There is a constant churn of influencers posting a flood of content filled with exuberance about their fresh move to this place or that, and Portugal is no exception to this rule. I was heavily influenced by one influencer from Canada that had moved to Portugal named Yvonne. If she could do it, I said to myself, so could I.
This is the content Yvonne was posting in 2022:
Fast forward a couple years:
So long story short, following influencers is not a bad thing, but it can give a one-sided view. They may be struggling behind the scenes and putting on a brave face on social media to help convince themselves that they are doing the right thing. Or, they may be genuinely enjoying their first few years in a new place through rose tinted glasses. I would strongly advise anyone who is listening to advice from influencers to check how long they have actually been in Portugal. Stories evolve over time.
My social media is flooded with people who are overwhelmed with excitement to get their Portuguese visas, boarding their plane with their pets, showing off their new homes and how much they love it here. What I have yet to see is an influencer who has moved here from abroad and successfully naturalized and is showing off their new Portugal EU passport. Perhaps people just loose interest in posting after a few years, or perhaps few immigrants stay long enough to naturalize. If anyone can tell me that they have settled in Portugal and stayed here long term, please let me know, it would give me some hope. In the meantime, watching the constant churn of new arrival posts year after year, I often wonder just how many people make it past the 5 year mark here.
Thank you Yvonne for sharing not only your journey to Portugal, but your journey back to Canada and showing vulnerability in your later videos. Congrats on the new addition to your family. ❤️