A Life of Travel: On the road again - Lisbon, Puglia, Berlin and Kuala Lumpur!

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It's Tuesday and it's time for a travel newsletter...

update

After the Namibia/Angola adventure last month, I arrived in Lisbon, Portugal.

Lisbon is the closest thing I have to have a home base. Some friends, solid routine, familiarity - its ideal for whenever I need to stop traveling.

Now I’ve spent the entire month of May here. It’s been fun. I made it to the beach a few times, watched live music, went for lots of walks in peaceful parks, tried all kinds of food, hung out with friends, met some new people, made progress with strengthening my hip in order to avoid torn labrum surgery and also made significant progress on several work projects.

And I also rented a great apartment in one of my favorite neighborhoods (Campo de Ourique).

But, there’s been one bizarre thing happening. I haven’t been sleeping.

That’s right, I barely slept for this entire month.

The bed was comfy, the pillows exactly how I like them. My bedroom is dark at night and super quiet.

I’m not overly stressed, I’m not partying or staying up super late, there isn’t anything troubling me and my brain is actually quite peaceful and calm these days.

But night after night I lie awake, unable to fall asleep. In the end, I typically manage to get about 3-4 hours of real sleep most nights.

This is the first time I’ve ever experienced such a situation. Normally, I can sleep anywhere and everywhere without any issues at all.

Interestingly, I’ve been fully functional despite the lack of sleep. I haven’t taken any naps, I’ve managed to keep up my exercise and my days have passed as if I have been sleeping 8 hours per night.

I’m hoping it’s just a fluke.

I’m curious to see if it changes once I leave Lisbon. And I’m leaving Lisbon on June 1st as I head to…

• Puglia, Italy - It’s Italy, so I’m beyond excited as always! And I’ll be heading to the Puglia region for the first time. This will be an 8 day stay by the beach with day trips all around the area (can’t wait for Alberobello) and great food to pass the time. I’m looking forward to this trip so much that I don’t even care that my flight out of Lisbon is at 6:25am and I’ll need to wake up at 3am!
  

• Berlin, Germany - A quick 3 day trip here involves seeing a good friend that I haven’t seen in a long while. She’s from Berlin, it’s been a few years since I’ve been to this city and I have no doubt this will be a fun visit.
  

• Lisbon, Portugal - After Berlin, I’ll be back in Lisbon for a week in order to get organized.
  

• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Then it looks like I’m off to Malaysia. This is a brand new plan that just came into existence a couple of days ago, so I don’t have many details to share yet. But I’ll be making my way to Kuala Lumpur and shall soon be walking through the KLCC Park behind the Petronas Towers and eating some mighty delicious food…that’s the part I do know. More to come about this trip in the next newsletter :)

Whether you’re on the road or in your routine at home right now, remember, rewarding experiences (even life-changing ones) can be had anywhere!

One conversation with a stranger or one visit to somewhere new, even in your own town, is often all it takes :)

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Backed by 20+ years of global travel and a deep network of local friends, our trips are flexible, personal and unforgettable.

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Also, this week we’ll be adding a Namibia tour for 2026!! Send me a message if you want to get on the early sign-up list :)

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The Freedom Trap: This article dives into the lifestyle of many digital nomads who work online and travel, and how leaving the system behind doesn’t exactly set us free.

People Watching: I loved this list of 21 life observations one woman made while painting weddings over the years and spending a lot of time people watching.

Encyclopedia of Eponymous Laws: If you want to read every one of those “observations or rules of thumb that capture some universal truth of human experience” this collection of eponymous laws is extensive. One of my favorites: Barrow’s First Law - “Any universe simple enough to be understood is too simple to produce a mind able to understand it.”

around the globe

🇹🇭 A Sustainable Thai Island
On the idyllic Thai island of Koh Mak, which is owned by five families, the focus is on sustainability and avoiding the allure of mass tourism. The low-carbon approach to tourism has gained wide recognition for this paradise and provides an excellent model for other destinations.

🤮 Airplane Barf Bags
Here’s everything you’ve never wanted to know about the history and use of airplane barf/vomit bags!

📙 1000 Libraries
Ever since I found the 1000 Libraries Instagram account, I’ve been looking at it every day. If visiting historic, gorgeous, inspiring and cozy book-related locations is something you enjoy during your travels, it’s a must!

🇫🇷 Avoid the Crowds in France
These seven simple ways to avoid the tourist crowds in France will certainly lead to a different experience than many travelers have in this beautiful country.

🌏️ Population Around a Point
Simple but interesting - choose a point on the world map, choose a distance and see how many people live within that area of the planet.

📷️ World Food Photography Awards
Definitely spend some time checking out all of the finalist galleries for these awards. The Street Food category really grabbed my attention.

🪷 Essential Gardens Around the World
Visiting gardens is something I love to do during my travels as I want to be around nature as often as possible. When I saw this article on impressive gardens to visit, I immediately bookmarked it for future travels!

🏞️ A National Park for Each Season
Discover an ideal National Park to visit for every month of the year.

🛏️ The Best New Hotels
Need some inspiration for a future travel splurge? These new hotels around the world will certainly do the trick.

where in the world?

A big congratulations to those who guessed the location of the photo in the previous newsletter! Here’s who guessed correctly:

Dorota, Malcolm, Keith, Inka, Craig, Kevan, Mark, Craig H and Helen

The specific location is a viewpoint near the town of Urgup, located in the absolutely stunning Cappadocia region of Turkey!

This week’s photo:

It’s time to guess…where was the below photo taken?

If you have a guess (the more specific the better), click reply and let me know. Anyone who guesses correctly will be mentioned in next week's newsletter 😄 

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Thank you so much for reading!

Derek
(my middle name is Earl)

WanderingEarl.com

Travel Insurance: My personal recommendation for affordable and reliable travel insurance is Safety Wing. It was created by travelers, for travelers, and it's rapid growth in popularity is well-deserved.

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