How to contribute to the traveler's community

I used to use all tools at my disposal to do my travel research: books, internet, apps, social media and also simply asking people. However, I never gave them anything in return! So, I started to share my feedback with other travelers. Here is how I did it and how you can do it, too!

One of the best tools for travelers, in my opinion, to search for hotels, flights, tours and sightseeing, is definitely TripAdvisor. Be it the desktop version or the mobile one, it has never let me down. One of the reasons that make it an excellent resource for travelers is that it is full of updated feedback!

I used to read all the other travelers' opinions and that was it, thanks. Nowadays, I am also a contributor, I have a badge and everything! I share my feedback, pictures and also click on the like button if another traveler's feedback has helped me. I try to share what would be nice for the other visitor to know. "Beautiful", is not the feedback I need, "Beautiful place to relax and low budget cafeteria nearby but don't forget to bring a jacket because it can be a little chilly up there", this is helpful feedback! So, please, do share your feedback, I need to know if it's chilly so I can bring my purple jacket. :) 

What about Youtube videos, huh? I'm sure you have already checked on "how to" something. Taking the subway in NYC, packing for Ryanair, ferry to Ireland, the list is huge!

Maybe now you're thinking: no, no, no, I'm too shy, I'm not going to do videos! But, here's the thing, if you simply click on the like button, you're already helping other travelers, because then we'll all know that it's a helpful video with good content just by the number of likes. And if you keep watching the videos from the same channel, what about subscribing to it? You'll be sending positive feedback to the vlogger and to her/his subscribers. That way everybody will try to keep doing a good job, it's a win-win situation. Maybe later, you'll decide to have your own travel channel on Youtube, sharing your own experieces, you never know...

In the world of selfies, sometimes there's just too much ego for such a breathtaking scenery. Try taking pictures from different angles. All kinds of pictures: landscapes, what's in front of you, behind you, between trees, the reflection on a pond, the possibilities are infinite. Even selfies nowadays, travelwise, are broadening the angles: eyes, arms and feet are just some of the selfies we've been seeing around. 

Wanna help the traveler's community? Go after the secret spots! Find the photographer in you! Maybe it's Mickey's reflection on your sunglasses, the Statue of Liberty seen by a tourist cell phone, not to mention those beautiful sunrays going through a famous monument. All I am saying is: explore!

Ultimately, your traveling experience can lead you to what I am doing right now: blogging! If you are anything like me, before traveling you make a ton of research, which is also exciting, you check tripadvisor, you watch youtube videos, check some online pictures, read articles and posts. So, why not also write your own post afterwards? Well, this is what I'm doing, giving back to the community all the free and wonderful advice other travelers have shared and which have helped me prepare a more informative travel project.

Once I saw a phrase on the internet, sorry I don't know the author, which described the whole traveling feeling in one single short sentence, and this is the one I chose to end this post with: "Traveling makes you speechless, then turns you into a story teller". Do tell! 

Why should I visit the supermarket when I am traveling?

Have you ever considered adding going to the supermarket in your travel list? 
If not, you should! 

Usually when we travel we take notes of all the sightseeing places not to be missed, foods to try, souvenirs to bring, price of admittance, just to name a few, so going to the local supermarket is totally left aside. In case you're a low bugdet traveler I'm sure that buying groceries is in your priority list, but even if you're not, there's so much to learn and know at the supermarket, and why not, snap a few pictures?!

Let me give you one example. Argentina, Buenos Aires. Hotel breakfast. Sweets. Dolce de leche! They served dolce de leche at the hotel in one of those little plastic containers and it was incredibly delicious! Everybody who goes to Argentina buys that one of that famous brand, which is, by the way, sweet as heaven, but me, on that day, went to the supermarket looking for the brand I had at the hotel. There it was! A big jar of dolce de leche that tourists didn't seem to care. I grabbed three and happily paid for them (yes, it is much cheaper than that famous brand and equally mouth watering). I came back home, told my family and friends, they told their family and friends, and I'm sure by now the dolce de leche company should have hired me as their spokesperson.

At the supermarket you are also able to see what people have at their disposal to buy, what they like the most, check people's cart to have an idea if they are healthier or whether they prefer to shop for the week or month, well, be curious about their eating habits!

In Portugal, I noticed that all supermarkets have their house brands and people prefer to buy them since they're cheaper and many of them of good quality.

In the USA, you can find many things in XXL size: large butters, sodas, cereals, cheese, bread, food that would feed many people at once, I think it's great, because it can make you feel like you're a tiny person!

In France, you already feel more romantic and delicate just by reading the products' labels, And many times, I was like, "oh, look what they have here!". 

I told you in another post that I know zero German, right? So, my visit to the supermarket in Hamburg took quite sometime for me to understand what each product was for. Equally fun, since now I know how to read the label to know if it's sparkled water or not. But, yeah, I found out the hard way.

Comparing prices to your home country can be fun too, or sometimes very sad, though I thought it was very interesting when I saw bananas for sale, and the price was for each banana, or per kilo and it wasn't cheap at all, while in Brazil we have a saying that when something is very cheap, we say "it costs the price of a banana!".

We all know that if we buy sodas or chocolate at the supermarket they will be much cheaper than at a restaurant or store, but I also want you to focus on the variety you have, not to mention what people who live there actually buy!

Definitely when my husband and I travel we always make sure to pay a visit to the local supermarket, and we have never ever regreted it! Of course, it's almost impossible to leave it without buying anything, and since we never know the country's policy regarding plastic bags, I always carry my tote bag with me! Better safe than hungry, ops, sorry!

There are only advantages when you visit the supermarket when you're traveling: you buy cheaper, you get to know new products,  you get an idea of what locals prefer to buy, you may discover something a regular tourist would never know of, you can compare to what you have in your home country, and plus, you get a glimpse of what it feels like to shop at that town!

So add to your sightseeing list: visit a supermarket, then come tell me about it, I'm sure you'll have something to tell!

Best sunset of Porto!

Every sunset is one of the best shows Nature allows us to admire. 

My initial idea was to describe one of the best sunsets I have ever witnessed, and in my opinion, the sunset seen from Vila Nova de Gaia, in the north of Portugal, is one of the most beautiful and romantic sunsets for you to watch. But what better way for me to tell you about the sunset other than showing you pictures? So, here are some pictures I took of the mesmerizing sunset from Vila Nova de Gaia, across from Porto, both cities sharing the Douro river. Make sure you add this to your bucket list!

Porto on your left, Vila Nova de Gaia on your right

View from the bridge

View from the water promenade

Sunset!

Admirers

The Douro River

Gaia, Porto and the enchanting Douro

What language do you speak?

Do you speak English? 
      Você fala português?
               Parlez-vous français?

Some people say we need English to communicate worldwide. Others claim that Mandarin is the language of the future. French used to be taught at schools. Spanish is the third most spoken language in the world. So, which is the best language to learn when planning a trip abroad?

I'm fluent at Portuguese and English, but I know a little bit or two of other languages. If I'm traveling to another country I like to study at least the "traveler basics", like: hi, thanks, please and a few other expressions in order to sound more polite. And I definitely recommend you to do the same, it's a little thing that shows you care.

I've traveled to six different countries that had, as their mother tongue, a language different from my own. This immersion is great, because it completely takes you out of your comfort zone. Suddenly you have no idea what people are talking about, the signs are a little confusing, it's difficult to order something to eat, you have to be alert to the street's names, and asking for information is always a brave thing to do, since you never know if you'll be understood.

After traveling and listening to six different languages in my trips, I came to a conclusion: I discovered the TRUE universal language! 

SMILING!

It's not a language! It's a non-verbal expression! Simply smiling!

You don't have to learn all the languages in the world. There's this simple shortcut to a conversation starter, when nobody knows what language to speak, when you don't know any other mime to what you want. You look polite, receptive, friendly, happy!

This is the true universal language. When words got in the way, I smiled! Everybody smiles, no problem with accents, talking speed, vocabulary, grammar; with a simple smile you can "talk" to anybody from anywhere! Your French is a little rusty? Italian? Dutch? German? Smile and do your best!

Hi! I'm the girl in the purple jacket

This isn’t your usual travel blog. It will be more of a travel journal rather than a travel blog.

Although I will share some tips with you, you won’t see here any top 10’s or do’s and don’t’s, at least it’s not my intention. Let's see how it goes... What you will see here is my views of the world when I am traveling. The expectations and realities, private opinions about something somewhere. Besides, traveling is somehow sharing the good, the bad and the ugly and many times inviting others to virtually travel with us. 

What you also need to know is that I am currently living in Portugal, finally realizing the dream of living abroad. You will find many posts here about this experience, too.

That being said, I am Lívia, a Brazilian Portuguese who loves to speak English, hopes she speaks a good level of Spanish, thinks Italian sounds sexy, is always trying to come back to the French classes, and doesn’t know what to know when doesn’t recognize a language.

I know I will need more than this life to travel the world and know its every corner, and I am truly not in a hurry because I want to fully live all these moments that I spend not only traveling but also planning it.

I now respectfully invite you to travel with me. Let’s read the pages of this book together and expand our horizons, truths and beliefs. Welcome!