A new traveler to the Old World learns lessons
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In the cloisters at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal, Bill and daughter Rebecca Reed, right, look at a monkey gargoyle mentioned in a well-known guidebook. -
For Portugal's explorers, Belem Tower on the Tagus River was the last sight as they left their homeland and the first sight on their return. It was built in 1515 as a fortress to guard the entrance to Lisbon's harbor. -
The art deco facade makes VIP Executive Suites Eden, built in the 1930's as a cinema, one of Lisbon's handsomest buildings. It's on the Avenida da Liberdade, the city's main thoroughfare. -
In Newark Airport, New Jersey, travel editor Bill Reed, right, sorts through itineraries between phone calls to Expedia to work out a canceled leg of the return flight. His daughter Rebecca looks on at left. -
The writer descends from one of the towers of the Castelo dos Mouros, overlooking Sintra in Portugal, with Pena Palace peeking out of the clouds in the background. -
In Sintra, Portugal, writer Bill Reed and his family makes the "scenic 10-minute walk" from the train station to their lodgings. -
Travel editor Bill Reed, left, and daughter Rebecca relax in Lisbon's Casa Pasteis de Belém in Portugal.
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Trudging through airports and climbing castle parapets.
Suffering airplane food and savoring traditional Old World dishes.
Struggling with a foreign tongue and grasping ancient civilizations.
Travel truly is an adventure, but it sure isn't easy. For every stumbling block and pitfall, however, there are discoveries and inspirations, lessons small and large.
How do you all do it?
I have a better idea of what it takes, now that I've journeyed overseas for the first time. My mother always says, "Don't try to do everything before you're 21." Well, Mom, I finally made it to Europe - at age 56, and after more than four years as a travel editor. Ironic, isn't it?
True, I've journeyed to the four corners of the Lower 48 states - and stood on the Four Corners of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. I've cruised in the Caribbean, down to South America, and up to Canada. I've climbed Mayan pyramids in Mexico. But I've only flown a handful of times, mostly before 9-11.
So, even with all of my travels, plus the many consumer tips and travelers' tales I've edited, everything about my seven-day trip to Portugal was new: booking an international flight, finding places to stay, buying foreign currency and an electric converter, calculating baggage fees, and getting through security.
I made plenty of rookie mistakes, but they were mixed in with enough good moves - and good luck - to rate this overseas adventure a winner.
For each mistake I made, there was a good - or lucky - move. And, since I learned from each one, they all contributed to a fun, exciting, and rewarding first trip to Europe.
• Use e-mail and phone. Thanks to e-mail, I reserved the only apartment at Cinco 5 in Sintra, eliminated Lisbon hotels that couldn't accommodate three in a room, and lined up a tour guide. I called our Lisbon hotel to confirm our reservation and request a morning check-in after the overnight flight - and the suite was waiting for us.
• Buy euros. I bought $800 worth of euros at an American Express office in Philadelphia, and that lasted me until the last day of the trip. But, the conversion rate, $1.46 for 1 euro, was 10 cents higher than the rates on Internet conversion calculators, in the weekly Travel section chart, and what my MasterCard company charged (see "Credit card fees" below). Still, it was one less thing to deal with once we arrived in Lisbon.
• Checking bags. I wasn't clear on Continental's baggage fees, so we only checked one suitcase. That left me weighed down by carry-on bags as we made our way through the security check and the Newark terminal, shopping for a phone, getting a snack, and using the restroom. We were each entitled to one free checked bag, and on the return flight, TAP Portugal allowed two checked bags each. Luckily, we took advantage of that, because our carry-on bags were searched at the gate at Porto.
• Pack light. My plan was to dress in layers, but I could have left some T-shirts and a sweatshirt home.
• Bring an electrical converter. I bought one at Wal-Mart ($19) at the last minute. We needed it and the plug-in adapter for an electric razor and curling iron. In our rush to check out, though, we left the adapter in the outlet.
• Do some homework. Guidebooks by Fodor's, Frommers, and Rick Steves gave me a good feel for the neighborhoods of Lisbon and the sights at Fatima and Sintra. They also helped me find a hotel, the VIP Executive Suites Eden, in a safe and central neighborhood. The Steves book includes self-guided tours of sights such as Belem's Jeronimos Monastery and Sintra's Palacio Nacional.
First Published May 10, 2010 12:00 am
