Starting tomorrow, I’m heading to Portugal for 15 days, my first of what I hope will be two trips across the Atlantic to Europe this year. I don’t have any plans yet for the second trip, but I always try to travel at least twice a year, as time and budget allow. Planning this trip to Portugal involved more back-and-forth than I expected.

I’ve been wanting to plan my next adventure for a while. Over the winter, especially, the idea of warmer destinations and better travel timing was hard to ignore. I started jotting down ideas: cities I wanted to visit, then ways to connect them and make the most of my time across the Atlantic.

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal after Lisbon, and in recent years, it has been recognized as one of the top destinations to visit in Europe. The core area of Porto is relatively compact and similar to Lisbon, consisting of many hills, alleys, etc. It doesn’t take long to explore Porto, and it’s easy to see most of the city in two full days.