TicTac111

Hi, I om would be interested in the opinions of special 50+ people and singles have done the big step relocating to Portugal.

I would like to relocate either to Spain or Portugal. Why Spain? Because I'm quite anxious about relocating on my own and there are the communities like the U3A, so I think it would be easier to meet people making friendships, but I don't get Portugal out of my mind. I've read a lot of expats are living in the Algarve, but I could not find anything like the U3A or other things I could meet other expats, so my concern is that I would be very lonely. I'll go to Spain this month and have been in contact with some expats from U3A, so I think it will give me confidence when I meet people before relocating, but I wish I could do it in Portugal too.

I would be really pleased if you would tell me how it was when you've moved to Portugal, where did you meet people? By the way sorry that I've always mentioned the U3A.

Thank you for reading and for your opinion. Christine

toots sweet

What's the U3A??

Moses2013

https://www.u3acostabrava.org/AboutUs

U3A stands for the University of the Third Age, a worldwide organization that provides educational opportunities for retired and semi-retired individuals. The first U3A was founded in Toulouse, France, in 1972, by Professor Pierre Vellas, a former director of the French National Centre for Scientific Research.

Today, there are over 1,000 U3As in the UK, with a total membership of over 400,000. The U3A movement has also spread to other countries, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and there are now 1,000’s worldwide.

The idea behind the U3A is to provide lifelong learning opportunities for older adults, who have finished their formal education but still have a desire to continue learning and engaging with others. The U3A is run entirely by volunteers and offers a wide range of interest groups such as gardening, art, music, history, and our main focus here in the Costa Brava is outdoor activities such as walking, cycling, walking football and more.

In addition to providing educational opportunities, U3As also offer opportunities for socialisation and community involvement. U3As also organize social events, trips, and outings, which allow members to get to know each other and form new friendships.

TicTac111

https://www.u3a.org.uk/
For elderly :-)

Rambling archer

As far as I can see Portugal is very keen to provide a system of education for the 3rd Age and indeed in various towns there is a Universidad de Seniors - with various courses both academic and more practical which get folk interested and out-and-about with very sociable groups, but as we discovered when we thought of enroling, they are done for the Portuguese, by the Portuguese, in the Portuguese language. For instance even the Portuguese lessons were not to learn the language but to study grammar and literature to an advanced level ...

So I rather think the OP would be barking up the wrong tree looking for English-speaking social interaction there. Sorry! May be far better looking out for social groups of foreigners who do indeed chat in English even though they may be from all over the world, who will encourage social interactions and events. If on Facebook, perhaps do some searches for groups in localities the OP is interested in. And join a Portuguese for Foreigners class (A1/A2) to help link in with other learners, and then the local population too.