For Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and non-Portuguese explorers alike, their voyages were more or less shots in the dark. These intrepid travelers set out with lofty goals in mind, aided by some funding and supplies which in many cases proved insufficient. Little did the explorers know, the journeys would be met with attacks, delays, letdowns, but ultimately discoveries that proved significant (like the Pacific Ocean) even though they were not part of the original plan.

My original intent was to be alone for the week, which didn’t seem like a stretch given I would be visiting a country I’d never been before, where I didn’t speak the language nor had any friends passing through. In contrast to New York City, where there are constantly TOO many people around, and I often feel alone and AM alone, Europe was totally different.

A few lessons from my solo travels around Portugal, where I bounced around with limited data (hello paper maps) and language proficiency.

1) Hostels are not bad at all. I stayed in a place I found on airbnb where the toilet sat inches from my pillow, with no divider between the bathroom and bedroom, but it was clean and the owner who ran it was a nice trustworthy old man. I slept well and awoke to sunlight streaming in from the window. At $20/USD per night, what more could I ask for?

2) Custard tarts from Belem - the OG - piping hot and straight from the oven are da bomb. Each of these babies contains 250 calories of pure goodness; I’ve never found a more efficient (and pleasant) way to gain weight.

3) Wine is cheaper than water, and for some reason fresh fruits and vegetables are also incredibly cheap. Literally bags-ful from the grocery store of bananas, berries, and grapes til they were too heavy to lift came out to less than 5 euros. How is this even possible?

4) You are never really alone. I hardly had to seek people out as I wandered around town aimlessly. There were always friendly faces greeting me, and any American I encountered along the way became a kindred spirit. Strangers, both foreign and local, were quick to translate and direct, asking me where I was from and whether or not I was old enough to be there… not in an annoying way though.

5) People are generally good. Having spent way too much time on the internet where it’s not uncommon to find a lot of negativity or trolls hidden behind screens, I had forgotten this point. If you do seek real people out, chances are they aren’t serial killers. This was my reasoning as I haphazardly Tindered for tour guides (what better way to see the city than accompanied with a local you find attractive?). So long as you use good judgment when swiping, you probably won’t end up in a gutter somewhere or floating in pieces along the Algarve.

6) People are generally…similar, or at least, not very hard to find common ground with. This is going to sound corny, and maybe Europe was just such a romantic place to be (by myself…), but a lot of us are just looking for love and to be loved. Perhaps the similarities I refer to are only shared among a particular type of traveler, and those were the ones with whom I had contact. Regardless, the 40 year old German schoolteacher who dreams of owning her own boat some day and the 30 year old Polish corporate guy who surfs in his free time were not as different as you’d expect from the 20 year old US Navy SEALS in training. All enjoyed a nice castle trek and nice hearty lasagna for dinner. These were all people I met for the first time, but it was as if we had known each other for years.

7) They say beauty is subjective, or in the eye of the beholder…maybe just for people. Beautiful things though can be universally enjoyed by all. We should all pause and take a moment to appreciate what is around us, and what isn’t. The world would be just a little bit better off, I think.