Hey Adventuring Family,
I just wanted to update you on my whereabouts and what is coming next with this blog. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I took a summer hiatus, I’ve been home playing with my boys. The hiatus is almost over, many blogs coming soon!
In one week I will be heading out on a big adventure with my younger son Nicola. We will be traveling in Italy for three weeks, it will be his first time out of the United States, not counting in utero!
I’ll be writing about our adventures and places we go, more about packing, and lots of blogs with a special focus on traveling with kids. I’ll continue writing in September and October with the fall tour season, topics TBD.
I always love hearing your ideas for blog posts that you may be hoping for. I have two decades of travel experience and stories and really don’t know where to start unpacking it all. Your comments and requests are very helpful for guiding my writing, so keep them coming!I also wanted to send you all a big thank you for reading and supporting this blog. This was a project that I started as a companion to my packing videos, but it’s become something much bigger than I expected.
Two very unexpected consequences- writing has been very therapeutic, and the community that has formed around this blog has been inspiring! I had no idea anyone would want to read my ramblings. Now I have people who meet me at speaking engagements and describe themselves as my fans! There is a core group of you that regularly comment here, on Facebook and on Instagram, and I’ve come to enjoy your comments and feel like we are extended family. It’s really cool. For those of you that follow from afar, you are also appreciated and I hope to meet or hear from you at some point.
This blog started a year ago with about a dozen readers, mostly my family and best friends. Now we have about 6000 people following in one form or another. I am humbled. I hope we can continue to expand readership, so please help me by sharing articles you like or telling friends. The more readers, the more options I have to make this the best travel blog out there. I have so many ideas of where we can go next, I hope you will come with me. And off we go!
With Gratitude,
Sarah
Come on an adventure with us!
As tour guides for over 20 years, we combat mass tourism with longer stays, unique destinations, and cultural connections. Our small groups of 6-18 ensure personalized experiences. We value positive, flexible travelers who embrace challenges so if you love wine, fun, and new friends, why not join us for an adventure?
No, no, Sarah… thank YOU for taking the time to share your adventures, expertise, and thoughts with the rest of us! It’s always such a delight to see your latest update in my inbox — whatever the topic may be.Happy Adventures to you and Nicola!
Echoing CMN, thank you for your thoughtful and honest advice on travel. We are all appreciative of your valuable opinions from the mundane (but important) to the bigger picture of why we love to travel. Enjoy this special trip and savor it all.
So excited to read about your upcoming travels with your son! I am a big fan of your blog, especially the great tips about packing light. I soak up every word! Thanks for all of the wonderful reading pleasure this past year and I look forward to many more years of adventuring with you!!
Yea! Your blog posts are always a bright spot of my day and your packing advice invaluable. I also greatly enjoy your classes at Rick Steves, you add a bit of history, art and architechture with humor and energy. Keep the blogs coming Sarah!
Way to go Sarah! Keep up the good work. I so much enjoy your blog. Very informative & insightful. THANK YOU for sharing your experiences & expertise. It has been very helpful. I look forward to reading more.
Sarah, thank you for brightening my day with dreams of travel and practical tips. I only get to Europe once a year, so the rest of the time I live vicariously through your blog:). And look what you’ve done to me – I just weighed two pairs of pants to decide which to take!!! Ha, ha, ha. You are rubbing off on us-in a very good way. I’m on a four week countdown to Southern Italy. Wish you were my guide, but I’m sure Caterina will be great too. Glad to have a foodie, like you, as a guide. Buon viaggio with Nico!
Ha! Thank you! Please say hi to Caterina, she’s a friend of mine and a lovely lady. She will take good care of you.
Love it and I shop what you recommend Keep up the exciting journeys!
Greetings from Australia. Love your blog and look forward to each entry. My husband and I are counting down the days until we leave for our 8 week Europe trip- only 15 more sleeps. We are taking our 9 year old grand daughter with us, through Eastern Europe until we meet up with my daughter in Sicily. All your tips have been very helpful, especially the packing hints, as we are back packing, and have a small roller bag for Charlotte. Also your family travel tips are great. I have a sketch pad & pencils for when we visit museums and we intend to have FUN!
Sarah – I truly appreciate and anticipate your blogs. Just returned from a 3 week trip to the Baltics, having weather in the 50s and rain and ending in Copenhagen with 80! For the first time, and using your advice, I packed exactly what I needed. I used each and every piece of clothing and shoes (my nemeses). And for the first time I returned home with no souvenirs. Didn’t see anything I wanted or needed and I let go of my guilt for not bringing things for family or friends. It was actually a relief. I did pick up some chocolates at CDG for our neighbor who watched our house – she loved them.Thanks for your thoughtful pieces and have a wonderful trip with your son.
Sarah, your blog is the best! Your tips are terrific. I may never get to the countries that you visit, but it is joy to learn about them from your eyes. Will be back in Central/Eastern Europe this autumn and will take much of your advice to heart.
I hope you have a wonderful time with your son in Italy- can’t think of a better experience to make unforgettable memories. Looking forward to hearing about all your adventures-
Hi Sarah,Love your blogs and your humor. I just returned from the Rick Steves Switzerland trip and used many of your hints to keep my little carryon to a minimum weight with only the necessities. Keep up the good work.Sara Bennett
Oh! I hope you enjoyed the tour, if Fabian was your guide we may have crossed paths!
I just recently found your blog when someone on the Rick Steves message board said they wanted to pack like Sarah. That led me to investigating and I’ve really enjoyed your blog since. Going to be weighing my clothes now! Thanks for blogging!
I read all of your Blog posts. I usually forward them to my wife. We are in our 70s but are still pretty active and adventurous though we are slowing down little. My wife can no longer do lots of stairs or long walks on rough and uneven streets. We don’t want to slow down yet, but we see that in our future. We’ll do more cruises, spend more time in ports and less time on long bus excursions.Like most women, my wife worries about rest stops to far apart. It seems that she spends most of her tour time either worrying about how soon there will be a rest stop or worrying about drinking too much liquid and needing to stop the bus.I worry that she will get dehydrated or that she will worry so much that she won’t enjoy a tour.
I read every word of your blog and love it. Keep writing! Julia
Congratulations! Glad to learn your blog has been so successful as I enjoy reading it and look forward to seeing it in my email.
I look forward to your blog. As a travel agent it is a tool I have used many times for my clients. Looking forward to your next ‘adventure’
Have a great (and safe) trip with your son, Sarah! And thanks for your great advice and insights. I look forward to reading more from you as you and Nicola traverse through Italy in the coming weeks.
This is a great blog. Not only does it have helpful tips, but your words really do paint a beautiful picture. They bring back sweet memories of previous visits, but they also remind of the possibilities of future travel and where I may go next. Thank you!
Love your blogs, always looking forward to the next one…so keep them coming.Wishing you and Nicola a wonderful trip!