What got me started: expectations.

I’m a 30 year old, single guy, living in Lisbon working as a Digital Project Manager.

For the last 10 years, since my first Inter-rail at the age of 20, I have been travelling when I can where I can, mostly trying to embrace the backpacker journey either going for 3 weeks in Indonesia booking my trip as I go or simply crashing in friends couches and floors in european capitals. Before that, camping in Portugal to attend music festivals or just hanging out with friends in nice spots near some beach was the use I gave to my backpack.

I remember well when I bough my first one. I was 17, and I though to myself “will i give this enough use to justify buying?”. Fortunately, I did and then some!

Going back to the topic my first publication: expectations. Two weeks ago I was arriving to Ilha de St. Catarina in Brasil, most known as “Floripa”. The places’ reputation in Portugal is top notch. Everyone talks about it like this known but yet lost place in the South of the country, where the exotic and tropical Brasil meets european living standards and people are a mix of north european and south american ascendence that presents features of particular beauty.

I found the foundations for all the sayings above, however the place did fell a bit below expectations (definitely, below expectations). And it got me thinking, even before I wen off to my next destination (Rio de Janeiro)…that this would be the best writing regarding this trip. Not the place, the day to day discoveries or all the tips I can give to future travellers, but the reflection on how to deal with travel expectations and how that leads to looking forward the journey as much as the destination — hence the name of the publication, and the subtitle : )

Looking forward sharing my thoughts, reflections and other “travelosophies”, being the first one already being drafted in my mind: Travel expectations.