Not everyone who retires overseas spends years searching for the perfect destination. Sometimes, a place simply feels right. That was the case for Portugal expat Stephen Powell…
“It was 2018, I had written a book and was casting around for another idea,” explains Stephen, a journalist. “It occurred to me, ‘Why don’t I walk the length of Portugal?’ It would be like a reporting assignment.”
Stephen did the walk and wrote a book about this adventure called Walking Europe’s Edge, Reflections on Portugal. It was a direct result of this walk that Stephen decided he liked the country so much that he would move there.
Embarking on such a journey can change your relationship with a place. “I felt that I knew and appreciated Portugal. Nine months after finishing the walk, I went back to Portugal to live in the Algarve.”
For a long time, when Americans thought of Europe, they would rarely think of Portugal first. This country was mostly ignored, which I (who have spent recent decades trying to shine a spotlight on) always thought was unfortunate. Portugal has such rich history and is such a pleasant and welcoming place to be.
It is one of my favorite places in the world. The Portuguese are incredibly hospitable, respectful, and great company. Throughout the years, I have made many friends in Portugal and enjoy any chance to spend time with them.
One of the things that drew Stephen to Portugal was the pace of life. “The Portuguese seem to be really good listeners. I was also looking for a new hinterland, somewhere that was near many other places that I could easily go visit,” he says.
Another practical advantage to moving to Portugal is the amount of English spoken. “You can find plenty of expats from the U.S., Canada, and pretty much all-over western Europe, so English is often adopted as the language that everybody has in common,” adds Stephen.
Today, the Algarve region is not nearly as undiscovered as it once was. It’s also not as Portuguese as it once was, at least in some areas. You might find that your neighbors are mostly expats and struggle to practice your Portuguese.
“Although it is true that more people are discovering the Algarve, what is also true is that it’s not as if old traditions and ways of life have completely evaporated,” Stephen remarks.
One inland town about 10 miles from Stephen’s place called São Brás de Alportel hosts the famous Flower Torch Festival on Easter Sunday. Along the town’s narrow streets, the resurrection procession takes place, with everyone in attendance wearing their best clothes and carrying flowers.
“This is a really colorful and authentic local festival. And it happens in a town with a fairly mixed population of locals and expats. It’s a multinational town that still holds onto old traditions.”
I recommend renting before buying when you first move abroad. It will give you the flexibility to move around until you find the place you want to settle in. Which is exactly what Stephen did.
When he first arrived in Portugal, Stephen rented a renovated house in the historic center of Faro. In 2022, he purchased his current home in the countryside just outside Tavira. It boasts incredible views and lots of fertile land where he grows various crops like carrots, olives, and grapes.
When in season, Stephen gets friends together to pick up olives and take them to their nearest town, where they have two olive presses. They get mixed with the olive crops of dozens of people to extract olive oil. “There is really a sort of community feel in this activity. It’s a very moving example of the community that you can be a part of in the countryside. An example that it still exists.”
At the end of August when it was time to pick the grapes, Stephen met a Portuguese agronomist who helped him with his winemaking endeavors. Along with a group of his friends and neighbors, they made wine the traditional way. “We all took our shoes off and trotted on the grapes with our bare feet,” Stephen says, laughing. “It was a very fun day.” Stephen has become deeply integrated with his community. He has built, what I believe to be, an enviable lifestyle in his new home abroad.
I try to highlight as much as I can, for anyone thinking about moving overseas, that you should have an idea of what you’re going to do to fill your days in your new life. It’s not enough to show up in a beautiful new setting, in this case in the Algarve… Why are you getting out of bed every morning?
Stephen has answered this question better than most people I’ve met in all these decades of connecting with expats and retirees overseas. He created a multifaceted life for himself in Portugal—a safe, pastoral, yet active life that offers a respite from the pace and pressures of the modern world.
Bonne route,
