I have a travel tip for travelers planning to drive overseas — download the Garmin maps before your trip. I just did this before my short trip to Portugal last week. My rather inexpensive Garmin, which works perfectly in the United States, required more memory to download the maps for Spain and Portugal. This was resolved simply by going to Radio Shack for a memory card, which slips in the side. Once I entered the card, the maps downloaded and the GPS worked. I like when technology just works! The maps run you $149. Over in Portugal, the Garmin was just as helpful as it is here. Perhaps even more so, as it negated wrong turns and pulling over to read a map; not to mention the double and triple circling in the round-abouts! Remember National Lampoon’s European Vacation? I rented from Europcar and enjoyed my experience in a rather large Volkswagen sedan. The car was diesel and used very little fuel. I returned the car with a half tank of gas, even after all our daytrips and travel. There will be more reports on Portugal. I enjoyed revisiting Lisbon and then driving to Evora before finally spending a few days in the Algarve. I stayed at some really great properties, including the Sheraton Lisboa, with a fantastic restaurant on the top floor and the best breakfast buffet. Hotel Convento do Espinheiro, Evora, is an historic property with a beautiful decor and terrific spa. Finally, we stayed at Pine Cliff Residences (Algarve, part of the Sheraton Algarve complex), where we had so many restaurants to choose from and great Portuguese wines. I also played a round of golf at the Henry Cotton Golf Course, Le Meridien Penina Golf & Resort, and had a really fun round with some great golfers, including the No. 1-ranked female pro in Portugal, Monia Bernardo. Also joining us were Leonel Rio, director of golf and the resident pro of the Cotton Course, and Matthieu de Tonnac, hotel manager of the Le Meridien Penina. Great people and great fun! I will be covering the course in a GTee article very soon. TAP is also a fine airline. TAP Executive is a superb business class, and I can see why Conde Nast UK voted TAP best airline this year. The onboard cuisine and wines were tops, and the service was gracious and friendly. I would suggest a Portuguese vacation, or a side trip, to any traveler. Don’t forget your Garmin! — Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO