I Moved From Florida to Portugal by Taking a Two-Week Transatlantic Cruise
This as-told-to essay is predicated on a dialog with Zachary Biss29, a musician from St. Petersburg, Florida, who moved together with his girlfriend, Marina, to Portugal by boat. The following has been edited for size and readability.
I’m a full-time musician. Back within the States, I performed gigs at bars and eating places with my guitar, singing and taking part in covers for a dwelling.
I’ve at all times had the identical job in music, and over time, I was in a position to play all my gigs and manage to pay for on the finish of the month to put away in financial savings and spend money on shares.
That allowed me to purchase a home in Florida in 2019. I was actually proud that I was in a position to make that occur.
Ever since I moved into the home, I’ve stored a price range down to the penny, and the bills received completely insane.
My electric bill roughly doubled over the course of 5 years. My utilities, which coated water and rubbish disposal, doubled as effectively.
You have all these individuals telling you homeownership is the purpose — that is the dream — however the payments stored going up. I’m like, “This seems backward. I feel like I should be paying something off to where eventually I’ll be paying less.”
Over the course of half a decade, all the pieces has crept up to the place I’m working more durable than I’ve ever labored, and making as a lot cash as I’ve ever made, however I don’t have anything to present for it right here.
We knew we wished to transfer to Lisbon
I thought, perhaps it is time to go some other place and check out one thing totally different, as a result of in any other case I’m simply going to float right here and probably not thrive.
Biss and his girlfriend, Marina. Courtesy of Zachary Biss.
I have not bought my residence but. It’s nonetheless in the marketplace.
My girlfriend and I already knew us wanted to move to Portugal for a whereas. So by the time we have been in a position to lastly transfer, I was like, “I don’t care. We just have to go.”
It was a little bit emotional, however probably not as a result of we would been planning it for thus lengthy. I had gotten to the purpose the place I did not need to wait anymore.
We determined to transfer by taking a cruise
We discovered a cruise that was truly going instantly a method, as a result of they do the transatlantic sailings to transfer the boats. After the season’s over within the Caribbean, they move to Europe, so we discovered one which was going from Tampa and ending in Lisbon. It was a match made in heaven.
We did pay a little bit greater than flying, however you are getting a two-week cruise: all of the meals, all of the lodging, and a couple of stops alongside the way in which.
We stopped in the Bahamasafter which after the Bahamas have been six days at sea, and that was fairly wild. I’ve by no means spent that a lot time at sea.
After that was the Azoresafter which it was one other sea day as a result of they’re fairly far off from the mainland. Then we did Portowhich was actually cool, after which we led to Lisbon.
Biss and his girlfriend in Lisbon. Courtesy of Zachary Biss.
All in, we paid $2,500 complete, so undoubtedly greater than two flights, however I would say it was value the price. The transatlantics are often a discount as a result of they are not that full and so they’re simply attempting to promote tickets to make the voyage value it — we truly received a balcony room and all the pieces.
But the most important perk was that there was no arduous baggage restrict. I introduced my guitar, I introduced my suitcases, Marina introduced a bunch of her suitcases — as a lot as we might match — and we received to the port and the porter’s like, “How many luggage tags do you need?” And we mentioned, “However many.”
Flying would have been a lot extra restrictive.
We additionally thought that crusing would ease us into shifting a little greater than flying would, as a result of there’s actually nothing worse than touchdown at Lisbon Airport after an in a single day flight, not sleeping on the aircraft, and coping with that brutal jet lag.
On the cruise, there have been six days at sea in a row, and they might roll ahead the clock one hour at a time; they did that 5 instances over the course of the journey to get us 5 hours forward of the place we are actually.
I would completely suggest shifting by boat for the baggage profit alone, however particularly if you’re a cruiser otherwise you similar to stress-free, it is like being on the spa.
It’s enjoyable, and on the finish of the day, I do not suppose many individuals get to say they’ve sailed throughout the ocean.
We just like the tempo of life in Portugal
The first night time, we have been sitting on the dinner desk, and we checked out one another, and we each began crying, like, “What are we doing?” But I suppose that is 100% regular for anybody shifting, even simply shifting to one other state. It’s scary. This is the primary time I’ve moved.
There have been issues pushing us out of the US and issues bringing us to Portugal. Honestly, the most important one was medical insurance.
As a self-employed individual within the States, I typically really feel punished for being self-employed when it comes to medical insurance. The least expensive plan supplied to me on {the marketplace} for this 12 months was about $360 a month.
Biss and his girlfriend on the Arco da Rua Augusta in Portugal. Courtesy of Zachary Biss.
When I speak to my associates who dwell right here or have moved right here, and I inform them what I paid in a month, they’re like, “Well, that’s about what I pay in a year.”
Affordability wasn’t the one motive we moved. If we have been going for affordability, there are undoubtedly cheaper locations in Portugal, and much more affordable places in Europe. It’s all relative; what’s reasonably priced to me could be totally different than what’s reasonably priced to a native right here.
The individuals, in broad strokes, are in a little bit much less of a rush right here. I made a joke that even the individuals attempting to promote you one thing off the road, as soon as they understand you are not going to purchase what they’re promoting, they will simply have a dialog with you, which is sweet.
Biss having fun with ice cream in Portugal. Courtesy of Zachary Biss.
The tempo of life just isn’t a lot work, work, work on a regular basis, rush, rush, rush. People right here will actually take a second — it is constructed into the day to have a espresso, have your pastry within the morning, and you are not simply grabbing your massive iced espresso and getting in your automobile and speeding to work.
It’s a breath of recent air.
