We are back with our first episode of 2025! Mark + I talk through the big culture shocks we experienced over the break in the USA and what life looks like 15 months after moving abroad to Portugal.
Key Resources:
www.stan.store/portugaljunkies
In our last episode of 2024, we celebrate some big milestones with the podcast + leave listeners with key resources to tune into during the holidays to usher you into a 2025 that may include a move abroad!
Hint: Half of the battle is just believing that your dream of leaving the USA + moving abroad can actually be accomplished.
Key Resources:
https://stan.store/portugaljunkies
We are heading to the UK + USA for the holidays in a few short days and are both feeling a lot of feelings. We talk through our emotions around this, our anxiety about traveling to the USA post-election + the realities of things we sacrifice around the holidays since we moved abroad.
Key Resources:
https://stan.store/portugaljunkies
You all had so many questions over the past couple of weeks, so this episode is dedicated to answering a few of them!
Here's a few we talk about in this episode:
- Did your relationship change when you moved abroad?
- How do you manage and continue to grow your relationships at home?
- Do you have any regrets one year later?
Find even more resources on our Stan Store at https://stan.store/portugaljunkies
So how much does it really cost to live in Portugal, you ask?
We share everything here! We walk through our current budget line by line to give a realistic look at our financial impacts since moving abroad to Portugal.
Something we forgot to mention here. Once we realized that our United Explorer Credit Card did not have international fees, we compared the conversion costs on the credit card versus when we move money over using Wise. They were almost identical - so we decided to operate like we did in the USA. All expenses that can go on a credit card do, and then we pay it off in dollars every month. Rent + health insurance in Portugal has to be paid from our Portuguese bank account so those are the only expenses that we can't put on our credit card + must convert to euros each month.
United Explorer Card Referral Link (gets you 10K miles!)
Key Resources + Help At Our Stan Store:
https://stan.store/portugaljunkies
Did that "pipe dream" idea of moving abroad + leaving the USA get a lot more serious in the past week, post-election?
We get it. We talk through the first five steps we recommend to get you on the path to moving abroad in the next 12 months.
- Research your top potential locations for affordability, safety + climate
- Choose your path: residency visas, 90/90/90/90 in and out of Schengen countries, or citizenship through heritage
- Work with a CPA + immigration attorney to review finances + prepare
- Make work decisions - if you aren't with a company that supports remote work or can not retire yet, consider making a move to a company that does.
- Research local real estate listings, not only for price ranges, but for the cultural differences in living in certain areas abroad
Key Resources:
www.stan.store/portugaljunkies
Our local tax advisor, Rui Borges, joins us again on the podcast this week to provide updates on the latest and greatest about Portugal's NHR (Non Habitual Residence) tax benefit. The program has changed a lot recently with the implementation of a new government + Rui provides us with details about what's happening right now with NHR and what is on the horizon for those who may move from the US to Portugal in 2025.
For more information on NHR updates, check out Rui's blog: https://goalseek.pt/blog
Rui has graciously offered our listeners a 20% discount! Find more details on the Our Partners link above.
Meet our friends Taylor + Mike, who moved to Portugal from the US on Portugal's D8 Digital Nomad Visa this past year. We chat with them about why they chose Portugal, their immigration experience, their biggest struggles so far + what kind of advice they have for others around successful assimilation into the Portuguese culture.
Find them on socials as @roamawayfromhome + at their websites below:
We've been so social here in Tavira compared to our time in Porto. We talk about why that may be + what it takes to make meaningful friendships in mid-life and also as immigrants to another country.
In this episode, we do some fielding of listener questions about our recent move to Tavira, including how we like our new apartment in the Algarve, if Tavira could be our "final stop," + more reflections on the devastation at home from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
To donate to Hurricane Helene relief, please visit:
We bring you our first episode from our new home in the Algarve in Tavira, Portugal - home of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! This starts another new journey for us in our Portugal adventure and we're excited to share with you about our move + some cool things we've learned already about our new city.
To donate to Hurricane Helene relief, please visit:
In our last podcast from Porto before we move to Tavira, we talk about the most important lessons that Porto has taught us and what we will take with us on our next stop of our Portuguese adventure.
As our final days in Porto arrive before we move to Tavira in the Algarve, we take some time to reflect on the highs and lows (or peaks and pits) of our 10 months here in Porto, Portugal.
In our last couple of weeks in Porto before we move to Tavira, we reflect on the ways we have adapted in the 10 months we've been in Portugal.
If you're worried about change, don't be. You will adapt to things you never imagined you would. We talk about some of these situations that seemed so hard to overcome in the beginning that now are like second nature to us.
In this episode, we address the following listener questions...⬇️
- How do grocery items differ? Are there non-dairy alternatives? Are there any items there but not in the USA?
- Best everyday place to eat in Porto?
- Is there a language barrier? How are you dealing with learning it? (or are you not learning Portuguese?)
- How much should a couple have to be able to retire and have a similar lifestyle as you?
Want to move to Portugal but hesitant to leave your adult children in the USA? In this episode, we chat with our friend Heather (TikTok @mindfulmigrant) about her move to Portugal from Florida - and how she and her husband navigated this huge life change with adult children in college back in the US.
We are leaving Porto and moving to Tavira in a few short weeks, hoping that others who have aspirations of living in or moving to Portugal will get insight about Porto as a city in comparison to the small fishing village of Tavira in the Algarve.
In Part 2 of this big topic for all of us who are parents to furbabies, Mark + I talk more about the LOGISTICS of getting your pet to Portugal.
We outline some of the top options for you to begin to explore based on your situation with your pets, like:
- On a plane, in the cabin with you
- On a plane, in the cargo
- Pet transportation services
- Private jets for animal transport
- Transatlantic cruise (yes, this is actually an option!)
Key Resources:
Get Our FREE Pets To Portugal Timeline
In this first episode of a two-part series, we dive into the three main requirements in order to get your dog or cat to Portugal.
Three main requirements:
- pet microchip
- rabies vaccination
- USDA certified health exam (certificate)
Key Resources:
Get Our FREE Pets To Portugal Timeline
Our personal tax advisor, Rui Borges, joins us for the first in a series of podcasts we will dedicate to the exciting topic of...TAXES.
As our guest, Rui answers some listener questions like:
- Will I pay taxes in Portugal if I already pay them in the USA?
- I’ve heard they’ve discontinued the NHR tax benefit recently. How will that affect me if I decide to retire in Portugal? Is this even worth exploring anymore now that it is eliminated?
- What is the process for filing tax returns as a US citizen who has moved to Portugal?
Check out more information about Rui's services + get a 20% discount HERE
We field questions from YOU!
- Are there work opportunities there in Portugal and what do those look like?
- What has been your experience with healthcare + health insurance so far?
- Are the locals really welcoming to you?
After the recent events at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania, we discuss the impact of the American political turmoil on us after we have moved abroad to Portugal.
It's a tough day processing the political violence, even when we proudly wear blue.
So you think you may want to move to or retire in Portugal? The next question is likely.... BUT WHERE?! In this episode, we walk through our top criteria to consider when researching where is best for you to land in Portugal.
We talk about cost of living based on your goals, transportation + accessibility to airports, climate (north vs central vs south), lifestyle + cultural desires, schools for the kiddos + emotional connection to a place.
We have a gut check kind of conversation to help people who are considering moving or retiring in Portugal figure out two things...if moving abroad is right for you + if it is, is Portugal the right place for you.
We experience our first loss while abroad and needed a great therapy session via this episode.
The truth is, moving abroad comes with certain sacrifices, like not being near your family or friends when you (or they) experience loss. Loss is inevitable, but ironically, the very reason WHY we decided to quit our jobs, move to Portugal + focus on living for RIGHT NOW.
Because y'all, we aren't guaranteed tomorrow.
If you're looking to move to Portugal + need to know more about how to get here on the D7 retirement (or passive income) visa, look no further. Mark + I go in depth on the actual application requirements one-by-one and give you some big picture perspective about WHY they are asking you for this stuff + how to best position yourself for an approval on your visa application.
We talk through the rest of the requirements of the visa application: Passports, Legal Status, Personal Statement, FBI Background Check + Fingerprints + Medical/Travel Insurance.
If you're looking to move to Portugal + need to know more about how to get here on the D7 retirement (or passive income) visa, look no further. We go in depth on our experience + the actual application requirements one-by-one and give you some big picture perspective about WHY they are asking you for this stuff + how to best position yourself for an approval on your visa application.
We talk through the requirements for NIF, bank account, lease + proving your financial means (i.e. passive income).
Please note: This was our personal experience in Fall 2023-February 2024. We are not providing legal advice but merely sharing our own experience.
If you're looking to move to Portugal + need to know more about how to get here on the D7 retirement (or passive income) visa, look no further.
We talk high-level about the interview process, timelines and what to expect overall as an introduction to the D7 (passive income) visa process before next week's episode where we will discuss in detail the actual documents you need in order to apply.
Please note: This was our personal experience in Fall 2023-February 2024. We are not providing legal advice but merely sharing our own experience.
We humbly share our biggest financial mistake since we moved abroad from Charlotte to Porto, Portugal. Hint: we are in our second apartment in less than 6 months. Don't be like us - learn from our mistake and understand more about how to make good choices about where to live in Portugal when you get here!
It's our first Q+A episode - where we answer questions crowd-sourced from our listeners! In this episode we touch on our biggest highs and lows, the biggest cultural differences we've experienced so far + how remote work and income opportunities are playing out for us as expats who left great jobs and businesses to build something for ourselves.
It took us almost an entire year to REALLY decide to move abroad from Charlotte, NC to Porto, Portugal. In this episode, we talk through what that year really looked like, the emotional ups + downs of trying to decide if we could really do it, and what factors we considered when choosing to move to Portugal.
In Portugal Junkies Podcast's inaugural episode, we have a candid conversation about our move abroad from Charlotte, NC to Porto, Portugal in late 2023 and how we are adjusting today. As relatively new expats from the USA, we look back and talk about all the things - good, bad and ugly - and talk about our goals for starting the Portugal Junkies community to help others experience traveling in Portugal or moving or retiring in Portugal. We share our life abroad and hopefully help you learn from our mistakes!