By The Green Parent
30th August 2023
They provide a space for van lifers to stay as well as helping those who want to live ‘off-matrix’ in Portugal find somewhere to live.
“We had a lovely house in Devon and great jobs but no time. So rather than spending my work bonus on a car, I bought a van on a whim from eBay and we went travelling. As we crossed the border into Portugal we got this feeling and fell in love with the place.
In Portugal, the old timers live differently. Everyone’s growing their own food, but don’t own material stuff. It’s more focussed on nature and sharing. Donna Aurora is the oldest lady in our village; she’s 89 and out every day in her garden. She’s an expert in permaculture, although she wouldn’t call it that; it’s just how she grows her food!
Here, I’m time rich and cash poor, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We live off the rent from our house in the UK. Our water is off-grid and free, but our electrics are on, which is a bit expensive, although we have a small solar set-up. The local markets are cheap.
“Here I’m time rich and cash poor, and I wouldn’t have it any other way”
We host van lifers and travellers in a small studio guest annexe and caravan We work on conscious donations; it’s about the experiences that our family get from all the different people who have come to stay with us. People might dig us a sandpit or build us some gates, chop down some trees. We’ve learned how to grow food, when to prune our trees, how to fix everything. YouTube university is useful!
We had a Dutch family staying with us recently, with another five-year-old boy. He and Lawrie went out walking; they were gone for an hour, but no-one was worried. Then we saw them coming back through the olive grove. They’d been on a five kilometre walk! Everyone here knows who we are. There’s no traffic to worry about. Lawrie goes to a state school and there are only 10 children.
I would advise anyone to try what we’ve done. We can always go back to England, walk back into that life in a week. But life starts at the edge of your comfort zone! That’s how we try to live.”
Find out more at livingthelifeportugal.com
