We wrote about the challenges and excitement of our move from Medford, Oregon to Olhão, Portugal in the summer of 2022. There was an international shipment of our property, an emergency passport pick up in Seattle, a FlixBus trip to Portland, car trips, airport shuttles, and long flights with 3 pets and 6 massive suitcases to contend with. We were supremely confident that when we found a more permanent home within Portugal our second move would be a breeze. We would rehire the local company that moved our belongings in to the Olhão rental, rent a car for pets, people, and our “must haves”, and be on our merry way. Portugal is the size of Indiana and tons of people move far greater distances, right? In the States you would probably rent a U-haul, chuck your stuff in with the help of some friends, and hit the road.

OLHÃO TO URGEZES

Distance: 376 miles

First Property Pick Up In Olhão: 8/21/24

Number Of Days A Neighbor’s Car Blocked Access To Our Doorway In Olhão: 10

Number Of Days Living In Olhão Without A Fridge/Kitchen: 4 (thank the stars for Alzira and Café Bianca).

Moving Day For People And Pets: 8/28/24

Items Left Behind In The Olhão House (With Our Landlord’s Permission) Until The Neighbor’s Car Moved: Piano, 2 Sofas, and a large cabinet.

Portuguese Neighborhood Watch To Notify Us/Landlord/Movers When The Neighbor’s Car Moved: ACTIVATED with at least 4 participants who coordinated blocking off parking spots for the movers.

First Delivery In Urgezes: 8/29/24 at 8:00 am (my goodness that was fast, we were barely awake).

Was A Neighbor Parked In Front Of Our Urgezes Garage During Shipment Arrivals? Yes, on 2 of 4 occasions.

Items We Decided To Move Into The House On Our Own (This Was Probably An Error In Judgement): 1 game cabinet upstairs and 1 large cabinet into the lower level bathroom.

Fourth And Final Pick Up In Olhão: 9/1/24

Arrival Of Our First House Guest: 9/10/24

Piano Move From The Garage Into The House: 6 brawny men, 1 heavy machinery rental, and the removal of our front door.

“Final” Delivery: 9/19/24

Number Of Days 2 Suitcases, 5 Boxes, And 4 Bins Were Missing: 8

Delivery Of Our Missing Items: 9/27/24

Number Of Items Broken: 0!

Total Days For Move: 37

Overconfidence: Adjusted

Satisfaction: Patience tested, but highly satisfied with the final result.

Conclusion: We have a LOT of stuff, and there is a distinct possibility that many Portuguese people would rather sell their belongings than move them. Just relocating from one region to another inside the country can be a bit tricky to organize.