Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT: PORTUGAL WORLD'S #1 RETIREMENT HAVEN
We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.
  • Home
  • Countries

    Top Destinations:

    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • Panama
    • Belize
    • Colombia
    • Cyprus
    • Mexico
    • France
    • Montenegro
    • Browse All Countries

    Best For:

    • The Best Places To Retire
    • Health Care Abroad
    • Cost Of Living
    • Investing in Real Estate
    • Establishing Residency
    • Gun Laws In The World
    • English-Speaking Countries
    • Safest Places For Retirement
    • Best Places In Latin America
  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
  • Resources

    Global Living

    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore & Diversification

    Making Money

    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing

    Follow Us:

    • Meet Our Experts
  • Real Estate

    Join our Weekly Newsletter
    Overseas Property Alert

    Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive expert insights on the best international real estate investment opportunities.






      We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

      Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

      • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

      Explore Our Latest Posts

      • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

      Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

      • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
    • Conferences

      Upcoming Events

      • Explore Our Events Site

      Live and Invest In Spain Conference

      Offshore Wealth Summit

      Greece Workshop

      VALENCIA, SPAIN

      Sep. 17-19, 2025

      PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

      Oct. 15-17, 2025

      VIRTUAL

      Nov. 13, 2025

      LEARN MORE
      DISCOUNT
      LEARN MORE
      PRE-REGISTER
      LEARN MORE
      PRE-REGISTER
      • MORE EVENTS

      Contact Our Events Team

      Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
      1 (888) 627 8834
      From Outside North America:
      1 (443) 599 1221
      Working Hours
      Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

      Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

    • Store

      Unlock The World

      • Access Your Library

      Overseas Havens Reports

      • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

      Conference Kits

      • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

      Lahardan Books

      • Titles on living and investing around the world
      • Explore Our Store
      Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

      Services

      overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
      The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
      Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

      Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

    • My Library
    Live and Invest Overseas
    • Home
    • Countries

      Top Destinations:

      Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

      • Spain
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • Colombia
      • Cyprus
      • Mexico
      • France
      • Montenegro
      • Browse All Countries

      Best For:

      • The Best Places To Retire
      • Health Care Abroad
      • Cost Of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Establishing Residency
      • Gun Laws In The World
      • English-Speaking Countries
      • Safest Places For Retirement
      • Best Places In Latin America
    • Budgets

      How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

      The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

      Super Cheap

      • Chitré, Panama
      • Santa Marta, Colombia
      • Phuket, Thailand
      • Dumaguete, The Philippines

      Cheap

      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Kyrenia, Cyprus
      • Hua Hin, Thailand
      • The Algarve, Portugal

      Affordable

      • Valencia, Spain
      • Cascais, Portugal
      • Las Terrenas, The DR
      • Pisa, Italy
      • La Rochelle, France
      • Mazatlán, Mexico

      Luxury

      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Kotor, Montenegro
      • The Panama City Beaches
      • Paris, France
    • Resources

      Global Living

      • Living & Retiring Overseas
      • Raising A Family Abroad
      • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
      • Offshore & Diversification

      Making Money

      • International Real Estate
      • Banking
      • Employment
      • Investing

      Follow Us:

      • Meet Our Experts
    • Real Estate

      Join our Weekly Newsletter
      Overseas Property Alert

      Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive expert insights on the best international real estate investment opportunities.






        We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

        Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

        • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

        Explore Our Latest Posts

        • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

        Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

        • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
      • Conferences

        Upcoming Events

        • Explore Our Events Site

        Live and Invest In Spain Conference

        Offshore Wealth Summit

        Greece Workshop

        VALENCIA, SPAIN

        Sep. 17-19, 2025

        PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

        Oct. 15-17, 2025

        VIRTUAL

        Nov. 13, 2025

        LEARN MORE
        DISCOUNT
        LEARN MORE
        PRE-REGISTER
        LEARN MORE
        PRE-REGISTER
        • MORE EVENTS

        Contact Our Events Team

        Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
        1 (888) 627 8834
        From Outside North America:
        1 (443) 599 1221
        Working Hours
        Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

        Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

      • Store

        Unlock The World

        • Access Your Library

        Overseas Havens Reports

        • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

        Conference Kits

        • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

        Lahardan Books

        • Titles on living and investing around the world
        • Explore Our Store
        Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

        Services

        overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
        The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
        Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

        Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

      • My Library
      Live and Invest Overseas
       Free Portugal Guide
      LIVE AND INVEST IN PORTUGAL
      View of a bridge in Portugal
      WORLD’S #1 RETIREMENT HAVEN
      Simply sign up to receive the FREE daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter plus our In Focus: Europe newsletter and we’ll immediately email you our editors’ latest research report… absolutely FREE






        We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

        Home Retirement/Living

        A Hidden Benefit Of Life In Portugal

        Discounts, Perks, And Respect

        by Jeff and Joch Woodruff
        Dec 06, 2024
        in Retirement/Living
        0 0
        Porto, Portugal cityscape

        AdobeStock/SeanPavonePhoto

        “Gosh, I am old.”

        This thought came to me unexpectedly the other day.

        The term “old” can have negative connotations. My inner voice was certainly using it in a critical way when that thought surfaced.

        I haven’t heard that critical voice for four years. I wonder if my 75th birthday being around the corner has anything to do with its return.

        My critical inner voice was louder back when Jeff and I lived in the United States.

        As a youngster, I did not know that voice. I was a carefree grade-school boy in Northern Minnesota, and our little town of 5,000 people embraced its elders.

        Their stories were important.

        Conversations were passionate, animated by hand gestures, and included large, mythical beasts to us… deer, wolves, moose, or walleye pike.

        They played accordions during public events at the lake park. Bocce ball and dominoes were the main pastimes every summer.

        Older folks’ dishes were the best at community potlucks. I recall helping a friend’s grandparent prep and cook a casserole the day before the town’s Halloween Potluck and Dance.

        The next day, after trick or treating, I was rewarded for my assistance by learning to polka at the community center. The grandmother patiently taught me how to avoid stepping on her toes.

        After my grandpa died in 1958, my grandma lived with our family in the fall, winter, and spring.

        Get Your Free Portugal Report Today!
        Simply enter your email address below and we'll send you our FREE REPORT — Portugal: The World’s #1 Retirement Haven.
        We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.
        She spent the summers in England with her other grandchildren. We divided the year up in this way because our house had central heating. My relatives in England did not.

        I felt so lucky that I now had a grandparent living with me, just like all my friends.

        My grandmother taught me how to mend my own clothes and sew buttons onto shirts. She also assured me and my brothers that it was OK for boys to know how to iron their own shirts.

        Sadly, over my lifetime, family arrangements like that faded away…

        By the time I was in my 60s, being an elder did not provide many benefits in the United States. I’m not surprised that my inner voice had become so negative by the time I finally retired.

        But wait!

        That was four years ago.

        I’m not retired in the United States anymore.

        I live in Portugal.

        My accumulated number of years is once again a good thing. I am guaranteed priority services by law. When I get on the bus or metro, folks stand back and wave me ahead. Women offer me their seats, and I know they’re older than me.

        When I enter a restaurant, I’m whisked ahead of others who are waiting. I’ve even been ushered to the front of grocery store check-out lines by younger folks. A total stranger once asked me if they could carry my bulging shopping bag.

        Being treated like this felt unusual at first. I now appreciate that it’s my new normal, and I like it.

        I have the Portuguese government to thank.Let me explain…

        A 2016 law approved by parliament (Assembleia da República) requires all public and private entities to provide priority services to people over the age of 65.

        The law is also applicable to people who are physically challenged, pregnant women, anyone holding or escorting children under two years old, and people with physical and/or mental disabilities.

        The public, including visitors to the country, must give away their first-come, first-served privilege when waiting at customer services in public and private venues, such as hospitals, supermarkets, banks, pharmacies, airports, public transportation, and other similar settings.

        It’s the law, and the law is enforced. People or institutions that don’t comply will receive a social misconduct offense, punishable by a fine of 50 to 500 euros for individuals and 100 to 1,000 euros for institutions.

        When Jeff and I researched retirement in Portugal, we discovered Portugal’s extensive governmental support for older folks like me. It was one of our many reasons for immigrating here.

        Portuguese communities provide programs for seniors at schools, libraries, plazas, churches, or civic centers.

        Some of the activities for folks over 65 are crafts, book clubs, musical performances, tours of local venues like museums, chair yoga and exercise classes, cooking demos, bird watching, and presentations by guest speakers.

        Often, there are no fees involved.

        Intergenerational activities are available as well.

        Trips to municipal gardens and zoos are organized. All age groups process through the streets in traditional dress to open municipal festivals at Easter, Christmas, or the day celebrating the city’s patron saint.

        Senior organizations spend many hours of preparation, with all age groups helping to create costumes and banners.

        We love how the elders organize and pass down the traditions with the support of their children, grandchildren, and civic employees.

        The University of the Third Age (Associação Rede de Universidades da Terceira Idade) provides classes specifically for people over the age of 50 at campuses throughout Portugal. These classes are free. And if you incur costs traveling to the classes, those expenses are reimbursed.

        This is not the only example of how my age saves me money…

        There are discounts—not just at the movie theater but also on monthly bus

        and metro transit passes, train tickets throughout the country, concerts, and restaurants, to name a few.

        Businesses in Portugal want me to come, relax, and enjoy.

        Add to that, the country’s programs for preventive health care, home visits to support living independently, and senior pensions for those without sufficient monthly income.

        Yup, I like how great it is to be alive and almost 75. I’m treated with much more respect in Portugal than back in the States.

        A vida é boa.

        Life is good for this elder living in Portugal.

        Sincerely,

        Joch Woodruff

        Portugal Circle Liaison

        Get Your Free Portugal Report Today!
        Simply enter your email address below and we'll send you our FREE REPORT — Portugal: The World’s #1 Retirement Haven.
        We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

        Tags: 'best places to retire overseas''Expats Overseas'Best Place to Retire AbroadBest place to retire in Portugal
        Share83Tweet52
        Jeff and Joch Woodruff

        Jeff and Joch Woodruff

        Jeff and Joch met in 2007 while volunteering on the board of a San Francisco non-profit organization. And, married in 2013. Joch turned 70 in 2019. So, Jeff suggested a January birthday trip to consider moving to Portugal. They flew to the Algarve, spent a couple of weeks exploring, visited Lisbon for three days and enjoyed a day in Sintra. They added two days and an overnight in Dublin on their return home. After comparing Portugal to numerous other retirement destinations Portugal remained the right decision for both of them. They reside in Braga. Their forever condo apartment is being built as they practice their Portuguese and plot post-pandemic trips around the world.

        Get Your Free Portugal Report Today!
        Simply enter your email address below and we'll send you our FREE REPORT — Portugal: The World’s #1 Retirement Haven.

        We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.
        Our Expertise Unlocks The World

        quick links

        • Best Places To Live
        • Best Places To Retire
        • Finding A Job Overseas
        • Real Estate

        LIOS Resources

        • New To LIOS
        • Ask An Expert
        • Media Center
        • Contact Us
        • FAQs
        the 10 best places to retire in 2025
        Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE REPORT: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2025






          We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

          As seen in

          US Media Logos

          © 2008 – Live and Invest Overseas™ – All Rights Reserved.

          About Us / Contact Us / Privacy Policy / Terms / Unsubscribe
          Facebook-f X-twitter Youtube Linkedin-in Instagram

          Welcome Back!

          Login to your account below

          Forgotten Password?

          Retrieve your password

          Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

          Log In
          HOME

          Top Countries

          • Spain
          • Portugal
          • Panama
          • Belize
          • Colombia
          • Cyprus
          • Mexico
          • France
          • Montenegro

          Best For:

          • Health Care Abroad
          • Retirement Living
          • Cost Of Living
          • Investing in Real Estate
          • Establishing Residency
          • Gun Ownership
          • English Speakers
          • Safety
          BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

          Budgets

          How Much Will It Cost
          To Live Overseas?

          Super Cheap

          • Chitré, Panama
          • Santa Marta, Colombia
          • Phuket, Thailand
          • Dumaguete, The Philippines

          Cheap

          • Medellin, Colombia
          • Boquete, Panama
          • Kyrenia, Cyprus
          • Hua Hin, Thailand
          • The Algarve, Portugal

          Affordable

          • Valencia, Spain
          • Cascais, Portugal
          • Las Terrenas, The DR
          • Pisa, Italy
          • La Rochelle, France
          • Mazatlán, Mexico

          Luxury

          • Ambergris Caye, Belize
          • Kotor, Montenegro
          • The Panama City Beaches
          • Paris, France

          Resources

          Global Living

          • Living & Retiring Overseas
          • Raising A Family Abroad
          • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
          • Offshore & Diversification

          Making Money

          • International Real Estate
          • Banking
          • Employment
          • Investing
          Meet Our Experts

          Real Estate

          Overseas Property Alert 

           

          How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams

          VISIT SITE

          Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

           

          Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

          READ MORE

          Explore Our Latest Posts

           

          Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

          EXPLORE

          Conferences

          Live and Invest In Spain Conference

          VALENCIA, SPAIN Sep. 17-19, 2025
          LEARN MORE
          DISCOUNT

          Offshore Wealth Summit

          PANAMA CITY, PANAMA Oct. 15-17, 2025
          LEARN MORE
          PRE-REGISTER

          GREECE WORKSHOP

          VIRTUAL Nov. 13, 2025
          LEARN MORE
          PRE-REGISTER
          MORE EVENTS

          Contact Our Events Team:

          Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
          1 (888) 627 8834

          From Outside North America:
          1 (443) 599 1221

          Working Hours
          Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

          Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

          Store

          Overseas Havens Reports

          • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

          Conference Kits

          • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

          Lahardan Books

          • Titles on living and investing around the world

          Services

          • Overseas Living Letter: Affordable Retirement Guidance
          • The Simon Letter: Wealth Protection Insights
          • Global Property Advisor: Global Investment Opportunitites
          VISIT OUR STORE

          Free Report

          THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

          FREE REPORT: The 10 Best Places To retire in 2025

          Sign up to receive the FREE daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter and we’ll immediately email you our editors’ latest research report…






            We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

            LIBRARY

            Follow Us:

            © 2008 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

            RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY

            Sign up for FREE to learn how. Plus, check out our FREE report on THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE


            We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

            RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY

            Sign up for FREE and learn how to live the good life on a modest budget, find bargain property, and more. Plus, check out our free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE.

            We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.