Happy Thursday!

I wanted to take this time, and this last newsletter of 2024, to reflect on the year.

I took some wonderful trips, including:

• New Year's in Costa Rica
• A last-minute trip to Amsterdam (which was also my first time flying business class!)
• A trip with good travel friends to Turkey
• A girl's trip with college friends in Europe
• Three travel conferences around the US (Utah, Portland OR, and Puerto Rico!)
• Plus, quite a few trips around the US to catch baseball games (Arizona, Miami, and California), spend time with friends, and even celebrate one of my BFF's weddings!

It was a busy, BUSY, year, and somehow I expect 2025 to be even crazier! I'll preview those trips in the new year, but let's just say I have big plans for the first half of the year, including hitting my 30th country!

I'm so lucky to have another year full of travel in the books.

I'll be spending the next few weeks relaxing and catching up on quite a bit of blogging - I'm trying to get everywhere I have been on my destinations page with at least one post!

I hope you all have a great end to the year and enjoy the holidays in whatever way you celebrate.

See you in 2025!

Sarah

PS: The newsletter will be back in mid-January :)

Some links in this email are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you click the link or make a purchase through the link. This is at no extra cost to you.

Travel Giveaways

​Air Canada is giving away flights to Americans to escape the cold here and head to Canada! Enter to win by December 20, 2024.

​Enter to win a two-night stay for two adults at the Alisal Ranch located in the heart of Southern California's Santa Ynez Valley. Enter to win by December 20, 2024.

​Enter to win a 3-night stay for two in a Signature Casita Room at Fairmont Mayakoba Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Enter to win by December 20, 2024.

​Alamo Drafthouse is giving away an all-inclusive trip to Punta Cana. Enter to win by December 20, 2024.

UK: Paws & Stay is giving away a pet-friendly trip worth £500. Enter to win by December 20, 2024.

​Cullman Oktoberfest is giving away a trip to Munich, Germany, including a $2,500 flight voucher and a $2,000 hotel voucher. Enter to win by December 23, 2024.

​Kendall-Jackson is giving away a trip to the 2025 NBA All-Star game in San Francisco. Enter to win by December 31, 2024.

​Win a trip to Costa Rica and a GoPro 13 prize pack to capture your memories. Enter to win by December 31, 2024.

​Marriott is giving away a $5,000 Norwegian cruise voucher + 100,000 Bonvoy Points. Enter to win by December 31, 2024.

​Racer Travel is giving away a trip to Tulum, Mexico. Enter to win by December 31, 2024.

UK: Intrepid and Radio Times are giving away a trip to Vietnam with Intrepid. Enter to win by December 31, 2024. (Hint: India does not border Vietnam)

UK - age 50+: Saga is giving away a trip to Malta for 7 nights, including flights from London Gatwick. Enter to win by December 31, 2024.

​Enter to win a 3-night stay at the all-inclusive 5-star Sandals Barbados Resort, including airport transfers, wifi, and more. Enter to win by January 5, 2025.

​Food Network and TLC are giving away $5,000 in their Holiday Sweets & Treats giveaway. Enter to win once per day on each site by January 7, 2025.

​Food Network and HGTV are giving away $10,000 in their $10k to Holiday giveaway. Enter to win once per day on each site by January 8, 2025.

​TLC and Discovery.com are giving away $5,000 in their Holiday Central giveaway. Enter to win once per day on each site by January 9, 2025.

YouTube

Make sure you subscribe to my channel! I'll be back with more YouTube videos in 2025 :)

Travel Resource of the Week

EF Ultimate Break's Black Friday sale is ~finally~ ending tomorrow, Friday, December 20, 2024. There are still some amazing deals to snag, and I know many of you have booked trips already! Check out all the Black Friday deals, make sure to book by tomorrow, and use code UASarahET100 to save $100 on your first trip :)

Travel News

Traveling to Europe soon? Here are all the travel strikes happening in December and January. Southwest is adding another way for Rapid Rewards members to earn points on flight bookings. Read more about the change starting in 2025 from Travel + Leisure.

​Travel experts from Travel + Leisure have compiled their list of the best places to travel in 2025.

Travel Insurance

One of the things I get asked about the most is travel insurance. Should you get it, and if so, which one?

YES, you should have travel insurance, as you never know when things may go wrong. SafetyWing is my go-to for travel insurance because it covers so much, is easy to purchase for days or months, and is affordable.

Many credit cards also include travel insurance. Personally, I get SafetyWing on top of my credit card insurance.

Learn more about SafetyWing and the benefits of using them in my blog post about travel insurance.