Experienced Traveller
Personal journeys, memorable meals and the places I'd happily return to.
I write under the name Experienced Traveller. What interests me most about a place is rarely just its famous sights. I remember the café where I stopped longer than intended, the meal I still talk about, the view that made a steep walk worthwhile. Those are the details I want to share here.
I enjoy travelling and I'm interested in tourism more broadly: how a destination feels at different times of year, what makes a short break work, and how the practical side of a trip fits around the things you actually want to experience.
What I write about
Weekend Travel Experiences is where I share places I've visited myself: restaurants, bars, neighbourhood walks, viewpoints and, when I have personal experience of them, events and other things to do. I don't want these stories to read like a catalogue of attractions. They're a selection of places that stood out to me, with enough detail to help you decide whether they might suit your own trip.
The photographs in my Lisbon story are my own. They're part of the record of those visits, not generic illustrations chosen to make a place look good. If I haven't checked a detail – or if a restaurant menu or opening arrangement may have changed – I'd rather say so than pretend to know.
A little more about Lisbon
My first story here is set in Lisbon, where I've spent time exploring neighbourhoods including Baixa, Chiado, Bairro Alto, Príncipe Real, Graça and Alfama. Food is a big part of the appeal for me. I've eaten at Suntory Exotic Japanese Fusion, Taberna Os Papagaios and other places featured in the article; I've stopped for coffee at Honest Greens and had cocktails at Rooftop Ruby Rosa. There's also room for quieter moments, like Estufa Fria and the sunset from Miradouro da Graça.
I haven't tried to fit every visit into one literal weekend. The article brings together my own experiences into a loose three-day route that you can adapt.
Why I also look at travel data
A personal recommendation is only one part of planning a trip. Weather, the time of year, travel logistics and the character of a destination matter too. That's why I like the idea of placing these experiences alongside Destination Finder's wider destination information and tourism research: one can help you choose a place; the other can help you imagine what you'll actually do there.
If you're researching Lisbon rather than following my personal picks, the Lisbon destination guide has broader practical information, including typical weather and historic coastal bathing-water assessments.
Stories by Experienced Traveller
More stories can be added when there's another real journey and material worth sharing. There's no need to fill this page with destinations I haven't written about.
About this byline: Experienced Traveller is the name I publish under. The experiences and photographs in the Lisbon article are my own.