Meet the ‘Covid expats’ who moved overseas during the pandemic

LONDON — Moving overseas might not seem like the most obvious thing to do during a pandemic, but for many people, Covid-19 provided the nudge they needed to take the plunge.

Around one in 10 readers of expat website InterNations said they had decided to move abroad as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, in its survey of more than 12,000 people online in January 2021.

Maria Eilersen is one of those who made the move. A PR coach and yoga teacher, she left London for Lisbon, Portugal, in November 2020, as cases of Covid were surging in the U.K.

Eilersen, who is Danish, had heard that the Portuguese capital was becoming a new hub for the international community post-Brexit. She also wanted to live somewhere with a sunnier climate than Britain. “It was very much, like, why not? We didn’t really do a whole lot of research — we were like, let’s just see what happens … and it was the best decision ever,” Eilersen told CNBC by video call.

Portugal came fifth in InterNations’ survey of the best places for expats in 2021, ranking highly in terms of quality of life, leisure options and affordability.

Eilersen and her Spanish partner used apartments they found on Airbnb to try out different areas of the city and eventually settled in Campo de Ourique, which they liked for its wide sidewalks and park where they could take their dog.

Workwise, Eilersen had already been coaching clients remotely via video through her consultancy Be Conscious PR, which helped make the transition to Lisbon seamless. “Whenever I talk to new clients … it actually just [helps] to inspire them and show them [that] you can really work from wherever,” she said.

She also found yoga teaching work relatively easy to come by in Lisbon, after attending a class at a local studio and being invited by the owner to lead a session as a trial. Now, she teaches regularly. “It’s something I noticed happen once we moved to Lisbon … All these things that had been such a grind and such a hustle in London just happened really easily.”

Not everyone has had such a smooth ride, given pandemic restrictions and travel limitations, however.

Entrepreneur and former business analyst Anais Nesta moved from Lyon, France, to Boston, U.S., with her husband and two sons in February 2020, just a few weeks before shutdowns around the world.

“At that time, we were not fully aware of the extent of Covid-19. Quickly we found a home. We barely had time to buy a table and chairs as the shops and restaurants closed,” she told CNBC via email. The couple’s children could not attend school and the professional projects Nesta had been considering were put on hold.

“I had imagined expatriation scenarios, but it was far from the one we were going to live in. I learned that we were expecting our third child. We arrived in a country where we didn’t know anyone…