Portugal or Bust: Our Budget-Friendly Escape Plan
We fell hard for Portugal. It's gorgeous, the people are amazing, and the southern weather? Bejinhos! (“Kisses” in Portuguese). Coming from Colorado, we craved warmth, beaches, and a European base camp. Boom—the dream was born: buy a place in Portugal while it's still affordable and retire there.
Tavira, Portugal
Image shot at Tavira, Portugal
The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. - Oprah Winfrey
We're dreaming big: financial and geographic freedom! For us, that means stretching our dollars and making them dance. We're not stock market wizards, but real estate. has been good to us.
Our Portugal obsession started with a lunch in Tavira in the Eastern Algarve. Picture this: a sidewalk cafe, a realtor battling ants outside his office…and a new friendship! It's funny how those little "meant-to-be" moments pop up.
We fell hard for Portugal. It's gorgeous, the people are amazing, and the southern weather? Bejinhos! (“Kisses” in Portuguese). Coming from Colorado, we craved warmth, beaches, and a European base camp. Boom—the dream was born: buy a place in Portugal while it's still affordable and retire there.
We plan to live in Portugal for most of the year and then pop back to Colorado for family, friends, house checks, and skiing. Our senior pup is a homebody, so he will continue living his best life in Colorado. Our two kitties are unknowingly about to become Travel Cats. The Best of Both Worlds is a three-year plan, giving us plenty of time to pull everything together.
The next big hurdle is buying that Portuguese pad. Cue the realtor, mortgage broker, lawyer (times two!), and a lot of planning. We're using some retirement funds to snag a small place in the Eastern Algarve and using short-term rentals to cover costs (mortgage, maintenance, travel). More details later—it's a whole process!
I've got my plane ticket for April—property hunting, here I come! My current mission is to find and buy the right place. I'll share all the behind-the-scenes action on the blog.
So, why Portugal? Aren't prices sky-high? Isn't Europe swarming with tourists? And what about those short-term rental licenses (Alojamento Local or A.L.)—didn't Portugal clamp down on those? And isn't it impossible to learn how to speak Portuguese?
Here's the scoop: Portugal is still within reach. We're aiming for a peaceful spot near the beach (not right on it—we value our tranquility!), and you can still find homes in the Eastern Algarve for under €200,000. Yes, prices have crept up, but we can still make this work if we act fast. Tourists? Sure, they're part of the European experience. But we're planning our trips strategically and using short-term rentals on both properties to maximize our time and income. As for the A.L. licenses? They've shifted to local control, and since we're looking a bit inland, we're confident we can obtain one if needed.
Learning to speak Portuguese is challenging but not impossible. I signed us up for an online Portuguese Language Course and have begun learning to speak Portuguese! Maravilho!
More on all of these details in the coming blogs! For now, Tchau tchau! We are off to find the Best of Both Worlds!
