Portugal

I spent my final summer break as a student backpacking around Europe, and Lisbon was the last stop on that trip. I quickly fell in love with the city. Between the colorful streets, historic trams, and hilltop viewpoints, Lisbon had an energy that was both lively and unhurried. I also took a day trip to the quaint town of Sintra and to Cascais, home to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, where dramatic cliffs overlook the Atlantic Ocean.

The following year, while planning a trip to Africa, I found an incredibly cheap flight from New York to the Azores, a remote Portuguese archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, followed by another inexpensive flight onwards to the African island nation of Cabo Verde. I’m so glad I found those flights because they gave me the perfect excuse to spend a few days exploring the Azores. With their volcanic craters, emerald-green lakes, and natural hot springs, the islands are unlike anywhere else I’ve been. They are one of Europe’s most spectacular natural landscapes, yet remarkably few people seem to know about them. Despite being a relatively small country, Portugal offers an incredible amount of variety. It’s undoubtedly one of my favorite countries in Europe.