You Asked, We Answered! 🇵🇹 Preparing to Move to Portugal With 5 Kids – The Truth So Far

We’re a family of seven who decided to make a big change in our lives by moving from Canada to Portugal. Over the past few months, we’ve been sharing our journey and have received loads of questions from people curious about our decision to relocate internationally without ever visiting our new country first.

The most common questions we get are about why we’d move somewhere we’ve never been and how we can afford such a massive move with five children. We know it sounds a bit mad to most people, but we’ve put a lot of thought into this decision and have done hundreds of hours of research to prepare for this adventure.

Key Takeaways

• Moving internationally without visiting first can work if you treat the first year as an extended working holiday to explore and find your ideal location.

• Building equity through property, developing remote work skills, and creating multiple income streams can make international relocation financially possible.

• Thorough research and honest family discussions are essential when planning a major life change that affects everyone.

Our Family’s Relocation from Canada to Portugal

Why We Selected Portugal

We are from Europe originally. We spent over 20 years living in England before moving to Canada. This European background makes the move less shocking for us than it would be for someone who has always lived in North America.

Portugal offers a different lifestyle than what we have in Canada. We have done hundreds of hours of research. We watched videos from other families who made similar moves. The cost of living is much lower there. You can actually buy houses in Portugal for what it costs our family of seven to take a two-week holiday.

We travelled quite a bit before. We are used to different ways of life. The Canadian lifestyle we have now is great and we love it. Everything is easily accessible here. But we know we can adapt to something different.

Moving Our Large Family Overseas

We are a family of seven making this big move together. It is not just the two of us. If it was just a couple, people would think it was fun and adventurous. But we are uprooting our entire life and moving everyone.

The flights alone make multiple trips impossible. A flight for seven people back and forth would cost a fortune. We would also need to pay for:

• Hotels or Airbnb whilst visiting

• Our home in Canada whilst we are away

• Multiple return flights

We discussed this move with our children at length. Everyone is on board with the plan. We are treating the first 12 months as a working holiday. Brett will still work every day, but we will have lots of time to explore.

Choosing to Relocate Without Visiting Portugal First

Most people think we are completely mad for moving somewhere we have never been. We know it sounds crazy to move all of us without visiting first. But we have solid reasons for this approach.

Financial reasons:

• Multiple trips for seven people would cost thousands

• We would pay for accommodation there and our mortgage here

• The back and forth expenses add up quickly

Practical reasons:

• You do not get the real feel of a country when you are on holiday

• We want to travel up and down Portugal during our first year

• We are not fussed about where we live for the first 12 months

• We plan to find a rental initially, then decide where to buy later

We know there will be culture shock. Portugal is completely different from Canada. But we are not going in blind. We have done extensive research and preparation. We are ready to embrace this new chapter of our lives.

Organising the Move

Including the Kids in Our Choice

We talked about this big decision with our children for a long time. Moving isn’t just about the two of us – it’s about our whole family of seven. We made sure to discuss everything with the kids at length.

This isn’t like a couple going on an adventure. We’re changing everyone’s life completely. We’re selling our house and everything we own. The children needed to understand what we were doing and why.

Getting Ready for Different Ways of Life

We know there will be a culture shock when we arrive in Portugal. Everything will be completely different from what we’re used to here in Canada.

But we think we’re better prepared than most people would be. We lived in England for over 20 years before moving to Canada. We’re used to a different way of life than what we have here.

Our advantages:

• We grew up in Europe

• We’ve travelled to many places

• We understand that not everything is easily accessible

• We know life can be different from the Canadian lifestyle

Someone from North America moving to Europe would probably find it much harder than us. We’ve already lived that European way of life where everything isn’t just outside your doorstep.

Doing Our Homework

We’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of hours researching this move. We’ve watched loads of videos from other people who have done the same thing.

What we’ve been doing:

• Watching other families’ experiences

• Learning about Portuguese culture and history

• Planning to learn the language

• Looking for rental properties

We’re treating the first 12 months as a working holiday. We’ll still work every day, but we’ll have lots of time to explore the whole country. We want to travel up and down Portugal to decide where we want to buy a home and live permanently.

We’re not too worried about where we live for those first 12 months. The location isn’t as important to us because we plan to visit everywhere and get a real feel for the country.

Housing and Living Arrangements

Putting Our Canadian Home on the Market

We owned our home in Canada and still had a mortgage on it. We built this house ourselves, which meant we made a good profit from it.

Over the years, we built a couple of homes here. The housing prices kept going up and up. We were very lucky to be in that position where we could benefit from the rising market.

The equity we built from our homes became a key part of funding our move. Building our own homes gave us more value than just buying existing properties.

Searching for a Place to Stay in Portugal

We’re currently trying to find a rental in Portugal. Where we live isn’t too important to us for the first 12 months.

We want to visit the whole country and travel up and down to decide where we want to buy a home later. The first year is really about exploring and getting to know different areas.

Our approach:

• Rent for the first 12 months

• Visit different regions during that time

• Make a decision about where to buy after we’ve seen everything

Our First Year Rental Strategy

We’re looking at the first 12 months as a working holiday. Brett will still be working every day, but we’ll have lots of time to explore.

We want to get into the culture and history and learn the language. It’s about really understanding what it’s like to live there, not just visit as tourists.

We’re not too fussed about the exact location for those first 12 months. The priority is being in Portugal so we can:

• Explore different areas properly

• Experience daily life, not just holiday life

• Learn the language and culture

• Decide where we want to settle permanently

This approach saves us money compared to making multiple trips back and forth. A flight for seven of us would be expensive, and we’d still have to pay for our place in Canada while also paying for hotels or Airbnbs during visits.

Money Matters

Building Wealth Through Property

We own our home here in Canada and still have a mortgage on it. When we sell, we’ll make money from the equity we’ve built up.

Our Property Journey:

• Built our current home ourselves

• Constructed a couple of homes over the years

• Made profit from each property

The housing market has been brilliant for us. Property prices have gone up and up, which put us in a lucky position. We’ve been able to build quite a bit of equity through our homes.

This equity from our properties is helping fund our move to Portugal. It’s one of the main ways we can afford this big change.

Remote Work and Digital Earnings

We have a business that allows remote work. This means we can keep earning money whilst living in Portugal.

Our Online Income Sources:

• Remote business operations

• Digital marketing work

• Online coaching services

We’re launching a plumbing coaching business soon. That will be another income stream for us, though it won’t be featured on this channel.

There are loads of ways anyone can make money online. You can help other people with something you know well and earn income from it. Even someone with manual skills like plumbing can create online income.

Business Ventures

We’ve always been keen on starting businesses. Having an entrepreneurial mindset has been key to our financial success.

We got into cryptocurrency a few years ago. That investment has helped our financial position. We’ve been doing online marketing for years as well.

Our Approach to Business:

• Stay focused on goals

• Put full effort into projects

• Look for multiple income streams

• Help others with our skills

The key is being driven and motivated. When you know you can do something, you focus and get it done.

Handling Relocation Expenses

Moving a family of seven isn’t cheap, but we’ve planned it carefully. We looked at the costs of doing multiple trips versus moving once.

Cost Comparisons:

• Multiple trips: Flights for seven people, hotels, still paying for Canadian home

• One move: Single relocation cost, no ongoing duplicate expenses

A return trip to Portugal for all seven of us would cost nearly as much as buying a house there. It doesn’t make financial sense to go back and forth multiple times.

We’d have to pay for accommodation in Portugal whilst still covering our Canadian home costs. That would be wasteful spending.

Instead, we’re treating the first 12 months as a working holiday. We’ll explore the country whilst earning money, then decide where to settle permanently.

Settling into Portuguese Life

Discovering Culture and Heritage

We’re planning to spend our first year really getting into the local culture and history. This will be one of the main focuses during our working holiday period. We want to travel all around Portugal and experience different regions.

Since we haven’t visited Portugal before, we know we need to take time to understand what makes the country special. We’re excited to learn about the traditions and historical sites that we’ll discover along the way.

Key areas we’ll explore:

• Local festivals and celebrations

• Historical landmarks and museums

• Traditional Portuguese customs

• Regional differences across the country

Picking Up Portuguese

Learning the language is going to be a big part of our first year in Portugal. We know this will help us settle in properly and connect with local people.

We’re planning to focus on this whilst we’re exploring different areas. It will be much easier to learn when we’re surrounded by native speakers every day.

Our language learning approach:

• Daily practice with locals

• Immersion through everyday activities

• Learning whilst travelling around the country

Getting Used to a New Way of Life

We know there will be a culture shock for us moving from Canada to Portugal. Everything won’t be as easily accessible as we’re used to here.

The good news is that we’re originally from Europe. We lived in England for over 20 years before moving to Canada. This means the change won’t be as dramatic as it would be for someone who’s never lived in Europe.

Changes we’re expecting:

• Different pace of life

• New shopping and service patterns

• Adjusting to European lifestyle again

• Less convenience than Canadian life

We’ve done hundreds of hours of research watching other families who’ve made similar moves. This has helped us prepare for what’s coming. We’re treating the first 12 months as a chance to really understand Portuguese life before we decide where to buy a home permanently.

The transition will definitely take some getting used to. But we’re confident that our European background will help us adapt more quickly than families who’ve never lived outside North America.

Practical Advice for Families Planning International Relocations

Reducing Back-and-Forth Travel

We decided to skip the traditional approach of visiting Portugal first. Many families think they need to holiday somewhere before moving. But we found this creates expensive cycles of trips.

Why we avoided multiple visits:

• Flights for seven people cost thousands each time

• Hotel stays add up quickly whilst still paying Canadian bills

• Holiday experiences don’t show real living conditions

Houses in Portugal cost what we’d spend on a two-week family trip. The maths made it clear that constant travel wasn’t smart for our budget.

We knew we wanted to move somewhere different. So we chose to do all our exploring once we arrive rather than making costly trips back and forth.

Treating the First Year as an Extended Working Holiday

Our first 12 months will be like a working holiday. We’re not stressed about finding the perfect location straight away.

Our working holiday approach:

• Find a rental for the first year

• Explore different regions whilst living there

• Work remotely to maintain income

• Learn the language and culture properly

This gives us time to visit the whole country. We can travel up and down Portugal to decide where we want to buy a home permanently.

Living there beats any holiday research. You can’t understand daily life from a tourist visit.

Keeping Your Plans Adaptable

We stayed flexible about where we’d live initially. Being too specific about location creates pressure and limits options.

How we maintained flexibility:

• Focused on rental properties rather than buying immediately

• Avoided committing to specific towns or cities

• Prepared for culture shock and adjustment time

• Researched extensively through online resources

We spent hundreds of hours watching other families who made similar moves. This research helped us stay realistic about challenges.

Key flexibility factors:

• Accept that some shock is normal

• Plan for 12 months of exploration

• Keep housing options open

• Focus on the experience rather than perfect conditions

Our European background helps, but we still expect differences from our Canadian lifestyle. Everything won’t be as accessible as we’re used to here.

Connecting with Our Community

Responding to Your Queries

We decided to do our first Q&A video after getting loads of questions over the past 10 weeks. Since we started our YouTube channel, you lot have been asking brilliant questions about our move from Canada to Portugal.

The most popular question caught us off guard: Why would you move to a country you’ve never visited? Most people think we’re completely mad. Moving seven of us without visiting first does sound crazy when you put it like that.

Here’s our thinking:

• We don’t think holidays give you a real feel for living somewhere

• Going back and forth would cost a fortune for seven people

• We’d still have to pay for our Canadian home whilst staying in hotels

• You can buy houses in Portugal for what a two-week trip costs us

We’re treating the first 12 months as a working holiday. We’ll explore the whole country and decide where we want to buy a home. It makes more sense financially to do all our exploring whilst we’re there rather than multiple expensive trips.

We’re not too worried about culture shock either. We lived in England for over 20 years before Canada. We’ve done hundreds of hours of research and watched other families who’ve made similar moves.

Another big question was: How can you afford this? We’ve been quite fortunate with our situation:

• We built a couple of homes here and house prices have gone up loads

• We have quite a bit of equity in our properties

• We run a business that works remotely

• We got into crypto a few years back

• We’ve been doing online marketing for years

We’re planning to launch a plumbing coaching business soon too. There are loads of ways to make money online, even with manual skills like plumbing.

Building Our Subscriber Base and Getting Support

Most people watching our videos aren’t subscribed yet. If you want to follow our journey to Portugal, please hit that subscribe button and the notification bell. We’re moving in just a matter of weeks, so there’s loads more content coming.

We’ve had loads of messages from people asking how we’re able to make this move work. There are ways for anyone to work remotely or make income online. You can help other people with something you know more about and create an income stream from it.

Ways we suggest building income:

• Use skills you already have

• Help others learn what you know

• Create multiple income streams

• Think about what you can do remotely

We might do more videos about making money online because so many of you have asked. There really are loads of ways to earn money if you put your mind to it.