Hansons Travel

40+ countries — Travel as a family — Travel Tips, Humor & Cultural Experiences

30/04/2026

I spent five years building a community of 795,000 people on Instagram. deleted it overnight with no warning, no explanation and no real way to appeal. No real human to talk to. This is my story. Please share it! 🙏

20/12/2023

Serra da Estrela (the Star Mountain Range) is truly otherworldly~Especially in contrast with the pop**ated coastline just a few hours away.

Serra da Estrela Natural Park features Torre, the highest point in continental Portugal at 1,993 m (6,539 ft).

We drove through the clouds (which the kids thought was so wild), through meadows filled with icy streams and through granite rock fields that had faces with noses. We were not prepared for the cold at the top and had to buy some proper clothes at the convenient “mall” at the top.

Highly recommend getting the local aged mountain goat cheese and sweet bread they sell 😍

Just a bit down the mountain is Nossa Senhora da Boa Estrela, a “Mary” carved into the rock in a picturesque spot with towering rock pillars of all shapes, a small waterfall and crystal clear stream.

My “we’ll be back” list keeps getting longer here in Portugal. 🇵🇹🥰😍

🇵🇹

01/11/2023

One thing you learn about northern Portugal in the fall and winter is you always need an umbrella but also you may see blue skies and sunshine in a short amount of time.

Maddox and I took a hike up ancient paths to reach the top of Monte de Santa Luzia above Viana do Castelo, Portugal—umbrellas in hand.

It rained on the way up but as we reached the top the rain cleared and the sky opened up just in time to take in the panoramic view.

Behind the cathedral (Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), you’ll find trails going all over and you’re sure to see mountain bikers taking advantage of them.

There is a plaque on the mountain that states National Geographic says it is one of the most beautiful panoramas in the world. I’ve seen a lot of good views around the world and it is indeed a beautiful one.

You can take the 660 steps down as we did and take in the view of the river valley, Praia do Cabedelo (the nearby beach) and Viana do Castelo every step of the way :)

22/10/2023

Heyyy! It’s been a while :) how are you? After Turkiye, we started to feel travel burnout 😅. We landed in Paris ready to rest and explore a little bit. ;) We instantly had sticker shock after our $125 taxi ride to our airbnb compared to $10 airport ride in Izmir. 🫣🤑 the kids hadn’t been to Paris so we had to give them a culinary and cultural tour :) this included crepes …and baguettes, cheese and other bakery items of course 🥰 we got caught in a downpour by the Eiffel Tower hence the drenched photos 😂
It was Camille’s birthday during our time and so her french language partner totally blessed us with 2 days of food and fun. The highlight was the observation ferris wheel with amazing views of Paris! We will never forget his kindness and giving us a positive experience in Paris.
Paris remains one of the most beautiful cities we have visited.
For families, we suggest trying to find a well connected rental home on the outskirts of the city. You get a more peaceful stay but can still travel around the city.

26/07/2023

Our last hot 🥵 days in Izmir were full of getting our “Türkiye fix” of food friends and experiences before we left the country. We ended up spending 3 months in 🇹🇷 and leaving was bittersweet. We made so many great friends and had amazing experiences not to mention the food and treats. 🤩

In reality we only scratched the surface of what can be discovered in Türkiye so the Hansons will be back :)

Hadi gürüşürüz Türkiye 🇹🇷! Her şey için teşekkür ederiz

14/05/2023

It is easy to celebrate this mama on Mother’s day! She keeps us all alive and teaches the world English! I suspect she may be a superhero in disguise 🦹‍♀️🦸‍♀️;) Happy mother’s day to you! You are the best!

Happy mother’s day to all you mom’s out there!

19/04/2023

We ❤️ Budapest!

The first thing you learn is how to pronounce the city name, which is Budape(sh)t. It is actually a merger of 3 cities: Buda, Óbuda and Pest.

Things we learned about Budapest / Hungary:

#1 They have strict fines for not buying the right train tickets - This was a $35 mistake (almost twice, but we’ll blog about that)
#2 They have a ton of Specialty Coffee shops! We stocked up on all the coffee goodness :)
#3 They don’t use the EURO, they use the Forint
#4 Hungarian is in the same family as Finnish (both hard languages to learn) and we noted their cultures share some characteristics like the eerily quiet metros / buses.
#5 Hungary is ranked last in corruption in the EU and we heard a lot of locals telling us how bad it is sadly.
#6 Retes (Hungarian strudels) and kürtőskalács (Hungarian “chimney cakes”) are from heaven :)
#7 Gellérthegyi playground (located on Gallert Hill) is the funnest public playground our kids have been on in Europe.

Budapest is a city where East meets West. It is as comfortable as any Western European city and their transport options are really great.

It has had influence from the ottoman empire, the USSR and of course was its own influential empire for awhile. When we heard Hungarian many times we thought it sounded like Turkish! We really enjoyed this diverse and interesting city and highly recommend it to anyone.

06/04/2023

Hiking to the cross outside of Salerno with my 9 year old Maddox! 🥾At night you’ll see a lit up cross on the hill outside of Salerno. You can actually hike to it!

Check out our hiking guide for Monte San Liberatore:
https://hansonstravel.com/hiking-to-monte-san-liberatore-salerno-italy/

We actually caught the train to Vietre Sul Mare because I thought the trail on this side of the mountain was quicker. Well it was quicker, but not easy to follow the trail or find it! I accidentally found the trail on the side of a mechanic shop outside of Vietre Sul Mare! If you go this way, navigate to Meccatronica (the mechanic shop) and turn right just before the bridge. Then make your way up the hill following the main path.
From Salerno, it is a gradual incline through the hills on a road/path called Via della Valle. You’ll pass some ancient ruins and some bunkers. The final section starts at the little village on the hill and is a little steeper to get to the cross, but the trail is easy to follow.
The views are epic! 🤩 You’ll see the monastery (usually closed) and another smaller cross before you get to the final peak with the huge cross. Make sure to pack water and snacks to enjoy along the way and at the top!

Note: I would recommend this for 8 year olds and above since it is a longer hike. The way from Salerno is actually longer but more gradual.

Track: #14 Free Vlog Music - NO Copyright By The Bardelli’S Music provided by The Bardelli’S
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29/03/2023

Exploration and childhood seem to go hand in hand. Our kids are most alive searching for shells, finding hidden paths along rocky coasts, or running through forests and climbing trees. It seems to be something inside all of us. In this age of knowledge at our fingertips, it is a good practice to get out and discover some of the mysteries of the world on our own.
We are so thankful we can travel and discover with our kids and experience these moments together. These shots were from our explorations in Slovenia and Croatia in the past few weeks.

**a

Endereço

Viana Do Castelo

Website

http://www.hansonstravel.com/

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