Portugal: Expat family commutes to Britain

A British family has spoken of their lifestyle decision to move to Portugal but remain employed in the UK. Jo Wheeler and Richard Edwards said they felt life was becoming more stressful in the UK, prompting them to consider purchasing an overseas property and moving abroad.

The family decided to opt for their favourite holiday spot Portugal, as the country offered good weather, environment and a cheaper cost of living.

However, they also chose to stay in their original jobs back home, as they had both commuted between Cheshire and London anyway.

Ms Wheeler said in an interview to the Telegraph that they both realised that flying out from Portugal to the UK took roughly the same amount of time as their UK commute, leading them to consider this as a viable move. Initially they rented in Portugal until finding ‘a huge wreck’ with land and a pool in Luz near Lagos for less than the amount for which they had sold their Cheshire home. The children, reluctant at first to leave England, settled in quickly. The local school they found was tiny with just 70 pupils, and several expat children, so it made them very welcome.

She said: “We are now international people and our children have far more physical freedom and fun in the environment than at home.”

According to a study by Yorkshire Bank, 43 per cent of Britons are considering buying a place in the sun, mainly because of this year’s wet summer in the UK.