Gus is obviously not nearly as excited as I am. Don’t worry, his grandparents and favorite cat sitter are coming to stay with him while I’m gone! (More tips for traveling when you have pets here!)
OMG I’m leaving in five days for Portugal.
Honestly, it’s probably the shortest trip I’ve taken in a while but I just didn’t think I needed a lot of time there. I’m looking forward to this being a super chill vacation. It’s going to be like no vacation I’ve ever taken before because usually, I’m running around like a headless chicken seeing tourist attractions and eating all the food I can.
I will still be seeing things and eating all the food I can but the difference is this time that there isn’t that much to see, so I don’t have to run as fast.
This is a win:win.
I have my usual spreadsheets prepared and I’m bringing a Portugal guide book that I bought from a thrift shop in 2019 (it was published in 2017, so it wasn’t too outdated, thrifting FTW).
I just went through my preliminary packing list and put what I could in my Tortuga backpack (here’s a similar one!) and I don’t even have to pack that much. It’s going to be in the sixties, although it will be raining sometimes, so I won’t need to pack any bulky sweaters and I’m SO excited about that!!
How is it that I had to pack like, four sweaters when I went to Budapest and Vienna in March 2018 and it SNOWED while I was there but now I won’t need more than (maybe) one sweater?
Oh, yes, global warming.
And Portugal is a little further south than Austria and Hungary. (Duh.)
Now onto the next question that I keep being asked: Am I worried about Coronavirus while traveling? The short answer is no.
I believe that this is being blown out of proportion in the media. It’s straight-up scaremongering. If you have a trip planned to China, maybe you should consider postponing, but anywhere else? I think it’s probably unnecessary. (Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or scientist of any kind, so do your own research, as this is just my opinion based on the articles I’ve read online.) It’s worth noting too that most of the people who’ve died from Coronavirus have been elderly and have suppressed immune systems, so there’s that, too. But again, I’m not a doctor. Talk to your medical professional, please, if you have questions.
I digress. This post is not about the Coronavirus. This post is about me being excited to wander the old streets of Portugal this week.
Lastly, I wanted to tell everyone that my site will likely be ‘under construction’ for the duration of my trip. I met a web designer via the Soul on Fire podcast Facebook group (one of my favorite podcasts and you should definitely listen) and she is redesigning this little blog while I’m away, so I will be back on the week of March 16th with a whole new look! (Hopefully, it’ll be done by then.) I’m super, super excited! It’s about time we get a makeover!
As always, follow me on Instagram for in time updates while I’m galavanting around Portugal and as always, let me know if you have any recommendations for Porto, Lisbon, or Sintra!
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