Travel to Lisbon Portugal and the Algarve With Kristin in 2024

Sneak peek:

Kristin:    00:00:00    So seven years of living abroad to really replace some cultural beliefs, some limiting beliefs, and, and adjust my worldview from what it was growing up in the United States to have what I felt like was a more accurate worldview and more grounded in reality. 

Introduction: Welcome to Badass Digital Nomads, where we're pushing the boundaries of remote work and travel, all while staying grounded with a little bit of old school philosophy, self-development, and business advice from our guests. 

Kristin Wilson, Host:     00:00:48    Hey there, Kristin Wilson from Traveling with Kristin here, and welcome to episode 231 of Badass Digital Nomads, where we discussed topics that help you thrive in an international lifestyle. And today, I am so excited to share with you directly on the podcast about how we can travel together in 2024, because that is the whole point of this podcast and my YouTube channel Traveling with Kristin to help you travel better, farther longer, and just find more fulfillment in your life through traveling and living abroad. So you might have remembered a few weeks back that I was doing a survey to see if you would want to travel with me, and if so, where you would want to go. And after receiving hundreds of responses, Portugal was the clear winner, which might not come to a, as a surprise to you as that is one of the more popular countries to visit and travel in or live long term as an expat or a resident or a digital nomad. 

Kristin:    00:02:03    We've talked about Portugal a lot here on the podcast as well as on my YouTube channel. And it's such a beautiful country with such a high quality of life and so much to see and do that I'm not surprised that it was the winner of that poll, but coming in a close second was Italy, followed by Croatia, and actually we had a lot of countries on the list. So hopefully we can travel to all of them someday. We'll just see how it goes over the next few years and which countries you want to go to, things that we can do there, and we'll just keep it up. So Portugal will be officially the first Traveling with Kristin Retreat, as it were. And it's an opportunity for us to get to travel Portugal, first of all, but also get to meet each other and also meet other people from within our community.  

Kristin:    00:03:03    So other fellow listeners of the podcast, people who you might recognize their names in the comments of the YouTube videos or maybe from posts on Facebook. And it's very exciting, especially after, you know, going through those years of the pandemic where many of us had to put our travel plans on hold, and many of us just got more acquainted with the art of networking and chatting with people online. So it's great to get that balance of in real life, direct human connection, and also to get to travel through an amazing country at the same time. Now, if you're really excited about this and you've been waiting for this announcement as to when bookings are open, bookings are open as of yesterday, and there's still, as of recording this podcast, there are still two early bird spots available. So if you want to be one of the first to book and save $100 on your booking, lock in your reservation for next April, April 15th to the 21st, you can go straight to the link in the show notes and go ahead and secure your spot now.  

Kristin:    00:04:23    But if this is the first time that you're hearing about this trip and you're like, wait, what, what's going on here, <laugh>, what is this? Uh, then I'll give you a little bit more, uh, info and backstory here on the podcast. So, um, I've been traveling the world for about 20 years now and living abroad for most of those years. And when I first had the ideas to start sharing about this lifestyle on the internet, it was really born out of a desire to bring awareness to this lifestyle and help other people know that there was another way to live. Many of my friends, of course, my family members and acquaintances through Facebook and social media, nobody really understood what I was doing. They said, oh, Kristin's in Costa Rica, she's been there for a few years. Or, oh, I saw pictures of Kristin in Peru, she's in Thailand, what is she doing?  

Kristin:    00:05:25    How is she doing this? How does she afford it? Where is she working? Like, what's going on? And so, um, you know, this started way before Instagram and Facebook and things like that, but over the years I started sharing Facebook posts and then I had a, a blog when I lived in Nicaragua back in 2007, 2008, that shared a little bit about my lifestyle there. And, and then eventually I decided to actually start documenting what I was doing through video and sharing it that way. As I found that that was really helpful to post videos for my relocation clients and people that were looking to move to different countries. I would post videos on YouTube. This was back in 2011, 2012, on a different channel and, uh, answer questions like FAQs that people had about living in different countries. Um, but really the, the whole crux of the matter, the whole goal of this was to help other people have a similar type of lifestyle, whatever this lifestyle means to you, and also to connect with other people out there who had this mindset that you wanted to do something different.  

Kristin:    00:06:43    You wanted to live life a different way, and you wanted to do something unconventional and kind of break out of the nine to five rat race and see the world for more than just what your annual vacation days would allow. And really, the, the most fulfilling part of my years living abroad before I started creating content was the, the people that I met and the conversations that I would have with them there. I may have mentioned before that it took me about seven years to unlearn a lot of what I had learned up until graduating from college and grad school, so seven years of living abroad to really replace some cultural beliefs, some limiting beliefs and, and adjust my worldview from what it was growing up in the United States to maybe not a completely objective worldview because we're all humans and we all have our own inherent biases.  

Kristin:    00:07:55    But to have what I felt like was a more accurate worldview and a sense of self, a sense of purpose and a sense of, of global understanding, that just made more sense to me and that felt more whole and more grounded in reality. And so I used to joke around in those early years that, wow, everything that I'm learning, these conversations that we're having are going so deep. Whether it would be at a dinner party at a friend's house in Costa Rica, or just hanging out at the sushi bar where I used to work for my friend Allison, when I was working in real estate at the beginning, I would be waiting tables at night teaching surf lessons on the weekends, doing all sorts of things to try to earn an income and allow myself to continue in that lifestyle. Um, and then it would continue on to larger events and different countries and different cities outside of where I was living those first few years in Nosara, Costa Rica.  

Kristin:    00:09:09    And I would just joke with people that I needed to walk around with a GoPro strapped to my head to record all of the conversations that I was having with people and to just share all of this knowledge that I was gaining that didn't come from books, that didn't come from school, and that were topics of conversation that just never came up in my day-to-day life in the United States. Now, maybe that would have been different if I would've stayed in the US for those next 20 years. Um, but still when I go back it's definitely a, a different, uh, culture. There's different topics that are more present in the news and the media and more top of mind that come up in just casual conversation. Whereas when living abroad, not only do you get to talk with local people about what is important to them, what are the themes and the issues and the topics that they care about the most.  

Kristin:    00:10:14    And then at the same time, you get to meet other travelers from other countries or maybe your same country that are also seeking something different. So they might be of all different ages, they might be coming from all different places, but you happen to find yourself in the same little corner of the world, whether that's, you know, sitting next to each other at a train station somewhere in Germany, or you could be, uh, staying at the same hotel or hostel together in Costa Rica. What comes to mind is a time that I met some people in Nicaragua and we ended up going on, uh, a hike of Ometepe volcano and just having a lot of late nights with no electricity, just sitting around in the dark drinking wine and just talking about life and things like that. Or even on the Nomad Cruise, which I, we talked about on the podcast last week.  

Kristin:    00:11:13    Just so many moments of staying up in the middle of the night, sitting in the library, talking with my friend May ling and Matt Bowles, who is the host of the Maverick Show podcast. They'll remember that quite well. Or even after the Nomad Cruise, after we got off of the ship and exploring Athens, Greece together, exploring Santorini and finding myself one day, riding around on four wheelers, watching the sunset from the acro lighthouse at the end of a cliff in Santorini. And talking with friends who I met from Turkey, from Austria, from different countries just in general about, about life and, and just so many examples of that. I've been editing a video about living in Norway that I filmed actually before the Pandemic, and it's just gonna be coming out soon. But going back through those clips and really remembering what we were talking about, um, myself and the people that I met there at the co-Living space and going on hikes, the real deep conversations, uh, that we were having and just contemplating <laugh> different things, the meaning of life, uh, the pros and cons of a location, independent lifestyle, uh, speaking with my friend Fiona, who is from the UK and there we found ourselves at the top of a mountain, in the middle of the Arctic Circle, using her fast wifi to check emails, <laugh>, and watching this beautiful view and eating our sandwiches.  

Kristin:    00:12:54    I mean, all of these kinds of moments, uh, that you have when you travel. It's, it's just so, it makes such an impression on you and your, and your memories and in your emotional body and your emotional memories more than just, um, a list of, you know, top 10 places to go, or top 10 tips for this and that, or the cost of living here and there behind and below. And then in the background of all of the other logistics that come up around living in another country, working remotely, traveling long term without an end date behind all of that is the connections that you make with the people that you meet and also with those places and those times that you're by yourself, whether you're traveling with others or you're traveling by yourself, there are ultimately going to be moments where you just find yourself in that moment and connecting with the environment around you, with the sounds of the city, with the silence of walking through a forest, whatever it is.  

Kristin:    00:14:12    Uh, these are the reasons that we do this. And so being able to, to be able to bring together people that are all connected by the themes and the topics that we talk about on this podcast and also on my YouTube channel, and some of you who I already know through Patreon, through the Facebook group, through comments, through emails, through Instagram messages, whatever it is to be able to actually meet up in person, have some experiences that we don't know exactly what will happen yet, make memories that are yet to be made and, and just spend a week together traveling around through Portugal from Lisbon to the Algarve. I feel like this is just, you know, the first step in the rest of a lifetime of travel. And, uh, as our community grows, I look forward to going to more places together and experiencing different countries, uh, not just as a solo traveler, uh, not just as part of maybe a co-working or co-living community, but as part of the Traveling with Kristin community and, um, all of the, the positivity and amazing people that we have within the community.  

Kristin:    00:15:39    So that is why I am so excited and so looking forward to this trip and it's something that I've, I've wanted to do. I've, I've had a goal towards hosting my own trips since at least 2015, 2016, before I even started publishing content. But I finally found a company that could help organize it so that I can focus on spending quality time with people that get to go and enjoying the trip and, you know, hosting it without having to organize all of the logistics and be responsible for those logistics at the same time. So I'm happy to say that there will be a local guide who will be guiding us on the trip. I'll be the host and we'll all get to hang out and do a lot of fun activities together and also add in some bonus activities. I'm thinking of doing a workshop or two, haven't confirmed exactly what the topics will be about yet.  

Kristin:    00:16:50    Maybe we can just poll the people that are going and see what you want me to talk about the most. There's plenty of options. I was thinking maybe a workshop on planning your exploratory trip to Portugal, maybe having some guest speakers come in that could talk about themes around living in Portugal, whether it's applying for a residency or the D7 Visa or getting your NIF number. Um, none, none of this has been confirmed yet, but the trip is in April, so there's plenty of time to uh, plan some other extra bonus activities and talks or workshops that we can, uh, participate in as well. So there will definitely be some surprises in store, but for now, let's just focus on what is actually confirmed and how will this trip work? What can you expect? How much does it cost? How long is it, when is it, what's included, what's not included?  

Kristin:    00:17:52    Let's go through all of those details. So as I mentioned at the beginning, the trip is from April 15th to the 21st of 2024. And this will actually be right after the International Living Fast Track Europe conference. So if you will be going to that event, it will be right after it. So you could go to both, that would be a great trip to Portugal. Very productive, but very fun at the same time. As far as our trip, we will be starting in the capital of Lisbon and staying there for a few days before continuing on to the Algarve. So the first day we will just be, you know, letting everybody arrive at different times. You will have your round trip airport transfer provided, so that will be from the airport to the hotel and then back upon departure. And so the first day you can arrive at any time of day we'll be having a group dinner, a welcome dinner at a local restaurant that will be included in the price.  

Kristin:    00:19:03    And then, um, your accommodation will be included the entire week as well. And this will be at a minimum three star hotels. And then our first full day in Lisbon, um, after breakfast we'll be taking a tour of the city by Tuuk Tuuk. And so they'll be picking us up right in front of the hotel and then taking us around some of the more historic areas of Lisbon, including the Alfama, and then ending up in the center of Lisbon where we'll meet our guide for a tour. And actually it's a foodie tour, so a gastronomic tour of Lisbon, Lisbon, and Portugal in general is very well known for its delicious food. So we'll get to taste some of their famous local dishes and then even have lunch, so plenty of food included. So we'll have a few appetizers there on our tour and then stop for lunch at a local restaurant.  

Kristin:    00:20:07    And then for dessert, have a little pastel de nata, which is the most famous dessert in Portugal. And then we'll have some free time in the afternoon before going on a sunset cruise of the city. And I've spent a lot of time along the river watching other people on cruises <laugh>, but I haven't actually been on one. So I am really excited to go on a nice sunset cruise. Hopefully we have really good weather there in April. It's a great time to be there. And then, uh, the next day we will have breakfast again at the hotel and there's no scheduled activities on the third day, so you'll basically have the free day to discover the city on your own. But this is the day where I think would be good to have some optional excursions together so we can organize some informal meetups together.  

Kristin:    00:21:04    Um, we can do another group dinner, we could do a workshop or a a talk, but this will be a good day for you to just go around if you want to do any sort of shopping, souvenir shopping, anything like that. And we'll probably arrange some off of the record, uh, meetups during that day. It would even be a good opportunity to do a little side trip maybe to Sintra or Cascais. So we will think about that, we'll strategize and see where we want to go or everyone can just take that time off as a free day. And then on the fourth day we'll be leaving Lisbon and headed to the Algarve, which I've actually never been to. So I'm really looking forward to seeing it. And I know our good friend Dave Williams who has been on the show who lives there, he's always been telling me to go there and sending me lots of tips.  

Kristin:    00:22:00    So I look forward to going there. And we'll also be doing a little bit more eating because of the amazing food there. We'll be tasting some local specialties at a restaurant in the Algarve and then we'll even have a cave and a kayak tour around Benagil Cave to explore that area. And actually this Benagil Cave is in an upcoming video that I have about the best places to visit in the world. And I put that in the video months ago, so I think I probably manifested it. We're actually going there. And then your transportation from Lisbon to the Algarve is also included as well. And then that night we'll have some free time after the kayak and cave tour where you can walk around, explore a bit, you could take a surf lesson if you wanted to, and then we'll have some free time to go and get dinner wherever you want.  

Kristin:    00:23:01    And then, um, meet back up at the hotel for day five. Now, day five is going to be really fun as we'll be going for a coastal walk or hike in what's called the Seven Hanging Valleys. And then we'll be going to a vineyard for a wine tour and tasting. So Portugal obviously known for its port wine, but also for different varieties of wine that that also grow there. And I've spent a lot of time in vineyards in Portugal, in Spain and France and it's always such a beautiful scenery and lovely atmosphere. So I'm really looking forward to that. But also if there's anything that you don't want to do, like if you want to opt out of the kayak tour or you want to opt out of the hike or the wine tasting, you can always do that, take some free time or do some work.  

Kristin:    00:23:59    So if any of you will be working during the trip as well, I'm sure I'll be doing some work as well. So that's perfectly fine if you need to take a few hours out to yourself, um, or you can do everything. Then after the second night in the Algarve we'll have breakfast and then take the tour back to Lisbon, where we'll have another free afternoon. Also could be an opportunity for one of our informal meetups. And then in the evening we'll meet together with the entire group for a final farewell dinner on day seven on the last day of the trip. Breakfast is again included at the hotel as well as your transfer back to Lisbon Airport, and that will be farewell for now, but hopefully not for long as I could see us doing a lot of these trips in the upcoming years. So it's going to be a really nice scenic and leisurely trip from Lisbon to the Algarve with lots of opportunities for side trips and free time for shopping or doing anything that you want to do, seeing anything that you want to see there.  

Kristin:    00:25:20    And also those seven group excursions that we have planned from the Sunset Cruise to the Lisbon City tour, the Cave tour, the hike, the wine tasting, the food tour and more. The trip is priced at $3199, but if you are one of the next two people to sign up, you can also get $100 off with the early bird price. So those are going fast. So if you are free during these dates of April 15th, the 21st, then go ahead and reserve your place. Now you can reserve your spot with a 25% refundable down payment and then that will include your occupancy and three star hotels throughout the trip. Plus the local guide, city transfers, airport transfers, and that also includes a lot of meals. So to in total you get six breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners. And you can also choose a payment plan for this.  

Kristin:    00:26:30    So there is, um, payment plans available through a firm depending on which country you're from. And then if you have any questions, I will link in the show notes and FAQ page, which has a lot of questions about the trip itself, about travel insurance, about the cancellation and refund policy and things like that. So what would not be included in the trip price would be your flight to the country and then additional food and alcohol except what's included with the meals and the wine tasting. Also, travel insurance would be additional. And if you wanna leave any tips or gratuity, that is extra as well. So pretty standard for any type of tour or group trip. And the provider TrovaTrip has really good reviews. They're consistently 4.5 out of five stars. And there's also a link to the reviews page that you can see. I'll link that in the show notes and that will be the reviews to all of the different places that they're going.  

Kristin:    00:27:43    So it could be to Bali, to South Africa, camping in the United States, South Korea, um, but of course Portugal will be our own trip. But lots of great reviews. There is one review here from Pascal who went to Germany this month, actually a few days ago in October. And he says, amazing experience traveling to three fantastic cities with other fellow history nerds. The only issue was that it ended. And then Deborah, who went to Italy this month said it was a really wonderful experience, great mix of historical sites and education with more casual tours, Kyle says, short and sweet, it was my best vacation yet, and I hope that is the case for us. I'm really looking forward to going to back to Lisbon, which is a city I've been to quite a few times, and also to the Algarve, which will be new to me. So I think even if you've been to Portugal before, like I have, it'll still be great to go back with a new group of people and also to be able to do some things that you might not have done before.  

Kristin:    00:28:55    And I think it's really, you know, the people and the place that really make the trip. And with our group of people mixed with Portugal, I think we can't go wrong. Uni who also went to Portugal this month said, overall it was a wonderful experienced, she loved their guide and they also went to the Algar region and only wished that they had more time to explore the towns that they visited. Mallory has been on three trove trips now and said that she loved everything. The hosts, the guide, location, accommodations, food, I could go on and on. She says, don't know how we're going to top this one. Thank you so much. So I hope you'll be able to join us on our first group trip to Portugal. I'll leave links to all of the info in the show notes and hope to see you there.  

Kristin:    00:29:48    We also have some great interviews coming up here on Badass Digital Nomads, one with my friend Simone Vincenzi, who is from Italy but has been living in the UK and he shares how he went from working in restaurants to becoming a successful online entrepreneur. We also have Austin Riffe, who will be sharing his tips on credit card hacking, as well as one of the managers of Hacker Paradise, which is the group travel for digital nomads and remote workers. And then later in December, we have an interview with another Kristin. Her name is Kristin Morrison, and she's talking about how she turned her dog walking business into a multimillion dollar venture, but then why she decided to sell it to become a coach and consultant that gave her more flexibility and free time to be able to travel and live the lifestyle that she really enjoys between Big Sur, California and Hawaii.  

Kristin:    00:30:57    So definitely some travel goals there. As for me, I will be here in Amsterdam for a couple more weeks before heading back to the US for a wedding and then for Thanksgiving, and then I'll be hopping onto the Nomad Cruise, which is December 2nd to the 11th from 10 FE in the Canary Islands to Salvador in Brazil. And so if you would like to join me and 400 other very cool people on Nomad Cruise 12, you can do so by using my link in the show notes and use code TWK to get 100 euro off your booking. So we'll have two opportunities to travel together, both in December on the Nomad Cruise and also next April in Portugal. I also wanna thank Kiana for her five star review that she left on badassdigitalnomads.com. She said she started off by watching my YouTube videos, but later discovered the podcast. She says, as someone who's actively trying to move abroad, even if just temporarily, I find the podcast very informative and entertaining, it's helped me to realize that this dream of mine isn't totally farfetched and it's actually doable. Keep up the great work, Kristin. Thank you, Kiana. I will, I'll keep on keeping on and I hope that you'll keep on tuning in to join me every week. Have a great morning, afternoon, or evening wherever you are in the world, and see you next week for our interview with Austin Riffe on credit card hacking.