Why Portugal? Choosing Our Next Adventure
Where we are in the plan
How we landed on Portugal
We'd had Portugal on the list for years — the kind of destination that keeps almost making the cut but gets bumped by something shinier. This year we decided to actually commit. In this episode we walked through the shortlist: Morocco, the Azores, Sardinia, and a return to Japan. Portugal won.
Why now
The September window is ideal. Crowds thin out after August, temperatures are still warm enough to sit outside, and prices drop noticeably on accommodation. We'd been watching flights for a few months and the Lisbon fares were more reasonable than expected for the season.
The shape of the trip
We knew we wanted more than just Lisbon. The city is great but two weeks felt too long to stay in one place. The Alentejo came up in a few different places — food writers, travel journalists, a couple of friends who'd been — so we started looking at a split itinerary: Lisbon first, then move south into the plains.
Évora was the obvious anchor point for the second half. UNESCO listed, very walkable, and a good base for day trips into the surrounding cork forests and wineries.
What we haven't figured out yet
- Whether to hire a car for the Alentejo leg or stick to buses
- How many nights in Lisbon vs the south
- Whether to add Porto at the start (almost certainly not — it deserves its own trip)
Next episode we get into flights.