I am wondering if most expats have kids or close family members in the States. If I moved abroad, most of my family could never afford to visit. I would really miss them. I imagine they would miss me too - especially on holidays and main events - like graduations, weddings and birthdays. I would have to have a burning desire to leave. Trump was a great impetus to vacate the States. But, like I said, there are still a lot of battles to be fought here, and somebody has to step up to the plate.
Let's hear it for the crazies! Our story is very much like Carol's: Sell it all and move. We had never been to Portugal, either, but having visited Europe several times, doing research on various countries for several years, and waiting out pandemic 1.0, we made the leap. Our place isn't "home", either, but it's good for now. We're looking forward to living in several places around the country before we decide to settle...or not.
One thing I'm curious about is the mental aspect of keeping a house in the states. Does having that place as a fallback inhibit your ability to fully commit to the new country? (That's probably a question for one of the expat forums, but Jim's comment made me think of it.)
I am planning to move to Portugal alone, and it will be sight unseen as you did. When someone says I am brave, I usually reply by saying that they are braver for intending to stay in the U.S.
A lot of good points. We left the states in 2015 when my wife got it into her head to fulfill a long-time desire to be an international teacher. We sold off most of our stuff, rented out our house in Miami, put a lot of stuff in storage and off to Chengdu, China. 2 years later we sold the house in Miami (it's now worth about $350k more than we sold it for). the one thing we regret the most is the amount of stuff we put into storage. The amount of money we have spent storing replaceable items has more than gone over their replacement costs. My advice is only store the stuff you can't replace. Thankfully we are going back over the holidays to finally clean out the storage unit.
Just wanted to say that I'm enjoying your posts! It makes me feel like we're not the only "crazy" American people doing this move (I'm 66 and husband is 70). We just arrived in Portugal 5 weeks ago. We had never visited Portugal and we, too sold our home (Arizona) and most of our 40+ years together of possessions. We didn't want to wait until the pandemic was over (if that ever happens) to do scouting trips and then have to come back to the states to start the D7 paperwork, so in early 2021 we just decided to get our things in order, get the visa applications in process, and make plans to move to Portugal. We chose a furnished condo to lease for 1 year about 10 minutes by train to Cascais by doing some video walk-throughs and keeping our fingers crossed that we made a good decision. Our condo does have heat and air conditioning - the heat was a priority for us. Not sure this is the place we eventually want to call "home" but it's a good starting point for exploring other areas of this beautiful country. Hope you and Denise enjoy the journey!
What strikes me, there is always the “ trump “ thrown in a content. Please note I was nor I am his supporter. And if the current administration in US is so great, why everyone is leaving ?... 🤔
"To find one's paradise, one needn't travel far, only well."
--Marty Rubin
[source: https://discoverquotes.com/paradise/]
I must admit, reruns of "Crime, Disse Ela" has made my transition easier.
I am wondering if most expats have kids or close family members in the States. If I moved abroad, most of my family could never afford to visit. I would really miss them. I imagine they would miss me too - especially on holidays and main events - like graduations, weddings and birthdays. I would have to have a burning desire to leave. Trump was a great impetus to vacate the States. But, like I said, there are still a lot of battles to be fought here, and somebody has to step up to the plate.
Let's hear it for the crazies! Our story is very much like Carol's: Sell it all and move. We had never been to Portugal, either, but having visited Europe several times, doing research on various countries for several years, and waiting out pandemic 1.0, we made the leap. Our place isn't "home", either, but it's good for now. We're looking forward to living in several places around the country before we decide to settle...or not.
One thing I'm curious about is the mental aspect of keeping a house in the states. Does having that place as a fallback inhibit your ability to fully commit to the new country? (That's probably a question for one of the expat forums, but Jim's comment made me think of it.)
Thanks for another though-provoking post!
I am planning to move to Portugal alone, and it will be sight unseen as you did. When someone says I am brave, I usually reply by saying that they are braver for intending to stay in the U.S.
A lot of good points. We left the states in 2015 when my wife got it into her head to fulfill a long-time desire to be an international teacher. We sold off most of our stuff, rented out our house in Miami, put a lot of stuff in storage and off to Chengdu, China. 2 years later we sold the house in Miami (it's now worth about $350k more than we sold it for). the one thing we regret the most is the amount of stuff we put into storage. The amount of money we have spent storing replaceable items has more than gone over their replacement costs. My advice is only store the stuff you can't replace. Thankfully we are going back over the holidays to finally clean out the storage unit.
Really enjoying all of your posts! You brought up some great points in this one.
We are coming to Portugal, again, to check things out. Pickleball, is a sport I would really miss. Can you tell me where Denise found a place to play?
Thanks for sharing all that you’re learning as an expat.
Marta
Just wanted to say that I'm enjoying your posts! It makes me feel like we're not the only "crazy" American people doing this move (I'm 66 and husband is 70). We just arrived in Portugal 5 weeks ago. We had never visited Portugal and we, too sold our home (Arizona) and most of our 40+ years together of possessions. We didn't want to wait until the pandemic was over (if that ever happens) to do scouting trips and then have to come back to the states to start the D7 paperwork, so in early 2021 we just decided to get our things in order, get the visa applications in process, and make plans to move to Portugal. We chose a furnished condo to lease for 1 year about 10 minutes by train to Cascais by doing some video walk-throughs and keeping our fingers crossed that we made a good decision. Our condo does have heat and air conditioning - the heat was a priority for us. Not sure this is the place we eventually want to call "home" but it's a good starting point for exploring other areas of this beautiful country. Hope you and Denise enjoy the journey!
Don’t be so sure about being safer in Texas with that sign, specially outside city limits 😁
What strikes me, there is always the “ trump “ thrown in a content. Please note I was nor I am his supporter. And if the current administration in US is so great, why everyone is leaving ?... 🤔