Sometimes a vacation turns into a STAYcation. As in “I’m stayin’ here!”

Whether you’re retiring to a change of pace, a digital nomad seeking a beachy new place to pitch your cyber-tent, or you’re just running from the law for a crime you didn’t commit, Portugal may be home to the New You you’ve been looking for.

Before — and especially during — Covid, adventure-seekers from America, England, Ireland, Norway, Italy and a host of other countries decided to ditch their long-time homes and relocate to this idyllic, sunny wonderland at the western edge of Europe. And though real estate prices have gone up, the cost of living is still low, which means … it’s not too late for you to get a new permanent address.

Temperate, culturally diverse and a cheap flight to virtually everywhere else in Europe, Portugal is one of the easiest countries in which to gain citizenship and a whole new life, just like the guest on this week’s episode of A Fork on the Road, Lisbon’s ex-pat Liz.

You can watch episode 99, Top 10 Reasons to Move to Portugal, here.

In 99, Liz walks us through the top 10 reasons to move to Portugal. After 50 years in America and 30 years of research, Liz finally left Los Angeles to set up her new home in a bustling resort town in the south of Portugal. She explains the paperwork, the various cities that are popular with ex-pats, shopping, making new friends, dating and how the food is “Different. Not different bad, but different.”

Hosts Mark and Yeni go deep inside the Masonic Castle at Sintra and dash around the vibrant colonial city of Lisbon on a wild vespa ride during their time staying at the boutique Alma Lusa hotel in the center of the city.

Yeni has a “soup-phiany” at Fatto eating Chef Claudio Coelho’s mushroom truffle and chickpea soup but can’t decide if it’s better than her mushroom soup at Tuscany’s Osteria Di Passignano.

Liz dishes on the drinking habits of British ex-pats (excessive) and the Portugal palate (bland-ish) while Mark and Yeni revel in their neighborhood food tour that included pastel de nata from Timeout Market Lisboa, a food hall with more meat than Gold’s Gym on a Friday night.

Links, insights and Liz’s inspiring story of courage make this an episode you want to watch over and over … as you fly over the ocean en route to your new home.

• @MarkDeCarlo – X
• @MarkDeCarloTV – Instagram