With Braga’s two night, all night rager of a festival closing in on the city, I packed my bags and headed to the nearby town of Ponte de Lima before my apartment was rendered uninhabitable.

As my year-long road trip was coming to an end, I had to choose a place to live. Where would it be?

After a second month of AirBNB-sponsored chaos, I was ready to wipe the slate clean and try life in tiny Tomar. Along the way to a more peaceful existence, I encountered some challenges that tested my sanity.

My search for joy in Aveiro met strange twists