5 Reasons to Cancel your Family Resort Holiday in Portugal

Nov 14

For the Wanderer

Booked your flights and now you’re wondering - where to go in Portugal for the best family vacation? Maybe you’ve been scouring resorts in Portugal for families…only to feel more confused. Choosing the best spots to spend your time can be overwhelming! And let’s be real…you just can’t really know what a place will be like until you’re on the ground.

Sure, there is something to be said for picking a resort and spending a week enjoying the ease of sitting poolside and having everything catered to you. But if you’re like us, what you’re really looking for deep down is an adventure! You don’t want to be insulated from the culture and people, but instead to return home inspired and with a deeper knowledge of a new people group and culture. It’s magical! The ingredients for a deeper, more empathetic worldview and greater understanding of life are found in traveling off-the-beaten path. We all want that for ourselves and our families…and we’re most likely not going to get it from a resort.

There are so many reasons to get off-the-beaten-path in Portugal and steer clear of the resorts, but here are a few that I find most compelling…

Experience Eye-Opening Cultures + Customs

While some resorts may attempt to incorporate the culture and idiosyncrasies of a place, it’s just impossible to fully experience a place without wandering the neighborhoods, stopping in at local restaurants, getting groceries from the local store, snagging a haircut in the middle of town…doing it all the way the locals do. Isn’t learning and gaining an understanding of unique and different places kind of the whole point of travel?

Be Inspired by the Unique Local Foodie Flair + Authenticity

Think about your favorite mom-and-pop local restaurant in your town or state. Now imagine missing out on that because you never left the over-commercialized hotspot that usually lacks character and depth. It’s the same thing when traveling to another country - don’t miss out on special and unique because you’re stuck in a contrived (albeit comfy!) version of the real thing. Our favorite way of finding the best local spots is to just ask the locals! Whether the grocery store cashier, your uber driver or even your Airbnb host…referrals from real people are the bread and butter (see what I did there?;) of navigating the best nooks and crannies of a new place.

People are Paramount

Let me say it again for the folks in the back - the people are the point!! While wandering the streets of Paris, we stopped to snap a polaroid family selfie. It never fails, when you go into selfie mode, there’s always going to be that overly friendly, generous person who offers to snap it for you. In this case, it was an elderly gentleman with a newsboy cap perched on his head and twinkling, kind eyes. After snapping our pic, he proceeded to show us his camera roll. Piecing together his French and our English we found out all about his granddaughter, who just celebrated her birthday complete with a double layer cake, and of course - his cat. We had a moment with this friendly Parisian man as people brushed past us, hurrying to their next destination. Making even quick connections with locals reminds us that we’re all more alike than we realize. It’s a mindset shift that helps us get out of our own bubble and feel more empathy, generating a broad and world-changing perspective.

Landscapes Leave a Lasting Imprint

Some of the most awe-inspiring and memorable experiences of our trips have occurred because we wandered off the path and found a hidden gem that completely blew our minds. On the recommendation of a friend, we drove 15 minutes down a misty, gravel road to discover a completely empty beach on the southwest coast of Portugal - Praia Carreagem. We had almost the entire ethereal scene to ourselves, encountered our first real-life sea star, let the kids run wild, collected the most unique stones and shells, and witnessed a local man in his normal Friday routine, bring in his daily catch. Experiencing the unique and breathtaking landscape that day has had a lasting effect, bonding us together more as a family.

Unexpected Adventures Create Bonds

How else can you get the chance to shut down an entire historical city by blocking the main road with your big blue van? Or make friends (and drink too many espressos) at a road-side stop by breaking down and being stuck there for four hours, waiting for the tow truck? Or have a tense run-in with the authorities on the Paris subway train? Or make friends with a Brazilian surfer whose life story inspired you to take more risks and stop playing it safe? Or learn about local history + customs by chatting with the lady selling dried fish that her husband brought in earlier that week? Unexpected adventures are the spice of life and especially, travel. Think about it. What makes up most of your most special memories in life? The things you did every day that were easy and comfortable and expected? Or the times did something a little risky that you’d never done before with someone you loved? When you get off-the-beaten-path, these things just happen - you don’t even have to try haha! But when insulated at a resort, you won’t likely experience many surprises…or adventures.