A FOUNDING JOURNEY . pORTUGAL . MAY 2027
Some chapters deserve a deeper kind of journey.
Nine days through Lisbon, Sintra, and the soulful Alentejo - for ten women marking a milestone who would rather feel a place than photograph it. A private room every night. A local who calls each city home. Time, at last, to travel deeper.
9 Days / 8 Nights
10 Women
small by design
May 2027
founding cohort
A room of your own
every night
THE INVITATION
You know the milestone I mean. The birthday with a zero at the end. The last child gone quiet down the hall. The retirement papers signed, or the chapter that closed whether you were ready or not.
The moments that ask more of us deserve more of us.
Most trips hand you a checklist and hurry you through it. This one does the opposite. We move slowly on purpose. We stay long enough to be recognized by the woman at the pastelaria. We let a city keep a few of its secrets for the next time. This isn't the trip you take. It's the threshold you cross, in the company of nine other women doing the same.
WHY THIS JOURNEY IS DIFFERENT
Built around how women actually want to travel at this age.
01
A room of your own. Every night.
You will never share a room with a stranger. A private room is built into your place - not an upsell, not a coin toss. Rest is not a luxury here; it's the design.
02
A local in every city.
In Lisbon, Sintra, and the Alentejo, a licensed local guide who knows the stories behind the tiles walks with us. Real depth - not a script read from the front of a bus.
03
Ten women. Not forty.
Small enough to fit around one long table. Small enough that by day three, these are no longer strangers - they're the women you'll be texting for years.
04
Room to breathe.
An unhurried arrival day to find your feet. A free morning with nothing scheduled. Space is part of the itinerary - because depth needs it.
the route
Lisbon ~ Sintra ~ Alentejo
Five nights unpacked in Lisbon, three in the walled calm of Évora.
the rhythm
9 days, 8 nights
One gentle move between homes - the rest is time, not transit.
the circle
Ten women
Hosted by Arabia, with a local guide in every city.
the season
May 2027
Jacarandas in bloom, warm days, before the summer crowds.
the room
Yours alone
Single occupancy for every traveler, always.
the pace
Cultural, slow
Fado, tile, cork, clay, and long Portuguese tables.
the journey, day by day
Day 1 ~ Lisbon
Arrive, and exhale
No rushing. Settle into your room, then gather for a welcome dinner where ten strangers quietly become a table.
Day 2 ~ Lisbon
Alfama, Mouraria & the soul of fado
Wander the oldest quarters with a local guide, ending the night inside fado - Lisbon's ache set to music.
Day 3 ~ Lisbon
Belém, and your hands in the clay
Morning history by the river, afternoon painting your own azulejo tile to carry home.
Day 4 ~ Sintra
Palaces in the mist
A full day among Sintra's romantic hilltop palaces and gardens - Pena and Quinta da Regaleira - with a guide who knows their legends.
Day 5 ~ to the alentejo
A free morning, then south
Yours to linger over coffee or tea. In the afternoon, an easy drive into the golden, slower Alentejo.
Day 6 ~ Évora
Inside the walls
A UNESCO city on foot with a local guide - Roman temple, quiet cathedral, cobbled centuries.
Day 7 ~ Alentejo
Cork country & a long lunch
Out among the cork oaks and vineyards, with a winery table set for slow conversation.
Day 8 ~ Alentejo
Clay, and a farewell
A pottery workshop in a village that has shaped it for generations, then a farewell dinner that will feel too soon.
Day 9 ~ Departure
Home, changed
An unhurried transfer back to Lisbon, carrying more than souvenirs.
your host
I built this for the woman I was becoming.
I'm Arabia, the founder of Signature Your Design Travel. Years ago, standing in the middle of Marrakech - the color, the noise, the sheer aliveness of it - I understood something I'd been missing: the trips that change us aren't the ones we rush through. They're the ones we let ourselves sink into.
When I started this journey in 2018, my mission was to create trips for travelers who can truly enjoy being immersed in their journey and return home with a newfound in their lives.
So, I built the kind of journey I wanted for myself: small, unhurried, deeply local, and made for women stepping into a new chapter. Portugal 2027 is the first of these - and the women who come now are the ones who help me shape everything that follows.
~ Arabia
8 years designing travel for women ~ personally traveled through Morocco, Curacao, El Salvador, Zanzibar, Dubai, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Caribbean islands and more ~ founder of Signature Your Design Travel, helping women travel deeper.
the founding invitation
Come as a founding member.
Because this is our first Portugal journey, the first ten women travel at a founding price - a genuine thank-you for trusting the trip before there are photos of it. Your place is the same one every future traveler will pay more for.
founding member
$5,950
per person ~ private room ~ land only
standard, after
$6,950
$6,950 - what every future journey will cost
Reserve your place with a $750 deposit, then settle the balance in easy monthly payments - no single daunting sum. Book early and your monthly is at its lowest, because the runway is longest now.
(Land only - you arrange your own flights, which keeps you free to use miles or fly from wherever suits you.)
ONLY TEN SPOTS ~ FOUNDING PRICING CLOSES WHEN THE COHORT FILLS
Clear about what's yours ~ and what's not
INCLUDED:
- 8 nights in boutique hotels — a private room, every night
- A licensed local guide in Lisbon, Sintra & the Alentejo
- Private group transport throughout, with one trusted driver
- Daily breakfast, plus hosted welcome & farewell dinners and select meals
- Cultural experiences: fado, tile & pottery workshops, cooking, wine & cork country
- Palace and site entries on the itinerary
- Arabia hosting you start to finish
NOT INCLUDED:
- International airfare (you arrange your own — use miles, fly from anywhere)
- Travel insurance (required — medical & evacuation coverage)
- Meals not listed on the itinerary, and personal spending
- Optional add-ons or extra nights before or after
how it works
It begins with a conversation, not a checkout.
A journey like this is personal. Before anyone commits, we talk - so you can feel whether it's right, ask anything, and hear how the payment plan works for you.
1
Book a discovery call
A relaxed, no-pressure conversation with Arabia.
2
Find your fit
We make sure the pace, the group, and the timing suit you.
3
Reserve your place
A $750 deposit secures your founding and private room. ($250 of the deposit will be non-refundable).
4
Pay monthly
The balance is easy installments, finished well before you fly.
The things you're right to ask
Is this trip designed for solo travelers?
Entirely. Most women come on their own, and the whole journey is built for that — a private room every night, a small group that becomes fast friends, and a host who makes sure no one ever feels like the odd one out.
Will I have to share a room?
Never. A private room is built into your place, for every traveler. No pairing with a stranger, no lottery — your own door to close at the end of each day.
How fit do I need to be?
Comfortably active is plenty. We walk cobbled streets and hills at an unhurried pace, with rest built in. If you can enjoy a day of gentle sightseeing on your feet, you'll be at home here.
Why isn't airfare included?
On purpose. Keeping the trip land-only lets you fly from wherever suits you, use miles or points, and choose your own timing — often for less than a bundled fare. Your discovery call is a great place to talk through flight options.
How does the payment plan work?
You reserve with a $750 deposit ($250 is non-refundable), then pay the balance in monthly installments that finish before departure. Booking early means the lowest monthly amount, since there's more time to spread it. We'll walk through the exact numbers together on your call.
What makes "founding member" special?
You travel at a lower price than every future group will, as thanks for trusting the very first journey — and you help shape the experience that becomes the blueprint. Founding pricing is limited to this first cohort of ten.
Is this really for me?
If you're a woman marking a milestone — a landmark birthday, a retirement, a new chapter — who wants depth over checklists and real connection over crowds, yes. The best way to know for sure is a conversation. That's exactly what the discovery call is for.
Portugal ~ May 2027
Ten Women. One Unforgettable Chapter.
If something in you leaned forward while reading this, that's worth listening to. Let's talk - no pressure, just a conversation about whether this is your next journey.
Not sure yet? Join the interest list and travel alongside the story as it unfolds.
Signature Your Design Travel
Helping women travel deeper ~ planner@sydesigntravel.com