Moving to Portugal; What I actually didn’t need to pack

As we were researching our move to Portugal, some of the biggest questions were what do we take, what can we take, what will we have room for and what would we not be able to find. There were a ton of posts about all this in all of the Facebook groups, but it was still really hard to figure it all out. We were downsizing considerably from a 4 bedroom, 2400 sq ft house to a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment. Also there were things we knew wouldn’t work due to the difference in voltage. It was a very frustrating process. If you are considering a move to Portugal, maybe this will help you to avoid some of the headaches we encountered. 

Clothes- SO MANY CLOTHES!!!

We didn’t know at first where we would be living. We wanted to live in the Algarve but also were open to anywhere. So it was hard to know what kind of climate we needed to pack for. Also we knew we would be traveling around Europe and there were lots of climates in Europe. We also had to split up some clothes to ship on the palette that would take 3 months and bring enough to last until then. And during that time, the temperature was going to change. We arrived in September while it was hot and wouldn’t be getting the palette until winter, so I needed clothes right away for both climates. So many of the blog posts said it was better to bring what you need because of sizing. I am a womens Medium/Large. There are plenty of stores in Tavira to buy clothes, and even more throughout the Algarve for all budgets. I easily could have left at least half of it behind. I had literally turned an entire bedroom in my old house into a closet and here I have a fraction of that space. I have to separate my clothes by season now and vacuum seal the rest to put away. 

There is also a lot that I brought that I will probably never wear here. I brought about 8 pairs of jeans and I wear only 3. I pretty much live in casual summer dresses while it’s warm and jeans and sweaters while it’s cold. I brought a lot of jackets, including 2 nice coats. I only wore one of them in Paris. I did not need to bring so much. There are a lot of items I have brought that I haven’t worn at all. I also have bought some stuff here. As long as you fit standard sizes, you will have no problem finding clothing here.  

Shoes-

Yea, I also brought too many pairs of shoes. This one is actually half good and half bad that I brought so much. First, I brought almost 20 pairs of Converse and I don’t regret that at all. They are my favorite kinds of shoes. I wear them for day-to-day and to the gym. I have all different colors and textures and even 3 pairs of custom ones. They are not easy to find here and they are way more expensive. I used to buy most of mine at the outlet and in the kids section so I usually paid around $25 a pair, and here they have limited styles and are about €75. 

I brought 2 pairs of heels and 1 pair of wedges. Most of the streets are cobblestone and I have yet to wear any of them. I knew that would probably be the case but I figured one day I might need them. I also brought some other shoes that had practically no grip and I can’t wear those either. The cobblestones can be really slippery and falls suck. 

Again, there are so many places to buy shoes. The only problem I have had is because I have a wide foot. So I have had some trouble finding some. But if you wear normal sizes, you won’t have any problems. 

Fluffy Towels-

I wanted to shower as soon as we got here so I was glad at that point to have them, but we don’t use them anymore. I brought about 4 fluffy towels and they just don’t dry well. We have to line dry so they dry hard and they take forever and end up smelling like mildew. We bought these quick dry towels and they actually stay fluffy, even without fabric softener. 

Handbags-

I only brought a few of my nicer handbags. I sold most of them and left some in storage. I use a canvas tote almost every day, I bought a mini backpack here and a small crossbody that I use sometimes and I think I have used 2 others a handful of times. I have not used an actual, nice handbag since I got here and the ones I brought just sit in my tiny closet taking up space.

Random kitchen and home items-

I packed up random stuff that I use regularly just because I wasn’t sure. For example; digital scale, ice cube trays, (although I do like the one I brought with the attached bin) random utensils. You really can find just about everything. There are plenty of stores that sell kitchen and home things. Additionally, the apartment we rented was furnished and had a fully stocked kitchen so we really didn’t need a lot of what we brought and they are just taking up valuable space. 

Of course, you have to decide what is worth it for you to bring. Also, styles here are different from Las Vegas style. It’s a much more relaxed, casual and comfortable vibe here in Portugal. You also need to factor in the cost. If I would have brought less, I would have saved a lot of money on checked bags and I probably wouldn’t have spent that much buying new stuff. Keep all this in mind when you are planning your move, especially if you are downsizing your living space as much as we did. We have way too much in this apartment still and I already need to get rid of things. And downsizing my life and not having so much is so worth it to live in this beautiful country!