“Donna and the Dynamos”:

Rachel – the morning-person, Julia – the artist, and Abby – the navigator

Together, we make an ultra-efficient, spontaneous, money-saving, traveling team! The results from a unanimous, unspoken vote reveal Sintra to be our favorite travel spot.

Sintra lifestyle:

Breakfast: a baguette, butter, honey, and jam, coffee

Lunch to-go: sandwich, apple, chips, jar of peanut butter, coffee

Dinner: rice, pasta, or bread base with a veggie stir fry *Must add one spicy bean

We ate breakfast together outside. In the hostel kitchen, we packed our lunch and filled up our water bottles for a full day in the sun. We then head out to find a great coffee spot. At the beach, we watched the surfers and read. Praia Grande, the tourist beach, and Praia da Pequena, the local’s beach, are a short walk from the hostel. To end the day, we make dinner together and listen to stories from the other hostel-goers. 

My favorite story, as told by a van traveler, is of the infamous pizza party. There is a mystery destination in the middle of nowhere in Portugal, where van travelers meet. On Fridays, there is a giant party. For 10 euros each, a van is supplied with unlimited pizza for the night.