Portugal Ranked #1
2021 Results
It is a new year and we are more positive and excited about our life in Portugal than ever. What we expected would be 4 or 5 years out of the States has now become a commitment to a new life in a new country. Portugal has so much to offer…and those that make lists have taken note.
Best Beach Destination
I was reading the Portugal Resident, an English language newspaper, one morning and spotted this headline:
Algarve named World’s Leading Beach Destination (again!) as Portugal brings home 12 tourism ‘Oscars’
It turns out this is the second year in a row that the Algarve received this World Travel Award. Given by an organization based in the UK that promotes travel and tourism, this is the 28th year the awards were given. Of course, the “Brits” love the Algarve for its 300+ days of sun and endless beaches. Flights are cheap (30£), quick (under 3 hours) and the pound buys you a lot in Portugal. So it should come as no surprise that once again Portugal won a lot of awards (for example):
The Conrad Algarve resort was named the World’s Leading Luxury Leisure Resort;
Madeira was named the World’s Leading Island Destination;
Passadiços do Paiva, 5.5 miles of challenging wooden walkways SE of Porto, were hailed the World’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction.
Best Place to Retire
Portugal was ranked #5 this year on International Living’s annual “Best Places to Retire” list. While not first in the world, it did rank tops among European countries (France and Malta also made the list). If you have been a reader for a while you know that I have had some concerns about International Living. (But to their credit, their most recent issues have started quoting foreign prices in the “local” currency…perhaps they read my post.) Regardless, International Living is a US-based magazine with American readers. As such, countries in North and Central America often rank high due to the ease of traveling back to the States.
In my search for “best awards” I came across Live and Invest Overseas which oddly enough was founded and now published by the former editor of International Living. Portugal does top their list of Best Places to Retire in 2021.
Portugal is a top retirement choice. It has a low cost of living, easy residency, and tax incentives for foreign residents. It also has great food, more sunshine than anywhere else in Europe, some of the best beaches and golf in Europe, excellent infrastructure, and a large English-speaking population. Access is easy and cheap, making this a great base from which to explore the whole of the Continent. — Live and Invest Overseas
Their description pretty well sums up our own criteria as we considered where to move.
Friendliest Country
When we first relocated to Portugal I signed up on the Internations' website. I had hoped it would provide us opportunities to meet other recent transplants. After 4 or 5 unsolicited emails from men looking for “adult companionship”, I closed down my account. However, I took note of their recent Expat Survey Results which ranked Portugal as the Friendliest Country in the World. Each year Internations surveys their 4 million members and this year collected more than 12,000 responses from people living and working abroad.
Portugal ranks 5th out of 59 destinations in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, performing best in the Quality of Life Index (3rd) — just behind Taiwan (1st) and Austria (2nd). The country ranks third in the Personal Happiness subcategory of this index, with 84% of expats being happy with their life in general (vs. 75% globally). What is more, 87% of expats are satisfied with the local leisure options (vs. 72% globally), and 90% say the same about the climate and weather (vs. 66% globally). — Relocatemagazine.com
Oddly enough the idea for this post came from another annual survey I read just last week. It asked retirees how satisfied they were with the country they chose to retire in. Expats ranked Portugal #1 with over 85% stating they were Extremely or Very Satisfied with their choice. However, despite hours scouring the internet, I now can’t find the survey online. If you can find it…let me know.
Nancy, my wife and I are both well traveled and we concur with the surveys and with your newfound (albeit a year) love of Portugal. I usually post a photo of beautiful things big and small in Portugal, daily on Instagram. Sometimes, however, I wonder if our efforts will contribute to a snowballing of Americans wanting to live here and spoiling the place. Anyway, thanks for writing, I love your observations and thoughts.