From Cruise Ship Musician to Practice Portuguese Co-Founder – An Interview with Joel Rendall
Practice Portuguese is one of the most comprehensive (and most popular) tools for learning European Portuguese. It’s something many people living in Portugal will be familiar with, but most people probably don’t know the story of how it came to be. In this interview, I chat to Joel Rendall about how he came to live in Portugal, the difference between life here and life in Canada, and his personal tips for learning Portuguese. Also worth mentioning: Practice Portuguese normally costs …
Interview: From Berlin to Porto – David McNeill of Expat Empire
David McNeill is the owner of Expat Empire, a website that helps you in the process of moving abroad and which he runs from Porto. But although he’s based in Portugal now, this wasn’t where he initially thought he’d end up. James: Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you ended up in Porto David: I’m originally from California but moved around a lot growing up due to my parents’ jobs. For me, the travel passion all started …
Moving a Startup from San Francisco to Lisbon: An Interview with Bounce Founder Cody Candee
Bounce is the largest network of luggage storage and locker providers worldwide. It’s popular with travelers or people going to events who want to leave their luggage on arrival or departure day, instead of dragging their bags around the city. In 2023, Bounce made the decision to base their HQ out of Lisbon, a move which Cody Candee was kind enough to discuss with Portugalist. James: I’m curious why you chose Lisbon over cities like Berlin, Paris, London, or other …
Mia Esmeriz On Learning Portuguese in 6 Months
If you’ve spent any time looking for Portuguese-learning resources, you’ve probably already discovered one of the big frustrations: most of what’s out there is for Brazilian Portuguese, not European Portuguese. That’s exactly the gap that Mia Esmeriz has been filling since 2017. Through her website, YouTube channel, and a complete set of courses from A1 to B2, she’s helped thousands of students learn real, everyday European Portuguese—from pronunciation and listening skills to grammar and natural conversation. In this interview, Mia …
From Idaho to the Algarve – An interview with Stacy Ennis
Stacy Ennis is a best-selling author, coach, and speaker on a mission to help leaders clarify their ideas and harness their unique story to make an impact. Originally from Idaho, Stacy has spent most of her adult life exploring the entire world, and has lived in the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Thailand, and now Portugal. In this interview, we discuss what made her move to Portugal and some of the challenges she faced along the way. Tell me a little bit …
Interview: How Tricia & Griff Alker Started a Beef Jerky Business in the Azores
In this interview, Tricia Alker explains how she moved from the US to the island of Pico in the Azores. She talks about how they had initially planned to start another business within the seafood industry, but life had other plans and they ended up starting Azores Jerky, a beef jerky company. What motivated you to move from California to Pico island in the Azores? In 1998 my husband was asked by a colleague/friend in California to help in a …
From Russia to Portugal: How Tatiana Bogomazova Mastered the Portuguese Language
Tatiana Bogomazova grew up in Siberia in Russia, but a chance Erasmus trip led her to the Algarve and then onto Lisbon. Discovering a passion for the Portuguese language, she soon mastered the language, eventually sitting the C2 exam and then becoming a Portuguese language tutor. James: What made you decide to move to Portugal? Tatiana: I moved to Portugal somewhat by chance. My first acquaintance with the country was when I received a scholarship for a year-long study through …
Luxury Travel Agent Marisa DeSalvio on Moving to Lisbon from Washington, DC
After falling in love with Portugal, Marisa DeSalvio made the decision to move from her busy life in Washington, DC to Lisbon. As she already ran a luxury travel agency, DeSalvio Travel, she used Portugal’s D2 or entrepreneur visa to apply for residency. Thankfully, it was accepted and she was able to make a new life in Portugal. James: What made you move to Portugal? Marisa: So many reasons! It’s been a 15 year dream of mine to move to …
From Erasmus Student to Lisbon Tour Guide: An Interview with Elena Bicu
Lisbon tour guide Elena Bicu moved from Romania to Lisbon for her Erasmus but loved it so much that she decided to make Lisbon her permanent home. In this interview we look at how she almost didn’t end up in Lisbon, what it was like being a student there, and what her post-student life is like now. So, tell me a little bit about yourself I’m Elena. I’m originally from Romania and I moved to Portugal about six years ago. …