“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” -Paulo Coelho
I saw an interview that one set of ex-pats did on YouTube with another – a man and his wife on his sister and her husband – about moving to Portugal and thought that it would be an excellent idea for a blog article. So I took some of their questions and decided to answer them myself! If nothing else, it would give me clarity and set some priorities for the months ahead.
Here goes…
What made you decide to pull up your stakes and move to Portugal?
I have been really unhappy with my circumstances for a few years now, even before COVID-19 messed everything up. In many ways I was feeling as if I was trapped in the movie Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over again, with no clear means of escape. Being forced to keep myself busy at home during the lockdown also meant that I got to acquire new skills and I realized that many of those skills could be transferred to a new lifestyle, away from the bureaucracy involved in being employed full-time.
I have always wanted to live eco-responsibly on a small patch of land somewhere, but unfortunately, that is not an option for a single woman here in South Africa. Therefore, I was looking to other countries.
I had no intention of moving to the traditional “South African Ex-Pat” colonies of Australia, New Zealand, or Canada, as my experience has been that South Africans who have moved there are generally racist and negative and I didn’t want to be associated with that lot. On top of that, I wanted to experience history and culture, and the New World was not going to give me that.
I had considered Italy, but the red tape involved was daunting in both amount and stickiness. The next thought was to move just across the border to Botswana, only to be told that South Africans/Foreigners were not allowed to purchase land there.
Finally, I thought about the Iberian peninsula, as I had considered moving to Spain many years ago. By Divine intervention, I came across an article about how to obtain a visa to Portugal. It didn’t look too complicated to achieve and the cost of living seemed low enough for me to afford, as long as I didn’t live on the coast or in other “Touristy” places.
Who/What served as your inspiration?
I watched a lot of YouTube videos, read many blogs, and also joined more than one Facebook group. Most of what I saw is NOT what I want to do and the stories did not resonate with me. I am a single woman in my forties, and most of these videos were made by couples, some with kids in tow. I would not have that luxury, and even now, I know that I would need to acquire some serious handyperson skills. What I don’t have already, I shall definitely have by the time everything is halfway completed.
The vlogs that inspired me the most are (in no particular order):
- The Indie Projects
- Project Kamp
- Life Uncontained (USA)
- Cindy Vine Portugal
- Make. Do. Grow. (Formerly Eco and Beyond)
What area(s) are you considering living in and why?
For the simple sake of keeping living costs as low as possible, I have never even considered living in the cities or on the coast. Most of my property searches have been concentrated on the inland regions of Central Portugal, between Lisbon and Porto. Those are definitely not “touristy” parts, with a few exceptions, and will force me to assimilate into the new culture quickly, and also learn the language much faster.
There are two areas that I am focusing on in my property search. One is in the Coimbra region around Oliveira do Hospital and the other is in the Mangualde section of Viseu. Mangualde is a lot colder than Oliveira do Hospital in winter, but also has less expensive properties. The estate agent tells me that “sometime it snow”. So maybe designing and building with that in mind would be beneficial.
I am not interested in buying anything “modern”. I am looking at houses and barns that haven’t had doors, windows, and roofs in years, many decimated by the bush fires that raged through the area in 2017, killing at least 112 people and destroying about half a million hectares. I have been thinking hard and long and would rather build a roof from scratch, knowing the wood is free from beetle damage than take a gamble and pray that the roof won’t cave in on me while I am asleep. The other plus to the properties that I am considering is that the buildings all have sturdy and thick stone walls.
I will definitely need some help with the “heavy lifting” jobs such as replacing floors and roofs and pouring large slabs of limecrete, and also with some of the more technical parts of the build, such as plumbing and electrical installations (still need the wiring and piping in an off-grid house!) and I suppose I shall be on first-name terms with many of the tradespeople and building supplies merchants wherever I decide to move to.
Building a proper workshop would be my second priority. The first would be to set up a composting toilet system, build an outdoor shower, pitch a tent or at least build a small shed!
How are you going about learning the language, as Portuguese was never an option to take at school?
The problem with being a grownup is that we don’t pick up the language as easily as young children do. That doesn’t mean that I can’t be polite in someone else’s mother tongue.
I already know most of the polite phrases (and where to find the nearest bathroom!), but – as someone mentioned – knowing how to order coffee won’t help you much when you are in a hardware store trying to find the correct bolt. The best way would be to purchase an audio course, methinks, but to combine that with flashcards and post-it stickies. A wordless phrasebook can come in handy as well. Maybe I can make a technical one myself. I am sure it might even be quite handy and a best-seller!
BUT in the end, I expect most of my language skills to be borne out of necessity – do or die immersion.
What really scares you about emigrating?
I’ll be leaving my whole support structure behind and finally be on my own. It’s something to look forward to, but it scares me shitless. My closest relative would be in Oxford, England, and the next closest one in the Lake District, so it’s not as if people are on the other side of the planet, but it’s still a daunting thought.
What Visa are you applying for? Are you doing it yourself or have you called in an “expert”? How far along are you on this journey?
I am applying for a D7 visa. It is geared towards digital nomads and people earning a royalty income, so I won’t be able to take employment in Portugal. It also means that I need to become very creative very soon!
I am doing most of the work myself, although I am planning to involve an intermediary company in getting a NIF number for me and probably also opening a Portuguese bank account. The latter has been waived as a requirement during Covid-19 but is still a good idea.
At the moment I can confidently say that I have a checklist and some forms. I don’t have a passport yet and want to wait until I can renew my South African drivers’ license as well. The latter is because of an agreement between South Africa and Portugal, and it means that I won’t have to retake a license test unless my license has expired. That would help a lot.
Someone said I should make triplicate copies of all the necessary documents so that is going to take time and effort as well.
The ball is rolling – it’s just rolling SLOWLY!
Are you taking any pets? Have you looked into the procedures involved?
I plan to take my cat so that there is at least one familiar face on that side. She is older, but still in reasonably good health and I trust that she would make the trip well. She would need to go to the vet at least twice before we leave, once for the chip and booster shots and the second for bloodwork. I also plan to get a sedative for her if recommended.
I want her to travel in the cabin with me. It will be a lot less stressful for either of us if we can be together.
What are some of the logistics involved in this move to Portugal? Do you follow a checklist? How far along are you?
The first priority is to get rid of some debt that I incurred about 3 years ago. It’s not much, but it will help if I don’t have to drag it along indefinitely. The second is to fix up my apartment and get it on the market. I have a lot of equity in the property, and the sale of this property will enable me to buy property in Portugal outright, without having to stress about a bond.
I also need to apply for a passport, as I haven’t had one for years! I am going to be ambitious and get a maxi-passport, which I would need to replace when it is full, not when it has expired!
What is your target date for going?
1 April 2023. But we all know that life happens when you make plans, so anything is possible.
Who and what are you leaving behind? How will that affect you?
I need to get rid of a busload of clutter. There are some pieces of furniture that I plan to move with me, but most of what is in my apartment right now is going to remain. The exception to that would be my craft stuff, bee suit, and my books. And my power tools, obviously! South Africa and Portugal have the same plug system and voltage, so those can comfortably come along.
The who is more difficult. I will be leaving my mom, stepdad, brother, sis-in-law, and nephew behind, as well as a large extended family. I have made some friends over the years that I also will be leaving behind, and that won’t be easy, either.
It will affect me in two ways. The first is that I know I HAVE to succeed and stay in Portugal for at least the initial 6 months. The second is that it gives me the opportunity to see how I can do blog- and vlog-worthy things to share with them and make them proud of my achievements. (And maybe even a bit jealous!)
Is there anything that you are particularly excited about?
This would be a whole new adventure, filled with experiences and new sights to see. I believe that my whole life up to now has prepared me for this next phase, and I plan to make the most of the opportunity. There is so much that I don’t know about and I am more than eager to learn.
The benefit of going to Portugal is that it’s not Mars. Portugal is a mere hour ahead of South Africa, and some months they are on the same timeline. That would make communicating easier than it would have been if I were in the USA or in Australia. I am a creative person and I am sure that I can mold this experience into a whole new type of income if I approach it correctly. You never know.