Travels of John and Flo – flojohntravels.com

June 22, 2026June 22, 2026

Two Weeks in Italy (Part 2)

We’d just spent a week in Puglia and now headed back to Naples to take a ferry over to the island of Procida. The ferry ride was so quick (we didn’t realize how close Procida was to the mainland), that we missed the docking and had to stay on board as the ferry travelled to the neighboring island of Ischia and then returned to Procida. We arrived in time, though, to board our sailboat, unload our suitcases and then go shopping for provisions.

June 22, 2026

Two Weeks in Southern Italy

Jon and I had been talking for years about a sailing trip somewhere in the Med. His background in sailing was mostly west coast, between San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta while mine was mostly in the Med, sailing with our good friend Jack in Croatia, Italy, Greece and Turkey. When I decided to take the skipper’s course in San Francisco Bay (out of Berkley), I did the final back in Puerto Vallarta. To prepare for it I practiced with Jon on his 42’ sailing boat, and afterwards enjoyed many wonderful days sailing with him and friends in Banderas Bay.

March 20, 2026

Back to the Côte d’Azur to Ski

We were fortunate enough to get in one more ski holiday before the end of the ski season with a visit to Valberg, situated in the Maritime Alps above Nice. And at the same time it was an opportunity to walk the streets of a place that was home to us for more than five years.

February 12, 2026February 12, 2026

Back to the Pyrenees to Ski

Fog blanketed Lisbon as we left the city early in mid’ January, heading northeast on A1 towards Spain and eventually to our destination, the Pyrenees mountain range. The fog continued, becoming even thicker at times, all the way to the Spanish border before finally burning off.

September 28, 2025September 28, 2025

Viana do Castelo

We were supposed to going to Viana to do some wing foiling, but a few days before leaving I pulled my back out. Not wanting to cancel, we decided instead to do some biking in the area instead, using our Super 73 bikes where I can sit up more vertical so it wouldn’t bother my still-sore back very much.

September 28, 2025

Alentejo – Vicentina Coastline

We’ve been spending some time the year exploring the coastline south of Lisbon, between the coastal towns of Milfontes and Odeceixe, known as the Vicentina Coast. Well, actually the North-central part of the Vincentina Coast, as it actually stretches all the way down into the Algarve. Most of it lies within the South-East Alentejo Natural Park. It’s quite picturesque, and so far away from the crowded streets of Lisbon. Fortunately my blog doesn’t get a lot of visitors so I don’t have to worry about me being to blame for changing that!

May 3, 2025September 27, 2025

Getting (and keeping) a Driver’s License in Portugal

It’s necessary, when we moved to Portugal, to get Portuguese driver’s licenses. You can’t live in the country and use a driver’s license issued from another country. The process was rather simple for Florence as she had a French license and they just exchanged hers for a Portuguese one. The only problem was waiting for the replacement which took six months to arrive. During this period she had a piece of paper stating she could legally drive, but it was only recognized as legal in Portugal – no rental car company, or other country, would accept it.

April 14, 2025April 14, 2025

Northerners & Southerners and the Concept of Time

Most people making the move to Portugal are coming from the north, primarily northern Europe, United States or Canada. And the majority are doing so for the weather. For lack of a better term, let’s refer to them then as “Northerners,” and those in the south, (Portugal, Spain and Italy for example), as ”Southerners”.

Cultural characteristics are what differentiate them with the concept of time, how each relates to it, at the top of the list.

March 22, 2025March 22, 2025

The Importance of “Home”

The concept of “home” is something that should be seriously contemplated by anyone considering moving to another country. I’ve placed “home” in quotes as home is more than just the tangible, physical structure where we grew up or currently live. There are other attributes that have intrinsic value as well. Home is traditionally where family is, where we entertain friends, the people we trust and rely on most. Where we feel most comfortable and safe. It’s where we keep and hold onto the things that are most valuable to us. It provides a foundation on which we build our lives, for life is easier when there’s a strong bond between us and “home”. All of these add up to give the home a sense of soulfulness.

March 6, 2025March 22, 2025

Journey back to Puerto Vallarta

It’s been over three years since we’ve been back to Puerto Vallarta, the place that was our home for nearly thirty years. But in late February we made the journey to attend a wedding and reunite with old friends.

We broke the trip up by landing first in Cancun spending a few days, allowing us to avoid Mexico City immigration, (especially after what happened on our last visit), and provide a bit of a reprieve from the inevitable jet-lag that seems to bother us even more these days.