Trapped in a Corporate Bathroom: My Portugal Escape

As a single working mom with a high-pressure job, my life in snowy Michigan was stressful. I drank a huge Coke every morning so the caffeine would rev me up for a day of endless meetings, budgets, process improvement plans, spreadsheets, and performance reviews.

My female staff would follow me into the bathroom and hit me with questions while I was trapped like a rat. I kept a notepad by the bed, so when I woke up at 3 a.m. with a thought for work, I could jot it down. And when school would call about my then-teenage son’s latest behavioral antics, it was the last straw.

Needing an escape valve, I invited some close friends on a barging trip in Europe. I envied those laidback Europeans, who smiled a lot and hung out with each other over fences, in town squares, at the bakery… why couldn’t I live like that?

Then, I started reading International Living… and realized I could live like those relaxed, easy-going Europeans. When my son Cole told me he wanted to go to med school, I decided it was time to really start saving for my retirement.

I attended an IL conference in Las Vegas and came home inspired. I was a VP of Marketing and had written marketing plans for a variety of businesses. So I decided to take all of that experience and put it to work for myself. I would write a Marketing Plan for My Life.

International Living became the research tool that directed my strategy. It helped me change my thinking… I went from longing for a higher quality of life to a plan to turn that fantasy into reality.

A Marketing Plan for My Life

I started with the IL Annual Global Retirement Index and created a spreadsheet based on my own critical objectives for a happy life. I used their meticulous research on each country and added a variable to give more weight to the factors that were important to me. (I’m a spreadsheet nerd.) The end result was my top five list of potential countries for retirement.

Cole and I had been taking annual mother/son adventures around the world for years. Cave tubing in Belize… fishing for piranha on the Amazon… hiking to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu.

Once med school became a year-round thing for him, we started to take our annual trip over the Christmas holidays, and our destinations were my five retirement finalists: the Costa Del Sol in Spain… Panama… Malta… the Algarve in Portugal… and Costa Rica.

I was about six years away from retirement, but I was struggling to understand what my living costs would be in another country. What if my costs abroad were higher than in the U.S.? Once again, the spreadsheet nerd created a cost-of-living sheet for each country, to be filled out on the ground during my visits.

Our first stop was Malta. We rented a villa on the side of a cliff overlooking the sparkling sea. We explored the island’s charming markets and bought fresh fish from the friendly local fishermen. Just driving down the road took my breath away with stunning views (and buses careening madly around corners!). Malta was truly wonderful, but I decided that island living would eventually be too confining for me.

The next destination was Panama. We hugged a rescued sloth (an experience I will never forget) and monkeys climbed on my head (a smelly but weirdly magical moment). Cole and I stayed in the Waldorf Hotel in Panama City for less than half of what we’d have paid in New York City. And we stayed in an expat enclave that was the most fabulous senior living experience. The gated community was pristine, the people were friendly, and the food choices plentiful, delicious and affordable. Panama was beautiful… but not for me.

Our trip to the south of Spain was a blast. We did a cooking class at a local family’s hacienda in the hills and joined a pub crawl where my son introduced me to the flippy cup game. And we rang in the New Year by joining in the tradition of eating 12 grapes in a stunning town square to the tolling of the clock at midnight. The people were friendly, the weather was excellent, the food very good, and my Spanish improved every day. Could this be the place for me? I filled out my cost-of-living spreadsheet and did all the math. And according to my calculations, I afford to retire here, and I could do it a year early.

But I still had two more countries on the list. And so the next Christmas, Cole and I headed to Portugal with a plan to fly into Lisbon and then head south to the Algarve.

Scouting the World’s Top Retirement Spot

We spent Christmas Day at the Lisbon Zoo. They have these tiny cable cars for one person that float you right over the animals. It was one of those unexpectedly memorable experiences you never forget. (Cole says he’ll never forget the afternoon we strolled along the sunny seashore and a pigeon dropped a massive gift down my hair and back.)

In spite of the evil pigeon, Lisbon was just stunning—the sweeping views from the São Jorge Castle, the multi-colored tiles on the buildings, the patterned streets, and delectable seafood. I couldn’t wait to get to the Algarve and see if everything IL was writing about the place fit into my Marketing Plan for Life.

I had picked three locations in the Algarve to try and get a sense of the options for a retirement location. Our first stop was Vilamoura, where we stayed in an apartment in the picture-perfect marina, right at the heart of the action. The expats and the locals I met were exceptionally friendly, and to a person, they all raved about living in Portugal and encouraged me to move there.

We spent New Year’s Eve on the beach at Albufeira. It was a warm night (even in December) and the beach was packed. There was a massive Christmas tree and a huge, empty stage. Everyone was just hanging out and talking quietly. No champagne bottles in evidence. No music. No grapes. I’d read that Albufeira was the Algarve’s younger, more exciting spot, but Cole was giving me the eye. “Really, mom, this is my New Year’s Eve?”

Suddenly, at midnight, corks started popping and the stage lit up. People started dancing and singing and hugging us. It went from zero to party central in a 10-second countdown… and I loved it.

Our final stop in the Algarve was Lagos. By this point, I knew Portugal was my dream retirement destination. Everywhere we went, the people were welcoming and warm, the weather in December was fantastic (in stark contrast to the sub-zero temperatures back home), and the food was delicious. Lagos had everything on my list—a quaint old town with a plethora of charming restaurants… a beautiful beach and seafront promenade… and a marina with lots of charming restaurants, live music, and friendly expats who were speaking English.

Looking in the real estate agents’ windows, I was amazed at the prices of the homes for sale. When I filled in my Portugal cost-of-living spreadsheet, the deal was sealed. I could retire earlier than planned… and live a life I’d never dreamed of. (I never did make it to the last destination on my list, Costa Rica.)

Last year, I bought a villa on a golf course with stunning views, about 15 minutes from Lagos. It has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a dedicated office, and my own swimming pool. Every room overlooks the wraparound balcony or the pool, so the whole home is filled with that beautiful Algarvian sunshine. I tell my friends I would be living in the servant quarters of a place like this in the U.S.

These days, I have an incredible lifestyle for about 40% less than I was spending in Michigan. And my only deadline is my monthly column to The Portugal Resident newspaper. I’m the social secretary for the Casa Social Club, where I’ve met expats from all over the world. I planned our wine tasting event and I’m currently working on our Hawaiian Luau, where I’ll teach a little hula and twirl my poi balls.

As I write this on the balcony, the morning mist is floating over the rolling green hills… the new sun is glinting on the ocean in the distance… caramel-colored cows are grazing peacefully in the foreground… and there’s an endless blue sky. I would say I’m living the dream… but the reality is even better than that.

VIDEO: LIFE IN THE ALGARVE MINI-SERIES 

Over the next few weeks, we’ll follow Glenda as she gives us a tour of her new home in the Algarve and shows us what life is like in this beautiful corner of the world.