A 53-year-old runner passes a family from the US to Portugal: they are happiest of all!

In February 2015, Alex Trias, 53, and his wife Noki left for Lisbon, Portugal, with their daughter Evi, and never looked back. Trias, who retired from his job as a corporate tax lawyer in 2011, lived with his family in Washington, D.C., where Noki worked as a nurse and their daughter was in school. Since retiring, Trias has run his own real estate and stock investment business.

He tells CNBC Make It that the idea for early retirement came to him just two weeks after starting his career as a lawyer. "I quickly realized that my job required 90-hour work weeks, and I realized that I had limited time to sustain that kind of work regimen," Trias says. "As a result, I began fanatically saving money and continued to do so for many years. "

After just four years of owning their own business, the family had an investment portfolio that paid enough dividends to live on - an average of $152,000 a year. Just two days into their vacation in Portugal, the family began planning a move to Lisbon. They toured apartments during their trip, and when Noki and Evi returned home, Trias stayed a few extra weeks.

He found a one-bedroom, 1,300-square-foot apartment in Bayrou Alto. "It reminded me of Old San Juan, and it's one of my favorite places on the planet," says Trias, who has Puerto Rican roots. "When you walk there, you can smell the mahogany, ocean and palm trees. It's the same in Lisbon. I knew it would be great to live in a place like this. "

Portugal is the best country for retirees in Europe

According to the June Moving to Spain report, Portugal is the best country for retirees in Europe.

New life in Portugal

Trias says the simple process has made the idea of living in Portugal even better. "I wake up and do whatever I want to do and don't do anything I don't want to do," he says. "It brings me happiness to live with my family in a country like Portugal. I wake up and do whatever I want to do and don't do anything I don't want to do. "

While Alex is busy with his investments and freelancing, Nokie has found enough free time to join a local tennis group and pay more attention to her health. The couple spends time together doing various activities and visiting new places in Europe and Portugal.

The family is in transition now that Evi is in her final year of high school and considering colleges outside of Portugal. "We still have time to make a difference. If we want to move to Thailand and do volunteer work at an elephant rescue center, we can always do that," says Trias. "I think we still have a few more chapters in our story. "