How can you support your kids in a country where you’ve never lived? How can you help them thrive abroad?

That’s what we talk about in today’s Adventure Calls podcast episode.

If you’re a parent considering a move abroad or planning for a future as an expat parent, this episode is essential. Moving abroad is overwhelming: visas, housing, language, work, and the safety, security, and happiness of your kids.

Everyone says kids adjust faster than adults, but the truth is, we don’t know exactly how our kids will react. We just want them to have a better life. In this conversation, we explore the factors you as a parent can control in this unpredictable experience.

Relocating abroad with your family can provide your children with better opportunities and a richer cultural and language education with lifelong benefits.

It’s crucial for parents to understand the process from their children’s perspective—how each stage of relocation affects them. This helps you support, listen, and intervene when necessary.

Today, we speak with Karlijn Jacobs, Netherlands-based entrepreneur and founder of Expat Valley. Karlijn is a trained children’s therapist and relocation expert who moved to Shanghai in 2010. After two years, she had her first daughter. After five years in China, Karlijn returned to the Netherlands to give birth to their second daughter.

Now, she works to make international relocation easier and more fun for families through Expat Valley.

Find Karlijn Jacobs online:

Company: Expat Valley
Website: www.expatvalley.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobskarlijn

Find Rainbow Relocation Strategies across the web:

Services: Rainbow Relocation Strategies | Rainbowrelo.com
Free Community: Queer Expats Worldwide Facebook Community
Instagram: @rainbowrelo
Book: How To Move Abroad

About the Adventure Calls podcast

The Adventure Calls podcast seeks to empower queer folks, our families and allies to move, live and thrive abroad with interviews with relocation experts, queer expats who have successfully relocated and other organizations that give a lens on the LGBTQ+ experience in the world.

The host / producer, Jess Drucker, is the founder of Rainbow Relocation Strategies, a company that centers the experience of queer expats around the world.

Over the past few weeks, Google searches around How To Move Abroad have skyrocketed, up more than 1000% percent overall.

And many of those searches, especially for the LGBTQ+ community, are geared toward Portugal. Between the D-8 Digital Nomad visa and the D-7 retirement / non-lucrative visa, Portugal has made it onto every future expats radar.

But what is it actually like to live there? Just because you might be able to get a visa to move there, do you want to?

That’s where Sue and Diana come in. Sue Reddel and Diana Laskaris are a married couple who moved to Portugal in 2021 from the States. They moved with their two elderly cats and made a life for themselves. The duo are former corporate executives who jumped off the ladder and into entrepreneurship roughly a decade ago, and now they work remotely from Portugal and run Food Travelist, a food and travel publication.

The pair are avid travelers, but Sue had never lived abroad before this move. So what has it been like to move to this beautiful, coastal Southern European country?

That’s what we get into in this episode.

This conversation was recorded inside our Queer Expats Worldwide community on Facebook, and shared with you here. It is a bit longer than our usual episodes, but because of the popularity of Portugal as a possible relocation destination, we wanted to share it with you in its entirety.

To access more interviews like this and a very active community of LGBTQ+ folks and families, join our Queer Expats Worldwide community.

Sue and Diana can be found at:

Website: Food Travelist
Instagram: @foodtravelist
Facebook community: Queer Women and Friends in Portugal

Links mentioned in this episode:
Transport your larger animals abroad for your move with barkair.com

Sue and Diana have written two books:
101 Tips for Moving To Portugal
What Should I Do Now?

Rainbow Relocation Strategies:
Find out how to work with us at: Rainbow Relocation Strategies
Instagram: @rainbowrelo
Book: How To Move Abroad
Queer Expats Worldwide Facebook Community

Your host, Jessica Drucker, can be found online at jessicadrucker.com

The Adventure Calls podcast is a bi-weekly podcast that seeks to empower queer folks to move, live and thrive abroad with interviews with relocation experts, queer expats who have successfully relocated and other organizations that give a lens on the LGBTQ+ experience in the world.

Portugal has been at the top of almost every 'Best Places to Move Abroad' list for the last several years...but is it really?

Anything that receives so much attention can't be real... can it? Well, it just might be! If you are interested in moving to Portugal, get out your pen and paper and get ready to take some serious notes, because this is everything you need to know to move to Portugal in 2025.

In this episode of Adventure Calls, host Jess Drucker chats with expert relocation consultant Rossana Veglia, who shares invaluable insights on successfully moving to Portugal. From visa navigation to housing and community integration, you will get to the bottom of advice from an actual expert on how to actual move to Portugal.

Rossana Veglia is the Chief Mobility Officer at Global International Relocation, offering extensive relocation services in Portugal from offices in Porto, Lisbon, and the Algarve. Originally from Venezuela, Rossana has lived in the US, Spain, and Portugal, bringing vast personal and professional expertise in immigration and relocation. Her company supports various visa categories and helps individuals transition smoothly to life in Portugal. With a deep understanding of the visa systems and housing market, Rossana is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to move abroad.

Below are the key takeaways from this episode:

• Visa Processes: Applications take approximately 90 days, requiring thorough documentation, such as proof of financial means and accommodation.
• Housing and Moving: Post-approval, moving takes 5-8 months. Lisbon is pricier, while coastal and smaller town options like the Algarve and Silver Coast offer more affordable real estate.
• LGBTQ Inclusivity: Portugal is welcoming to LGBTQ expats, especially in Lisbon’s Príncipe Real and Bairro Alto, with active communities and inclusivity programs.
• Relocation Support: Companies like Global International Relocation offer comprehensive support, from visas to finding accommodations, with significant presence in key Portuguese cities.
• Affordability: Despite rising city costs, Portugal remains affordable for expats, with smaller towns providing a balance of cost, quality of life, and investment opportunities.

Find Rossana Veglia:

Website: https://global.pt/en/homepage-en/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossanaveglia/?originalSubdomain=pt

Rainbow Relocation Strategies:

Queer Expats Worldwide Facebook Community

Rainbow Relocation Strategies

@rainbowrelo on Instagram

Book: How To Move Abroad

Your host, Jessica Drucker, can be found online at jessicadrucker.com

The Adventure Calls podcast is a bi-weekly podcast that seeks to empower queer folks to move, live and thrive abroad with interviews with relocation experts, queer expats who have successfully relocated and other organizations that give a lens on the LGBTQ+ experience in the world.