Life is a journey full of chances, challenges, and uncertain moments. It is, at its root, a sequence of decisions that shape our pathways and define who we become. Taking chances does not imply being reckless or taking blind jumps into the unknown. Instead, it is about moving outside of our comfort zones, embracing vulnerability, and daring to venture into unfamiliar territory, like a UK couple did when they discovered an abandoned farmhouse in Portugal.
When Alan Andrew and Vincent Proost were given the option to relocate from the United Kingdom to Portugal, they saw it as an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.Alan from Pennsylvania and Vincent from Belgium had been together for over two decades when they began looking for a vacation property after meeting on a blind date in London in 2006. Despite their scant prior experience in Portugal, Vincent had a gut feeling that it would be their ideal location. They had no idea how accurate their hunch would turn out to be.
“To be honest, I was more interested in places like Italy,” Alan says CNN Travel. “I didn’t really know what to make of Portugal.” Alan and Vincent decided to buy a house in Alentejo after falling in love with the picturesque splendor of the region. They looked at about 80 houses before coming across an abandoned farmhouse in the rural community of Figueira e Barros. Despite the decaying status of the house, the couple was charmed by the stunning views that surrounded it.
However, upon closer study, they discovered that restoring the house would be impossible, and they would have to start from scratch. When they learned the scale of the renovation required, the project took an unexpected turn. It became clear that they would need to relocate permanently to Portugal in order to completely commit to the project and develop a functional farm on the site.
“It suddenly became a project,” Vincent explained. “And I was like, ‘Okay, let’s get moving.'” Then we did it.” “We built the house from scratch just before the pandemic, which was quite an adventure,” Vincent remembers.They took the life-changing choice to permanently relocate to Portugal after purchasing the house in the summer of 2019. They rented a residence nearby during this time while finalizing the property purchase and getting residency.
Alan and Vincent, eager to make their dream a reality, met with architects and builders to carefully plan and create their new home. They encourage people seeking a fresh start to take the jump and explore new chances based on their experiences. “Go for it,” Alan encouraged. “Life is short, and we never know what will happen next.” “However, keep your eyes open. And don’t anticipate things to be the same in a new country as they were in the US or wherever you’re coming from.” “Be accepting of diversity. Find ways to adapt rather than expecting things to adapt to you. “After all, why should they?”
