Destination: Portugal

Hello from the Algarve, on Portugal’s south coast — a place where I love to recharge. After a busy six weeks of TV filming and guidebook research, I took an easy day at my favorite retreat (Pensión Maré in Salema, which I’ve recommended for decades).

Then, I ventured to the Land’s End of Europe, Cape Sagres, to check the information in the Rick Steves Portugal guidebook. Last year, my researcher added a bit about the lighthouse at Cape St. Vincent that sounded hard to believe:

“If you’d like to go up to visit the actual lighthouse, wait at the door marked ‘Privado Staff Only,’ and the lighthouse keeper may eventually show up to take you on a free little tour (for a tip). The ‘tour’ is a 20-minute romp (in broken English) around the 1908 lighthouse. You’ll climb steep stairs and enjoy the tranquility of the couple of families who live here, maintaining the now automated beacon.”

So often, these kinds of possibilities turn out to be nothing more than wishful thinking. I’m happy to confirm that I knocked…and it worked.

This is why we update our guidebooks in person. When you knock…I want it to work for you, too.

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Join me in this clip as I recall sleeping in a B&B in Salema, Portugal — back when life was “all sardines and sun,” and fishermen’s families doubled their income by renting rooms to travelers.

These days, websites like Airbnb have revolutionized the travel industry. Many love this service, but others believe it’s unethical. In some cities, the demand for rooms from tourists has driven up rents, forcing some of the original residents to move to less charming but more affordable neighborhoods — and changing the character of the community. You can see this in Rome (around Piazza Navona), in Amsterdam (the Jordaan district), in Barcelona (the Ramblas isn’t what it used to be) — and in many other once-vibrant and charming neighborhoods that now are just plain touristy. Many locals blame Airbnb. What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Here’s a new sidebar on this issue that we’re considering adding to our Rick Steves guidebooks:

The Ethics of Airbnb

Airbnb.com is becoming a dominant provider of accommodations across Europe, allowing travelers to rent rooms and apartments directly from locals.

Fans of Airbnb appreciate the feeling of being part of a real neighborhood, getting into a daily routine as “temporary Europeans.” In this way, Airbnb can facilitate genuine cultural connection more effectively than sleeping in impersonal, crank-’em-out hotels. If you’re willing to forego big-hotel amenities like a reception desk and daily cleaning, you can get much more space for your money. And, depending on the host, Airbnb can provide an opportunity to get to know a local person, while keeping your accommodations money in the community.

Critics view Airbnb as a threat to “traditional Europe.” Some believe Airbnb creates unfair, unqualified competition for well-established B&B owners…forcing some out of business. And in many cities, the lucrative Airbnb market is driving up property values beyond the reach of first-time home buyers, costing downtown neighborhoods some of their local vitality. In some places, authorities are cracking down, requiring that rental properties be occupied by the property owners for at least part of the year – and sometimes even staging disruptive “inspections” that inconvenience guests.

As an advocate for travelers, I appreciate the value and cultural intimacy Airbnb provides. But as a lover of Europe, I share the worry of those who see longtime residents and local home buyers nudged aside by tourists. In the end, each traveler has to decide whether Airbnb is right for them.

(BTW, the clip at the end of the above video is from Portugal’s Heartland, a 2001 episode of our TV show…but it seems like it’s from a different age. Back then, tourists visiting Portuguese towns were ambushed by women offering cheap rooms — a practice that frustrated conventional hotels. Now, those women are gone, but hotels have something much more threatening to worry about: online room-sharing services.)

Allow me to share a private moment of reflection about the fun I once had with our family, here on this Algarve beach in Portugal. Sure, it’s great to be footloose and fancy-free in your travels. But, surrounded by young families and recalling family fun, I’m reminded how great it is to share those travels with kids.

Some places are more kid-friendly than others. The Algarve — before the heat and crowds of peak season — is ideal. What are some great destinations for family travel that you’ve discovered? Let me know in the comments below, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

(By the way, next week my son, Andy Steves, will be assisting a seasoned Rick Steves guide on one of our Best of Europe tours. And my daughter, Jackie, is inspiring LA high school students — through literature rather than travel — in her English classes.)

Southern Portugal’s Salema, while very small, is filled with great travel memories for me. Dropping by every couple of years since the 1980s, I’ve seen the locals grow up, along with their fishing village.

I first landed here back when our “tour program” was just me driving a minibus with eight other travelers. I remember venturing off the big road down to a series of humble beach towns and wannabe resort towns for a couple of hours until, just as the sun was setting, we landed in Salema. It was perfect. I parked the van and, while the group enjoyed the beach, I found private rooms for all of us in two or three fishermen’s homes. (Back then, we were more experimental, and I often found rooms for our tour groups upon arrival.)

In denial about how long I’ve been at this, I told my friend Romeu in this clip that I first met him here 20 years ago…but it’s actually been nearly double that long. I’m thankful the “back doors” I found back then are still great places — more comfortable…more affluent…but with the same local communities and the same historical and natural appeal. And I’m thankful locals like Romeu are still running their shops, cooking up their fish so expertly, and pointing travelers in the direction of good rooms to rent.

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