Today, I thought I’d share a more personal update. A lot has changed this year, and some of you have been curious. Come along with me as I travel through Portugal to find my new home.
This site is all about improving your style and, ultimately, your life. If you’re like me, you aim to live your best life according to your values.
For me, one of my strongest values is freedom—the freedom to work when, where, and how much I want. This desire for freedom was a big reason for starting 40+style. If you want to know how this site makes that possible, you might find this article interesting.
40+style is almost 10 years old now, which is hard to believe! Starting this site was one of the best decisions I ever made. Not only did it provide me the freedom I craved, but it also allowed me to help thousands of women feel better about their style and themselves. Along the way, I’ve met many inspiring women, both online and offline, making this journey incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. So far, over 30 million people have visited the site. I might reflect more on these 10 years in September.
Last year brought a major lifestyle change. My husband resigned from his job, and our son went off to university in Australia. With no jobs tying us down and as new empty nesters, we realized we could move anywhere. Despite the travel restrictions due to the pandemic, we left Singapore for Portugal in May from a nearly empty Changi Airport.
We were eager to return to Europe and chose Portugal for several reasons. We arrived with a few small suitcases, ready to explore. Having only visited Portugal twice before, we had no idea where to settle.
Our journey began in Lisbon, a natural choice since we’re city folks. We strolled through its charming streets and even found a shop dedicated solely to rubber duckies! We also visited Sintra, known for its historic buildings and the beautiful gardens of the Quinta da Regaleira palace. Other stops included the coastal town of Cascais and the beach town Ericeira, where we got adventurous on mountain bikes. We also explored the historic town of Obidos, which felt like a step back in time. Spring travel in Portugal is lovely as stork nests are everywhere.
Our travels took us south to Evora, a stunning town in Alentejo, Portugal’s driest region. Evora has many historic sites and cork trees, which are incredibly sustainable as their bark regenerates. We also visited the Almendres Cromlech, an ancient stone circle older than Stonehenge. Portugal is dotted with forts and castles, and we particularly liked the ones in Marvao and Castelo de Vide.
Our journey continued to the Algarve, famous for its summer tourists. Faro, the region’s capital, was quiet and charming. Lagos was our next stop, a potential place to live due to its popularity among digital nomads and its beautiful beaches. However, it was hard to get a feel for its true vibe during our visit, and I grew weary of constant travel.
I told my husband I needed a resort with a pool and a beach chair to relax. We couldn’t find any in Lagos, so we ended up in a small town called Luz, just 10 minutes away. Those few days on the beach were glorious and unexpectedly pivotal for our future.
I’ll share more about this turning point next week. For now, I’d love to know: Would you move to another country? And if so, which one would you choose?
