British expat writer Carl Munson has penned an open letter to an unnamed Portuguese friend living in the UK, and it doubles as a thoughtful state-of-the-nation piece on what it actually feels like to trade Britain for Portugal.
Munson, who now lives in Portugal after years in Devon, uses the letter to reflect on a friendship built over WhatsApp and cemented this summer when the two finally met in person. What struck him most was watching his Portuguese friend fall into easy conversation with his Portuguese neighbours and colleagues — strangers on paper, but instantly familiar, sharing the shorthand of a common culture. It left him wondering whether a roomful of fellow Brits would ever feel quite the same.
The letter is candid about the push and pull behind such a move. Munson understands why Portuguese people leave for the UK — Portugal's cost-of-living squeeze and the daily difficulty of making ends meet are real. Yet he admits, with some hesitation, that by his own values he feels he has the better deal: a warmer welcome, more time for people, a stronger sense of community. At the same time, he's honest enough to flag the catch — Portugal, he writes, is following much the same trajectory as Britain, just a few years behind.
The historical hook is the Treaty of Windsor, signed in 1386 and still in force as the world's oldest active alliance. A year later, Philippa of Lancaster married King João I, planting English roots in Portugal's royal line. Munson borrows the treaty's spirit for his own playful proposal: a new Anglo-Portuguese pact, signed not by monarchs but by friends, pledging to keep warmth, hospitality and plain decency alive on both sides of the relationship.
Why does this matter to travellers? Because it captures precisely the qualities people move for — or holiday for — in Portugal. The friendliness visitors notice isn't a tourism-board line; it's something locals and long-term expats genuinely prize, and something many feel is worth actively protecting. The piece is also a useful reality check. Portugal is cheaper than much of western Europe and famously welcoming, but it has its own cost-of-living pressures, and the expat dream comes with trade-offs. For anyone weighing a extended stay, a relocation, or simply a trip beyond the Algarve resorts, Munson's letter offers an honest, affectionate read on both countries — less a guidebook than a gut-check on what you're really looking for.
