Sick of his 14-hour workdays and fast-paced lifestyle, former restaurant manager Joe Rice took the plunge and hasn’t looked back since

email WhatsApp link share Share bookmark Save

email WhatsApp link bookmark

I was born in Kent and lived in south-east London for the first 25 years of my life. I do love the UK, but obviously the weather’s not great. By my mid-twenties, I was working in hospitality as a general manager of a restaurant when I happened to get a birthday gift to go to New York.

Like so many others, I thought it was amazing. After a few holidays there, I took the plunge in 1996 and ended up spending 25 years there. It was a great move career-wise, because I became successful. I worked my way up from being a waiter to becoming the director of food and beverage for two hotels in the city by the time I left.

As much as I loved what I did, it was very stressful. I didn’t have much time for anything outside of my career. And then the pandemic hit the hospitality industry hard and it made me re-evaluate what I wanted in life. I asked myself: do I want to stay in this job where I’m working six days a week, for 12 to 14 hours a shift? Do I want to be on the other side of the world when the rest of my family – including my father and stepmother, who are getting older – are in Europe?

As a workaholic, I realised if I didn’t make a change once the pandemic was over, I’d end up staying exactly where I was. My sister had been in the same job as the managing partner of an NHS practice for 28 years and I thought she might want a change of scene too. So before I changed my mind I called her and said “Hey, do you fancy moving?” To my shock, she said yes. Her kids had left home and she and her partner wanted a change.

We quickly narrowed our choices down to Spain or Portugal. Both were close enough to London that if we needed to check in on my family, we could. I had been to Spain and had a decent understanding of Spanish. But there was something about Portugal that felt more appealing – even though I’d never set foot there a day in my life.

To ensure it was the right move, we did our research and my sister made a couple of visits, taking videos to capture the essence of what life would be like. That was more than enough for me. By 2021, me, my sister and her partner arrived in Cascais, a gorgeous town by the seaside, not too far from Lisbon.

Because I’d moved abroad before, I knew roughly what we’d need to do in terms of securing visas and working around some of the issues that Brexit brought up in terms of us no longer being in the EU. But for a bit of extra guidance, we approached a company called Global Citizen Solutions for advice on which options to pursue. In the end, it was a very simple process.

I originally came over on the D2 Entrepreneur Visa, which requires you to demonstrate that you have the funding and business plan to potentially set up a business in the country. You also need to show you have at least €10,440 (about £9,058) in your bank account. My sister and her partner, meanwhile, came on the D7 Passive Income visa, which requires you to demonstrate that you have access to at least €9,840 (£8,544). You then have the right to live, study and/or work in Portugal, with the option to qualify for permanent residency or citizenship after five years.

In the first year of living here, I was finding my feet, so I lived off savings and didn’t work, which was a nice contrast from what I’d known for most of my life. then set up a catering company part-time. I employ staff as and when for small events and it is a side hustle rather than a main gig. I also took on a role as head of citizenship programmes with the company that advised us on which visa to get.

Joe Rice in Lisbon

From the start I have had no issues communicating. English is widely spoken and I do understand some Portuguese so I get the general gist of conversations although when I eventually pursue citizenship, I will knuckle down and learn the language properly.

There is a lot of bureaucracy and paperwork for even the most simple processes. A lot of people complain about it, but I’ve been here nearly four years now, and I think I’m finally getting to the point where I accept that this is just the way they do things in Portugal.

It’s hard to narrow down my favourite things about living in Portugal. I’d always wanted to move somewhere where I just felt relaxed and not necessarily so worried about money and living here has given me that.

Not only is the weather amazing, the cost of living is incredible. I rent a one-bedroom apartment – since moving, rent has ranged from €900 to €1,200 a month (£781-£1,041). When we go for dinner, we pay €15 for a good meal and a few glasses of wine. As a single person, groceries cost me about €60 (£52) a week and petrol is about €30-€50 (£26-£43) per week, depending on how often I use the car.

Taxis are cheap too. I moved to Lisbon a few months ago and when friends come to visit they’re amazed at only having to pay around €3-€4 euros for a Bolt or an Uber around the city.

It’s a great way of life. I haven’t seen any evidence of locals being hostile to expats. Rowdy tourists aren’t welcome, of course, but I’ve met hundreds of Portuguese people and made lots of local friends and they’ve all been so welcoming. Travelling to work on a train and getting to watch the sea out of the window is insane too, and my office overlooks the water, which I love. My sister also loves the sunshine and living by the sea.

If there are any downsides, it’s that as beautiful as the beaches are, I still can’t get used to the freezing cold water. You also have to adjust to the slower pace of life. I just bought a car and it was supposed to be here a month and a half ago. It’s still not here, and I’ve just accepted it. It’s the way things work here, people don’t want to be stressed or in a state of constant want.

When I look back, I don’t regret a thing about choosing to live here. In fact, sometimes I still can’t believe it’s gone as well as it has. I knew I wanted this, but actually getting it has shocked me. I had some friends visit me for my 50th birthday a couple of years ago and they all said: “Joe, you’re so different. You’re so relaxed,” and they’re absolutely right. Moving here did exactly what I wanted it to.

Joe Rice was talking to Kuba Shand-Baptiste