So you want to move to Portugal. Are you sure this is the right country for you? This article gives you an idea of what you have to prepare for.
Portugal has a lot to offer and I am sure by now you read all the good about this country, so much so that you are moving here. Good! I myself took the same decision 1 year ago and now I am in the process of learning about the culture and accommodating with the move. In this process I stumble upon some things I should have researched better and maybe this information will be useful for you too.
You can also just play the video above, but if video is not your thing, keep reading!
DAMP WINTERS
The Portuguese houses are designed like vacation homes. So no heating system what so ever. If you are lucky you will find an air conditioning installed and you can try to warm the house with that, but it will cost you a fortune and it will not have the same effect as central heating.
Also, the air is very damp so you need a source of heat that is dry, or better yet, you need a dehumidifier to suck up the water from the air, and then heat the air.
But this is a real problem, often people move to Portugal expecting a never-ending summer and they don’t budget accordingly for the winter season. They left with no choice than resorting to all sorts of hacks like heating the bed and pajamas with the iron or even with the hairdryer.
While this can be fun for a while, after a few days you will start to miss the comfort of your home and you will blame Portugal. But Portugal has no fault, Portugal is still wonderful. Cold and wonderful.
I personally sleep with an electric blanket, just as a temporary solution, until we will renovate and will be able to install underfloor heating.
Somebody said CUSTOMER SERVICE?
The customer service is practically inexistent in Portugal! Nobody cares about you no matter if you have the cheapest subscription or the most expensive one. So is kind of a mafia of customer service: nobody offers customer service, so nobody is loosing customers! Just get used to it and move on.
THE SMOKING
If you smoke, Portugal will be a dream for you. Everybody smokes, and they even smoke indoor, which is really unheard of, at least for me. When we went to Lisbon, they were allowing on the food court area, to smoke inside.
I guess this also is an effect of the fact that cigarettes are cheaper than in other countries, putting a pack of cigarettes’ in the range of 5.20 euros.
So, what do you think, any of those reasons a deal breaker for you? If yes, I would be very curios to know what was the reason you didn’t end up moving to Portugal. Leave it in the comments!