“So why’d you decide to go to Portugal?”

There could be any number of answers: the history, the beaches, the nightlife, the food, the people.

My answer?

“I found cheap plane tickets.”

Yes, I went to Portugal not because it was on my bucket list (although I had heard great things about the country) nor because I had some strange draw to it — but because I found cheap (I mean, really cheap) plane tickets.

A month or so before heading to Portugal, my travel buddy Janine called me one afternoon out of breath (or so it seemed) and more excited than I think I may have ever heard her: she had gotten an alert of an airline’s mistake fare (which are caused either by human error or a glitch in the system) that was for flights from Boston to Europe from $290 and up. All you had to do was fly out on June 13!

Mistake fares only last 30-60 minutes usually so we had to make a quick decision. Portugal was the cheapest on the list, and I’d heard good things about it so we booked two tickets to Lisbon in probably the most rash (substantial) purchase I have made in my life thus far.

It was a little crazy getting over there due to a delayed-then-canceled flight, but when we finally made it, it was worth it. We had perfect weather, the people we met were wonderful, and Lisbon was a beautiful city.

Other than knowing where we were going to stay, we had no plans for our trip. We talked to our taxi driver, the hostel staff, and other friends we made along the way to find out what they suggested. We spent a lot of our  time walking and wandering around (we’ve got the sandal tans to prove it). The sore feet were worth it though. Here are some photos from our trip!

We went on a walking tour, which took us through Alfama, the oldest part of Lisbon, and learned more of the rich history here.

We also took a day trip out to Sintra to explore castles and get lost in the fairytale-esque city. Our stops included Quinta da Regaleira (which had the beautiful well in the photo further down), Pena National Palace, and Castelo dos Mouros.

Have you been to Portugal? I’d love to hear about your adventures! Share in the comments below 🙂