The novelty of new things quickly disappears, but experiences always stay with us. At Living Tours we offer more than 2500 experiences across the mainland Iberian Peninsula and Islands.

 “One of the enemies of happiness is adaptation,” said Dr. Thomas Gilovich, professor of psychology at Cornell University. “We buy things to make us happy and we are successful. But only for a period of time. New things are exciting for us at first, but then we adapt to them.”

Experiences on the other hand stay with us. We'll think about them long after we've done them, that super fast “jet boat” in the waters of the Douro river, scary or a Wine Tour in the Douro Valley, World Heritage Site leaving from Porto. Here's why.

A story to tell

The great beauty of experiences is that you cannot compare them: they are unique to you. Feel the thrill of a helicopter flight in Lisbon and Belém - it's all yours, no one else will experience it like you. The same is valid for VIP tickets to Livraria Lello in Porto or a ticket to the theme park Port Aventura and Ferrari Land in Barcelona.

These types of activities and events will stay with you forever, as part of your personal history. And telling stories, as scientifically proven, is a great way for us to develop, grow and learn.

Push your limits and try new skills

This brings us to another great benefit of experiences: they push us out of our comfort zone. Be something fun and pleasurable, like a weekend on a cruise on the Douro River to Barca D'Alva, shared or on a private yacht just for you or your group, or more challenging, like a hot air balloon ride over Monteserrat Mountain from Barcelona, an experience is an incentive to expand in new and exciting ways.

You can also, for example, try taking a solo trip for the first time. Or you can go aboard a paddle board and find that you really love her. This element of learning is underestimated by adults. The mere act of giving something new a chance is a victory for self-esteem: it instantly creates your sense of confidence and resilience.

Put relationships at center stage

Connections really matter. More than anything else in life - even money or fame - relationships are what keep people happy, according to science. As social beings, the best thing we can do is establish connections, deep and lasting friendships, and daily interactions with strangers. And experiences of all kinds are a shortcut to that particular kind of joy.

This can occur in the strict sense of an experience shared with loved ones, for example, a sunset cruise in Lisbon, or a group break on a climb to Pico with overnight stay on top of the mountain in the Azores. Or it could happen more organically. When relating with strangers on a circuit trip from Lisbon to the south of Portugal, for example, or visiting the Santiago Bernabéu football stadium in Madrid.

Find the best of both worlds with Living Tours

It's fair to say that happiness is closely linked to experiences. But like all aspects of well-being, life satisfaction is a gray area - we cannot completely dismiss the appeal of material things. Simple pleasures motivate us, they restore feelings of positivity and are essential to fulfilling our daily goals.

Fortunately, with Living Tours, guests can have the best of both worlds. On the experience side of the equation, you can increase the power of learning with a New Year dinner with Flamenco show in Valencia or enjoy your desire side for tour around Portugal and Spain in 15 Days.

Big and bold Moments and Events are what we are, be it a SkyDive jump in the Algarve, a competition ride in a Buggy in the Serra de Loulé, a Jeep Safari with Kyak in Algarve, New Year's Eve in Madeira on a cruise overlooking the world famous fireworks and much more.

At the other end of the scale, Living Tours is also home to a host of daily stimuli. It can be a walk through the Levadas in Madeira , a tour for dolphin and whale watching in Madeira Island ,  or a gastronomy visit to the markets of Malaga in Spain, or a barbecue cruise on board and dinner by the sea.

Big or small, any surprise you can imagine is waiting for you with Living Tours throughout Portugal and Spain. So dive in and check out our website - the Iberian Peninsula is waiting to impress you.