Olá — I'm Fábio Pereira, and I live on São Miguel. I've spent most of my life on this island, and most weekends hiking somewhere on it.

I built Pocket Guide Azores because I kept watching the same thing happen to visiting friends and family. They'd arrive with itineraries pieced together from ten different blog posts, drive six hours a day, show up at Sete Cidades in the afternoon when the fog had already swallowed the view, and eat at the cozido restaurant every travel website recommends — not the one my grandmother goes to. They'd leave having enjoyed the trip, but having missed the islands. That kept bothering me.

The Azores don't reward travelers who rush. Every island has its own weather patterns, its own food, its own rhythm. Sete Cidades is a different place at 8am than at 1pm. A day in Furnas is about knowing when the cozido comes out of the ground and which thermal pool to save for the evening. Pico is a wine island before it's a mountain. None of that is in the brochures.

I started writing guides that told the truth — which spots are worth the drive, which aren't, what locals actually do on a Sunday, and what timing rules make or break a trip. Then I turned that same knowledge into a free AI trip planner so anyone can get a personalized Azores itinerary in one click, built on real local advice instead of scraped TripAdvisor reviews. If you want the full picture of the project, here's what Pocket Guide Azores is and how it works.

When I'm not writing or working on the app, I'm usually hiking somewhere — the trails around Lagoa do Fogo, the fajãs on São Jorge when I can get there, the caldera rim on Faial. If you see me on a trail and want a recommendation, stop me.

What I'm trying to do with Pocket Guide Azores

Make it so no one wastes a day of their Azores trip again. That's it. No tourist traps, no foggy viewpoints at noon, no rental cars too small for the luggage, no cozido without a reservation.

The app is free. The written guides are free. If you're planning a trip, start with either and email me if you have questions I haven't answered yet.

Get in touch

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @fabiomiguelp
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/fabio-pereira

For partnership inquiries (hotels, tour operators, restaurants), use the email above with "Partnership" in the subject line.