Olá todos!
We hope you’re starting to see signs of spring wherever you are!
February here was much calmer than January. We’re still getting some rain, and the region is continuing to recover from the major storms. Some villages are only now getting their power back, but thankfully, we’ve fared just fine. We’ve also been lucky to enjoy a few sunny days, and the first signs of spring are starting to appear. Flowers are beginning to bloom, and just this past week, we noticed leaves returning to the trees in Lisbon.
February also brought Carnaval celebrations. Unfortunately, the biggest parades in our area, Torres Vedras and Caldas da Rainha, were canceled. However, we were still able to attend the celebration in Peniche. The skies were cloudy, but thankfully, the rain held off, and the festive spirit was still very much alive.
Watch the full video here on YouTube.
Quick Tips and Guides
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Day trips from Lisbon
Often, we are asked what day trips you can take from Lisbon by train or bus. We made a list! Complete with bus and train stations and our recommendations!
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Lisboa Part 2 Podcast
We have updated our Lisboa recommendations with this podcast--a part 2, if you will. We visit the Maritime Museum, Carmo Convent, the Pantheon, and several other places. Click below to listen!
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Looking to book a tour or hotel? We use Booking.com and Get Your Guide and highly recommend them!
Product we are Using and Loving!
One travel item we’ve been using constantly lately is our Mag-Safe 10,000mAh magnetic power bank. When we’re out exploring for the day, navigating, taking photos, and posting updates, our phones drain quickly, so having reliable backup power is essential.
What we love most about this battery pack is how easy it is to use. It magnetically attaches to the back of the phone, so there’s no need to carry extra cables while walking around. It also supports fast charging and has enough capacity to recharge a phone multiple times, which makes it perfect for long travel days.
Another small feature we appreciate is the LED display that shows exactly how much battery is left, no guessing when it’s time to recharge the pack itself. It’s compact, easy to carry, and has quickly become one of those travel items we never leave the house without.
If you spend long days exploring as we do, a dependable power bank like this can make a big difference.
Life in Portugal
As the weather begins to improve, we’re slowly starting to come out of our winter caves. The Portuguese, however, never seemed to go into hiding at all! Rain or shine, nothing keeps them from gathering at cafés and enjoying time with friends and family. It’s one of the things we love most about life here—the strong culture of community and connection.
Portugal also recently held an election in which Seguro won over the Chega party. We’re grateful for the outcome and continue to follow along as things unfold.
On our end, we’ve been keeping busy behind the scenes. We’ve spent time updating blog posts and recording new podcast interviews, including a great conversation with Anita da Silva from Portuguese with Anita.
We’ve also been focusing more on improving our Portuguese. Beth has been taking classes, and I’ve been studying and practicing as much as possible. Little by little, we’re getting there!
Resources and Helpful Links
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Learning Portuguese with Anita!
We recently did a podcast episode with Anita da Silva, where we discussed the difficulties and the fun of learning Portuguese! Check it out wherever you listen or click the link below.
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Dublin Itinerary Available
Our new Dublin Itinerary is now available! Check it out here.
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Travel Tools We Recommend
TripIt
One travel tool we use for almost every trip is the TripIt app. If you’ve ever tried to keep track of flight confirmations, hotel bookings, and rental car reservations across dozens of emails, you’ll understand why we love it.
TripIt makes travel organization incredibly simple. After you book a flight, hotel, or activity, you just forward the confirmation email to TripIt, and the app automatically builds a complete itinerary for your trip. Everything from flight times and confirmation numbers to hotel addresses ends up in one easy-to-read timeline.
What we appreciate most is having all our travel details in one place, especially when we’re on the road. Instead of digging through email while standing in an airport or train station, we can quickly open the app and see everything we need. It even works offline, which is incredibly helpful when traveling internationally.
There’s also a paid version called TripIt Pro that offers extra features like flight delay alerts, gate changes, and reminders about when to leave for the airport.
For frequent travelers, or anyone planning a big trip, it’s one of those tools that quickly becomes indispensable.
This Month's travel question
Thanks for following along with our adventures and life here in Portugal. We always enjoy hearing what’s going on in your world as well.
Before we sign off this month, we’d love to hear from you:
What’s one travel app or tool you can’t live without when you’re on the road?
We’re always looking for new ones to try!
P.S. We really do read every reply, so if you have a favorite travel tool, send it our way!
Thanks for your support!
That's all for this issue. But don't worry, next month we will have more to talk about as we have a special guest on our podcast coming soon!
Thank you for all of your support, and make sure you are following us on Facebook and Instagram to get all the news first! Feel free to share our newsletter with your friends!!
Shelley and Beth
PS--booking a trip soon? Here are some resources we use.
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Wandering Works for Us contains affiliate links as part of Viator, Get Your Guide, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia.com. and Amazon Services Associates Program LLC, and other businesses. If you make a purchase using one of the links, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
