What's your dash? | Highlight - Encanto in Portugal | Q&A

Good morning Traveler,

"Why did you hard launch our family vacation in your newsletter?"

That was the question I received from one of my teenagers last week.?Luckily it was asked with a smile.?:)?And now I know one of my kids actually reads my newsletter.?I guess I hadn't officially told them that was the plan yet.?But as with all travels, it's not a guarantee until it's actually booked, and I still haven't finalized it yet.?

I love creating this newsletter for you every week. And I also love reading other travel newsletters. On of my favorites is the?NYT’s Travel Dispatch. I highly recommend it if you have room for one more.?

I've been traveling a lot over the last year and as I was flipping through my passport I realized the pages are almost all filled up. With a quick google search I learned that the ability to order extra pages ended in 2016. Instead, 5 years ahead of schedule I have to get a new passport.?In case you run into a similar issue - you can order a new passport with either 32 or 52 pages. I'll be getting 52 this time. This topic is related to this week's Q&A below - How many passport pages do I need for my trip to ____?

I receive a lot of emails from travel suppliers.?So many I can't possibly open or read them all.?Sometimes something intrigues me and I open it.?Last week I was glad I chose to open the one from Kruger Shalati. The train/hotel on the bridge in Kruger National Park that was a previous?Highlight.?

They shared about a well-known poem called The Dash and I was inspired to share it with you.

"It speaks of a friend's funeral where the pastor referred to the dates on the tombstone – the beginning and the end. Between those dates was the dash, which was the part that mattered most. It represented the person's life and everything that happened while they were on earth."

We all get one shot at living our dash well. It is filled with everything from going to school, studying, building a career, making a difference, family, all the to-do's, and life in general. Yet, inside this dash are a few pauses when you step off life's treadmill and breathe – a pause where you fill up through an exceptional experience. And we get to choose how we spend these pauses. If we choose well, we end up with incredible memories because these pauses are those holy days of holidays, weekends, breakaways, family days, romantic days, and me-days.

Enjoy your week!

Warmly,

Mimi

Below:

• This week's highlight - Encanto in Lisbon
• Q & A
• Interesting Articles

"Welcome to this enchanted place of haute cuisine where vegetables are celebrated as stars."

A single, 12 course 100% vegetarian tasting menu.?If you are a meat eater, the food is so delicious you will not miss it at all.?

Encanto by?José Avillez

José Avillez 's restaurant next door,?Belcanto, was the first restaurant in Lisbon to be distinguished with two Michelin stars and José Avillez the first Portuguese chef to receive this accolade in Portugal.

"At Encanto, we want to celebrate the work of local Portuguese farmers and?cede the spotlight to seasonal products."

It occupies the space of the former Belcanto, which moved to better integrate?the guests into the kitchen experience. (I suggest you book a table there too)

While gathering a bit of extra intel on Encanto I learned that two of the most famous chef's in the world,?Pía León & Virgilio Martínez, of Central in Lima, in March 2022 collaborated with José, bringing their local Peruvian products with them to Lisbon and creating a magical dinner.?

You can see more in this?video.?Watch it to see some of the beautiful creations coming out of the kitchen.

???Encanto

There are a lot of charming, boutique hotels in Lisbon.?As always, depending upon who you are going with and what your priorities are, I would have different recommendations.?One to consider -?Bairro Alto.

With their center-city location, recent renovation, rooftop bar and beautiful artwork lining the walls - it's a great choice.?And of course comes with VIP perks when I book it for you.?

I was inspired to pick a Portuguese destination today because we have clients arriving in Portugal later this week.?Portugal has been gaining in popularity and is considered a hot destination.?It's a great choice for your upcoming spring or summer trip.?

The weather, the coast, the Duoro Valley, the casual luxurious boutique hotels, horseback riding, vineyards, hot air balloons, the world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge (a previous?Highlight), Lisbon and of course the food.?

Plan a trip to Portugal.

Book a table at Encanto.?And Belcanto.?

Listen to Fado.

Relax on a rooftop.

Shop at the markets.?

Taste the white?Vinho Verdes and red?Ribera del Dueros.

Learn about the local cork industry.

Rent a villa on the beach.?

Learn to surf.

Play golf.?

Kayak the Duoro River.

Why wouldn't you go to Portugal?!

???Bairro Alto

Q & A

QUESTION

My passport pages are almost filled up.?How many pages do I need for my trip to Zambia?

ANSWER

The most common answer is 1 or 2, depending upon the country.?However there are some countries that require more.?Zambia requires 3 and Namibia requires 6. If you are getting close and need a specific amount for an upcoming trip, I suggest you paperclip some of the blank pages together to guide the Immigration officers to stamp other pages.?I did that before Kenya and didn't have any issues.?See the number of blank passport pages required by country?here.?

INTERESTING ARTICLES

85 Percent of U.S. Parents Planning to Travel With Children in the Next Year, Skift

There Will Be Flight Delays and Cancellations This Holiday Season—How to Salvage Your Travel Plans, AFAR there is a lot of wide ranging good advice in this article

Wealthy people are splurging on bucket-list trips, flying to the Arctic Circle for private-chef-catered meals, renting out African safari lodges, and spending $300,000 for a half-hour opera serenade, Business Insider?

The Real Star of ‘The White Lotus’: The Fake Hotel, WSJ? Filmed at the Four Seasons in Sicily. I watched episode 1 and I've been drawn in to the drama, just as I was in season 1.?

5 top spots for slow travel in 2023, National Geographic Some interesting choices: Laos, Dodecanese Islands in Greece, Ghana,?Milwaukee Wisconsin and Alberta Canada

Why Travel Bucket Lists Aren’t All They’re Cracked Up to Be, AFAR

Bad News, Deal-Seekers. Even Cheap Flights Are Expensive Now., WSJ

Fall Is the New Summer for Vacations, WSJ?

The Best National Parks in the World, From Norway to Taiwan, Condé Nast

This?newsletter?is a subset of the weekly email to my?newsletter?subscribers. You can sign up to receive it in its entirety at:?https://truvaytravel.com/subscribe/.

#luxurytravel #luxury #familytravel #culinarytravel #lisbon #portugal #michelinstar