Why We Left the U.S. and Moved to Portugal

The Origins of Venture Along. The moment we stopped thinking about what we should do and started doing what we wanted to.

4/2/20261 min read

Rescue dog in a packed Subaru on moving day, leaving the U.S. to move to Portugal
Rescue dog in a packed Subaru on moving day, leaving the U.S. to move to Portugal

In the summer of 2025, we packed up the life we had built in Austin over nearly 10 years, loaded our rescue dog into the Subaru, and headed north. Portugal-bound, eventually.

Did we speak the language? Not yet. Did we know people there? A few. Had we secured remote work? No. So why were we moving there?

One simple reason: we wanted to. The culture felt like a good match to the life we wanted to build. The people are nice, the food is fresh and healthy, and the coastline feels like the edge of the world, as it was once considered to be. We had traveled back four times since our honeymoon in 2018 and the happiest times of our lives were within its frontiers.

Portugal's Silver Coast with Atlantic Ocean views at sunset.
Portugal's Silver Coast with Atlantic Ocean views at sunset.

This is the origin story of Venture Along. It’s the story that started when we stopped thinking about what we should do, and started doing what we wanted to. We invite you to follow along.

John William and Benaz

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You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out. Whether you're deep in the research phase or just starting to dream, we'd love to hear from you.

Email

info@venturealong.com