When you decide to move to Portugal either for relocation, business, retirement, or any other reason, how much different will your life actually be, anyway? It all depends on what kind of lifestyle you are looking for in your new home.

You can move your old furniture, clothes, and other personal possessions all the way to Portugal if you want. And thanks to streaming technology, when you live in Portugal you can still watch all of your favorite TV programs and movies in English if you want. You can even stream live radio stations and podcasts from back home. So if you close your curtains and stay inside your house, it can seem like you never left.

But creating the same kind of life is probably not why you came to Portugal in the first place.

A Whole New World

The best way to get acclimated to your new life in Portugal is to immerse yourself in the culture — beginning with the language. While English is widely spoken in most parts of Portugal, learning Portuguese will make your life easier because it allows you to communicate with anybody, anywhere.

Portuguese isn’t the easiest language to learn but it isn’t the hardest, either. If you already know a little Spanish or Italian, you already are halfway there. The best way to learn is to take a language course — either online or in-person — then use Portuguese as often as possible. Pretty soon you will be able to go an entire day without speaking a word of English.

Turning the Page

Culturally, there is a lot to get used to in Portugal. Things move more slowly there than in the US or UK. Mealtimes are later and more leisurely. And there isn’t the same priority on accomplishing as much as possible every day.

In short, life in Portugal will be very different than your life back home. But when you immerse yourself in the language, the culture, and the wonderful, welcoming people, you will build a life for yourself and your family that is as rewarding and happy as anything you’ve experienced in the past.