Sarah Stewart

IT’S LAUNCH DAY! 🎉 Find out more below! 👇🏽 There's a pretty good chance you've seen this photo before, even though it's never been posted to my feed as a standalone shot until today. I loved it so much that it became the Sarah L. Travels Official PR headshot. 😂 On this day, I was in Amsterdam. The trip itself was phenomenal -- winding side streets everywhere, delicious vegan food, and some of the best museums I've ever visited. The planning? Eh, not so much! Let's just say it was a challenge to figure out where to stay within a reasonable budget. Amsterdam is on the expensive side, after all! Enter: My secret weapon. The Travel Planning Spreadsheet. I made this tool last summer when I was planning a vacation for 2 weeks...with 3 other people...in 3 different countries. It was a LOT. The spreadsheet helped me see who owed who what, and visualize the entire complicated itinerary laid out before me. It was key in my Amsterdam planning to see the differences in hotel costs! It is a game changer in my travel planning. I wished I'd created it sooner! And now, I'm sharing it with you. 💝 Get the spreadsheet today for 31% off at the link in my bio! if you want the discounted price, act now -- the sale expires December 23, 2020 at 11:59pm CST! Use it to easily plan your adventures once it is safe to explore again. ✨ Got questions? Ask away! 👇🏽

CW: Anxiety⁣ ⁣ Hey, friends! Long time no see!⁣ ⁣ I don't know how your week was, but I sure hope it was better than mine. The past few days have been tough, to say the least.⁣ ⁣ I'm selective about how much of my personal life I share online, but I do want to open up about the crippling anxiety I dealt with a few days ago. I knew the situation was trivial, but my mind and body just couldn't let it go.⁣ ⁣ It even woke me up at 4:50am on Tuesday morning.⁣ ⁣ Thankfully, I've been feeling better towards the end of this week and I'm giving myself plenty of time to rest this weekend.⁣ ⁣ I believe there's a misconception about nomadic travelers like me. We throw caution to the wind, no holds barred, not a worry in sight. But I know I'm not alone in experiencing anxiety on the scale I did this week, and traveling (or doing whatever you love) doesn't necessarily make it better.⁣ ⁣ I know 2020 has been an incredibly difficult year for so many people. I hope you're able to give yourself the space and time to listen to your body, and acknowledge how you're feeling. ❤⁣ ⁣ 📸: A mural on the side of a business in East Nashville, taken April 2019

July 4, 2015 was one of the most important days of my life. Why? Because it's the day I first stepped foot outside my home country, the USA. The decision to fly to Costa Rica at 19 completely changed the course of my life and career forever. 💖 Before that day, I'd never been on a plane -- or even inside an airport. I didn't even know a checked bag could only weigh 50 pounds! (Don't worry -- mine weighed in at exactly 50. 😅) Needless to say, I was in way over my head. But that month in Costa Rica was nothing less than magical. ✨ This beautiful country is the first where I traveled solo. The rest is history. Calling all aspiring solo travelers! 📣 In my 100% free Solo Female Travel Guide, you'll find tips and resources to plan your own solo trip once borders safely reopen. Learn from all my numerous, costly (🙃) mistakes to have the solo trip of your life! Link in bio to download the guide. 🔗 {BTW, you can still benefit from this guide if you don't consider yourself female. It's called the Solo Female Travel Guide in part because I've only ever traveled solo as a woman and that has shaped my experience!} Have you traveled solo before? If not, would you ever travel solo abroad after there's a vaccine? • • • #LetsBeBraveTogether #ProudToBeFTB #GLTLove #FemaleTravelBlogger #SoloFemaleTraveler #Wandergram #Traveller_Stories #LPPathfinders #FemaleTravelBloggers #SheIsNotLost #LoveTravelling #FemaleTravel #GirlsMeetGlobe #TheTravelWomen #LiveLoveTravel #DameTravel #TravelWriters #TravelGirlsHub #TravelBloggersLife #FemaleTraveler #FemaleTravelInspo #FemaleTravelers #GirlsAbroad #GirlsDreamTravel #DamesTravel #DameTraveler #WomenWhoTravel #WomanTravel #WomanTraveler #SoloFemaleTravel

Ah, Barcelona. The place that made me start traveling in the first place. ✨⁣ ⁣ When I was 17, I saw an ad for a study abroad program in this stunning city. I knew I had to make it there someday.⁣ ⁣ Fast forward to junior year of college, and I had the time of my life while studying there for a semester. I lived just a 10-minute walk from the iconic Sagrada Família! ⁣ ⁣ If you ever visit Barcelona after border restrictions loosen, here are a few tips:⁣ 1 // Book tickets faaaar in advance for @basilicasagradafamilia and Parc Güell!⁣ ⁣ 2 // Try a mojito from @obama_bcn.⁣ ⁣ 3 // Take a stroll through the Boquería market -- it's so lively!⁣ ⁣ 4 // See the Magic Fountain show at Montjuïc. It's stunning and free.⁣ ⁣ 5 // Get a cup of coffee from @spice_cafe -- theirs is the best I've had in town! ☕⁣ ⁣ 6 // Take a walking tour of the Barrio Gótico, and if you're feeling brave, get a piercing from L'Embruix. I got my nose pierced there on a random Monday night! 😅 I still have it 3 years later, and love it!⁣ ⁣ If you've been to Barcelona, what are your favorite places? I still haven't seen so much of the city, because it has so much to offer! 💖⁣ ⁣ 📸: @travals2019, Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, June 2019

My first time in Brussels was an absolute whirlwind. It was a train layover that went by much more quickly than I wanted, but I got to see some of the most stunning architecture in the world. I'd say it was worth waking up before sunrise to leave Paris bright and early! ☀️ The beginning of my layover didn't go too smoothly, mainly because I had no cash and I couldn't remember my PIN. I managed to get all of that situated by exchanging cash USD for Euros, but it involved a lot of rushing around and stress sweat. 😅 After that debacle was over, I had only 3 things I wanted to do: 1. See the Grand Place (pictured above -- thanks to a stranger who took my photo!). 2. Eat vegan Belgian chocolates (made possible thanks to Laurent Gerbaud Chocolatier). 3. Eat a vegan Belgian waffle (which I got from @VeganWaf). 😋 I found Brussels to be a gorgeous small city, with so many friendly locals eager to help a stranger in a bind. Next time, I'm staying for a while! I feel like this would be the perfect place to write, write, and write some more. After all, one can never have too many dark chocolates after walking up and down hills all day! 🍫

You know, for all the traveling I do outside the United States, I've yet to do much sightseeing within my own home country.⁣ ⁣ I'm even from a major tourist destination: Nashville!⁣ ⁣ Here is my obligatory basic Insta girl pic in front of a Nashville mural. Lol. 😂⁣ ⁣ BTW, if you want a pic like this for your own feed, you shouldn't go to 12th South/The Gulch. The line to take a photo in front of the most popular murals wraps ALL THE WAY AROUND THE BUILDING.⁣ ⁣ Personally, I love the blues and purples in this one, tucked into an alley in East Nashville. ⁣ ⁣ Oh, and the best part? No wait. No wait at all. My friends and I had the whole place to ourselves. ☺⁣ ⁣ Do y'all want to see more hidden gems in Nashville? I figure I don't have much else to write about since I'm stuck here for the time being. 😅

I remember the first time a stranger called me brave. ⁣ ⁣ It was a chance encounter with a couple on vacation from the U.S. We met in line at Versailles when I was studying abroad in Europe. (BTW, plan to get to Versailles *very* early...)⁣ ⁣ I detailed the long travel days I'd had on my way to Barcelona for my semester abroad, which included delays, cancellations, and a surprise 10-hour layover in Dublin. But that's a story for another time! 😅⁣ ⁣ After I was done, the woman talked about how brave that was. ⁣ ⁣ And for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why.⁣ ⁣ Because to me, the benefits of travel far outweigh being regularly thrown into confusing, frustrating situations when abroad. ⁣ ⁣ This week in From the Aisle Seat, I reflected on what it meant to be brave, and how travel, especially solo travel (like I was in this photo from Angkor Wat), has made me braver. ⁣ ⁣ Here's an excerpt:⁣ ""...instead of feeling inadequate because your days and your path don’t look like everyone else’s, remember that being brave goes a long way."⁣ ⁣ Without this philosophy, Sarah L. Travels may not exist. There were so many moments that I wanted to give up. ⁣ ⁣ But I didn't, because sharing how travel has completely changed my life brought me joy. ⁣ ⁣ This is also the reason my travel blog's new tagline is "Let's Be Brave Together." I wanted to more fully define how travel has changed me, how I've witnessed it change others, and how it can change *you*." 💗⁣ ⁣ So, that being said, #LetsBeBraveTogether. ✨⁣ ⁣ As always, you can subscribe to From the Aisle Seat at the link in my bio. It's a fun 5 minutes for your Friday! 💌 #ShamelessPlug 💁🏽‍♀️⁣ ⁣ 📸: Angkor Wat, Cambodia, February 2020

This week, as I read over an article I wrote about my experience as a solo female traveler in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I noticed something different in my voice.⁣ ⁣ Nostalgia. ❤⁣ ⁣ You see, when we are deprived of something, or someone, we love for far too long, our entire bodies process life in new ways. ⁣ ⁣ And in 2020, I think we can all relate to that, because *gestures broadly.* 🙃⁣ ⁣ I leave you with an excerpt of what I wrote:⁣ "...above all these, don’t forget that it’s all about the journey. ⁣ ⁣ The uncertainty of travel can place you in the most unexpected of places, at the most unexpected times. ⁣ ⁣ And when all of that works together to push you out of your comfort zone, the magic of life, away from the comfort of familiarity, shows its true, potent colors.⁣ ⁣ Phnom Penh is technicolor, my friends. Captivating technicolor." ✨⁣ ⁣ If you'd like to read the entire piece, you can do so at the link in my bio.⁣ ⁣ Stay safe and wear your masks, darlings. We all want to be on the road again soon, despite how differently that road may look for each of us. ☺⁣ #LetsBeBraveTogether⁣ ⁣ 📸: Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand, February 2020

In this photo, I was at the Golden Gate Bridge, a longtime landmark on my must-visit list. ⁣ ⁣ It was my first trip after the most difficult year of my life so far, but I felt gratitude and hope for how my future could look despite everything in my life that had gone wrong.⁣ ⁣ Part of what got me through my own traumas is a strong community of women. Thanks to one of them for tagging me in this, @destineynotdestiny. ❤⁣ ⁣ I'm inviting to the black and white challenge some of the other women who helped me through such a trying time, whose conversations and encouragement each brought me one step closer to healing. @malissag9 @han_christine @scarlettreneerowe @actually.from.nashville @clairebell_ @chey_q @hollyfoxcarter @nicole337_ @alexlips21⁣ ⁣ This week, I have been devastated at the news of Pınar Gültekin's murder at the hands of her former romantic partner. ⁣ ⁣ Her murder is shedding further light on the prevalence of femicide in Turkey and is a brutal reminder of just how far we have to go as a global community in ensuring women feel, and are, safe. You can find more important info on this in my stories.⁣ ⁣ Femicide is a human rights violation far too many women experience all around the world. ⁣ ⁣ No one should be afraid for their life because of their gender. This has to stop.⁣ ⁣ Rest in Peace, Pınar. You deserved better than this, and we won't stop fighting for you.⁣ #challengeaccepted.⁣ ⁣ 📸 : San Francisco, CA, January 2020

Excuse me while I lounge after *finally* completing my quarantine project...⁣ ⁣ I completely redesigned my website! 🎉⁣ ⁣ And, I launched a weekly email newsletter, From the Aisle Seat, yesterday. Double yay! 🍾⁣ ⁣ From the Aisle Seat is a compilation of travel news, industry forecasts, travel-related media I'm loving, and what's new on Sarah L. Travels that arrives to your inbox every Friday, all in 5 minutes or less. 💌⁣ ⁣ {If you want to see the redesign and/or subscribe to From the Aisle Seat, check out the link in my bio.} ⁣ ⁣ Why the change? I wanted full control of the look and feel of my website, which I couldn't have unless I started from scratch. After a few hundred virtual crumpled drafts, I arrived at a result that excited me, challenged me, and reminded me why I started this blog in the first place.⁣ ⁣ I learned in an entrepreneurship course that the real question to ask yourself is this: "If I close my (in this case, figurative) doors tomorrow, will all of this have been worth it?"⁣ ⁣ Now, through From the Aisle Seat and a more intuitive web layout, I feel more empowered to keep writing than ever before despite shocks to the travel industry. ⁣ ⁣ Why? Because I'm writing, designing, and creating in ways that would make thousands of hours, sleepless nights, and moments of doubt worth it--even if I fail tomorrow. I'm writing in a way that helps me feel whole again. I'm writing like I remember why I started.⁣ ⁣ And that, my friends, is worth celebrating. ✨⁣ #LetsBeBraveTogether⁣ ⁣ 📸: Parc Güell, Barcelona, taken June 2019

Last fall, just a few short months before you-know-what completely took over our consciousness, I took an impromptu trip to Europe after a short stopover in NYC (where this photo was taken). ⁣ ⁣ Why, you may ask? Because @destineynotdestiny was there and, so help me, she was NOT going to Amsterdam without Yours Truly. ⁣ ⁣ Ah, spontaneity. This reason, and this reason alone is the only way I've managed to maintain my sanity when there's no stability in my income. ⁣ ⁣ Call me crazy, but I'm completely willing to take the stress so I can buy a $210 RT to Chile without asking for anyone's permission. You're only young, single, and childless once. 🤷🏽‍♀️ ⁣ ⁣ Now, the closest I get to a transatlantic spontaneous trip is my daily walk to the mailbox in my pajamas with no shoes on. 😂⁣ #thisisreallife.