We’re Selling Everything & Moving to Portugal – Here’s Why!

We started this journey with a simple question during one particularly harsh winter – is there more to life than what we have here? As a family of seven, we’ve been dreaming about making a big change and moving to Portugal. This isn’t just a wild midlife crisis or a passing thought – it’s a real plan that we’re putting into action to show our children that taking risks and chasing dreams is worth it.

We’ve watched loads of other families share their moving stories, but we wanted to do something different. We’re documenting every single step of our move from Canada to Portugal, from the very beginning when we made the decision right through to building our new life. We want to be completely open about the money side of things, the paperwork struggles, and all the ups and downs that come with moving a large family across the world.

Key Takeaways

• We’re moving our family of seven from Canada to Portugal to create a better quality of life and show our children that taking risks is worthwhile.

• We chose Portugal because it’s safe, affordable, sunny, and close enough to England for affordable family visits.

• We’re sharing our complete journey including finances and business planning to help other families see that international moves are possible for anyone.

Our Family’s Reasons To Move

Pushing Past Our Comfort Zone

One snowy nightmare made us realize there had to be more to life than this. We found ourselves thinking it was time to make a change.

We asked ourselves a hundred times if this was just a midlife crisis or something more. This felt different though. We stopped waiting for the perfect moment and decided to just go for it.

We spend so much time settling. We convince ourselves that where we are is good enough. But what if good enough isn’t enough? What if we could rewrite our story on our own terms?

Why we chose to dream bigger:

• We wanted sunshine instead of shovels

• We saw a chance for our kids to chase their dreams

• We realized we could build something special in another country

Showing Our Kids How To Take Risks

We’re doing this to show our children that it’s okay to take chances. It’s okay to do something that might feel uncomfortable.

You might be uncertain whether it will work out or not. But it’s about taking that step and being adventurous. It’s about taking the risk and seeing what happens.

What we want our kids to learn:

• Taking risks is normal

• Being uncomfortable is part of growth

• Adventure leads to new opportunities

• Anything is possible if you work for it

Everything we’ve set our minds to, we’ve achieved. We hope our kids can learn from that. We want them to believe that anything is possible.

This Time Is Different

This isn’t our first time moving across the world. Last time we moved from England to Canada with three kids. We were broke, young, and inexperienced.

We were only 23 with very little money. That money got spent quickly when we arrived. But now we’re moving forward with more experience.

How we’re better prepared now:

• We have experience with immigration processes

• We know the highs and lows won’t get us down as much

• We’ve done research this time instead of just going blindly

• All the kids have been doing research too

• We’re not afraid of paperwork and legal challenges

The first time around, we were naive. We didn’t do any research. But this time everyone is excited and prepared. We know what battles to expect with paperwork and lawyers.

We’re actually excited by the whole process. We want to show you everything from finances to earning income. We’ll share the behind-the-scenes stuff that other channels don’t show.

Choosing Portugal As Our New Home

Looking At Different Places To Move

We had a few options when we started thinking about where to move. Costa Rica, Spain, and Portugal all made our list.

Costa Rica looked beautiful but it felt too far away from everything. The distance made it hard to visit family back in England.

Portugal just seemed like the perfect fit. It ticked all our boxes in ways the other places didn’t.

Why Portugal Works For Big Families

Portugal offers some real advantages for families like ours with five children.

Travel costs make a huge difference with seven people. Flying from Portugal to England costs about £700 for our whole family. From Canada to England, it’s around £6,000 or £7,000 for all of us.

The weather suits us much better than what we have now. Portugal gets sunshine and some rain, which we prefer to snow. We really don’t like snow at all. We end up walking around shopping malls instead of going outside in winter.

Safety ranks very high in Portugal. It scores higher on the peaceful countries scale than many other places. This matters a lot when you have five kids.

Money goes further in Portugal. We can sell our house here and buy a house there with cash. No mortgage payments. We can also buy a car with cash and get a small motorhome for travelling around Europe.

Living Well And Staying Safe

Portugal offers a great quality of life that fits what we want for our family.

We don’t ski or snowboard. We’re not a winter sports family. Portugal gives us the chance to enjoy being outside year-round.

The country is very safe, which is one of our top priorities. We need to know our children can grow up in a secure environment.

Financial benefits include:

• No mortgage payments

• No car payments

• Lower cost of living

• Cheaper travel to visit family

We’re looking to flip our financial situation. Canada is expensive even though you can earn good money here. Portugal lets us live well for less money.

We still love Canada and we’re grateful for everything it’s given us. We’re even getting our Canadian citizenship. But Portugal offers something different for the next chapter of our lives.

Getting Ready for Our International Move

Research and Planning Phase

We spent ages researching different countries before making our final decision. The research process became something the whole family got involved in – even our kids were looking up information and getting excited about the possibilities.

Our main criteria included:

• Safety – We needed a place that ranked highly for security

• Cost of living – Somewhere more affordable than Canada

• Quality of life – Good weather and lifestyle

• Family-friendly – Suitable for a large family with five children

We looked at several options including Costa Rica and Spain. Portugal won out because it ticked all our boxes perfectly. The sunny weather was a huge draw since we’re not fans of snow at all. We spend winters walking around shopping centers because we don’t enjoy skiing or snowboarding.

The location was brilliant too. Flying back to England to visit family would cost around £700 for the whole family, compared to £6,000-£7,000 from Canada. That proximity to family was really important to us.

Documentation and Legal Requirements

This time around, we’re not afraid of all the paperwork involved. We’ve been through the immigration process before when we moved from England to Canada with three kids. Back then we were young and inexperienced, but now we understand what’s involved.

Key areas we’re focusing on:

• Immigration meetings and visa applications

• Choosing the best immigration route for our family

• Legal documentation for residency

• Financial requirements and proof of funds

We’re currently going through the citizenship process here in Canada, which involves loads of paperwork and documentation. That experience is preparing us well for the Portuguese immigration system.

The legal side doesn’t worry us anymore because we know what to expect. We understand there will be meetings with lawyers and immigration officials. We’re prepared for the whole process this time.

What We Learned from Our Previous International Move

Our first international move taught us so much. We moved from England to Canada when we were 23 with three young children. We were broke, inexperienced, and quite naive about the whole process.

Back then, we had a little bit of money saved up, but it got spent quickly on holiday activities once we arrived. We didn’t really research properly – we just went with the idea that we’d love it and everything would work out.

Key lessons from our first move:

• The immigration process has highs and lows that can be emotionally draining

• Having experience makes the second move much easier

• Research is crucial – everyone needs to be involved and excited

• Financial planning is essential for a smooth transition

This time feels completely different. We have experience under our belts, so the ups and downs of immigration won’t affect us as much. We know what battles to expect with paperwork and lawyers.

Even though we now have five children instead of three, we feel more confident about making this move. We’re not going in blind this time – we know exactly what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.

Handling Money For Our Big Move

Selling Our Home And Buying Property

We’re planning to sell our house here in Canada and buy a place in Portugal with cash. This means we won’t have any mortgage payments to worry about.

Our goal is to flip our financial situation completely. We want to move from somewhere expensive to somewhere more affordable. Canada lets you earn good money and have a great quality of life, but it costs a lot to live here.

Our cash purchase plan:

• Sell Canadian house

• Buy Portuguese home outright

• Purchase a car with cash

• Buy a small motorhome for travel

We’re not cutting all ties with Canada though. We plan to keep our business here and might have some rental properties too.

Money Planning For Seven People

Moving a family of seven requires careful money planning. We’re getting our Canadian citizenship first, which involves lots of paperwork and costs.

Portugal offers much cheaper flights back to England compared to Canada. From Portugal, it costs about £700 for our whole family to visit England. From Canada, it’s around £6,000 to £7,000 for the same trip.

This makes a huge difference for our budget. Our family in England can visit us more easily too.

Key cost differences:

• Travel to England from Portugal: £700 for family

• Travel to England from Canada: £6,000-£7,000 for family

• Overall living costs: Much lower in Portugal

Business And Earning Plans

We’re keeping our Canadian business running even after we move. This gives us steady income while we settle into our new life.

We want to show people how to create a business that pays enough to move to another country. Many YouTube channels don’t share the real details about earning money abroad.

Our business approach includes:

• Keep existing Canadian business

• Run the business remotely from Portugal

• Possible rental properties in Canada

• YouTube channel about our journey

Making it work remotely:

• Digital business operations

• Video calls and online meetings

• Canadian time zone coordination

• Building local Portuguese connections

We believe anyone can do this if they want it badly enough. You don’t need to be a digital nomad or have both partners working online jobs. You just need to figure out what works for your situation.

The key is having experience and not being afraid of paperwork. We’ve moved countries before, so we know about lawyers, immigration meetings, and citizenship processes.

Being Open About Our Adventure

Our Unique Family Story

We’ve spent countless hours watching other families share their journeys online. We love following their adventures and eagerly wait for new episodes each week. But we feel our story brings something different to the table.

Most channels we see feature couples or small families with one or two children. We’re a family of seven with five children. That changes everything about how we plan and move.

We want to show you the complete picture from day one. This includes:

• Starting and running a business remotely

• Managing finances for a large family

• Handling paperwork and legal processes

• The real costs and challenges

We believe anyone can make this happen if they want it badly enough. You don’t need to be a digital nomad or have a perfect setup. If you want something enough, you’ll work out how to get it.

The Real Side of Moving Countries

We’re not here to paint a perfect picture. Moving across the world isn’t all sunshine and beautiful houses. We want to share the honest truth about what it’s really like.

This isn’t our first big move. We moved from England to Canada years ago with three children. Back then, we were young, broke, and had no idea what we were doing. We spent our savings quickly on holiday activities when we arrived.

Now we have more experience. We know about:

• Immigration paperwork battles

• Working with lawyers

• The ups and downs of the process

• How long everything actually takes

We’re not afraid of the challenge anymore. We’ve been through citizenship applications here in Canada. We understand that big moves involve lots of paperwork and complicated processes.

This time, everyone in our family has done research. The children are excited and involved in planning. We know what we’re getting into, and we’re ready for both the good times and the difficult moments.

Encouraging Other Families to Dream Big

We’re doing this journey to teach our children something important. We want them to see that it’s okay to take risks. Sometimes you have to do things that feel uncomfortable or uncertain.

Everything we’ve set our minds to, we’ve achieved. We hope our kids learn from this that anything is possible if you work for it.

We want to inspire people watching our story. You don’t need to be a certain type of person to make big changes. You don’t need to fit a specific mould or have everything perfectly planned.

Many channels don’t share the behind-the-scenes details. They don’t explain how they actually earn enough money to live in another country. We want to be completely open about our finances and business planning.

We’ll show you:

• How we’re building income streams

• What the real costs are

• How we’re planning for unexpected expenses

• The mistakes we make along the way

Our goal is to prove that regular families can chase their dreams. We’re not trying to make it look easy or perfect. We’re showing you that it’s possible, even when it’s messy and challenging.

Our Future Dreams in Portugal

What Gets Us Most Excited About Tomorrow

We can’t wait to swap our shovels for sunshine! The thought of our children chasing their dreams in a new country fills us with joy. We want them to see that taking risks is perfectly fine, even when things feel uncertain.

Our biggest excitement comes from:

• Teaching our kids that anything is possible

• Building something incredible for our family

• Creating opportunities for our children to follow their passions

We believe this move will show our children that it’s brilliant to be adventurous. When something feels uncomfortable or uncertain, that’s often when the best growth happens.

The weather alone makes us smile. We’re tired of walking around shopping centres because it’s too snowy to go outside. In Portugal, we can actually enjoy being outdoors year-round.

We’re also thrilled about having no monthly payments. Our plan is to:

• Buy a house with cash

• Purchase a car outright

• Get a small motorhome for travelling

This financial freedom feels amazing compared to our current expensive lifestyle.

Managing Our Connections Between Old and New Lives

We’re not simply cutting all ties with Canada. This country gave us so much, and we’ll always be grateful. We’re actually going through the citizenship process here before we leave.

Our Canadian connections will continue through:

• Keeping our business running remotely

• Possibly maintaining some income properties

• Having family and friends we care about

The brilliant thing about Portugal is how close it is to England. We can visit family there for about £700 for our whole family. From Canada, that same trip costs us nearly £7,000!

Travel will be so much easier:

• Cheap flights to visit English family

• Easy for relatives to come see us

• Central location for exploring Europe

We’ve moved across the world before when we came from England to Canada. Back then, we had three children and very little money. Now we have five kids but much more experience with immigration paperwork and processes.

This time feels different because everyone is doing research and getting excited. We’re not afraid of the paperwork battles or lawyer meetings. We actually find the whole process quite exciting!

We plan to keep some roots in Canada whilst building our new life in Portugal. It’s about expanding our world rather than replacing it completely.