‘Portugal saved me’: How heartbreak led one Brit to a new life in Portugal

A British content creator who has built a large following by documenting life in Portugal has revealed how a moment of personal crisis led him to the country he now credits with “saving” him.

According to NiT, Paul Lane, better known online as The Great British Tuga – a play on the colloquial Portuguese term “Tuga”, meaning a Portuguese person – left Birmingham in 2021 after his engagement collapsed. A spur-of-the-moment decision to book a one-way flight to Lisbon would ultimately transform his life.

The 33-year-old said Portugal was not a carefully chosen destination. In fact, he knew very little about the country before arriving.

“The only thing I knew about Portugal was that it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s country,” he said.

Arriving in Lisbon with a suitcase and some savings, Lane gave himself a simple challenge: if he found work before the money ran out, he would stay. If not, he would return to the UK.

Within a month, he had secured a job in the technology sector and began building a new life. He initially rented a room in Lisbon before eventually settling in Almada, on the south bank of the Tagus River, where he still lives today.

A second turning point came in 2024 when he lost his job. Rather than allowing unemployment to drag him down, Lane turned to social media, creating videos comparing everyday life in Portugal and the UK.

His content soon gained traction on TikTok and Instagram, where he now has tens of thousands of followers. Videos exploring Portuguese food, culture and daily life became particularly popular, helping him transform a difficult period into a successful online project.

Today, Portuguese cuisine features heavily in his content, with francesinha, bifana and choco frito ranking among his favourite dishes.

But for Lane, Portugal’s appeal goes far beyond food. He told NiT that the country’s climate, lifestyle and welcoming people have made it feel like home.

“I often say that coming to Portugal saved me,” he said. “Getting on that plane in 2021 changed everything. The Great British Tuga also helped me when I became unemployed. It stopped me falling into depression.”

Five years after taking a chance on a country he knew almost nothing about, The Great British Tuga says he has no plans to leave. Portugal, he insists, gave him the opportunity to start again when he needed it most.

Instagram: @thegretbritishtuga

TikTok: @thegreatbritishtuga

Source: NiT

Inês Lopes

Newspaper editor at The Portugal Resident