Why Portugal? - ASK

Why did we want to leave the UK and move to Portugal? Why Portugal and not Spain (or Australia or New Zealand)? Why did we want to move abroad at all? When did we start thinking about it? How long did it take to plan and move? We'll answer all these and more in this video.
Do you want to spend more time working on the things you love doing? Join our community of makers, doers and growers and get the support and inspiration to build a better life for yourself:
club.makedogrow.com

[@fmmagalhaesmarinho]

Hi! Congratulations for your videos and messages. As a Portuguese, I'm happy that good people want to live here in a healthy way. Good luck for your projects!

[@manishaholm]

If you have a dairy farmer nearby, they usually are looking for ways to get rid of their dairy . . . poop. You can bring it onto your land, let it steep for 6-12 months, and have LOADS of wonderful compost at the end of it.

[@denisehicks7525]

The banana tree dies off after it gives bananas. Before it dies it produces a kiki, baby plant to keep the process going. You chop down the done tree and put all the tree parts around the new kikis to feed the soil. That is the process of the trees.

[@halfabee]

From your enquiries and replies from the local town hall on residence in Portugal. The Portuguese were more welcoming than my experience in Spain.

[@footplate0]

Those bananas look like the ones grown over here in Cyprus. If planted in the ground then the second year you should have a crop. If they are the same as ours then the bananas are really small but 4 times as sweet. They are nearly one mouthful big and after fruiting the main plant dies and so the babies take over. Thanks for posting

[@pattywest1]

I concur about meeting your neighbors when living more remotely. I love seeing both of your attention to detail in building the gardens & the structures.

[@tomatobrush3283]

Would be nice to see some tours of the local walks and views. To give some perspective. I like Portugal a lot, I have only been once before. I could see myself retiring to a coastal town like Peniche.

[@js8039]

Why Portugal???? The wine of course.

[@conchavilela2361]

Me gustan mucho vuestros videos, disfruto viendo vuestro trabajo. Soy de España de Galicia, de un pueblo fronterizo con Portugal, es un país precioso y su gente es amable , educada..... A veces la gente del norte de Europa cree que la vida de los de la península es pobre, todo lo contrario!!!!. La vida en el campo es maravillosa y su gente suele ser muy bondadosa por su falta de extres. mucha suerte👍👏👏👏♥️

[@michelrosier468]

Cool, I lived in Santiago de Compostela for 6 years outside the city on a mountain where we grew our own potatoes, vegetables and so on. We cut trees for wood so we would have leña in the winters. Back in the Netherlands now since 2013 but I truly miss it and saving up bigtime so one day I can realise my own dream somewhere down south

[@mirasiemiatkowska874]

Hola Concha, me gusta mucho tú comentario. Sí, estoy dacuerdo con tigo. La gente de Portugal es muy amable. Mí nombre es Mira y originalmente soy de Polonia pero últimos 32 años vivimos en Canadá. Quería añadir que temenos muy buenos recuerdos de Galicia y la gente allí es amable tambien. En 2017 hicimos nuestro primero Camino de Santiago . En éste momento por desgracia podemos decir solo ;hola , buenos días ,muchas gracias. Nos encontramos mucho Gallegos que nos ayudarán. En éste tiempo tenemos vergüenza que no podemos expresar nuesteo agradecimiento y mí esposo y yo decidimos aprender español. Algunos nos dijeron que no se puede aprender nuevo idioma cuando tienes 63 y mí esposo 67. Pero no es verdad. Sí se quiere, se puede. Despues 4 años escuchando español casi cada día lo hablamos y lo entendemos. Me dá mucha ilusión leer tú comentario en español y entenderlo. Nos gusta mucho éste KZbin canal tambien. Ésta pareja es muy trabajadora y muy humilde. Saludos desde Canadá.

[@conchavilela2361]

@@mirasiemiatkowska874 qué alegría que vieras mi comentario. Que lejos estamos y que cerca, el mundo es pequeño, me alegra que te recibieran bien en mi tierra, y más que eso te impulsará a aprender el idioma, yo estoy aprendiendo inglés, te deseo lo mejor.

[@franciscapires1980]

Obrigada

[@isabelmorra3638]

@@mirasiemiatkowska874 good

[@montedaestrada3563]

It always comes back to the people.

[@gamingdxg]

Great decision you both made. My wife and I live in the Japanese countryside, 2 hours from Osaka. It's a very nice place, got its pro and cons, but we have a house here with a garden where we can cultivate. Living life in our 30's not paying rent is amazing. I do miss the UK, but when I watch the news...the home sickness goes away LOL Good luck to you both.

[@Songbirdstress]

Rural Japan is massively well kept secret. Would love to visit.

[@mariannekuijpers9298]

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚loving the green dream!

[@patrickkonig]

Loving the Green Hearts. 💚

[@rudymazar8666]

We made "the Plan" 20 years ago and bought a 44 acre property with one house. Now since 2017 we live permanently in the property and having so much fun like you ! orchards, chickens..veggie gardens etc.. we do have more social life here than in the city . All good !

[@ajones8699]

Twiggy is good. Try not to put too much stuff in planters, pots if you can get stuff in the ground

[@Songbirdstress]

Ha, I see my friends more often too. When you live in a big city, you get home late, eat, go to bed, start again. I never saw them.

[@mariushegli]

I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.

[@LambySRI]

Adding on to your comments about how friendly the Portuguese are. I was taken to the algarve to CPO from being a baby in my parents timeshare. The owner of a local bar "Eddies sports bar", is an absolutely fantastic bloke. I used to drag my parents there as I got older to play on the pool table and because I liked the atmosphere. Knowing I dragged them in whenever we passed he used to give me WKD, bacardi breezers or food on the house and call it special pop. I returned when I was 16 for my stepsisters birthday, he remembered me straight away, asked how I was, introduced me to his new partner, wanted to know all about family etc and would not take a penny for a week I was there. He said if you do not come to my bar, or try to offer me money I will be insulted. Safe to say I cant remember going back to the hotel all week, and never went to bed hungry!

[@michelrosier468]

Love the motivation about it all and very understandable. For some still a dream while working out the how and whats and you guys motivate more by showing it's not all that difficult. Thanks for all the great video's.

[@derekmulready1523]

Very Brave thing to do. A lot of people have the same idea but having the Financial backup and a partner who is also on board with your choice of lifestyle. 🇮🇪🇪🇺

[@paulchadwick4907]

Brilliant video . You make it interesting ,entertaining, fun and informative . Thanks 🙂

[@sgrvtl7183]

I have been watching your channel for a while, and this was a delight to hear how you arrived in Central Portugal. You two seem to fit right in,,,,,and wonderful to have a community around of like minded people. Thank you for sharing~

[@bobyonker3100]

We so agree with you on how lovely the Portuguese people are as well as going on the feel of a place. When we first visited Lisbon it felt good and we were greeted by a big sign(which is still there on the side of a building) "Feels like Home". And we are not city people. Since moving here we have met and made friends with many lovely people that are on our same wavelength too. We do recommend anyone thinking of coming to explore various regions to see what might suit because where we thought we wanted a few years ago has changed. We will be joining you shortly in the center in Tomar. Thanks again for sharing.

[@rachelfrees1268]

Thank you. Love your videos. Greetings from Texas.

[@patrickkonig]

Please never doubt that you have done the right thing. As a Londoner I can tell you that it is getting so much worse here. The level of people just not giving a f!@£ is increasing daily. Tomorrow the tube is basically closed so there goes another day of rotting in this cesspit pit of a metropolitan lifestyle. The level of anger from people and basically not caring about fellow humans has turned London into a hell hole. The sun has shone twice this year and now I have to pay £25 a day for my two vehicles. I just want to plant some potatoes and enjoy life. See you soon. Patrick

[@carolined3058]

Put some Canna plants and little palmtrees, through some sand on the ground and you think you are in the tropics;

[@nicarazzi]

I so get the feeling you had when looking where to live. I followed my heart to another part of the country. It’s true you’ll find more friends and the right way of life for you.

[@robynclarke5274]

I had a dwarf banana which grew 7 feet (previously it was in a pot. It had 8 suckers taking four years before a bunch was produced which failed due to the position. Yours sounds ideal. I know this was filmed 7 months, you can never have enough comphrey. Its particularly good under fruit trees. Hope your comphrey is flourishing.

[@corinnetonelli489]

Great video, thank you. You both have changed since your first video,more relaxed , your body language is happier. In the time that you have been there, you have achieved sooo much. We moved to this house over 5 years and have not stopped… not your extent of work however I am now thinking what can I do…. Just made friends with a lovely writer who would like a nice garden..again… moved recently .. She visited me today , so I bit the bullet… and offered myself to help her with her garden… Love the physical aspect of help.. Only lives round the corner thankfully … A lady with sooo much knowledge … sooo interesting to listen to., Uk has changed soooo much , so like soooo many people who have done just what you have , has been the correct choice… I watch many u tube Portugal and Canadian homesteaders , and the change in every one is soo happy to see. I use an old knife to split plants , a long one . Keep smiling guys !

[@artistopencalls]

I relocated to Athens November 2020. In between lockdowns. Best thing I ever did. Same, the weather, food and people are amazing. I moved from a vote leave town in the north west of England that was becoming more toxic each day. It literally made me ill.

[@woolfysdad]

Hi enjoy watching the videos, great escapism. The production and narration by you both is excellent not been a subscriber for that long but your up in my list of top ten channels. Keep up the great work the Q & A videos are really interesting. By the way Guy sounds like Hugh Grant 😉 Best wishes from a UK expat in Perth WA.

[@francineclave2207]

Love these!

[@rudymazar8666]

Always enjoy your videos ! you are great guys !

[@WomensCareCenterFredericton]

Wow you listened to your hearts desire and found your land!

[@monalingan9523]

I really enjoy these Q&A videos you do.

[@manishaholm]

Love hearing your backstory. Thanks for explaining, in such an engaging way.

[@hiramatangi1736]

Love your videos. Thank you for sharing your journey 🙌🇳🇿

[@delphine88313]

I got this off KZbin about " pups" on banana trees.Just take a knife and go down the root of the tree(like slicing a piece of cake Lol).Just make sure the pups are big enough to take the cutting.

[@LCamp-cr7fs]

Thanks! Very interesting!

[@rejoice2756]

Hi, I am from tropical Singapore living in a corner 2-storey terrace house and very fortunate to have a small plot of land to grow some edibles. A friend gave me a baby dwarf banana plant like yours and it has populated into many. My plants have matured to about 1.5-2m tall and bear big delicious combs of bananas after about 3 years. The leaves are huge and I used to wrap fish/meat to bake instead of using tinfoils. Do keep your babies, you will enjoy their fruits. As a cautious note, I am not too sure whether they can tolerate the Portugal winters. All the best.

[@anne9827]

Brilliant exposition on life.

[@pgregory6357]

Great videos. Nice mix of answers to questions and focus on small projects.

[@donnastafford9799]

Thank you for sharing your life, very interesting.

[@cpl5125]

Totally agree that a move like this has to be thought through, not just in months, but a couple of years - is it really right for you/your family or just a whim. We also had specific criteria, which got more honed the more places we saw, before we moved to Portugal.

[@christinetrewin9717]

You can do it successfully on a whim as you call it. We moved our family to France in 2003 had the urge in May, husband did a reconnaissance in June ( I was post surgery) both returned in July and bought a property in August. Moved the family in November and into our Farmhouse in December just in time for Christmas. Both boys into village primary school and we were off ! Nearly 20 yrs later both boys are French Nationals and have good educational qualifications and are debt free and in good jobs. So Mum and Dad retired , happy we took the right decision 😎

[@gaynor3976]

Lovely video thank you. Loving the hear your answers to qs asked and what you are up to. Thank you xxxx

[@nicolepouchet2479]

I love your videos … i appreciate your honesty. ❤️😃

[@michaelbennett7278]

Hi Kylie .I live in Newzealand bananas grow easy here .we have transplanted young plants into the ground.many bunches of small bananas. Plant grows to 6m up.kind regards Mike

[@kerrylynnparsons9441]

A beautiful landscape!!! You have accomplished so much!!! 😊❤️🎶🇨🇦

[@lyndaking5538]

So much better than non-reality, realaity crap. Enjoying your journey thanks for sharing your new life with us. Greetings from Kempsey NSW

[@andrewmullen4003]

Thank you.

[@denisemarshall4590]

No questions. Just love what you do.Enjoy.

[@luminyam6145]

That was really great, I am fascinated with those banana plants.

[@louisecooper4803]

Thanks. Good to know. (Commenting)

[@vickyoakes4584]

I just love what you've done with your property and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

[@portugalgoodlife73]

absolutely agree with everything you said.....getting down over the weather in UK for sure is an issue for us......cannot wait to make our dream a reality next summer . Love the Q and As. very helpful just gather all our information. xx

[@debbiegarza1287]

What a wonderful story! I live the mystery of finding a home on a ‘feeling’. So romantic.

[@Dieuwertje12]

Thank you for this video. Me and my boyfriend are hoping to do something similar soon, and this makes me feel more confident about a few things. Keep it up! Hugs from dutchland

[@James-In-Exile]

"You may find that when you move to the place that's right for you, that has the right kind of feeling, you actually find more people on your wavelength." Such a beautifully simple insight, but so true. And, unfortunately, so easy to forget when trapped in the daily grind of city life...

[@tejolisboa]

This is funny. Everyone from abroad will tell me they like the place, the weather, the people and so on. Then, I read the papers and everyone in Europe says we are lazy, we have low productivity and so on. It can’t be true either ways… Enjoy your life in Portugal

[@lieselotte521]

Hey Francisco, as a European ( Austria ) I feel the need to tell you that I deeply respect the productivity of your country, we have read about you doing well,economically. I have never been to Portugal myself, but I wish I could visit - maybe one day. So I ve never heard about you being lazy or anything negative ! It's good to hear that the Portuguese are so welcoming and friendly. 💙💚💛 Kind regards, Liese

[@tejolisboa]

@@lieselotte521 thank you for your kind words. In fact, we are not doing so good once we have one of the lowest Income per capita and a very small yearly growth. Most of the Portuguese I know are productive people and do well when outside Portugal, but that does seem to be the rule. Hope you can visit Portugal and enjoy our beautiful country and people.

[@loubob21]

Do not judge a country on its productivity. Capitalism isnt the only measurement stick in the world that matters. Portugal has low crime, low taxes, low food cost, people that put family over money. People that put living life over working life away. As a Portuguese person in America, I miss those values.

[@tejolisboa]

@@loubob21 é verdade. Obrigado

[@jsilvamaintenance]

@@loubob21 you right the life are two days !

[@ruthconstantino6861]

Love your Q/A videos and bonus unplanned commentray on sundry topics 🙆🏻‍♀️! 😊

[@cyracksonackoly5894]

I’m so proud of you guys ,do you did good choice of life style ❤❤❤❤

[@cameronmcarthur9951]

I liked this Q&A session because both of you gave such a detailed answer as to why Portugal. Very interesting to hear it from each of you and I am sure Guys feeling was the right one. I am so pleased for you both.

[@ninemoonplanet]

Yes, trust your instincts, it's one way to find validation and enjoyment out of "work" that just doesn't seem like work at all. Lovely to know you have connected within the community.

[@fenman1954]

I agree with you about Lisbon has to be my favourite European city.

[@dijana8]

I did same as you (San Franciscan to coastal Croatian villager). In the midst of renovating an old stone house and lands. Your videos are nice inspiration and reminder when lounging in my hammock to resume digging/planting/hauling something 😅

[@heatherhall3452]

Need to use a hand shovel to seperate them, orchid soil is probably too rich and may burn them , plain soil and lots of veggie scraps they will boom, I’d probably give them some shade cloth until they mature and climatise 2-4 years before they will fruit

[@SettleinSpain]

I remember watching when you set up your compost system originally, I'm going to be building ours soon using old pallets, would love a video just on composting what you've done that works and what you wish you'd known to start with, what your plans are etc... Those banana plants are remarkably hardy and used to grow very well on a Greek island both in the mountains and on the beach.

[@pamelareeves3574]

Brilliant! You are going to be so happy and successful because you chose Portugal for all the right reasons.

[@philipperingard4406]

Thanks for the insight. I must admit « slowing down » on life did resonate. Enjoy, you’ve made the right choice.

[@hemlock40]

Love to watch what you're doing because our story, along with many others, is very similar. We quit the rat race to find a lower cost, lower stress place to live better and differently. We came about 6 months after you two. The climate, culture, people. We looked at a few countries before concluding Portugal was it. Ticked the boxes. Space and land under the sun to work, to build and grow stuff, tend animals. 15 months and we're just settling into the start of a new life.

[@anajoaquina]

Gosto de ver seus lindos vídeos. Lugar lindo, tranquilo. Vocês são guerreiros. 🇧🇷

[@Dirtguerilla]

As you have a woodchiper i would recommend Elaeagnus bushes ;) I use the chips as groundcover or in our compost pile

[@anapaulacrawford5837]

You will enjoy Portugal for sure . My home town but been in the United States for 40 years now . Looking forward to see each video for it will show me the beauty this country can offer. God bless.

[@franciscapires1980]

Sejam bem vindos e felizes.

[@lorimontcalm9086]

Regardless of the type of work, workaholic applies!!

[@bigtomatoplantslover6205]

Wonderful Planting~~ ^^ Like it Thank you for good sharing~~

[@Jana-wz7dr]

The pesky chicken is lovely with her chattering, probably telling you your bugs are better than hers and she wants them. I also love hearing birds in the background on almost all your videos. I would love if you were to show some of the birds. Hope kitty is not a birder.

[@jennichristie5264]

Love to hear what rooms yv been working on in the house and what your thinking about the uses for the out buildings are lately.

[@luananavarro4]

My dream life. I love to have my hands in the dirt - my happy place Best of luck. Looks like your creating a beautiful spot 😎

[@manuelpita5319]

Hello guys, I love your videos, they are very entertaining and exciting....I wanted to tell you about the banana plants that in Continental Portugal or the entire Iberian Peninsula, they will not bear fruit, they need a more tropical climate...in Portugal, the only region that has large banana plantations is the Island of Madeira... a strong hug

[@aidensherpa6722]

🙏 All the best 🥰💞😍

[@jeniceowen5184]

Would like to see more renovations on house.

[@jameyjones1595]

Planting a banana tree/plant means feeding your family forever. You can eat the raw and ripe bananas, the banana flower and the stem also. Very nutritious, it is. Select a place near a water tank or somewhere near a well or water body so that its easy to water them and plant one pup on the ground. Thats it. You're set for life. Almost every part of the banana plant can be used. Usually after the pups start appearing you should get fruit in 6 months.

[@EastLondonKiwi]

Once planted, dwarf Bananas take 3-4 years to fruit. Just brought a place in Obidos Lagoon, so will soon be resident there, similar reasons to those explained here. Take Care D

[@gnarly706]

Why don't you try growing avocado plants. Also could try growing Tobacco? Buy couple Quad bikes.

[@SteefW]

We love Portugal. Do to muscle problems camping with an tent was no longer an option,so we bought in 2017 a tent trailer and traveld from the Netherlands to Portugal. We loved it so much! Traveld from Spain trough the interior to Lisbon. We are definitely coming back! Now my question, how do you guys provide a stable income? Is it all youtube and stuff like that, of some other jobs next to is as well? Keep up the good live! Deep respect.

[@ruthconstantino6861]

Re separating the baby dwarf banana plants: not sure it's the best tool or method, but most of the 85+ years my mom gardened, she had a machete within arm's reach. i think that would've been her and her father's (and entire family's) tool of choice to make difficult tasks easier -- nudging root bundles apart, digging/tilling a bit of soil for planting, trimming/pruning/all-around-hacking, etc. Machetes -- not just for hacking a path jungles! 😉👍🏼

[@miguel30ism]

Hi, I'm from the central zone of Chile. In South America, in our country we have more than 100 varieties of potatoes. Having said that, the problem they have is that they need soft and very moist soils, just like their neighbor. The potato has no problem. weeds grow nearby, because it maintains humidity, and displaces its roots. I hope something helps you.

[@layna8924]

KYLIE & GUY...SEEING THAT YOU ARE NOW THE PROUD PARENTS OF A GROWING FLOCK OF CHICKENS, YOU MAY NEED A HANDBOOK IN 'DISCIPLINE' FOR THE LITTLE RUNTS...🙏🏻;)

[@eartecathy7378]

I would have enjoyed a brief follow up on the banana plants. Because they featured in your video a shot of them after they were planted and moved to where they would stay for awhile would have given an attractive ending to your video.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

They’re still in pots 😂 they won’t be planted in the ground for years yet

[@eartecathy7378]

@@MAKEDOGROW Planting them in pots works for me. I still would have liked a shot of them when you were finished putting the pots at the end of that day.

[@johndinsdale9386]

Hi, really enjoy the videos and the Q&A sessions, are you planning on learning the language?,

[@slanwar]

When I was living in Foz do Arelho - Caldas da Rainha we had some tropical fruits and the trick was keeping them on the south side of a wall. Banana tree after we remove the bananas we need to cut the tree down and plant another one or the bananas will be too small the next year. We had passion fruit and other fruit I don't recall the name but was yellow and I think came from Brazil, tried pineapple but I don't know if worked or not since I moved to the US.

[@jennymoco674]

Good chose i am from porutgal and live in canada my husbin is from lisbin i am from islands of acoreans i love lisbin my in laws are from there we do have lots of land still there ♥️🇨🇦🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹

[@crois-si57]

Thanks for all the valuable information you share about your lives in Portugal. I would be interested in how you found your house and property. Can you recommend certain platforms or websites to look for things?

[@LaReynedEpee]

Will you do any vlogs showing that lovely countryside?

[@klil3838]

Chuck the bananas on the septic off flow :) they’ll thrive :) hi from Darwin Australia

[@HeidiPriest]

So love that chicken

[@miagt6890]

Banana trees are happier planted directly in ground and will produce fruit in two years.

[@jimmytheexpat5719]

if i close my eyes when your husband speaks he sounds like remington steel

[@monicatata6725]

Enjoy Life and step out of the Rat 🐀 race! Congratulations to You both, for being wise , honest and hard working couple who enjoys a Laugh!

[@bascharhh]

you mentioned being on NHR tax regime in one of your early videos. Guess it was not a big factor for why portugal, but it certainly comes in handy, doesn't it ;)