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A list of our past and current newsletters. Subscribe and receive exclusive travel tips and creative ideas for the home straight to your inbox! NEWSLETTERS Fall 2025 / Chasing Colors (NEW) Summer 2025 / Rolling Starlight Spring 2025 / Springtime is a doggone good time! Fall 2024 / Kyoto Color Summer 2024 / Sweet Summer Spring 2024 / Joys of Spring Fall 2023 / Window in the Woods Summer 2023 / A Late Summer Greeting

Hither and Wander is a unique travel resource exploring distinct destinations with tips and recommendations. Plus, travel lifestyle ideas including home decor and international recipes. Unique Travel Resource Best private beach to visit, Stiniva Beach, Vis, Croatia by top travel guide Hither and Wander Unique Travel Resource Beautiful sunset view at Mont Saint-Michel castle in Brittany, France by best travel blog Unique Travel Resource The best season to travel, gorgeous autumn leaves at the temple gates in Kyoto, Japan by top travel blog Unique Travel Resource Best private beach to visit, Stiniva Beach, Vis, Croatia by top travel guide Hither and Wander 1/15 Awa y to discover. Journey with us as we explore dist inct d estinations . Discover our favorite picks, tips and travel- inspired ideas for your world at home. Come hither , and wander with us! EXPLORE DESTINATIONS C O N S U L T I N G Creative consulting for hospitality, travel and lifestyle brands. LEARN MORE JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER Away to connect. An exclusiv e page of seasonal travel tips and lifestyle ideas o nly available in our newsletter when you join ! EMAIL SUBSCRIBE Thanks for subscribing! As a creative director in global travel publishing, I focus on the sensory experiences that make a journey memorable. Collaborations with award-winning writers and photographers sharpened my vision in creating this collection, mostly shot on my iPhone. — Haines Wilkerson Founder READ MORE FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @hitherandwander @hitherandwander Load More

Join our newsletter and receive exclusive travel tips and creative ideas for the home straight to your inbox! JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER Away to connect. An exclusiv e page of seasonal travel tips and lifestyle ideas o nly available in our newsletter when you join ! EMAIL SUBSCRIBE Thanks for subscribing!

A stunning storybook town unfolds in the mist, revealing wedding cake castles and stone fortresses from ions past. Step into this fairytale world, just an hour’s train ride from modern Lisbon. SINTRA, PORTUGAL A stunning storybook town unfolds in the mist, revealing wedding cake castles and stone fortresses from ions past. Step into this fairytale world, just an hour’s train ride from modern Lisbon. Moor is More Just an hour by train from Lisbon, one enters the storybook Sintra Cultural Landscape , a UNESCO World Heritage Site, crowned by the expansive Castle of the Moors. Constructed between the 8th and 9th centuries, it ascends the hillsides like a creature from beneath the earth. Its stepped battlements give rise to scenes of marauding armies, relentlessly challenging it through generations. Today it stands open to all, beckoning visitors to traverse its ancient walls. ___ Pena Palace Across the hillsides from the Moorish Castle, the colorful facades of the National Palace of Pena emerge through the morning fog. Originally the residence of 9th century Islamic Moorish rulers, it was later captured by Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, The Conqueror in the 12th century. The playful, present day melange of Gothic, Manueline, Moorish and Mudéjar architectural styles were added in the 15th and 16th centuries. Inside and out, the palace and it’s nearby gardens are a royal dazzle for the eye. Testament to its strategic hilltop-near-the-sea location, fog and mist add mystery to timeless charm. A feathered patrol paddles the meandering ponds like royal sentries while expressive gargoyles oversee the higher grounds. ___ Storybook Storefronts It’s not just about castles and royals in Sintra, as the townsfolk illustrate with genuine warmth. I am drawn to the little shops and cafes clustered along the hill in storybook fashion. The charm is rendered in tile mosaics on shop walls and spelled out on steps leading to their doors. ___ Quinta da Regaleira There are many extravagant palaces in Sintra whose soaring spires punctuate the sky, but this tower points down 27-meters into the ground like an inverted tower. Imagine the dark, medieval dampness below ground as you descend the spiral staircase alone, blindfolded, a sword held close to your heart. Nine flights of stairs into the earth – a number that represents the nine founders of the mysterious Templar order, you reach the bottom of the well, not for water, but to walk the dark labyrinth trying to find your way back up towards the light. If you made it you were welcomed as a newly initiated member of the sect. Today, one’s initiation to Quinta da Regaleira includes a lesson in patience as you wait for the crowd to clear before snapping your cinematic moment on the spiral staircase. After all, patience is a virtue, even for Instagrammers. ___ Back DESTINATIONS Next

Romanced by the Douro river's embrace, Porto is a melange of modern living and Medieval beauty. PORTO, PORTUGAL Youthful spirit meets an ancient past in this picturesque Portuguese city. Romanced by the Douro river’s embrace, Porto is a melange of modern living and Medieval beauty. FIVE FAVES / PORTO City of Bridges A most appropriate moniker, as visitors will quickly discover, the two sides of Porto are laced together with bridges. One bridge is seemingly from the future, and right next to it, a Victorian era crossing leaps and swoons over the water. Designed as clifftop crossings, they ironically draw just as many passerby down into their shadows at the river’s edge. The most famous is the Dom Luis I bridge, a steel lacing that forms the backdrop of Porto. ___ Architectural Expressionism Arches, swirls, flower-petal patterns, all part of the whimsy elegance of Porto’s many architectural styles. So many floral and geometric motifs on incomprehensibly expansive tile mosaics and friezes, but no heroes are depicted. Why? Because the Moors held true to Islamic law and avoided portraying false icons. But there is no shortage of expressive forms in the wide variety of architectural vision that is Porto. ___ Perfect Perch The Portuguese have yet to meet a rooftop they don’t like. A table with a view is a Porto pleasure, even as a cat performs a high wire act along the edge. With a flying leap, he darts between the stylish boots of our waitress as she’s refilling our glasses while translating the menu. Afterwards there’s Parque dos Clerigos to stretch out in under the stars, listen to music and maybe think about tomorrow. Plans that may include visiting the Livraria Lello bookstore , (inspiration for Harry Potter’s Hogwarts) directly across from the park. (But only if there’s no line, which is quite unlikely). ___ Sunset Extraordinaire The view from the high ground of Jardim de Morro at sundown is an image that never leaves one’s heart. The park is terraced with curving concrete benches formed to the contour of the hillside, hosting the wise few who leave the bustle of the old town to cross the Rua General Torres bridge for this sublime vista. Maybe taking a slight detour to pick up some wine and cheese to enhance the moment at Dourum Restaurante just below the bridge on the quiet south waterfront. ___ Cliffside Thrill Ride Not for the faint of heart, (but worth it for the thrill –and the view) descending the cliff aboard the Funicular dos Guindais cable car is a Porto must. After strolling the high bridges across the river, it's the fastest and most fun way to reach the riverfront promenade. ___ Back DESTINATIONS Next

Our top five favorite things to do in the vibrant and temple city of Kyoto, Japan. 1 Yasaka Pagoda Inspired by a dream, it was built by the Imperial Prince Shotoku in 589, standing dreamily ever since, like a beacon of grace above the whispers along the cobbled lanes of Gion . KYOTO, JAPAN 2 Juu-go Soba Cafe Here, perfect noodles are born before one’s eyes. Formed, sliced and swirled, as seen through the stage-like kitchen window, where the muscular chef/owner works at a pace mimicking timelapse photography. But once served, this soba commands slow motion to savor this buckwheat delight. KYOTO, JAPAN 3 Ginkaku-ji Temple With its otherworldly flat-topped cone resting like an alien space craft in the middle of the main garden and the many entrancing trails that braid up the hillside through a thoughtfully tended fantasy landscape, one knows they have arrived at an elevated plane, –visually and spiritually. KYOTO, JAPAN 4 Ryokan Genhouin A stay at this ryokan is as tranquil as a sleeping cat. In each room, a single-stem flower in a zen niche inspires contemplation. A renewing onsen invites guests to slip out of their kimonos and fold into the warm water bath —wide enough to include friends! KYOTO, JAPAN 5 Honen-in Temple Matcha tea is served in a bowl-like vessel alongside a matching-green squishy nugget of mochi in an intricate but relaxed wooden temple, where time stands still long enough for you to contemplate the moment. Outside, the structure and its sumptuous surroundings will attend to all your other senses. KYOTO, JAPAN Back FIVE FAVES Next

Glazed in the light of centuries past, this launching pad to the Age of Discoveries is lined with dramatic bluffs resembling fortress walls, yet far more welcoming. The warmth of the southern sunlight still illuminates dreams like those of the 16th Century explorers who set sail from these shores. ALGARVE, PORTUGAL Glazed in the light of centuries past, this launching pad to the Age of Discoveries is lined with dramatic bluffs resembling fortress walls, yet far more welcoming. The warmth of the southern sunlight still illuminates dreams like those of the 16th Century explorers who set sail from these shores. Seaborne Inspiration The villages of Luz, Salema and Lago lay nestled along Albufeira coastline, as if borne of the sea. Patterns and colors of the tides decorate local homes and shops while cafes serve up its bounty as an art form. Below the craggy cliffs, the ocean swirls in turquoise, as the squinting sun reveals miles of beaches as far as the eyes can see. ___ The Ultimate Catch Rows of umbrellas mimic the arrangement of neighboring 19th century terracotta octopus traps on the beach at Salema. As vacationers nest in circles of shade, unwitting octopus slide into these amphora shaped shelters lying in wait on the sea floor. As they have since Phoenician times, Portuguese fishermen haul in the long ropes attached to these vases, along with their tentacled catch inside, soon becoming the day’s menu staple. ___ Island of Childlike Delight The island of Armona is like a child’s toy village where every structure along its single boardwalk seems to have been built at 7/8th’s scale. Originally the rustic roost of weathered fishermen, these old abodes now serve as the vacation homes of artists, musicians and other alternative raconteurs. ___ Star(fish) Trek A charming sand-swept beach bar, located at a definitive bend in the boardwalk offers a delicious reason to stop midway on one’s trek to the shore. All necessities and luxuries are delivered via this narrow path, including drinking water to the colorful array of former fishermen shacks. ___ Olhão, Yes! Back on the mainland, along this southern shore where Portugal bends to meet up with Spain, one discovers the cultural and culinary delights of Olhão and Tavira. These seaside towns are dotted with artisan shops and cafes so quaint one wishes they could be packed into our suitcases as well as our memories. ___ Portuguese Pavement Portugal is the one destination where visitors are encouraged not to look up as much as down because one mustn’t miss the intricate mosaic detail in the tiled streets, sidewalks and plazas. Calcada Portuguesa or “Portuguese Pavement” is the country’s signature design element. A treasured artisan trade that originated in Lisbon, and soon paved its way into every town, including Olhão where a father and son scurry home across one of many calcada showcases. ___ Southern Comfort The Rio Guadiana divides Portugal from Spain here on Europe’s southern shore like a slow-moving sword blade through sand. Both sides look similarly bleak, like a Wim Wenders landscape, however, some unexpectedly dreamy, beachy pockets lay just past the warehouses on Avenida Ville La Baule. The fresh fish and perfect fries at Dom Petisco on the river’s edge is, in itself, worth the drive to this end of Portugal. ___ Back DESTINATIONS Next

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The beauty and effervescence of wine country runs deep in the Douro River Valley. The river flows gently, like vino verde into your glass, sparkling at the foot of steep stepped hillsides that climb like vines towards the sky. DOURO RIVER, PORTUGAL The beauty and effervescence of wine country runs deep in the Douro River Valley. The river flows gently, like vino verde into your glass, sparkling at the foot of steep stepped hillsides that climb like vines towards the sky. Uncorking Portugal’s Wine Country Arrive by train, or boat, or car, but no matter your desired conveyance, the river will guide you. It is central to the magic of this region. We like the vintage steam train with its billowing cumulus floating briefly over the river, as we chug along its bends and curves. Rows of grape vines flash by, blending into the ripples on the water. Bathers, tucked in to tranquil river eddies wave as we roll by with a whistle heralding our arrival. ___ An Artisanal Landscape Casa dos Viscondes is splayed out across the landscape like a welcoming picnic blanket, complete with the basket of delights. A long driveway leads through the gates and builds with excitement as we wind our way past the vineyards to the main house. Glorious views open onto the hills as cloud shadows make their way like watercolor animation. ___ Reasons to Howl Here the day goes by with little notice of the time. Especially for the master of the Casa, holding court on the front steps, who assumes guests will make the hurdle over his reddish haunches. In the nearby town of Peso da Régua, shop walls are lined with wine bottled bookshelves like studious libraries. ___ Days of Heaven Like in a daydream, our hotel lay nestled in the folds of steep hillside vineyards along the Douro River, just a few beautiful hours upstream from Porto via train or boat. Once settled in, a long turquoise pool awaits, framed by a summer lawn as warm and soft as a fresh towel. The day is topped off with the crisp delight of local vino verde. The hot sun will soon cool behind the trees as dinner is readied up at the main house. Its stone terrace setting the stage for moonlit retellings of the days’ adventures. ___ Back DESTINATIONS Next

As a creative director in global travel publishing, I focus on the sensory experiences that make a journey memorable. Collaborations with award-winning writers and photographers sharpened my vision for this collection, mostly shot on my iPhone. –Haines Wilkerson, Founder ABOUT As a creative director for travel and hospitality brands, I’m often asked for recommendations. An inveterate curator at heart, I always send a short-but-sweet list of favorite sights, shops, restaurants and other delights. Few travelers these days have time to navigate complete visitor guides, but we do want to know what not to miss. I often hear that my tips “made their trip,” so I thought it might be fun to share this love for destinations with a wider audience of wanderers. Sharing the personality of places, in photographs, short musings and quick tips. HITHER & W ANDER CONSULTING In addition, I provide creative consulting for hospitality, travel and lifestyle brand s. — Haines Wilkerson Founder Image by @iarjonilla / @waileabeachresort