Hello from the Azores!

We have been so busy exploring the past month that the time has flown by! Even though we've been to the Azores several times, we discover new things each time. We are so excited to share all about it with you over the coming months.

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What's new for Mind Over Matter Travel?

We are all in with the Azores Discovered branch of our business at the moment. So what does that mean? We've been partnering with some amazing local companies that we'll be highlighting over the next few months. We also started a new Instagram page for Azores Discovered (even though we told ourselves that we wouldn't... oops), so go follow it if you are interested in visiting the Azores!

Where we've been recently

In the past month of traveling the Azores, we've been to 4 of the 9 islands: Santa Maria, São Miguel, Graciosa, and São Jorge. Two of those islands were completely new for us: Santa Maria and Graciosa. Now, we'll be continuing onto exploring the other 5 islands of the archipelago (all ones we've been to before but are excited to revisit).

Are you interested in visiting any of these destinations? We are here to help and provide personal recommendations based on our experiences. We offer FREE travel planning and booking services. Complete our travel planning inquiry, and we will reach out for an initial consultation.

Favorite experience

It is so difficult to pick a favorite experience while here in the Azores. Of course, getting to spend time with family here is a major one for me! In terms of exploring, I still can't get over the amazing tours we went on with SMATUR on Santa Maria Island. I never expected to enjoy Santa Maria so much, but it really won us over. There's so much more to it than people think (Lonely Planet's Azores Pocket Guide even says it's only worth a half-day visit... wrong!) We spent 4 days there and enjoyed every minute of it. And SMATUR (one of those amazing companies I mentioned partnering with) showed us some incredible spots and taught us soooo much! We went on both their full day van tour and their hiking tour. 100% recommend!

Bucket list travel opportunity

A key way to have a transformative travel experience is to take advantage of travel opportunities. I found this one for you:

Enter to Win A Wine Trip to Portugal! I have traveled more to Portugal than any other country, and Porto (the gateway to the Douro Valley) is my favorite city in mainland Portugal. That's why we're sharing this great opportunity by 90+ Cellars to win a wine trip to Portugal. One lucky winner (and a guest) will receive round-trip airfare to Porto, Portugal, plus a two-night stay in one of Quinta da Pacheca’s famous Wine Barrel rooms, private transportation to and from the winery, and a $350 AMEX gift card to spend on your adventure. Enter here before September 5th for your chance to win!

Practical travel tip

Enroll in STEP! I usually do "transformative travel tips," but I figured it would be helpful to mix in some practical travel tips as well! If you're from the U.S., we highly recommend enrolling with STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) when traveling abroad. STEP is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals to enroll their trip abroad so the Department of State can accurately and quickly contact them in case of emergency. We've had a couple instances when we've been notified through the program about safety precautions in destinations we've visited. This can help you have a safer and more enjoyable adventure!

Travel must-haves

We are pretty strongly opposed to checking our luggage for flights, so that leaves us living out of a backpack for months at a time. With that said, we always need to carefully select what clothes to pack and a single pair of shoes that will work for every occasion. Allbirds has been our go-to shoe choice for the last 4 years, and they're still one of our favorites. You can always catch us wearing our Allbirds Trailrunners that are good for both city and nature travel. They are a must for every trip we go on!​

What's next?

If you want to follow along with our travels, here are our tentative travel plans for the rest of the year:

• August: Azores, Portugal
• September: Ireland
• Oct. to Dec.: California

If you've been to any of these places and have particular suggestions, my inbox is always open! Or if you are looking for specific insight for me to share while I'm there, let me know.

If you want to follow our journey, connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

As always, thanks for being here 🤗

✨ Elaina