Olá todos!

Wandering Works for Us — September 2026

What We've been up to...

July closed out with a trip we'd been looking forward to for ages: four days in Amsterdam with our friend Meg, who'd never been before. We wandered the canals, ate our way through the city, and had the added treat of catching James Taylor live, a first for Shelley. Watching Meg fall in love with Amsterdam for the first time made it even better.

August brought something a little harder. Beth's mother's health took a turn, and Beth flew back to the US to be with her and say goodbye. However, she also got a rare and bittersweet chance to reconnect with a few old friends along the way. Shelley held down the fort here in Serra D'El Rei. It's been a month of holding both grief and gratitude at once, and we're grateful for this little corner of Portugal to come home to.

Beth's return happened to coincide with festa weekend in the village, the perfect, incredibly noisy, joyful welcome back. We also were able to host a new friend, Matt, for the weekend and give him a true Portuguese experience while he was here. We ate great food, stayed up late dancing, and enjoyed the cart races, a new addition to festa this year.

Here's what else we've been putting together for you this month...

New and Updated on the Blog

Torres Vedras We'd driven past Torres Vedras' castle for months before finally stopping to explore. Turns out this town has serious layers, from its Moorish-era castle and Wellington's Napoleonic War defenses to one of Portugal's biggest Carnaval parades. Read article

Bakewell and Haddon Hall A quiet Peak District stop turns into one of the trip's biggest surprises, as a 200-year-untouched medieval manor (and its famous puddings) steal the show from the Cotswolds' crowds. Read article

York and Corbridge Vikings, a haunted pub, and the one cathedral we regret walking past — our full guide to two days in York, including where to stay and eat. Read article

We have also updated several guides, including:

• ​Alcobaça: A monastery hiding one of Portugal's greatest love stories, a river running straight through its medieval kitchen, and some of the best pastries on the Silver Coast — Alcobaça is one of our favorite stops, and we're finally sharing our full guide to it.
• ​Edinburgh: 3 Days in Edinburgh is just enough to want a little more. We let you in on the great pubs, restaurants, and all the fun of the Royal Mile and the Military Tattoo.
• ​Óbidos: Whether you've got three hours or a whole night, our new guide to Óbidos has everything you need for one of Portugal's most charming medieval towns.

Product we are using and loving!

Clear Toiletry Bags from Amazon

If you have flown anywhere lately, you've noticed the security line chaos of people fumbling with flimsy Ziploc bags and liquids sliding everywhere. We saw this so much in Lisbon! Here is the solution:

We travel with two of these clear toiletry bags--one for liquids and one for toothbrushes and other non-liquid bits. Between the two of us, we're low-maintenance enough that all of our liquids fit into just one bag.

They hold their shape (no leaks, no sad squishy pouch), pack into a tidy square that tucks easily into luggage, and pull out clean and organized at security instead of turning into a scramble.

Small upgrade, but it is one of those travel details that just makes everything smoother. Click here or the pic to order!​

New on the Podcast

Bakewell and Haddon Hall Join us as we explore charming Bakewell, settle the great tart-vs.-pudding debate, and step inside the remarkable 900-year-old Haddon Hall, complete with centuries-old details and a little Princess Bride history. Listen Here

York and Corbridge We continue our English adventures and discover the Shambles, a lousy butterbeer, but an amazing experience at Jorvik. Listen Here

New to us is our video podcast on YouTube! We are now releasing a video version of our podcast episodes so that you can see our sweet faces, and we also post many pictures of the places we talk about. Check us out and SUBSCRIBE!

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Travel Tools We Recommend

The Stasher App

When you're doing a city in a single day, luggage becomes the enemy--you don't want to drag around your bags all day, and you don't want to be stuck in a rigid schedule dictated by a locker's opening hours. That was our situation in Edinburgh: we were there for a day and needed to store our luggage before heading to Glasgow late at night.

Enter Stasher--a luggage storage app that connects you with shops, hotels, and cafes happy to hold your bags for a few hours or a full day. We dropped our luggage first thing, spent the day wandering (as we do), and picked it up on our way out of town. Simple, flexible, and available on our schedule rather than someone else's.

Use the code WWFORUS for 10% off your first booking!

Before you go...

Some months teach you that celebration and grief can share the same week. And both are worth showing up for!

Until next time, keep wandering!

Shelley and Beth

PS--booking a trip soon? Here are some resources we use.

• ​Get your Guide​
• ​Viator​
• ​Trip Advisor​
• ​Booking.com​
• ​VRBO​

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