Welcome to the Reading Room
One of the pleasures of publishing Our Portugal Journey is discovering thoughtful writers whose work deepens my understanding of Portugal, travel, food, wine, culture, and the wider world.
Independent voices often tell the stories that larger publications overlook. Many of the recommendations here come from independent writers and publishers who share that same spirit of curiosity, careful observation, and thoughtful storytelling.
The publications you’ll find here aren’t part of a reciprocal exchange, and they aren’t included because they’re popular. They are simply writers and publications I return to because they consistently inform, inspire, or broaden my perspective.
Some focus on Portugal. Others explore travel, history, food, architecture, photography, creativity, or the quieter observations that make a place memorable. Not every recommendation is about Portugal, but each reflects the kind of thoughtful storytelling I value.
Like everything else on Our Portugal Journey, this collection will grow slowly. New recommendations are added only after I’ve spent enough time reading to feel comfortable recommending them to others.
I hope you discover a few new favorites along the way.
Seeing in Sound
Artist Paul Wilcox explores the intersection of photography, digital art, AI, music, and visual storytelling. His work moves across genres and moods, inviting readers into imaginative landscapes shaped by atmosphere, memory, texture, and sound.
Why I recommend it - Paul’s work constantly surprises me. I never quite know where his imagination will take me next, and that’s part of the joy of following his creative journey.
(un)rooted
Jen Roberts brings together travel, culture, reporting, and personal reflection in essays that explore the deeper meaning of place. Her writing rewards readers who enjoy slowing down, paying attention, and discovering what often lies beneath the surface of everyday experiences.
Why I recommend it - Jen notices the details and asks the deeper questions that can easily be missed when we move too quickly through a place.
2foodtrippers
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch explore destinations through the food and drink that help define them. Based partly in Portugal, they combine culinary discoveries with thoughtful travel, reminding readers that memorable meals are often among the best ways to experience a place.
Why I recommend it - Food is one of the best ways to understand a destination, and they consistently show that meals can become part of the journey itself.
Architecture and Tradition
Architecture and Tradition explores the buildings, craftsmanship, and cultural traditions that connect us to the past. Through thoughtful essays and visual storytelling, it celebrates the enduring beauty of historic architecture and the communities that shaped it.
Why I recommend it - Every old building has a story to tell, and I enjoy publications that encourage readers to slow down long enough to hear it.
Azores Almanac
Azores Almanac explores the people, landscapes, history, and traditions of Portugal’s Atlantic islands. It offers readers a deeper understanding of the Azores beyond their remarkable scenery.
Why I recommend it - I appreciate the attention given to the unique identity of each island rather than treating the Azores as a single destination.
Black in Portugal
Black in Portugal offers cultural guidance, practical resources, and firsthand perspectives for members of the African diaspora who are visiting or building lives in Portugal. It broadens the conversation about travel, belonging, and life abroad.
Why I recommend it - Portugal is experienced differently by different people, and I value publications that help us better understand those experiences.
Brent and Michael Are Going Places
Brent Hartinger and Michael Jensen combine travel stories, practical advice, humor, and honest observations about life as full-time travelers. Their writing reminds readers that travel isn’t always glamorous, but it’s almost always interesting.
Why I recommend it - They tell readers what travel is really like, including the surprises and challenges that many writers leave out.
Chris Lutkin
From his home in the Azores, Chris Lutkin explores island history, folklore, migration, myth, and identity through essays, fiction, photography, and field notes. His work captures both the atmosphere and the history of these remarkable islands.
Why I recommend it - Chris shows how history, landscape, memory, and imagination can come together to tell a richer story about a place.
Direct to Press
Wine and spirits journalist Jessica Dupuy explores where wine, food, travel, and culture intersect. Her essays move beyond tasting notes to examine the people, traditions, and stories that make wine regions memorable.
Why I recommend it - Jessica writes about wine as part of a larger cultural story rather than simply reviewing what’s in the glass.
Living Elsewhere
Gregory Garretson writes thoughtful essays about living abroad, culture shock, language, and cross-cultural communication. Drawing on decades of life in Europe and his background as a linguist, he offers readers a deeper understanding of what it means to adapt to another culture.
Why I recommend it - I appreciate Gregory’s ability to explain the subtle cultural differences that shape everyday life abroad.
Lost in Place
National Geographic travel writer Andrew Nelson examines where we travel, why places matter, and how thoughtful travel can offer deeper rewards than simply collecting destinations.
Why I recommend it - Andrew reminds readers that meaningful travel is measured by what we learn, not simply by where we’ve been.
Moon in Spain
MargaretGypsy shares personal essays inspired by her travels across Spain and Portugal. Through stories of history, food, wine, the Camino de Santiago, historic lodgings, and memorable encounters, she invites readers to experience the Iberian Peninsula through curiosity, lived experience, and a genuine love of place.
Why I recommend it - I appreciate writers who allow places to reveal themselves through personal experience, one story at a time.
Nomads 50+
Chris Kalaboukis explores reinvention after fifty through travel, interviews, entrepreneurship, and location-independent living. His publication encourages readers to think differently about what the next stage of life can become.
Why I recommend it - I appreciate publications that remind us adventure doesn’t have an expiration date.
Off Grid and Entertaining in Portugal
Former BBC foreign correspondent Alastair Leithead and his Swedish-Portuguese wife, Ana Leithead Spross, chronicle their journey from international careers to building an off-grid eco-lodge in rural Alentejo. Along the way, they share honest stories about sustainable living, Portuguese bureaucracy, wine, hospitality, and the unexpected realities of creating a new life in the Portuguese countryside.
Why I recommend it - I appreciate their willingness to share not only the finished destination but also the long, sometimes messy journey of building a life and a dream in rural Portugal.
Pretending
Illustrator, designer, and writer Lucy Pepper combines essays, artwork, humor, and observations about everyday life in Portugal into a publication that’s imaginative, visually engaging, and unlike anything else on this list.
Why I recommend it - Lucy’s creativity reminds me that art can reveal as much about a place as traditional travel writing.
Salt of Portugal
For more than a decade, Maria and Sergio Rebelo and their collaborators have celebrated Portugal through beautifully crafted stories about its cuisine, wine, history, landscapes, and cultural traditions. Combining thoughtful writing with exceptional photography and illustration, Salt of Portugal encourages readers to slow down and discover the richness and diversity of the country beyond its best-known destinations.
Why I recommend it - I admire the care they bring to every story. Their work reflects a genuine love of Portugal’s history, food, wine, and regional culture.
Survives on Wine
Portuguese wine is at the heart of Kate Reuschel’s writing, but her stories go far beyond tasting notes. Through essays on wine regions, native grape varieties, travel, food, and the people shaping Portugal’s wine culture, she offers readers an engaging introduction to one of the country’s richest traditions.
Why I recommend it - I enjoy writers who use wine as a doorway to understanding a country’s history, culture, and sense of place.
The Other Lisbon
Since moving from Finland to Lisbon in 2005, Anna Pöysä has written about a side of the city that rarely appears in travel guides. Drawing on long-term experience living in Cova da Moura and a background in postcolonial studies, the publication explores the social, cultural, and historical realities that shape everyday life in Portugal’s capital, offering readers a perspective that goes well beyond the familiar landmarks.
Why I recommend it - I value publications that challenge me to look beyond first impressions and deepen my understanding of the places I think I know.
The Perennial Immigrant
Maria Anderson reflects on beginning again later in life after leaving the familiar behind to build a new chapter in Portugal. Her essays explore reinvention, belonging, aging, travel, and the unexpected discoveries that come with embracing change.
Why I recommend it - Maria writes with honesty and warmth about starting over, reminding us that it’s never too late to create a life that feels more authentic.
The Unplugged Traveler
In an age of carefully researched itineraries and algorithm-driven recommendations, professional travel writer Sophie Friedman experiments with a different way of exploring the world. Traveling through Europe without the internet, she embraces uncertainty, chance encounters, and the unexpected, producing thoughtful stories that reveal how slowing down can lead to a richer understanding of a place.
Why I recommend it - I admire anyone willing to let curiosity—not algorithms—shape the journey.
Wander, Wonder, Write
Author and travel writer Claire Polders explores the world through slow travel, thoughtful observation, and personal reflection. Her essays blend travel, philosophy, books, and the writing life, inviting readers to consider not only the places we visit but also how those journeys shape who we become.
Why I recommend it - Claire reminds me that the most meaningful journeys often change the traveler as much as they reveal the destination.
This page is updated periodically as new publications are added to the Reading Room.