I spent some time planning vacations in Europe.

When you live someplace, that’s what you do, right?

Cheap flights make vacations affordable

I have some ideas about places I’d like to visit while I’m living in Portugal, and I was poking around the Internet to see what was suggested, when I found a link called getting there.

Air fare is really cheap in Europe. Getting there from the US can be expensive, but once you’re there …

Europe has several budget airlines. I looked at one to see to which destinations it flies directly to from Lisbon, Portugal.

I can fly to Paris for about $45 roundtrip. I can go to the Azores for around $50; Porto, Portugal, for $35.

Short flights make vacations easy

A direct flight from Lisbon to Paris is two and a half hours. I used to drive that long to see my friend in southern Wisconsin.

And this is Paris. I mean … Paris, France. Not Waukesha, Wisconsin. (No offense, Trace.)

I was actually on the phone with my friend when I was looking at travel options. We marveled at the cheap flights.

It reminded her of our long bus ride across Spain and how some parents opted to fly. At that time, we assumed it was very expensive to fly, based on prices in the States.

Little did we know they probably got a one-way ticket for less than $30.

Live and learn.

Planning vacations in Europe

I’ll have plenty to explore in Lisbon, but I’d like to do a day trip to Sintra – the fairytale city. It’s close enough to get there by bus. If friends visit, that will be a good place to go for an overnight. I have been there for an afternoon, but there are places we didn’t get to that would be fun to explore.

Porto is a city I want to see. I want to go the beaches of the Algarve.

And, then there are the Azores, an archipelago off Portugal’s coast. I’ve seen enough pictures and had friends tell me it’s a definite must-see that I know I need to go.

Unless, of course, I save it for a future stay. I’m sure I’ll be back in Europe, maybe even Portugal. This first visit will help me decide where I want to be.

I’m reminded of a blog I wrote last spring, inspired by an Instagram post that caused a shift in my thinking. It’s finally coming true. I’ll be planning my vacations in Europe while I’m in Portugal.

That’s very cool.

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Be a Better Writer Tip

We’ve talked about preparing questions for an interview. How do you know what to ask?

In this tip, we will start to talk about how to prepare for an interview.

First, what is the purpose of the interview?

Are you seeking an interview for background purposes – so you can understand a subject better?

Rarely was this the case in newspapers. Almost always, I wanted quotes from someone for a story.

However, sometimes you needed background information or you had a source who was willing to talk generically about how something works – without getting into specifics.

If an interview is for background purposes, you may ask more general questions about your subject – and less, if any, about the person you are interviewing. In this case, you are seeking someone’s expertise about a subject, not about them as an individual.

Are you seeking information for an article about a specific person? Then your questions will be specific to that individual.

Are you seeking information about a topic but using a specific source because he or she is an expert, and his or her comments are central to the story? In that case, you’ll want to prepare questions both about your topic and your interview subject.

Once you know your purpose, you can start your homework. More about that in a future tip!