From Montana to Portugal: Journey with Us

Read original essays from Janelle: FROM MONTANA TO PORTUGAL Substack 🔗 Connect with Malika: Miradouro Living In this episode, Janelle sits down with her new friend Malika Nunes — founder of Miradouro Living, licensed real estate broker, former molecular biologist, and longtime Portugal insider — for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to land well in Portugal. Malika’s relati...

Episode Notes: This week I'm reading you an essay about hurry, surfing, autocorrect, and the surprisingly specific fear of missing my own life while I'm living it. Also featured: a Portuguese actor who does commercials for something I thought was something else, a Beatles ensemble that meets in a Lisbon institute for an autonomous Spanish region (yes really), and the first time I stood up on a sur...

In this epsiode I read an essay out loud about a trip to Prague. It's part one of two. You can find the whole essay at: https://janelleholden.substack.com . To apply for a creative writing residency with me in Prague, click here: https://janelleholden.substack.com/survey/6509536 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ja...

Welcome to another episode of From Montana to Portugal. I’m your host Janelle Holden. I write a Substack newsletter called From Montana to Portugal and occasionally I invite people onto this podcast to explore topics of travel, culture, immigration, and international living. Today my guest is another Substack writer and author LaDonna Witmer. I deeply appreciate her work and love her care with wor...

Rolando Andrade is a 50-year-old Portuguese clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and sports psychology specialist. Over a 25-year career, he has dedicated himself to clinical practice, teaching, and scientific outreach, contributing to several book chapters on health literacy and sports psychology. In the field of sports psychology, he has worked with elite athletes — including European, World,...

In this late-summer reflection from Lisbon, I talk about pirate flutes, metro grime, coffee walks, friendship, sunburns (both literal and emotional), and the strange magic of August. A friend from New York joins me, and together we navigate cultural quirks, quiet pleasures, and conversations about travel, vulnerability, and what actually makes us happy. This episode is about finding brightness in...

In this episode, I take you to the coast of Portugal—where a spontaneous swim, a lingering cough, a jazz band at midnight, and a soccer player from Tasmania all weave into an unexpected meditation on what it means to feel truly alive. I didn’t plan to jump into cold water that morning, and I certainly didn’t plan to rethink my relationship with planning itself—but that’s what unfolded. This is a s...

📝 Episode Description: What happens when two college roommates reunite in Portugal after thirty years of friendship? You get sangria under sombreros, dance floors on Pink Street, and a little wisdom wrapped in gin and nostalgia. In this episode, I take you through five unforgettable days with my friend Kristina — from the castles of Sintra to the karaoke bars of Albufeira — and reflect on friends...

🎧 Voiceover Available! Want to hear this story the way it was meant to be told—complete with naughty boys, lizard pork, and my Montana accent? Hit play and let me take you on a culinary ride from Lisbon to Missoula, with detours through tomato rice and Rocky Mountain delicacies. It’s worth a listen. I promise you’ll laugh. But don’t miss out on the visuals either. You can find them at: janellehol...

What do you do when the power goes out across Europe… and you’ve just booked a beauty treatment in a basement mall clinic? In this episode, I tell the true (and truly absurd) story of getting Botox in the dark — and why sometimes, it’s the blackout that brings the real light. Subscribe for more stories and more knowledge on how to move to Portugal and start your own adventures: https://janellehold...

Episode Title: How Not to Buy a Car in Europe (Unless You're Me) Episode Note: In this voiceover mini, I take you behind the scenes of one of my more absurd European adventures: flying to Germany in February to buy a car I couldn’t drive… and nearly importing it to Portugal. Hear what really happened at das Autohus, why Belgians looked at me like I’d lost my mind, and what I actually ended up driv...

Dear Reader, So, how’s your summer going? Has it been hot ? It’s … not … that hot … here. Well, not hot like it was in Montana in July. By July in Montana, I was doing my religious summer routine. Wake up. Close the windows. Close the blinds. Keep the house cool. After struggling to keep two thoughts together in the afternoon, I’d sit on our shaded patio and wait for the temperature to drop so tha...

Author’s Note (Listen to the Voiceover Above) ☝️ This story is 100% true, and 87% funnier when listened to by the author (click play above). It’s about love, language barriers, and a Portuguese driver named Fabio who just might be the most unintentionally romantic man alive. Best enjoyed with an espresso and a soft 80s ballad playing in the background. ☝️ Janelle Holden is a writer who lives in Po...

What if the road to transformation began with a wrong turn? In this episode, Janelle takes you deep into the heart of Portugal, where a misadventure in the mountains led to a centuries-old salt mine and, unexpectedly, the first step on her 60-pound weight loss journey. From salt pyramids and ghost-town shacks to salted cod legends and roadside hospitality, this is a story about finding what you di...

Dear Listener, In this episode of the From Montana to Portugal Podcast I share highlights, tips, and hot takes after spending nearly 10 days being a tourist in central Portugal with my friend Maria who was visiting us from … where else but … Montana! We were so lucky to get to see her. I haven’t done a catch up podcast in a while, so you’ll also get the latest news on our residency and where thing...

Confront Your Mortality in a Church Made of Bones In Évora, I stepped into a chapel lined with skulls and a sign that reads, “We bones that are here, for yours await.” Haunting. Humbling. Weirdly peaceful. Do it at the end of October for maximum effect. Listen in for more. To learn where I found the best wine and food in the region, upgrade to a paid subscription and help support a writer in Portu...

In this episode, Janelle reads an essay about their trip to Braga for Doug's immigration appointment. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janelleholden.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Janelle shares how she and Doug have been getting around Portugal, and what it's like to live without owning a car there. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janelleholden.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I catch you up on how the last part of our move from Montana to Portugal happened. I crossed an ocean (twice), and once by ship with our dog Loki. Want to know more about the Queen Mary 2? This is a good episode to listen into about that. You can watch a YouTube video of the journey here: https://youtu.be/pXu-Ch9ynks?si=n59qyp5DVT9ZNuoY . You can also see a tour of our new home he...

What happens when a Montana girl boards the Queen Mary 2 with her dog, heads into a North Atlantic storm, and ends up cleaning up a kennel kitchen at 5 a.m. in her long underwear? A tender, funny, and slightly chaotic tale of ocean crossings, canine companionship, and remembering where you come from. Subscribe for more at: https://janelleholden.substack.com/subscribe. This is a public episode. If...

Ever wonder what it would take to move your dog abroad with you? Listen in as I explain how we're getting Loki across the pond. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janelleholden.substack.com/subscribe

Dear Reader, There’s an old New England joke that Doug likes to tell me. It goes like this. From Montana to Portugal is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A tourist pulls up to a Maine gas station, looking for directions. An old, crusty Maine Down Easter (watch Bert and I to learn more) walks out of the building. T...

Listen in as Janelle shares the latest news from their move to Portugal, from where they are now - in New Hampshire. To subscribe to Janelle's newsletter and support this podcast go to: https://janelleholden.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janelleholden.substack.com/subscribe

Listen in as Janelle shares more about what happened when she caught Covid on their travels, and reflects on what's ahead on their journey to Portugal. You can subscribe at: https://janelleholden.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janelleholden.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janelleholden.substack.com/subscribe