Here's Why You Should Book a Flight to Portugal ASAP

Fado is a Portuguese music genre originating in the 1800s, with soulful, sometimes gut-wrenchingly emotional music. There's melancholy but also nostalgia and hope with origins tracing back to homesick sailors at sea and slaves in Brazil, and then trickling down to the streets and brothels of Lisbon. Walk in the romantic old Alfama district and you'll hear it spilling out of bars, halls, and restaurants.

Portugal has a rich new music culture as well. While I was in Lisbon, I stumbled on one concert and was invited to another EDM festival. Plan your trip around the Boom Festival. This week-long festival happening every other year is Portugal's answer to Burning Man.