Experiencing the Magic of a First Trip Abroad in Porto

In lieu of studying abroad this summer, Annie decided to take her boyfriend on his first trip overseas – how exciting! They had a magical time in Porto, as well as five more countries! Read on for their favourite Porto experiences.

“I originally planned to do a study abroad trip in Ireland this summer as part of my final year of college. However, it struck me one day that I didn’t really need or want to study abroad – what I really wanted was just to travel. My boyfriend and I have been dating for over two years now and I’ve been wanting to take him on a trip ever since we met. Before this vacation, he had never been on an airplane or outside the Midwest United States. This was our chance to explore part of the world together and it was absolutely amazing. We saw six countries in three weeks and backpacked our way around, with tons of new experiences along the way.

“Portugal was our fourth stop and one of our favourite places of all time. We did and saw so many different things. Getting to experience all of it together was my favourite part. We met up with a friend in Porto and let’s just say that none of us were prepared for the heat wave or the insane hills of the city. We got a LOT of steps and hills in on those days, and we were extra grateful for a shower each night. We had a ton of fun laughing as we dragged ourselves up some of the steepest hills we had ever seen.

“Some of our favourite meals in Porto were the ones we made ourselves. The grocery store prices were super low and we stocked up on food to make our own meals a few times. Then, we got to enjoy it on our patio at the apartment we stayed at. We loved the views from the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the Dom Luís I Bridge, as well as strolling through back streets and alleys to find new shops and views. The view from Miradouro da Vitoria was spectacular. Mercado do Bolh ã o was amazing as well! We also enjoyed a great Port wine tasting at Graham’s.

“Flytographer was an amazing experience for us. Ivo and Vanessa were excellent and they knew exactly where to go in Porto for the best backdrops and settings. When we got the finished photos, I was blown away. They’re absolutely incredible and we’ll always cherish having such beautiful memories of our trip.” – Annie