It sounds like we are in a similar position; at some point a decision has to be made as to which country will be the only one. The pandemic was a brutal time for everyone, especially as many people had close family in different countries and it was impossible to see them. It feels very surreal looking back on it now. I wish you the very best and hope you can continue to travel for some time to come.

I can really relate to this—we’re not fully retired yet, but my partner and I have been dividing time between Portugal and the UK for the past few years. It's amazing in theory, but the logistics can be tricky. Like you, we’ve got pets (two dogs in our case), and that alone turns any trip into a full-blown operation.

The emotional pull is the hardest part though—our family’s mostly in the UK, but the lifestyle abroad is just so much more relaxed (and affordable). We’ve tried doing longer stretches in each place—like 6 months and 6 months—to avoid constant hopping, but we still haven’t quite nailed the balance either.

One thing that helped was renting out our UK place and keeping a smaller flat there as a base. That way, we felt less like we were "leaving" but more like we had options.

Would love to hear how others are handling the back-and-forth too—especially with pets in the mix. Anyone figured out a good rhythm?

Although splitting time between Portugal and the UK will be far easier. At least with dogs you can take them in your car, drive and see it as a bit of a holiday on the way and are mobile wherever you are.
Flying long distance is a lot harder, especially if you have to leave pets behind or bring cats on a plane. Not only that, but I know a lot of people who have less desire to travel by plane the older they get.
I am the same and hate flying now, used to have no problem but the thought of being at an airport is more stressful than a working week. Everyone is different of course, we also have cats (all seniors between 8 & 16) and even if we could we would never move as long as we have them.

I have literally split my time 50/50 between the US and UK for the last 2 years, staying for months each time. My daughter and granddaughter are in the US, siblings and mother in the UK. It was manageable but I feel it has made it more difficult to feel settled in the UK. I have now decided that the UK is my primary home and I will visit the US 1-2x/year vs. trying to spend large chunks of time there.

This is my issue. Also, every person’s transatlantic trip is different; at this end, I have a sixty mile drive to the tiny airport, then a hour-and-half flight in a nine seater plane (no toilet of course) stopover in Boston, probably one of the most stressful airports in the US, then landing at LHR or LGW, both involving long train journeys to Norwich. The actual flight is not too bad, Jet Blue in particular being very pleasant.

That certainly is an adventure with a 9 seater plane and no toilet. I'd have to avoid drinking too much coffee before that flight.

Exactly. Basically, on travel days I do a long-term dehydration routine. I’ve taken that flight dozens of times, never remotely had a problem. It’s just that it’s extra anxiety which I don’t need!

It is an experience - you’re looking over the pilot’s shoulder, so landing is interesting. You can see clearly in all directions during the flight, so that’s interesting too. One time, during the winter, zero visibility, I was watching the altimeter over the pilot’s shoulder, coming in to land at Lake Clear. 350 metres .. the plane stopped. What? Then I realised she’d actually landed; I was waiting for the altitude to be 0, but remembered Lake Clear is actually up in the mountains!

A further complication as we all age is of course health. If you get regulars meds for e.g. blood pressure, cholesterol as many senior folks do, how does your GP keep tabs on you when you're not around 6 months a year? You may well be in great health but that can change in a heartbeat, literally!

That’s a good point and I will be interested in hearing how folks manage, including our daughter who plans a 5 month trip to Australia later this year. (I think she is taking HRT these days).

After retiring we were still living in Texas and traveling 5 to 7 months every year. I was on 1 med at the time and in the year leading up to retirement built up a 6 month supply that I could take with me. The med was delivered every 90 days and our son would collect and hold them for our return. We are now in the UK and I order my 3 meds through the NHS app as needed and I have built up a 1 month extra supply as we sometimes go away for a few weeks, but our very long trips away are a thing of the past.