Lifestyle

We started our month-long stay in Lagos in Portugal with a walking tour of the city with Brodie Shreeve of Vagabundo Travel. Brodie is originally from Australia, but has been in Portugal for 18 years.

One of our favorite parts of his informative and entertaining tour was his lesson on how to learn 1,000 words of Portuguese in just two minutes. One word of caution – be careful how you say the word bread in Portuguese as it is pronounced similarly to another word that is something you do not want to order at a restaurant.

Enjoy our video of Brodie.

– Chris Schroder, The Travel 100

During our cruise down the Mosel River with Emerald Waterways, I was astonished to see the grape vines growing on steep hills along the banks of the river. I learned that this area has the steepest vineyards in the world and produces some of Germany’s best wines. They have been harvesting grapes on these hills for years – their winemaking tradition dates back to the Romans in the second century.

During the cruise we visited a vineyard, and our host stumped everyone with this question: What country has the highest per capita wine consumption in the world?

Find the answer here.

– Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief, The Travel 100

I always use the deadbolt on my hotel room, but what if that’s not an option? I recently stayed in a lovely historical hotel but the only lock on my door was a pushbutton on the doorknob like I had in my childhood home. A hard push on the door would have opened it easily. I did not feel too safe.

I bought these compact, lightweight door stoppers with an alarm with three sound levels. These are also perfect for hotels or vacation homes that are on the water to alert you if small children try to go outside unsupervised.

– Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief, The Travel 100

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a small commission, at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products or places we love or think readers will enjoy.

Walking a mile can be easy. Walking a mile with a suitcase or if you are on crutches or in a wheelchair? That’s not always so easy, especially if you encounter sets of stairs.

Google Maps has a way for you to avoid stairs when walking. Open the app and put in your location and select the walking option. Then click on the three dots on the top right and select “Options” at the bottom. Under trip options, select “wheelchair accessible,” which allows you to avoid stairs and prefer elevators.

You can also use this option to navigate public transportation.

– Staff report, The Travel 100

No matter what you think of Gary on “White Lotus,” you’ve got to admit his home in season 3 is a stunner. Known as Samujana Villa Jacinta and located in Koh Samui, Thailand, the home has four bedrooms and five bathrooms. Additional features include a rooftop terrace, infinity pool and private gym. And now you can rent it on Airbnb.

Your stay comes with daily breakfast and housekeeping, a welcome drink, dedicated attendant and private airport transfers. Add-on services include a private chef, spa services, babysitting and driving.

Rates vary but you can book in June for $1982 a night.

– Staff report, The Travel 100

We’ve never needed an entire suitcase just for wine, but love this two-bottle travel case from VinGardeValise, originators of the wine suitcase. No more wrapping our pajamas around a wine bottle and hoping we don’t arrive with a dripping suitcase full of wine-soaked clothes.

The travel case is made of a semi-hard shell case with an inner cushion and a handle for carrying. It’s available on Amazon for $39.95.

If you are traveling with more than two bottles or are heading to a wine country with purchasing your favorites in mind, VinGardeValise also has cases for 5, 8 and 12 bottles.

– Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief, The Travel 100

This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a small commission, at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products or places we love or think readers will enjoy.

While there is an easy way to pack a hat in your suitcase, sometimes you need to carry it and may not want to walk through the airport wearing your floppy beach hat in winter.

Klipsta makes a hat clip with one end that fastens to the handle of a suitcase, car headrest, stroller or chair and the other with a strong magnet that can hold your hat in place. Klipsta hat clips come in 12 colors for $24.95.

Other Klipsta products include Bag Hooks that clip to a table to hold your handbag, and SPEX Glasses Clips for securing eyeglasses.

– Staff report, The Travel 100

This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a small commission, at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products or places we love or think readers will enjoy.

1. Expiration date. People have had their trips ruined because they didn’t know about the six-month rule. Many countries require your passport to have six months validity past your dates of travel. Other countries, including many in Europe, require three.

2. Damage. If your passport is torn or has water damage, especially on the personal date page, it may be declared invalid.

3. If you have enough blank pages left. Some countries require two blank pages for entry and exit stamps, while others require four blank pages for visas.

Be sure to check the requirements of every country where you plan to visit.

– Staff report, The Travel 100