CHAPTER III: PORTUGAL

 A Look Into My Complex Decision Making

It’s embarrassing to admit now but before arriving in Portugal the only things I knew about the country were it produced Cristiano Ronaldo (but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you where exactly he was from) and Nandos… which I’ve just found out is not even Portuguese but South African. Can we talk about that for a moment? Is that common knowledge or has your mind also just been blown? Anyway, the point is I knew little about the country. So little that I hardly knew where it was located on a world map before visiting.

So, you may be asking why did I even visit Portugal when it’s obvious I had little interest in the country? The answer: money.

I had an eight-day gap that needed to be filled between Italy and London, England which had been locked in very early on since I was meeting up with a friend during specific dates. I decided on Portugal not because of its stunning southern coastline known as The Algarve or its delicious food like the Pastel Del Nata or its rich history that includes successfully defending itself against the almighty Spanish empire (things I would learn from my time there), but simply because Ryanair were offering some ridiculously cheap flights to Faro and from Lisbon.

The lack of preparation and research I put in before visiting Portugal can be seen as a blessing or a curse (although I admit it’s probably more the latter). A blessing because I was arriving with an extremely open mind since I knew nothing about the country. There were no expectations that could be let down. I could explore the country with complete freedom and make a judgement on my experience alone without any confirmation bias.

However, since I was so under-prepared, I did make some easily avoidable logistical errors, particularly during my time in The Algarve with the main mistake being to stay in Faro instead of somewhere like Lagoa. 

I briefly “researched"  The Algarve by admiring the sandy beaches on Google Images. I put no thought into my home base and decided on Faro pretty quickly because it was a coastal city with a short commute from the airport. However, if I had put in any bit of research, I would’ve found out that Faro doesn’t have a beach within walking distance. 

The closest beach from Faro was on a separate island which took a 15-minute ferry ride. Although this is hardly the most inconvenient commute to a beach, just know I was experiencing my first stint of burnout (more on that later) and the last thing I wanted to do was jump through any sort of metaphorical hurdles. With that being said, the beach on Faro Island was very nice and since it was isolated, there were no crowds. So, hardly a terrible decision.

Overall, I really enjoyed Portugal. It was a country that I obviously knew nothing about but the more time I spent exploring and interacting with locals, the more I wanted to stay. It was a bit of a shame that I visited without any prior preparation (I could’ve noted more places of interests) as I leave with some emptiness that I didn’t maximise my time.

~ Lisbon, Portugal: Day 4

Battling Burnout

When I planned my trip to Europe, one thing I never considered was burnout. I always thought that each day presents a new possibility to have a grand adventure, see a new sight and/or create lifelong memories. It never crossed my mind that ACTUALLY living this lifestyle would be taxing on my body both physically and mentally. 

I’m not sure if the adrenaline had worn off as soon as I crossed the Mediterranean Sea but the upbeat and energetic Gede that left Italy wasn’t the same one that arrived in Portugal. I was unmotivated and lethargic. The desire to explore my new surroundings was completely absent and for the first 2 days in Faro, I spent all my time in the confinements of my hostel with the exception of leaving for food. 

For the second day in a row, I haven’t done anything significant. I feel extremely guilty that I’m wasting my days in Faro by doing nothing. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to travel full-time and yet I’m not capitalising on my privileged position at the moment. I have vowed to get myself out of this rut from tomorrow onwards by booking a non-refundable group tour to the Benagil Caves. I only have another 48 hours in The Algarve before I have to move on to Lisbon. I cannot be wasting any more days here or on any other travel legs period.

~ Faro, Portugal: Day 2

I managed to stay true to my word by covering plenty of ground for the remainder of my time in Portugal. Adopting the state of mind over matter, I was determined to persevere and accomplish a meaningful task each day whether it be going on an Algarve day tour, exploring different parts of Lisbon or taking day trips to places like Cascais. It didn’t matter if I wasn’t in the mood for any of these things, I needed to erase the guilt I had for being lazy in Faro.

Although I encountered a minor hurdle at the beginning of this trip, I was able to gather myself and successfully power though. It was disappointing to watch a quarter of my trip go down the drain since when the ball did start rolling, I had a very enjoyable time exploring Portugal, particularly Lisbon.

~ Portugal: Trip Summary

My Hindsight Reflection

Although overcoming the burnout feeling technically made Portugal a successful trip, after learning more about myself and travelling I’ve realised it wasn’t a smart idea to 1) power through and 2) increase the exploring intensity. This is because without proper rest, burnout will eventually return and usually tenfold. In my case, it only took a week later in Albania for burnout to return and when it did, it took me down a dark hole that I was unconvinced I could escape. This could have easily been avoided if I had taken a slow approach in Portugal instead of doubling down and covering more than 20 thousand steps per day especially since I knew I was about to embark on a busy week in London.