do you see your life transition, city,rural, small village. Do you want to be car free? How important is a train station nearby. Do you want to live amongst locals or are you looking for a community with a large English speaking population. Health care, what type of visa do you qualify for or will you need to leave the country for a period of time. Our friends with the Portugal home first explored one type of visa but in the meantime he ended up getting EU citizenship which was great.
I have a relative who owns a bungalow in Costa Rica. At one point she lived there for a year. I think at one point she had to travel to Panama and re-enter. Her community was a mix of local but mainly Canadian snowbirds. She has done both short term and long term rentals as she now seems to go for a few months every other year.
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I do know people who do home trades through some kind of website/organization. But⊠that seems like it could be tricky with aligning various travel dates.
For couples with a large enough house, one option could be to have a roommate agreement that yields extra funds for travel. Bonus is housesitter/petsitter. This would work best say if you have a walk out basement that could be a bit of an apartment (even if no formal kitchen). My father actually did this for many years - covered his pricey property taxes.
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Thanks for all the great feedback! @blossom - yes, the Air BnB might be a bit complicated - in addition to homeowners insurance (and local registration fees) we have a pretty stringent HOA. Not sure theyâd love even an occasional short term rental!
I checked out that sit.stay.travel website - very interesting! Thanks! I like how they are upfront about downsides, as well as the benefits.
My next travel step is booking FL (before Portugal). I have to say the whole process is irritating me, lol. I have no desire to live there, yet I am researching and coordinating the whole thing because that location is what my H wants - and I want to take some action vs floating along vaguely without future plan.
I just feel like Iâm organizing the end of my life and facilitating the slide toward decline/death. I suppose I need to get over that, lol.
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Your H may decide he DOESNâT want Florida based on the experience you guys have⊠so maybe look at the research as part of the âprocess of eliminationâ component?
I know empty nesters/retirees who love it, and a few who hate it and are trying to figure out a cost-effective way to move somewhere younger, better climate in the summer, not quite so much âGolf, Pickle Ball, Emergency Room. Lather rinse repeatâ. Amazing that healthy people who have never had anything besides a cold are suddenly getting rotator cuff surgery, hip replacement, constant PT and cortisone shots. Yes, we all age. But I think if I went to my PCP and complained that my shoulder hurt, Iâd hear âfind another form of exerciseâ and NOT âwe can operate next Thursdayâ.
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Deleting cause I was crabby when posting
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I think if you live in Florida and have good health insurance, youâre going to get a physician at some point telling you âall my patients get XYZ done and theyâre thrilled with the resultâ. Other parts of the country youâll hear âhow old is your mattress?â or âcan you figure out how to ditch 10 lbs of stuff you are hauling in your tote bagâ as the first step. Surgery is always the very last stop on the train!!!
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