Hey there, I’m Jess ✨. On The Signature, I share reflections on beauty, routines, travel, wellness, culture, and everyday life. For those drawn to a calmer, more intentional way of living, I send a free newsletter each month on the 7th. You're welcome to join.
I was two months old on my first transatlantic trip, going from La Havana to Luanda, with a stopover in Cabo Verde. I am thankful my parents, especially my mother, were never scared of tackling a long haul with children and gave my siblings and me an appetite to discover the world since we were born.
I have 40 years of experience travelling extensively to visit family and for both leisure and business. I will soon have visited 40 countries, which is not a lot when one travels every other month. That is because I frequently go back to the same places. And if I can (yet it's not mandatory for me), I try to discover at least a new place in the world once a year, pandemic-allowing.
Travelling so much has allowed me to meet people from all backgrounds and most speak with awe about the trip of their lives or their next one. I confess I speak in awe of a full week at home, as travelling also disrupts my routine with lasting negative effects.
So here are my no-frill travel opinions which might be controversial, but I am sure a person or two will see themselves in those. Let me know in the comments.
First one and already mentioned: I go back to the same places often. Some people roll their eyes when I mention I am going back to a city or a country I have been to, mentioning it is a waste of time to repeat a destination. I feel there is no bigger flex than travelling back to a place in a different season, going back to a restaurant and people recognising you, discovering more about a place you loved, noticing what changed and what stayed the same... I have the Algarve as a second residence, and Paris and Cape Town on my yearly rotation. Dubai might join that list next year! I am fully content if I can go back to those places as often as possible and if I am told I will never discover a new country ever again.
I don't do girlfriend trips. I tried and failed at most of them. I have a very particular way of travelling and it is hard to find someone who fits in. And I also don't like fitting in with other adults. I either travel on my own or with my husband. And I love to travel to meet friends abroad, but there is no more hotel sharing in my future.
Speaking of meeting friends abroad, "When you visit, you can stay at my place" is a dreaded phrase for me. I know it's sweet for someone to open their homes to their friends but I would rather stay at a hotel. People have too many unspoken rules about their houses and then everything is a grievance. I would rather visit your place (with a gift in hand!), spend quality time with you and your family, have a meal and leave. I will love you more, I promise.
In regards to hotels, when I met my husband he would only sleep at the hotel we would stay in and book full days of activities. I always stayed in gorgeous hotels with my family (like this one where I went first with my father and have gone countless times back to) and staying at a great hotel to enjoy the room and its amenities is also part of the journey for me. Therefore the accommodation is one of the travel items I invest the most in, even more than airfares. And I enjoy them thoroughly. Guess who now is the one who always books a massage at the hotel spa? Hint: not me...!
One day I commented I was excited about an upcoming roadtrip from Lisbon to the Douro region and a work colleague commented "it's not a real trip if you are only travelling by car". Well, Karen, it doesn't have to entail an airplane to be a real trip for me. I have loved going on cruises on the Mediterranean Sea or through the fjords in Norway, using the TGV (high speed train) to meet friends in other countries bordering France or the coach bus from New York to Washington, DC. They do absolutely count as meaningful trips for me.
I don't go to places just because someone wants to take a specific picture because they saw it on TikTok. My travels need to be meaningful and climbing The Old Man of Storr traumatised me for the rest of my life.
I love getting to the airport early. I don't mind waiting for over 2 hours at the gate. It means I have already gone through check-in, security, customs and I am good to go. As I need a visa to go anywhere on this planet, I need time to go through long lines at airports, so I always take that into consideration. It's way better for me than running like a mad person in an airport. I have run more at the Frankfurt airport than anywhere else in my life and I don't want to repeat that ever again.
I have travelled in First, Business, Premium and Economy class through my life and of course I love the high-end treatment but it isn't my first requirement when booking a flight. In an airplane, the most important thing for me is legroom first so you will frequently find me in the emergency row. As a tall girl, there is nothing more traumatising for my knees than being crammed for over 2 hours. Narrow spaces are my major peeve in coach buses in Portugal, which I take frequently to the Algarve.
I won't go to an Italian restaurant if we are not in Italy. I will not look for a Portuguese or Brazilian restaurant when I am not in Portugal or Brazil. I love going to local spots when I am travelling and feeling I am not just sticking to eating croissants all over the world. There is nothing like Pan con tomate for breakfast in Spain, a cullen skink soup in Scotland and a café crème in France. I don't need to look for those on opposite sides of the planet.
I don't have the hotel breakfast just because it's included. I like trying new restaurants when I travel so I don't like stuffing myself 3 times a day on vacation. I either do breakfast and dinner or breakfast and a late lunch, and that's about it. If I know I have lunch and dinner plans, I easily skip breakfast. I don't go and eat just because it's already paid for. If I can, I usually pick hotels without the breakfast option also because in some cities like Paris, I would rather eat at a bakery like the local I used to be than inside a hotel with other tourists.
I always visit the local grocery store, a market or pharmacies. Don't tell me you only people-watch from cafés and museums. In the latter, you only see other tourists. Nah! Let me head to a shop and grab a basket, to buy some fruit or a travel size shower gel. While wandering the aisles, that is really how I find the most interesting people. And the most beautiful places like this supermarket in Helsinki.
And I also love seeing packaging and what people eat in other cultures. And that is how, when you open my bathroom cabinet, you find American makeup remover wipes, South African nail polish remover and French cotton buds. And that is how, to this day, we still cook with spices purchased in a market in Stone Town, Zanzibar during our honeymoon and Vanilla sugar purchased at La Grande Épicerie de Paris. These are the real tokens of travel I cherish (and use) more instead of fridge magnets or Christmas tree decorations.
I put GPS tags in my luggage. I learned this the hard way after my luggage was mishandled during the pandemic when I was heading from Lisbon to Morocco. I had to travel without my clothes because they only arrived on the day I was heading back. It was torturous not to know where my luggage was for several days. I love that Lufthansa already has that feature through their app, so you know where your luggage is at all times but as I travel with many other less modern companies, I use my own tags, thank you.
I ask friends about their trip after they get back, not just where they are flying to next. Well, not a travel non-negotiable per se, but I love knowing how people feel and what they discovered and brought back when they were on trips. I don't care about the curated social media post they shared during the holidays, I want the real deal. I discovered a few years ago some people are always curious about where you are going next (to size you up?!) but when you are back, they are totally mute. And if you want to share about your trip, they will turn their attention to their phones or change the conversation. Has something similar happened to you?
Although I do have these opinions, I don't think there is only one correct way to travel. Thank goodness for people who go abroad to stay in museums all day long, are backpackers and love hostels, are always seeking for their next destination, only think New York is a great city and don't consider a road trip a real trip because it doesn't involve an airplane.
This is what works for me and what makes me feel like my trips are intentional, resourceful, provide me with great experiences with friends and family and make me return home richer of life memories.
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