chislenko

Perhaps a change from the usual type thread and I know a lot of people on here are very happy with their lot but does anybody else feel Portugal is not for them. We bought our place about 15 years ago and an now coming to the realisation that it is not the place for me. Yes great weather, get a lot of cycling in, but just can't put my finger on it, the place just doesn't do it for me. The dwelling owes us nothing now so no great loss if we sell it at what will be a loss to what we paid but dunno just feel like a change I suppose.

Lelandy

Only you can answer that.

liveaboard

Most people feel more comfortable living within a few miles of wherever they grew up.

zoff

Interesting. Maybe thats why I'm planing on moving back to Algarve, although it was 52 years ago that I was growing up there!

carcajou

Sometimes you just get an itch to move on. 15 years is a good innings.

Pilou

I think that you will know the reason why this is not your place, when you concentrate on it. I think it is good to concentrate on that, so that your next step will be a better one.
When you visit your "original" country, do you feel better?
Maybe you family is too far off or it is too hot in the summer or ........

I think it is good to concentrate on that, so that your next step will be a better one.

ouriquejan

We lived in Fuzeta for 10 years and loved it for many of them. But the place was getting too big for us, so we've moved into the lower Alentejo and love it.

Maybe it's just a change of scene you need, rather than a new country?

liveaboard

My OH was unhappy here from the day we arrived; and moving here was her idea.
Not that there was any urge to go 'home', neither of us have such a place. Like the OP said, just something intangible.
But property prices crashed that year, and we were stuck.

Now we're happy here; the good outweighs the bad. International events have made other options less attractive, and the power usually stays on when it rains.

I think there are a few primal things in humans that say 'stay here' and a few others that say 'move'.

Most important is other humans; neighbors, bureaucrats, your health care person. If you feel these are your allies, you feel comfortable. if there's antagonism, the 'leave' button has pressure on it.

Also the health and prosperity of the people around you. If most humans you see look as if they're thriving, your mind knows it must be a good place. If there's a lot of illness and / or poverty, the nomad in you pops up and you start eyeing the horizon.

One often overlooked is water. We sort of take it for granted, but our primal mind knows that good reliable tasty water makes a place habitable. Where there's water, there's life.

Noise, air, and small annoyances like the state of the road to your house can add up to a lot of 'stay' or 'leave' points.

Nearly all of this is very local. As Jan suggested, you might not have to go far to change your reality. Short moves are cheaper and easier than long ones.

Many people return 'home' for family though.

And that's the world according to Liveaboard.

Loafing Along

Analyse it more you run the risk of moving without really knowing why and so you may end up even more unhappy in the new location.

chicaescocesa

Really interested in this....what were your reasons for moving and have you found what you were looking for in Portugal?

Loafing Along

Started retirement on the Costa del Sol , stuck it for five years so accumulated a long list that crept up on us - dissatified with home location , had to use a car to do almost anything was probably the Nº 1 gripe followed by summer turmoil in our relatively peaceful community as "Renters" invaded for a few weeks. Lack of local contact - had lived for many years in North of Spain where a Brit is an "oddity". Spend three of five years scouring the coast for something we thought we wanted but always came up short.

As language not an issue moved to Portugal a couple of years ago and "yes" still marvel at what we have found, small town, incredibly friendly local contact do almost everything we need to on foot .Morning dog walk a social event with neighbours to greet, coffee and chat at local terrace etc etc
Yes it is poorer and we worry a bit about healthcare in old age and occassionally pine for Spanish food but the only thing we really miss is the super convenience of Malaga airport - you can fly anywhere , Faro my comparison a pain.

Diddion

Reminds me of a comment made by my father, during the 15 or so years that he spent retired in Spain, before returning to the UK for the last 7 years of his life. He spoke fluent Spanish, and had good friends both in the Expat and the Spanish arenas. But he said that , despite everything, he felt a slight mismatch, and that he never quite fit. He was always a foreigner. It was his view that this was why so many people returned to the UK towards the end of their lives - familiarity and always some feeling that 'home' was where you were brought up.

mfesharne

I feel the opposite........... Every time I go back to the UK, I feel like a stranger in a strange land, have nothing in common with the place & can't wait to get the hell out of it & come home.

Loafing Along

Tweedpipe

That could have been me saying that!