Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 8

Happy New Year 2025

Well, we made it through another year and after finally coming out of a crazy pandemic, it looks like we may be going into another bout of uncertain times. My pantry is stocked, my freezers are empty of unnecessary items, and I'm preparing for a worst case scenario, but hoping for not much to change. 

2024 was pretty good to us. I was able to return to visiting The Travel Goods Show, and visit 3 other destinations, 2 of which were new to us. How did I do on my travel "resolutions"?

Do more local a...

Happy Holidays 2024!

Today we'll be spending time with family and taking time off of doing almost everything. I hope you have a great day, if you are celebrating anything, and if you aren't, I decided to bring you a round up of holiday stories.

If you're anything like me, you love learning new things about a lot of things, so here are some holiday tidbits for you:12 Days of Christmas

1. Start now if you want to make a special Christmas cake for next year by soaking fruits in rum all of 2025. This is a traditional holi...

Last-Minute Travel Gifts & Stocking Stuffers

If you still haven't finished your holiday shopping or need a few small pieces, I've got some recommendations for you that will still come in time for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. All under $30! 

I have most of these myself and have given some as gifts as well. All can be received overnight if you have Prime.

Power Bank with attached charging cords - $19.99-29.99 - 7 colors to choose from

Mini Bluetooth Speaker - $26.99 - it's waterproof and comes in 4 colors

Travel Anywhere - $12.95 - game and ...

An Awesome Birthday Week

As someone who has a December birthday, it can be hard to celebrate with people, but that's exactly what I did this past week. I did have to do quite a bit of work, but it was worth it and I had a great time. 
cheers to a great birthday!
I always kind of draw out my birthday, especially since it can be a pretty busy time of the year, so here's the bulk of how I spent my birthday week:

The Saturday of my actual birthday, I went to brunch with friends and then went home to make a bunch of foods for a...

Travel Gifts That Travel Well

This month is going to be over before you know it. This year Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are all in the same week, but maybe you haven't even started shopping yet...or you have and aren't done. If you still can't figure out what to get for that traveler on your list, or you just got paid, so haven't been able to shop until now, I have some great last-minute ideas for you. They're also perfect if you're traveling to visit people and need to save room in your carry-on.

Airline milesIf you know...

The #1 Item You Need for Holiday Travel

There are a lot of things you should pack for your winter travels, like a jacket and a scarf and maybe some gloves, but there's one thing that's much more important than anything else to a successful trip: your patience. Yes, this sounds like I'm telling you that holiday travel will be annoying, and, shockingly, I am. 

How do I know? Because holiday travel is always annoying. There are too many people everywhere, things cost more than usual, traffic is bad, and there are kids everywhere. (No offe...

How to Avoid SAD During the Winter

If you aren't going anywhere this winter, you're not alone. It's expensive to travel right now, but if you're also having withdrawals from lack of sun, or you need to get out of your family's house when you're visiting, then I have a list of things that can get you outside, whether you want to keep warm or are okay with bundling up.

A local artist's home/studio and her amazing tree and Krampus

I usually plan a vacation for the beginning of the year, so I can get away from the cold, rainy weather t...

Some of My Favorite Travel Gifts Right Now

Usually I do an extensive travel gift list, and I probably still will, but right now I want to highlight some of my favorite things that I use and love and almost never travel without. There are a lot of cool things out there for traveling, and I have a lot of them, but I also travel with a few things over and over. 

Whether you have a small budget or a larger one, there's something for everyone on your list, but don't forget to add things to your own wish list. 

       

A 14-16" Carry-On

As someone...

5 Affordable December Destinations in North and Central America

If you're tired of buying gifts and getting things you don't need, think about taking a trip for the holidays. We often gift ourselves a winter vacation or some sort of experience and it makes for a more enjoyable holiday season. 

While things are looking pretty uncertain right now, you might as well get one last trip in before everything might change for travel and the U.S. in general. If it turns out we've all be overreacting to what's to come, then maybe you'll have started a new holiday tradi...

Exploring the Aviation American Gin Distillery

By now, you've probably seen a bunch of advertising from Ryan Reynolds for Aviation American Gin. He's a majority stakeholder in the company, ever sense he had a bartender make him a negroni and was so impressed by the gin that was used that he looked up the company and made an offer to get in on the business. 

In my last post, I talked to you about visiting places that used to be other places and this past weekend we went with a few friends to the Aviation distillery here in Portland. Not only i...