Voluntarily Vagrant… but now with a place in Cascais!

March 22, 2026: A year ago, while driving in the Australian Outback we decided “Let’s move to Europe!”   And nine months later, we are voluntarily vagrant… but now with a place in Cascais!

Big Decisions

We started 2025 with an epic four-month trip to Australia.  If you haven’t been down under – go.  The country is vast and spectacular, with vibes ranging from European propriety to tribal to the wild, wild, American West.  And all of it is wrapped in that sunny attitude that is uniquely Australian.  

While driving there, we heard one of our favorite songs on the radio – The Way, a 1998 hit by Fastball. 

Based on a true story, the song tells of a couple that decided to… just go:

They made up their minds,
And they started packing
They left before the sun came up that day
An exit to eternal summer slacking
But where were they going
Without ever knowing the way?

They drank up the wine,
And they got to talking
They now had more important things to say
And when the car broke down,
They started walking
Where were they going
Without ever knowing the way?

In some ways, the song sums up our life over since late 2019.  A cancer scare had made me realize I didn’t have to work quite so hard anymore.  Or maybe at all. Our (wonderful) kids were independent and busy with their lives, as were my folks.  We realized that “life moves pretty fast.”

So we made the first big decision – I retired in early 2020, and we and started traveling for months on end.  We were seldom in our beautiful Charlotte home.  

Then a year ago, on that long drive in Western Australia, we made the next big decision – lets move to Europe. 

A few months later a neighbor bought our home and we packed our life in 60 boxes.  For many reasons, Portugal was our chosen destination.  The approval process for our type of visa typically takes about two to three years.  With no real home, we became “voluntarily vagrant” and planned to travel for a couple of years while the visa process played out.

Where were we going without ever knowing the way?

Christmas in Cascais

Last August, we visited the Portuguese village of Cascais, a short train ride from Lisbon.  It boasts a large local farmer’s market, breathtaking coastal runs (yes, pun intended), eclectic restaurants and friendly locals.  It seemed ideal place to live – when we eventually get our Portuguese residency.

But to really know, we needed “live there like a local” for awhile. So, after hugging family and friends in the fall, we jetted to back to Cascais for a two-month trial… just the two of us for the holidays.

Our rental was small, with a winding spiral stair barely wide enough for my shoulders.  But it offered a spectacular view down to the cobblestone waves of the praça. 

Cascais had certainly decked the halls for the Christmas market.  Beneath the lights, vendors offered hot roasted chestnuts and mulled wine.  On Christmas Eve, the tiny parish church buzzed with whispered “Feliz Natal” as families crowded in, hoping for a seat.  And at New Year’s, fireworks exploded at midnight over the beach as we watched through our open window.  It was a magical holiday.

Living Local

With the new year (ano novo), our “local life” began.  It wasn’t all perfect – heavy rains and local flooding put a damper on some plans.  But by and large, it was very nice. 

All one might need was within an 8-minute walk: the beach, the train, the farmers market and the Auchon Hypermart (with everything from PCs to cheese). I found a local gym to offset my holiday excesses.  Jean shopped produce and fish at the farmers’ market every weekend.  We learned to say “Disculpe, estou aprendendo Português, aos poucos” (“Sorry, I am learning Portuguese, little by little”).  As is often the case in a foreign land, a smile and some humility goes a very long way.  Shopkeepers (the patient victims of our mangled Portuguese) would chuckle and teach us a bit, every day.  

Next decision: yes, Cascais is a great place for our eventual move.  After we have our Portuguese residency cards of course. In 2027. Or maybe even 2028.  Whenever the immigration approvals are complete. Until then – we would remain voluntarily vagrant.

Naturally, Jean started researching area apartments.

Naturally, she found exactly the right place, available right now.

Apartment Idalina

So we made the next decision: Apartment Idalina is now ours.  We couldn’t pass it up: central location, bright with big windows overlooking a park, a new kitchen, four nice neighbors, and the right price.  We had a contract and keys in hand by late January. 

Our final three weeks in Cascais were consumed getting Idalina move-in ready.  We assembled Ikea furniture at a furious pace, humming The Way as we turned the 1,000^th cam-lock nut.

So you live in Portual now?

Well, no. We have a place to live in Portugal… but we can’t actually live in Portugal yet.

My biometric (security) appointment was on February 3:  The friendly AIMA (Portuguese Immigration) agent fingerprinted me, collected a (big) fee, and sent me on my way. Assuming AIMA confirms that I am in fact me, I should get my resident card in a couple of months.  We are still waiting for Jean’s biometric… hopefully it will be sometime this summer.  

Until then, our days in Europe are limited by Schengen 90/180 DayRules.

Regardless, we will be shipping our 60 Boxes in May.  It will take about eight weeks to reach Cascais, at which time we will pop over for a week to lug it all inside, and then depart (Schengen rules!), still voluntarily vagrant.  We do look forward to getting residency cards so we can enjoy our old things in our new place in a more leisurely manner!

And if you are wondering… yes, we will maintain a permanent residence in Charlotte.  Our rented room with James and Jess will be a lot more comfortable once the 60 boxes are out 🙂

See you in May?

May will find us busy loading pallets with James and Jess, then visiting Dane and my parents in Kansas.  Charlotte friends, we want to see you too!  Our Plaza Midwood Airbnb has a firepit, perfect for a glass of wine on a spring evening. 

So where are we going without ever knowing the way? We’re still not sure… but that may be the whole point.

See you in May!

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