• Portugal is reconsidering the purchase of F-35s over changing US relations with Europe.
• Portugal is gearing up to spend $6 billion transitioning its air force to the jet.
• But its defense minister said Donald Trump's stance toward NATO "must be taken into account."

Portugal says it's uneasy about replacing its older US-made F-16 fighter jets with F-35s over doubts about President Donald Trump's behavior toward the US's allies, as well as future access to maintenance and parts.

On Thursday, Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Melo told the newspaper Público that "we cannot ignore the geopolitical environment in our choices."

He also said the most recent US posture toward NATO "must make us think about the best options."

Melo, who also leads Portugal's CDS-People's Party, did not entirely rule out buying the planes, but said: "The world has already changed."

If Portugal does reverse course, it would represent the loss of a lucrative contract for Lockheed Martin, the jet's manufacturer, that appeared to have been all but locked in.

Last April, Portugal's air force chief of staff, Gen. João Cartaxo Alves, said pilot training with Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force had already begun ahead of an anticipated $6 billion transition to the F-35.

The F-35 Lightning II is considered one of the world's most advanced fighter jets.

A chill in the air

Melo's statements came amid a distinct chilling of relations between the US and Europe, particularly over military matters.

Trump has sidelined European leaders from recent Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations and has repeatedly criticized Europe's financial contributions to Ukraine's defense.

Melo said Portugal had always seen the US as a reliable ally but recent US changes in stance toward NATO and the rest of the world must be taken into account.

He also raised concerns that the US could place limitations on the maintenance and supply of components for the F-35: "Everything that has to do with ensuring that aircraft will be operational and used in all types of scenarios."

Portugal is facing snap elections after its government lost a vote of confidence this week, throwing further uncertainty over the country's long-term stance toward the jet.

At least 10 European countries have F-35s in their fleets, and Lockheed Martin has industrial partnerships in six European nations. The company has described the F-35 as the "NATO standard fighter of choice."

Norway announced in February that it had taken delivery of three more F-35s, bringing its fleet of the aircraft to 49.

Earlier this week, the Netherlands' defense minister, Ruben Brekelmans, told reporters that F-35 partner countries remained fully committed to the program.

In a statement sent to BI, Lockheed Martin said it "values our strong partnership and history with the Portuguese Air Force and looks forward to continuing that partnership into the future."

It also said questions about foreign military sales of the F-35 were best addressed by the US government.

The White House and the Department of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

• Cara Celeste West, 33, felt she lacked the support and resources needed to raise a child in the US.
• In 2023, West and her husband moved to Portugal for a more affordable and relaxed life.
• In Europe, her daughter is thriving, and West feels like she has finally found a community.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cara Celeste West, a 31-year-old content creator who moved from Houston to Portugal in 2023 and is now based on a Greek island. She shares life abroad with her 119,000 Instagram followers and helps people who live overseas find remote work. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

It all started when I became a mom in 2022. The stress of being a new parent in the US, combined with the lack of support and high cost of living, made everything overwhelming.

My husband and I lived in a two-bedroom apartment near downtown Austin, paying $1,600 monthly with utilities included. To save money on childcare, we worked opposite schedules. Despite our efforts, expenses like car payments, insurance, and paying down debt kept us spending around $8,000 a month.

I considered the possibility of moving abroad to live more affordably and comfortably. I didn't want my child to attend a traditional public school in the US, and I wanted to teach her through travel and real-life experiences.

We weren't ready to fully relocate, so I thought living abroad temporarily could be a good option, though I wasn't sure how that would look.

In the summer of 2022, a friend invited me to join a Facebook group for "world-schooling" families. I was amazed to find a community around the idea I'd always had in my head.

I joined the group and asked if anyone kept a home base in the US while traveling part-time throughout the year. A family responded, sharing their experience with the Boundless Life program, which offered housing, education for children, and coworking spaces for a fee of about $3,400. It took them to Portugal, and they were now moving to Greece.

It was exactly what I'd been looking for.

We tested out life abroad before committing to a full-on move

In 2023, my husband and I joined Boundless Life for a three-month cohort in Portugal. Before we left, we took a few steps to prepare.

I kept my job in the travel and hospitality industry while my husband took a three-month sabbatical. To make living abroad more affordable while maintaining a home base in the US, we downsized and moved from Austin to Houston.

We rented a one-bedroom apartment, converting the living room into a bedroom for us and the bedroom into a nursery for our daughter. The rent was $1,410 a month.

When we moved to Portugal, the company provided us with a one-bedroom apartment for $1,572 a month, a schooling program for $1,518, and a coworking space for $488.

We were likely spending the same or a bit more since we were still maintaining our apartment in the US, but our quality of life improved tremendously.

We had more freedom in Portugal

We were pleasantly surprised by how amazing our experience in Portugal was. We lived in Lisbon, which felt like San Francisco but with cleaner streets.

We could walk to everything we needed, and the slower pace of life was refreshing. Most people we encountered, especially the younger generation and those in hospitality, spoke English, making it easy to navigate.

The cost of living in Portugal was significantly lower than in major US cities. Little daily pleasures, like getting a coffee or pastry without worrying about money or driving, made a big difference.

Being in the European time zone was great for personal growth. I worked as a luxury concierge, helping people plan vacations in Europe during Eastern Standard Time hours, which meant I didn't start work until 2 p.m.

The Boundless Life program also provided childcare, which allowed my husband and me to have time for ourselves — me to work on my business and him to work out or handle personal tasks.

After two weeks in Portugal, we knew we'd made the right decision and were ready for bigger changes.

My husband and I became digital nomads

After returning to the US from Portugal, we put everything in storage by the end of June 2023 for about $170 a month. We moved out of our place and joined Noma Collective, a similar program to Boundless Life, in Belize for about a month before heading to Greece.

In Greece, we joined another Boundless Life program in Syros where we had a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment for about $2,006 a month. The city was truly one of the most magical places we've ever been — who wouldn't want to live on a beautiful island in the middle of the Aegean Sea?

After the program ended, we returned to the US but moved back to Greece in the spring of 2024. Within two weeks of being there, we applied for digital nomad visas and officially received our residency cards in June 2024.

Now, we live in a two-bedroom, two-bath home in Syros, Greece, paying $1,464 a month. The summer months are complicated with tourism — it's hot and crowded — so we rent our home to visitors and stay away during that time. Last year, we spent the summer in Albania.

Overall, our monthly living expenses in Europe are about the same as in the US. However, instead of allocating money towards things like insurance or a $450 car payment, we now put that $450 towards paying off our credit card debt.

My husband left his job and is now a full-time stay-at-home dad. I now work full-time as a contractor for an American company and earn income through content creation.

Before, I was an established food blogger, documenting my life through food on Instagram. It was an easy transition to add travel to my content. People are fascinated by our everyday activities, like laundry and grocery shopping, and enjoy seeing what life is like in a different part of the world.

I have several income streams, which can vary from month to month. These include brand sponsorships — often three- to six-month contracts — YouTube AdSense, blogging, and other platforms. However, our biggest source of income comes from digital products; I help people move abroad through eBooks, courses, and one-on-one coaching.

Our quality of life has improved in Europe

A big reason we gravitated toward Portugal and Greece is because of the local attitudes.

The people are welcoming, kind, and genuinely hospitable. As a Black woman, I often feel like I'm being watched in the States. In Europe, I feel liberated and able just to be myself.

Another huge difference for me is the absence of gun violence. The first time I went grocery shopping in Portugal, I felt a sense of relief and could finally let my guard down, free from the constant tension I often experience in public spaces in the US.

Watching my daughter grow has been incredible, too.

She's three now, knows words in multiple languages, and has experienced traditions like Portugal's Carnival.

But the biggest takeaway I hope she gets from living abroad in places like Portugal and Greece is kindness. I can't count how often strangers have helped me just because they saw I had a little one with me.

The biggest change for us living in Europe has been building a community.

As digital nomads, it's tough to leave behind a support network, but we've made many friends, both locals and fellow nomads, wherever we've lived. In the US, everything was go-go, and I had to plan lunch dates months ahead. But it's much easier here, especially since many of our friends have the same flexible schedule.

We plan to stay in Greece year-round but travel during the summer. This works well for us, as we want to explore and plant roots. After five years, we'll be eligible for permanent citizenship through Greece's digital nomad visa.

This summer, we're planning to spend a few months in Tbilisi, Georgia, to see if we can establish a second home base.

• I'm a Lisbon local and tour guide, which means I see visitors make many of the same mistakes.
• Some wrongfully assume Portugal's weather will be sunny all year and don't pack comfortable shoes.
• We generally appreciate it when tourists leave tips and try to speak Portuguese.

Portugal's capital city, Lisbon, is high on many must-visit lists for a good reason. After all, it is a historical and gastronomic paradise.

I was born and raised in Lisbon, and I'm now a tour guide there, so I've seen visitors make a lot of missteps and errors while visiting my beautiful city and the areas beyond it.

Here are five mistakes I wish tourists would stop making when they come here.

Assuming the weather is always pleasant and sunny

Many picture tons of year-round sunshine when they think of Portugal — I can tell by the way many tourists fail to dress properly when the weather is anything else.

Before you visit, know that our Mediterranean soil comes with all four seasons.

Summer is indeed hot and sunny, a great time for sunset cocktails on the Tagus River and outdoor diner parties with grilled sardines and small cold beers in the Alfama quarter. Winter can be a bit chilly.

In spring and autumn, temperatures tend to be more mild, making these great times of year to hike across Lisbon's seven hills and go on day trips around the city.

However, you'll want to pack carefully because the weather can also be the most unpredictable during these months. Definitely do some research before packing for your trip.

Wearing flip-flops or high heels around the city

Like many other Portuguese cities, Lisbon has an array of beautiful cobblestone patterns in its squares and sidewalks. However, these stones can get slippery and sometimes be uncomfortable to walk on.

So, pack sensible, comfortable footwear. The Portuguese pavement can be challenging enough to navigate without high heels and flip-flops.

Not even trying to speak the local language

Although many of us locals enjoy practicing our English with tourists, we still appreciate it when visitors try to speak Portuguese.

Making an effort to use our language is a nice tribute to local culture — and there's a good chance you'll get better service just for trying.

At the very least, it's polite to know and use basic phrases, like hello (olá) and please (por favor).

Drinking strong Portuguese coffee as if it's the same as what you usually have back home

In Portugal, most of our coffee blends are made with robusta beans. If this is what you're used to back home, you should be fine.

However, robusta beans have way more caffeine than arabica ones, which are the more common offering in the United States (and much of the world).

To avoid caffeine overload, be mindful of this difference when getting drinks here. If you want a bigger cup of coffee that's less intense, order an abatanado (basically an Americano).

Also, keep in mind that we typically consume our coffee at a leisurely pace — it's meant for sipping while sitting at a café. It's rare to see locals drinking coffee out of plastic or paper cups on the go.

Thinking the Portuguese don't like to be tipped

Tipping culture varies around the world, but that doesn't mean service workers here don't appreciate an extra bit of change.

In Lisbon, tipping isn't considered as essential as it is in the US, as our service workers are usually paid a living wage. However, tips should still be used to reward good service, especially at tourist-friendly activities and restaurants.

As a tour guide, I know firsthand just how much we appreciate them.

• Two Transatlantic flights to Toronto U-turned over the ocean on Monday after a Delta flight crashed.
• More than 40 other flights had to divert when Toronto Pearson International Airport closed.
• Flights to nowhere are a pain for passengers but are often the best option for airlines.

Two transatlantic flights to nowhere were among dozens of planes that diverted due to Monday's Delta plane crash in Toronto.

Toronto Pearson Airport temporarily closed both its runways after a Bombardier CRJ900 flipped over and lost both its wings. There were 80 people on board, 21 of whom were injured with 19 released from hospital, Delta Air Lines said.

A British Airways Boeing 777 was flying from London to Toronto when the incident occurred.

BA Flight 99 had flown for three hours before U-turning over the Atlantic Ocean, according to Flightradar24 data.

It landed back at London Heathrow around midnight local time — six hours after taking off.

The flight to Toronto typically takes around eight hours.

Another Toronto-bound flight, from Lisbon and operated by TAP Air Portugal, appeared to fly around two hours across the Atlantic before starting to change direction, per Flightradar24.

It appeared to be initially set to divert to the Azores — a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic — but ultimately landed back in Lisbon around eight hours after taking off.

TAP and British Airways did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Flightradar24 said it tracked an additional 44 flights that diverted due to Monday's plane crash.

Eleven of those diverted to nearby Montreal, as well as nine to Ottawa, six to Hamilton, and three to each of Chicago O'Hare and Pittsburgh.

As well as being annoying for passengers, diversions can also be costly for airlines — with knock-on effects on their flight schedules.

While flying hundreds or even thousands of miles back over the ocean may look odd, it is relatively common. This is because it is easier for airlines to reroute and accommodate passengers and crew at a hub airport.

In incidents like this, airports closer to the destination may also have limited capacity to handle additional flights.

• Roshan Gupta left Google to move to Portugal.
• Gupta wanted to pursue a better work-life balance in 2022 and start his own business.
• Gupta said it's important for those going into tech to be aware of the industry's demands and pace.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Roshan Gupta, a 46-year-old business owner who moved to Portugal with his family in 2022. Business Insider has verified his former employment and identity. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm the traditional Silicon Valley story. I grew up loving technology, went to MIT, studied computer science, and got my first job at a startup.

My last role was at Google leading the Messages team. I had a big team of product managers, and it was a 300-plus org with a nine-digit budget. It was awesome. I loved the company and I loved the team, which is probably why people thought I was crazy for leaving and moving to Portugal.

When people make big changes, often there's this sort of big moment. But the truth is, it's a collection of all these other moments and the catalyst that finally puts you over the top.

My wife and I, and eventually our two sons, like to be adventurous, but we were also on the path you're supposed to take, which is to get a job, earn a paycheck, work harder, and climb the corporate ladder. The adventures we had been taking would be like moving from California to Austin and then to Seattle.

During COVID, we kept thinking: What if we made a bigger change?

The catalyst was a tough work-life balance

When you enter a field like investment banking, you know it's going to be a grind — and often, you get in and you get out. I graduated back in 2000 when the internet was booming. Mobile phones were just coming online. I was the first generation to be connected 24/7 and I don't think we've seen the effects of that yet.

My wife and I both worked in tech and we found that the more we did and the more success we had on paper, the worse our quality of life was getting. We were doing well from a career perspective and financially — but time for family, self-care, and community wasn't happening.

One option was to work like crazy for 10 more years, earn a crazy amount of money, and retire. But I didn't know if I could make it 10 years working at that pace. You don't know how much time you have left.

When I was running the Messages team, I had teams in the US on different coasts, in Zurich, and in Asia. I would wake up, pick up my phone, and start working. I would get the kids out to school, and by 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., I was in my seat taking calls.

I was in Google's Seattle office, but my teams were all over the world, so I would commute for 45 minutes to get on a video call. There are pros to being in the office, but there are also cons. So much of my work was on a video call talking to teams all over the globe.

By 6 p.m. or so, I would force myself to get off because I had to pick up the kids. Then I would give them dinner and pop them in front of a TV, or try to spend some time with them, but I was already spent.

Then I would get a flood of emails because Europe is waking up. By the time I got on top of that and was about to go to bed — surprise, Asia wakes up. When I wake up the next morning, I have all the stuff left over from there. Then the US is waking up, and you repeat.

Imagine repeating that for years.

At a previous job where I wasn't a product leader, I still felt overwhelmed.

We'd all try these tips and tricks like not checking emails after a certain time or scheduling emails to send in the morning, and then a month later, it would all go out the window, and we're all back to grinding.

I'm still busy in Portugal

Another factor for moving was I wanted to try building my own business.

I have Type I Diabetes and I felt I could never be an entrepreneur in the US because it would be difficult to afford healthcare for myself and my family.

In Portugal, I was able to start a company called AmplifyPM, and I help senior product managers become product leaders — and I teach them how to scale and handle the increase of responsibility in a sustainable way.

I thought if I came to Portugal and took a break from work and started my own business, I would suddenly have oodles of free time.

I still feel busy. The difference is the pace of work.

Working with companies like Google and others felt like drinking out of a fire hose. You sit down and the amount of work you get done in that same amount of time is off the charts crazy.

When you get promoted, you likely get promoted because you have the capacity to handle more. At Google, I loved the team, the company, and what we did. That let me handle such a large amount of things because I found meaning in my work, but it was not enough for us as a family to keep going in that direction.

In Portugal, I'm spending that time at a more sustainable pace.

I don't want the lesson to be that if you have a career in Big Tech, the only way to thrive is to leave. This career unlocked so much for us and I don't regret it.

It is a culture that keeps pushing you, but if you go in with awareness and understand how it can be, it can be great.

I loved it and I may even go back one day — but this is how I chose to restore balance for now.

• Ryanair wants authorities to restrict alcohol sales in airports to two drinks per passenger.
• The airline said a diversion caused by a drunk passenger cost it over $15,000.
• It says some passengers are drinking too much particularly when flights are delayed.

Ryanair, the world's third-largest airline by passengers, is calling on authorities to limit the sale of alcoholic beverages at airports.

The Irish airline wants airports to restrict the sale of alcohol in departure areas to two drinks per passenger in a bid to limit the number of incidents involving rowdy, intoxicated passengers.

Ryanair said in a statement Monday that some people consume excessive amounts of alcohol in airport bars particularly when flights are delayed.

"We fail to understand why passengers at airports are not limited to 2 alcoholic drinks (using their boarding pass in exactly the same way they limit duty free sales), as this would result in safer and better passenger behaviour on board aircraft, and a safer travel experience for passengers and crews all over Europe," Ryanair said.

The airline included the statement in a press release giving more details about a civil lawsuit it recently announced it was pursuing against a former passenger.

It says the passenger was so disruptive on an April 2024 flight from Dublin to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands that the flight was diverted to Porto, Portugal, where the passenger was arrested.

It's pursuing the civil suit to recover costs over the incident, which the airline says totaled more than $15,000.

In the statement Monday, it gave a more detailed breakdown of the costs it said it faced, saying that as a result of the disruption and regulations on staff working hours, the airline had to fund accommodations and meals for six crew members and 160 passengers to spend the night in Porto. It said it also provided an additional aircraft and crew to operate the return flight from Lanzarote to Dublin, which was also delayed.

The airline says overall costs came to 15,350 euros, or nearly $15,750 at today's exchange rate, including 7,000 euros on passenger and crew overnight accommodation, 2,500 euros on landing and handling fees at Porto Airport, and 2,500 euros on Portuguese legal fees to date.

"None of these costs would have been incurred if this disruptive passenger had not forced a diversion to Porto in order to protect the safety of the aircraft, 160 passengers and 6 crew members on board," a spokesperson from the European budget airlines said.

• In 2020, my family of three moved from Florida to a small village in Central Portugal.
• The people we met in Portugal were very kind — and loved to stay up late.
• Overall, life in Portugal was more affordable for us.

In early 2020, my family of three was living in West Palm Beach, Florida, when we decided to take a six-month trip around Europe.

During our stay, we rented an Airbnb in Portugal on farmland near the city of Coimbra. We fell in love with the area and ended up extending our stay so many times that the owner asked if we'd like to buy the house.

We decided to make the purchase and lived in central Portugal for the next three years. Here are a few of the biggest differences we noticed after moving abroad.

For my family of 3, settling in Portugal was much cheaper than living in Florida

One of the main reasons we relocated to Portugal was the lower cost of living. Though there are always exceptions, the homes we saw in Portugal were considerably cheaper than those in Florida.

For example, a market summary from the Miami Association of Realtors said the median sale price of a home in Palm Beach County was $363,000 in January 2020. Meanwhile, in our Portuguese neighborhood, we saw houses listed for less than $250,000.

Essentials like medicine, groceries, and even road tolls were also incredibly affordable compared what we paid in the US. In Florida, our family of three spent about $150 on essentials each week, but in Portugal, we spent about $80 weekly.

In Portugal, my family of three could go out to eat for the equivalent of about $31. However, in the US, I don't believe we ever got away with a bill under $50 for a middle-of-the-road meal.

The strangers we met in Portugal were incredibly kind

When we first moved into our home in Portugal, our neighbors offered us freshly picked produce each week.

At the store, when other customers or staff members saw my husband and me with our small child, we were ushered to the front of whatever line we were in. By comparison, in Florida, people sometimes cut me in line if I became distracted by my child.

Though there are definitely kind strangers in the US, the people we met in Portugal were nicer than I expected, and it felt genuine.

Driving through Portugal feels like exploring a national park — an experience I didn't have in the US

If you've ever been to a national park in the US, you'll probably understand what I mean when I say this is how I think of most of Portugal.

From the majestic mountains to the abundance of unspoiled landscapes, you can travel for miles and see only wildlife before being jerked back into reality by another traveler on the road.

Nature trails, walking and bike paths, natural pools, and boardwalks seem to be endlessly woven through the country.

There are tons of beautiful places in the US, but where I lived in Florida, I didn't feel that natural beauty was as accessible or widespread as it was in Portugal.

Our Portuguese friends' schedules were much different from ours

We were surprised to learn that many of the Portuguese people we met liked to stay up late, even with their kids.

While spending time with friends in Lisbon, I learned many of them thought of 8 p.m. as the normal time to begin dinner. After eating, parents often sat, chatted, and had wine while children played alongside them, so small kids didn't get to bed until 9 p.m. or later.

Back in the US, my family usually ate dinner at about 6 p.m., and we always made sure to have our child in bed by 7:30 p.m.

• Russia sent a ship to evacuate soldiers from its bases in Syria, per Ukrainian intelligence.
• But it broke down en route in the open sea near Portugal, Ukraine said.
• Russia is trying to secure a deal with Syria's new leadership to keep the bases, per reports.

A ship sent to evacuate Russian troops and equipment from Syria broke down while in the open sea off Portugal, according to Ukrainian intelligence.

In a Telegram post on Monday, Ukraine's main intelligence directorate said that the Sparta cargo ship's engine failed and that the crew was trying to fix the problem while the ship was drifting in the high seas.

Since the fall of Bashar Assad, Syria's longtime ruler, earlier this month, the fate of Russia's two military bases in the country — the Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval base — has been under threat.

Russia struck a 49-year lease with Assad's government for the bases, which it has used since 2017 to project power in the Mediterranean and into Africa.

But Syrian rebels, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, overthrew Assad earlier this month, after a rapid two-week campaign.

Last week, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there were "no final decisions" about Russia's bases in Syria but that Moscow is in contact with "representatives of the forces that currently control the situation" in the country.

Earlier this month, Ukraine said the Russian Sparta and Sparta II cargo ships had left Russia and were heading to Tartus to transport military equipment from the Russian base on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

The journeys required the ships to sail along stretches of European coastline to access the Mediterranean.

Russian state media said earlier this month that Syrian rebel forces now controlled Latakia province, where the Russian bases are located.

Images taken in mid-December by Maxar Technologies showed Russian aircraft still present at the base in Hmeimim, but warships no longer stationed at the nearby naval facility in Tartus.

Last week, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War said Russia was probably taking this "tentative" stance and removing some assets in case HTS decided to deny Russia a sustained military presence in Syria.

Obeida Arnaout, the spokesman for Syria's new transitional government, told the Associated Press last week that Russia should reconsider its presence and interests in Syria.

"Their interests were linked to the criminal Assad regime," he said.

"They can reconsider and take the initiatives to reach out to the new administration to show that they have no animosity with the Syrian people, and that the era of Assad regime is finally over," he added.

• Nicole Echeverria felt unsafe in the US and wanted to try living abroad.
• She applied for graduate school because she thought getting a student visa would be easier.
• She now lives and works remotely from Nazaré, a beach town an hour and a half from Lisbon.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nicole Echeverria, 31, who moved from New York to Portugal in 2019. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I'd had the itch to try living abroad for some time.

I grew up in New York, graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in economics in 2015, and then moved to Boston for work.

After the 2016 elections, I began to feel anxious about my safety. That's when I started seriously considering moving abroad. I just needed to find the right opportunity.

I knew a student visa would make it easier to move, so I thought, why don't I apply to graduate school abroad?

Most people think graduate school is only worth it if it can propel their careers forward. However, I saw it as a way to gain valuable life experience and keep me in the same career field.

I had a few requirements: The degree had to be business-related, taught in English, and American-accredited. It also had to be in a country with a lower cost of living so that I could pay for my degree without taking loans.

In the winter of 2018, I found the right program. It was a two-year Masters of Science in Business program at Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics.

At that time, the program cost around 14,300 euros, which I had in savings.

I left Boston, where I had been working in content marketing, and moved back home to live with my parents in Long Island. For nine months, I focused on saving up as much as possible while commuting to New York City for work.

In August 2019, I moved to Lisbon. Although I had traveled to other parts of Europe, I had never visited Portugal. I went purely on the faith that if I wasn't happy there, I'd return to New York once I graduated.

I got really lucky that I ended up loving it. Lisbon instantly gave me a Los Angeles vibe. The weather was hot, but the beaches were beautiful. Everyone had a relaxed attitude, and people weren't on edge like they were in New York.

I didn't intend to stay

Around half a year into my program, the pandemic struck, and everything went remote. Many of my international classmates returned to their home countries. That's when I was faced with the question: Do I want to go back to New York?

Back in the US, I was always hyperaware of gun violence. Anything could happen walking in the streets of Manhattan, for example. A crazy person could approach you, and you just have to keep walking. It also looks like it's gotten worse, with incidents of women getting assaulted on the streets.

As hard as it was to be away from my family and close friends, prioritizing my health and safety was worth the loneliness of moving abroad. I felt less anxious about safety in Portugal, which solidified my decision to stay.

Portugal has a post-graduation work visa that grants international students a year of residence to find employment. After being on the visa for a year, I registered as a freelancer on a regular work permit and have worked as a social media manager since.

My family was surprised by my decision to stay. My dad told me that when my grandparents ask about me, he has to remind them that I live in another country now. But I still return a few times a year for Christmas or special occasions.

I'm planning a wedding in Portugal

In 2022, I met my fiancé through TikTok. He's Portuguese and commented on one of my videos. After two years, we moved in together in Nazaré, a beach town an hour and a half away from Lisbon.

We're planning our wedding in Portugal for August next year. We picked a venue an hour and a half away from Porto in the countryside. It's a gorgeous historic building built in the 1700s, and we're super excited about it.

The venue will cost $3,500 for a two-day rental, offering us the chance to have an affordable wedding.

Sometimes, I tease my fiancé with the idea that once I get my Portuguese passport, we can move to Greece or elsewhere in Europe.

For now, we dream of living in Lisbon and having a summer vacation house in Greece. From the relaxed way of life, lower cost of living, and the fact that I can work remotely as a freelancer, it just makes more sense to have my life here.

I'm definitely planning on staying for the long term.

• Christian Louboutin is working to protect his secret hideaway in Portugal from overtourism.
• The French designer's aim is to prevent the town of Melides from becoming the next St. Tropez.
• But the area is becoming an A-lister hot spot, drawing the likes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Christian Louboutin is trying to keep a tiny town near the coast of Portugal low-key, but as real estate developers open five-star resorts and sprawling golf clubs nearby, drawing A-listers and royalty, his effort might be in vain.

The French designer, 61, told Bloomberg that the rural village of Melides, nestled within the Alentejo region of Portugal, is grappling with an influx of tourism and the impacts of climate change.

Louboutin, who came across Melides over a decade ago, has a personal stake in the town with a population of around 1,500.

Not only does he own a home there, but in 2023, he opened a 13-room boutique hotel in Melides with plans to open a second.

While stopping tourism completely isn't part of his mission, Louboutin is dedicated to preserving the Melides he first fell in love with.

"People are touched by authenticity and we need to keep it that way," Louboutin told Bloomberg. "Don't expect Melides to become like St. Tropez. It's not going to happen."

Representatives for Louboutin did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.

A best-kept secret no more

But whether Louboutin likes it or not, the once-upon-a-time lowkey getaway is now squarely on the map — thanks in part to the development of a series of luxury resorts and private members clubs nearby.

Just a 15-minute drive from Melides lies Costa Terra, a 722-acre luxury resort community and gold club built by US real estate developer Discovery Land Company.

The company is headed up by Mike Meldman, who cofounded Casa Amigos with George Clooney.

The Telegraph reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited the club last year. Since then, speculation has been rife that the couple, who are based in Montecito, California, bought a property within the gated community.

The Sussexes aren't the only A-listers rumored to have bought into Costa Terra — reports have also associated George Clooney, Paris Hilton, and Sharon Stone with the development.

Representatives for Costa Terra did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Alongside Costa Terra, several other glitzy developments are cropping up near Melides, including a 175-house residential project under development by Vanguard Properties and one on the Tróia peninsula built by Inditex billionaire Amancio Ortega's daughter.

Priced out

Vitor Paiva, a license partner at the Comporta branch of real estate agency Engel & Völkers, says the Portuguese government has set limits on touristic beds that prevent the area surrounding Melides from becoming as saturated with tourists as hot spots like St. Tropez or Monoco.

However, Paiva said the tourists that are now coming to the area are more affluent and "sophisticated" than those before, which means the small villages are changing from their rustic roots.

"New investors, customers coming, they ask for more modern services," he told BI. "They want to have the very good beach restaurants, luxury restaurants, high-quality services."

As a result, some locals in towns in the region are feeling priced out, Paiva said.

"Local restaurants are closing, even the small coffee shops for the locals, they are closing and being upgraded with more sophisticated coffee shops," he said. "In some cases, we are seeing the locals struggle."

In Melides, the idea of a rustic town remaining a secret oasis is slipping away.

But Louboutin isn't giving up on his aim to protect it.

He cofounded Intertidal Melides, a community-led organization rallying local landowners and business owners to preserve the local environment.

"Tourists come here for the beauty of this place," Louboutin told Bloomberg. "So we need to just keep it that way."

• An Airbus A321neo operated by TAP Portugal was grounded to locate 132 escaped hamsters on board.
• The hamsters were part of a pet shop package, previously rejected for cage issues, Portuguese media said.
• Escaped hamsters can pose safety risks as they can chew through electrical cables and wires.

An Airbus A321neo was grounded for several days to track down dozens of hamsters on board, Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã reported.

The report said 132 hamsters escaped from their cages in the cargo hold of the plane, which was operated by Portuguese flag carrier TAP Air Portugal — leaving ground maintenance teams trying to track them down.

After four days of effort, 16 hamsters were still loose on Saturday, it added.

Last Wednesday night, the A321neo, registered under the tail number CS-TJR, flew from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada Airport in the Azores, a group of islands around 900 miles from the Portuguese mainland, per Flightradar24.

Correio da Manhã, Portugal's most widely read newspaper, reported that the plane was carrying a package for a pet shop containing ferrets, birds, and 132 hamsters. The plane was also carrying passengers and their luggage.

Sources told the newspaper the animals had been accepted on the flight after being rejected from a previous one because the cages didn't meet standards.

The plane eventually left the Azores on Sunday, according to the data from Flightradar24.

TAP Air Portugal and Ponta Delgada Airport did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

The hamsters could have posed a safety threat because they are capable of chewing through electrical cables and wires.

In a similar incident in 2017, a cargo plane was grounded due to escaped hamsters, Newsweek reported. The pilot shared a video on TikTok of the hamsters exploring the plane.