An expat who moved to Portugal with his family has revealed a negative aspect of living in the country. John Newby has a YouTube channel, The Newbys, with wife Tara and their children, where they have detailed their experience of buying an abandoned farm near Amarante in the north of the country.
In an appearance on fellow YouTubers Emma and Alex AKA Travel Beans’ channel, John was asked about the negatives of living in Portugal, and said one aspect was an unwelcome surprise. “I would say sometimes the Portuguese work differently from the people in the UK”, he said. John explained that they had a tree cut down in their sprawling grounds, which the electrical company came to do. “In the UK, for somebody to come onto your land, they’ve got to send you a letter, or give you a call.
“They can’t just rock up and start chopping trees down. In Portugal they can,” he claimed.
He continued: “The only reason I knew that the electrical company were here originally was because our security cameras caught them wandering around.”
John added: “I think that’s perfectly normal here in Portugal …. so I’ve been told.”
One YouTube user commenting on the almost 20-minute-long video, wrote: “I feel like what you’re talking about is the truth of living on a rural farm and not the truth of living in Portugal, the issues you’re discussing could be any rural farm in any part of the world.”
Tara said their local community is “incredible, and the support from them has been next level”, though especially given their rural location, not having family nearby is difficult.
Joric McLean, in another YouTuber who chose to move to Portugal and highlighted some key mistakes to avoid when relocating there.
Mr McLean said: “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve talked to people who underestimate the immigration timeline. It became difficult for them because they were moving to Portugal and they did not manage their expectations.
“You have to try to figure out when you put your house up for sale. Try to time that so hopefully you do not spend too much time living out of a hotel room.”
He added: “People often underestimate the timeline it takes to secure an apartment or a lease in Portugal.
“What you want versus what you want to pay are usually two completely different numbers.
“If you want all of the amenities that you’re coming from, that maybe a little more challenging to find. Living in Lisbon taught me that finding the place you want at the price you want is almost impossible.
“People have made four or five scouting trips and have taken up to two years to find property. Be flexible with it because the immigration timeline is like an accordion and you have to be careful.”
