Why September is the most beautiful month to travel to Portugal
- Bieke Switten
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
For many people, September is the end of summer. For me, every year, it feels like the beginning of something beautiful.
"September?"
She looked at me in surprise for a moment.
Then summer is over, isn't it?
I had to smile.
Because honestly? That is exactly what most people think.
As soon as the calendar points to September, it seems as if summer is officially over. Suitcases are unpacked, schools start again, and schedules fill up once more. As if someone silently flipped a switch.
And yet...
For me, September doesn't feel like an end at all.
On the contrary.
I look forward to it again every year.
That has actually always been the case.
Why September in Portugal feels different to me
Even before our daughter was born, we almost always went on vacation in September. Even when she was little, we often didn't set off until then. Not because we consciously chose to do so. It just worked out that way.
It wasn't until years later that I realized why I always felt different in September than during a vacation in July or August.
Not because those vacations were more spectacular.
Not because we traveled more luxuriously.
Yes, because I went home each time feeling more calm and full of energy.
That word might sound simple.
Until you realize how rare it has actually become.
The moment when everything seems to slow down for a moment
A few years ago, I was sitting on a terrace in Portugal.
The waiter placed a cup of coffee in front of me, wished me a friendly good morning “Bom Dia”, and disappeared back inside.
Not much else really happened.
And yet, that moment stayed with me.
I looked at the ocean.
In the distance, I heard only a few seagulls.
Every now and then, someone walked past.
No one seemed to be in a hurry for anything.
After a while, I took a sip of my coffee.
It had become almost cold by then.
Not because I had forgotten him.
But because I had just been sitting and watching all that time.
Into nothing special.
And at the same time to everything.
I remember thinking:
How long has it been since I started a day like this?
That rarely happens at home.
The coffee is usually next to my laptop there.
Or do I finish my drink quickly because something comes up again.
Maybe you recognize that.
Just quickly turn on the washing machine.
Answer another email.
I still need to look something up.
A phone call when you actually have to leave.
Even relaxing sometimes seems to be something we have to finish everything for first.
The most beautiful memories were never on my list.
Perhaps that is also the reason why so many people return from vacation tired.
We want to see as much as possible.
Experience as much as possible.
Take as much as possible home.
I recognize that too, by the way.
"Now that we're here anyway..."
How often have I said that sentence myself?
Just that one little village.
That viewpoint again.
Still that restaurant everyone is talking about.
Until I started to realize along the way that my most beautiful memories were actually never on those lists.
I don't remember five sights from one particular trip.
I do remember that breakfast.
That bench where we sat much longer than planned.
That unexpected conversation with a local resident.
Or that walk where no one said anything, because the view actually told it all.
Maybe that is what traveling has become for me.
Do not do as much as possible.
But making space to truly experience something.
And that is exactly why Portugal feels so special to me.
Not because it is more beautiful there than anywhere else.
But because the country almost invites you to shift down a gear.
The ocean radiates tranquility.
The villages have been there for centuries.
People are in no hurry.
After a few days, you will notice that you automatically shift down a gear yourself.
Perhaps that is ultimately the most beautiful souvenir you can take home from a trip.
No magnet for the fridge.
Not a hundred photos you'll never look at again.
But the realization that you can also live differently.
Even if it is only a few days.
Why my way of traveling in Portugal is different
When I started dreaming about Travel with Bieke, I actually already knew what my travels should feel like.
Not like a program that is packed from morning till evening.
But like that morning on that terrace.
Where nothing spectacular happened.
And yet, everything was right.
That is why I organize my trips the way I prefer to experience them myself.
Small-scale.
Personal.
With space between the activities.
So that there is room for the moments you cannot plan, but which you will cherish most later.
And perhaps that is also why I love traveling in September.
Not because September is the only beautiful month to travel.
May has its charm.
June too.
But September invites you to consciously slow down one last time, before autumn starts again at full speed.
Maybe you also long for that feeling.
Not to a vacation where you do as much as possible.
But to a trip where you occasionally just forget what time it is.
If, while reading, you thought: "I want to go on holiday like that too ," then you actually already understand what Travel with Bieke stands for.
And maybe we'll meet in Portugal soon.
Not because you are looking for a holiday.
But because you want to treat yourself to a few days where nothing is required and you return home full of energy.
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