Not Your Average Globetrotter

If you don't speak Portuguese, this episode is available with subtitles on YouTube.com/RafaelDiFuria

Moving to Italy vs. moving to Portugal is a topic I have been thinking about a lot recently after my own move to Portugal from Italy. I can't help finding myself making comparisons to all of the places I've lived and especially Italy. Some things are more attractive about Italy, some others are more attractive about Portugal. Since starting on this new chapter of my expat life in Portugal a number of you have reached out to me and or have left comments about actually trying to decide whether living in Italy or living in Portugal would be the better choice for them. I love both countries and each for different reasons. Both can be lots of fun and lead to a wonderful experience as an expat living abroad. In this expat podcast episode of Not Your Average Globetrotter I wanted to begin a series of videos where I compare and contrast expat life in Portugal vs expat life in Italy.

When looking into moving to Portugal, there seems to be a few destinations in particular that people seem to gravitate towards at the beginning of their research phase. I'll admit in the past I had also considered making the move to Lisbon or making the move to the Algarve and I can very easily understand the attraction to both locations. Each area of the country will have its benefits and drawbacks and it's important to do enough research to be able to answer the questions you have before moving abroad. Figuring  out everything after the fact can lead to a few too many headaches that simply aren't necessary. In this expat podcast episode of Not Your Average Globetrotter, we'll go over a couple of the most popular locations among potential expats in Portugal.

During the research phase of looking into moving to Portugal, many people come across the NHR (Non-Habitual Residence) tax scheme that makes it very interesting to those who qualify when thinking about living in Portugal. Before my move to Portugal, I did quite a bit of research into how I would continue the work activities that I do and to be able to legally work in Portugal. Opening a company in Portugal ended up being the best option for me. Thankfully everything has been moving in the right direction in spite of it taking much longer to finalize everything than I had hoped. I've been quite fortunate during my adventure to open a company in Portugal... This expat podcast episode of Not Your Average Globetrotter is dedicated to those of you who are thinking about moving to Portugal and who are also interested in the NHR tax scheme here but are finding it may not be as ideal as you had hoped...

There are always the ‘shoulda’, ‘coulda’, ‘wouldas’ one has when thinking about what could have been done differently.  This is what I reflect on in this video; what I would have done differently before moving to Italy. Expat life in Italy taught me a lot which I hope that those of you who are wanting to move to Italy or moving abroad anywhere, might be helped by. I'm so grateful for the time I was able to spend in Italy and am grateful to not be all that far away now in Portugal.  Even if Italy is not where you hope to move to you may find some of the concepts applicable to living abroad in many different countries. In this expat podcast episode of Not Your Average Globetrotter, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on my time in Italy in hopes that it may help someone who would like to live abroad in Italy.

Before moving to Portugal, I did a lot of research to make sure I was able to arrive and remain "connected". Because I have been working online for the majority of the past decade and now living in Portugal as an expat in Portugal, I have been able to continue my search to find what is the best internet in Portugal, where to get a sim card and test out some of the various options for getting mobile phone service or even home internet and TV in Portugal. In this expat podcast episode of Not Your Average Globetrotter, we'll go over what you will want to keep in mind when looking at phone, internet and mobile services here in Portugal.

I've been living in Portugal for just over a month so far and have been enjoying living in Braga. There are many differences I've come to see when comparing life in Portugal to living in Italy; everything from the people and culture to the food and even opening a bank account in Portugal and renting an apartment in Portugal. Even though moving to Portugal was something I hadn't planned to do, I'm quite grateful for the opportunity I've been given to explore living here. As a expat in Portugal I'm quite excited to get to know this country even better and explore more of this beautiful country.

Living in Italy changed not only my life but also me as a person. Going through daily life in Italy as a dual citizen expat is an experience that I'm so grateful I've been able to have.  After almost 5 years since moving to Italy of course, I have plenty to say. As we approach the end of this year, I can't help reflect on these past years in Italy and what I experienced there, the ups and downs, the positives and negatives, and to look at what I can take away from these moments in my own expat life in Italy. In this expat podcast episode of Not Your Average Globetrotter, I thought I would take this opportunity for the last video of 2021 to talk about these thoughts regarding life after a move to Italy and living abroad in Italy.

Becoming an expat in Portugal has been quite the undertaking.  Many of the subjects in today's episode are relevant to expats moving abroad from anywhere but there will also be even more relevant to those of you who may be moving in Europe and/or are a citizen of a European nation. After my move to Portugal, I can say all the headaches have been completely worth it!  To live in Portugal there are a number of important steps to take before you move as well as after you are already living abroad in Portugal. In this expat podcast episode of Not Your Average Globetrotter, I’ll be going over the steps I took to move to Portugal and get residency in Portugal to be able to live in Portugal.

After more than a few international moves, I've come up with a moving abroad checklist that works for me and my needs to help make the transition into a new life abroad just that little bit easier. Living abroad come with many challenges, so why not try to remove some of them and help things to go more smoothly? In my most recent international move I used all of what I talked about in this episode and more to help make my life that little bit easier.... not to say there weren't a few bumps in the road or that everything was perfect. However, living abroad will be a life-changing experience that you want to make sure you can enjoy as much as possible. In this expat podcast episode of Not Your Average Globetrotter, I'll be sharing part of my checklist for moving abroad to live in another country as well as share with you all where I have moved.

1:31 - Part 1: Making sure you understand everything and that you are understood as well

3:19 - Part 2: Can you actually stay?

5:36 - Part 3: What you take and how you take it

12:43 - Part 4: Connection

19:06 - Part 5: Transportation

The app I mentioned in this episode where you can buy an ESIM online is called Airalo and the referral code to save $3 is RAFAEL837 and here's the referral link I mentioned https://ref.airalo.com/dhht