The mission of Algarve Addicts is to reveal what life is really like inside the Algarve and Portugal, as a foreigner living in the country. We want to help expats transition seamlessly and effortlessly into a normal, productive and integrated life in Portugal through the entertaining use of digital content.
Sold Everything to Walk to Portugal With a Donkey? ft. Laura | Algarve Addicts | S3 • 18
Connect with Laura:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elegantly_wildWebsite: https://www.elegantlywild.com/Laura is a relationship coach supporting midlife women through dating and nervous system regulation. But her journey to Portugal took a decade - starting with a camper van, then attempting to walk from Belgium with a donkey named Robbie, building remote land in Alentejo, and eventually finding her calling helping women reconnect with themselves.After traveling for years searching for home, Laura fell in love with Portugal and sold her 1985 Mercedes motorhome to pursue radical simplicity. She attempted walking from Belgium with her friend's Belgian shire horse and yurt, received overwhelming kindness from villagers offering food and shelter, then got a Pyrenees donkey for €2,800 and set off alone. On the first night she lost her tent sticks and slept for weeks with bags propping up her tent. After waking up swimming in water with a shivering dog and soaked donkey, she stayed at a baker's zhite waiting for replacement sticks that never arrived.Eventually she drove to Portugal in a gifted van, bought remote Alentejo land near Almodóvar with one shepherd neighbor, and spent three years installing solar power, water systems, outdoor kitchens, and compost toilets with no plan. After a relationship breakdown and getting mauled by her neighbor's Portuguese guard dog requiring crutches for weeks, she was walking up hills in pouring rain at night fixing electricity - the lowest point before transformation.Perfect for anyone romanticizing simple living who needs reality checks, women navigating relationship transitions and identity shifts, or people drawn to radical life changes and healing journeys.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction: From Donkey Journey to Relationship Coach01:02 Searching for Home: Camper Van Across Europe04:26 Belgian Friend's Yurt: Walking Villages With Shire Horse05:35 Navigation Challenges and Village Kindness09:14 Donkeys Are Very Different From Horses12:42 First Night: Lost Tent Sticks, Woke Up Swimming in Water16:58 Friend Called: "You Can Have My Van for Free"17:48 August 2020: Finally Driving to Portugal19:19 Finding Remote Alentejo Land Near Almodóvar25:52 Land For Sale: 40 Minutes to Nearest Shop27:00 Elegantly Wild: Supporting Midlife Women in Dating28:35 Clearing Past Relationship Residue and Trauma Responses30:10 Four Decades to Find Soul Calling Work31:15 Portuguese CCTV: Old Ladies and Community Connection➣ CONTACT US for relocation assistancehttps://www.algarveaddicts.com/contactCheck out our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/algarveaddicts/
Connect with Irish Yappers:https://www.instagram.com/irishyappers/https://www.facebook.com/groups/944441280285800/David is a physio in Portimão who arrived in Portugal in 2017 from Dublin. After three years of loving the weather and lifestyle, he realized something was missing - his people. One Facebook post later, Irish Yappers was born, now with 495 members meeting consistently on the first and third Friday of every month.The community's impact became clear when Sheila from Kildare told David the meetups saved her from leaving Portugal. She'd been feeling isolated and ready to go home, but finding other Irish people who understood her sense of humor, spoke at her speed, and shared that unwritten rule of finding someone they know in common within 30 seconds changed everything.David discusses why Irish people gravitate toward each other abroad while other nationalities run away, the difference between surrounding yourself with people versus connecting deeply with two or three, and why he proudly calls himself an immigrant rather than an expat. He's now built an iOS app (Android launching soon) using geolocation to help Irish people worldwide find each other, Irish businesses, and venues showing Gaelic matches - from Barry's tea bags to traditional music sessions.Perfect for anyone who's moved abroad and felt lonely, community builders wanting to create authentic connections, or relocators who underestimated how much they'd miss their own tribe.➣ CONTACT US for relocation assistancehttps://www.algarveaddicts.com/contactCheck out our Instagram @algarveaddicts
2 Jun 2026
Portugal Makes My Heart Sing ft. Sally | Algarve Addicts | S3 • 16
Connect with Sally: https://www.sally-dixon.com/ (https://www.sally-dixon.com/)
Sally is a former fashion editor who worked at Harpers Bazaar and Cosmopolitan Bride, traveling to Maldives, South Africa, Kenya, and Malaysian jungles for shoots. She now writes for Algarve Plus magazine covering wellness, local artists, and businesses while preparing to relocate from London after 30 years.
Sally's been visiting the Algarve since childhood in the 1970s when her parents started taking summer holidays there. She bought a farmhouse three years ago but still hasn't moved past planning permission stage due to Portuguese bureaucracy. The property sits unusually in the middle of the land rather than on the road edge, and she's renovating to passive house standards using zero-VOC paints, MVHR systems, and building biology principles.
As a qualified Pilates instructor, CNM natural chef, and fourth-year nutritional therapy student, Sally discusses why weightlifting matters for women's bone health, DNA testing nuances, interviewing Carlos Ferreira who makes art from old fishing boats, visiting Dark Sky Algarve, and why Portugal's traditional crafts are disappearing but worth preserving through initiatives like the 80-90 year old women hand-embroidering gold into photographs.
Perfect for wellness-focused relocators, anyone planning eco-friendly builds in Portugal, former Londoners considering the move, or people wanting honest takes on Portuguese bureaucracy timelines.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction01:51 Childhood Summers: 1970s Cine Films from Parents04:30 Fashion Cupboard to Fashion Director Journey06:51 Launching Sportswear Brand: Why Portugal Textiles12:42 Internet Health Advice: What's Real vs Rubbish15:01 Writing for Algarve Plus Magazine Since 202218:16 Standout Stories: Carlos Ferreira's Fishing Boat Art22:24 Traditional Crafts: Hand-Embroidered Gold Photos25:21 Bought Farmhouse 3 Years Ago: Still at Planning Stage26:39 I Go for Vibes: Knew It When I Walked the Land27:41 Passive House Standards and Building Biology29:58 MVHR System Explained: Balanced Temperature Throughout31:42 Fire Risk and Earthquake Proofing Requirements32:15 Advice for Big Moves: Excel Spreadsheet Method33:45 UK Car Import: The One Free Car Rule34:43 Portugal Makes My Heart Sing
➣ CONTACT US for relocation assistancehttps://www.algarveaddicts.com/contact (https://www.algarveaddicts.com/contact)
Check out our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/algarveaddicts/ (https://www.instagram.com/algarveaddicts/)
Who has been a guest on Algarve Addicts - MEET the Algarve!
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Ana Teresa Pereira
Fiona
Charlie Perring
Deborah
Kathy
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YouTube views
3,161,450
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 70 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
72
Social presence
94
YouTube
93
Engagement
32
Contact Algarve Addicts - MEET the Algarve!
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