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 holiday cake from the Caribbean. 

2. We can't all get to Europe in December. That's okay, the U.S. has Christmas markets, too!

3. If you're looking for an untraditional winter getaway, find a dazzling wonderland at one of our nations best National Parks.

4. Is the story of Santa Claus a product of psychedelic hallucinogens? It's possible, as the story seems to pull from a lot of others, but also was maybe born of a reindeer herder. 

5. It's difficult to know where the first public Christmas tree debuted, but this city claims it with a large tree and a domed historic marker of the season.

6. I love traveling during the winter for warm weather, but there are actually some really cool festivals during the winter to travel for, like Pennsylvania's Fire and Ice Festival.

7. Why do the people of Saratoga Springs, NY smash a small peppermint pig after their holiday dinner?

8. The holidays aren't always a happy time and things don't have happy endings and every Christmas isn't "the best Christmas ever". Maybe this is why we love Christmas movies so much.

9. Santa doesn't always ride in a sleigh. He arrives by boat in these 9 seaside holiday destinations.

10. Have you heard of Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat who prowls Iceland in search of children to eat who aren't wearing any of their new Christmas clothes?

11. In France, Santa has a sidekick. An unlikely one. A butcher and cannibal who carries a whip. Just, who is this Père Fouettard?

12. Looking to up your holiday cheer? Then you maybe want to plan a trip to one of these 12 small towns across America.

8 Nights of Hanukkah

1. People don't just travel for Christmas. People can travel for Hanukkah and here are 8 surprising places to go for it.

2. You have your own Hanukkah traditions, but here are 9 from around the world. 

3. Bring your own travel menorah when you travel and 4 other things to remember when you're away from home for the holiday.

4. Even in times of war, Jewish people found a way to celebrate Hanukkah. Here are some stories of finding the light, even during the darkest of times.

5. The dreidel is a fun game that combines gambling and chocolate, but where did it come from and why are we teaching kids to ante up?

6. If you aren't Jewish and don't know much about Hanukkah here are 19 cool facts, some of which you probably didn't know.

7. Looking to make your holiday more trendy and interesting? Here are some amazing decor for your home or to give as gifts to your favorite Jewish friends and family.

8. Menorahs come in all shapes and sizes. Check out these 14 public menorahs from around the world.

If you've ever traveled over the holidays, you know that Christmas gets most of the love, but that doesn't mean it's the only holiday. There are actually 11 holidays that are celebrated in the month of December, or 10 if you don't count New Year's Eve. We always love a Disney Christmas, but places like Paris and London have fantastic winter displays.

What are your favorite holiday destinations or traditions?

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 travel guide to make your trips more exciting

Travel Cards - $18.88 - game and conversation starter

4-in-1 Travel Fan, Charger, and Light - $15.99 - 10 colors to choose from

Laneige Mini Lip Masks - $21 - to keep your lips nice and soft wherever you/they go, set of 5 delicious flavors

Bluetooth Ear Pods - $22.99 - 16 colors/patterns

Bluetooth Sleep Headphones - $25.99 - Can be used as a sleep mask or while running. Eric wears these every night

Universal Phone Mount - $9.78 or $19.99 for set of 2 - 5 colors to choose from

Airplane Pockets - $19.99 - to stow everything you need on hand without utilizing the dirty seatback pocket

Ionic Travel Blow Dryer - $29.99 - with magnetic diffuser attachment

I hope this helps you finish off your holiday gift list and bring your giftee more convenient and comfortable travels. 

What are some of your favorite travel gifts you've given or received?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend things I love. If you buy something through my site links, I might earn a commission. This allows me to bring you even more budget travel tips and is totally free to you.

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 Bridgerton party I was throwing. This is the first year in a while that we've not done some variation of a Harry Potter theme, because we skipped our annual Potter party, so my house was not already decorated with magical things. This made it easy to change out many of my photos for Regency-era and -inspired portraits and just add flowers to everything. 

Society papers and suspect bios

We ate tea sandwiches and drank prosecco and I adapted a Bridgerton mystery game into a non-interactive game that people could play or not play at their leisure. Many people don't like playing a character and often if you can get them to do one of these types of games, it's the whole party or not everyone shows up and it doesn't work correctly. Everyone said they thought it was really fun and would do another one. If this is something you think you'd like for a party, let me know if the comments.

On my actual birthday, we went out to dinner, like we do every year, except last year where we did a Santa brunch. It was very casual and I had a bourbon drink and Eric drove us home.

I also spent much of my week painting snowflakes for ornaments to go in swag bags for our annual fundraiser, the Yule Ball. This dance is our biggest fundraiser for the non-profit I'm now president of the board of. On Saturday, we all got to the venue bright and early to set up. This year I got a room in the hotel, so I didn't have to spend my free time driving home and back. Instead, I was able to eat lunch with some of our group, go up to my room and take a nap, not rush to get ready, and be back downstairs in time to make sure everything was working for when the raffle table opened.  

It's always a ton of work, but so worth it, especially when we're all done and are able to make a big donation to our chosen organization. This year we went with the Marie Equi Center, who aims to help the LGBTQ+ community develop a healthy life from medical to mental healthcare. We also had a whole table full of their reps, so they could partake in our feast and the good times people have raising money for them.

Even though we had fewer volunteers this year, the ones we did have were amazing and we all still had time to dance and have a good time in between working. 

What is your December looking like?

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 miles

If you know what your recipient's favorite airline is, you can gift them miles to let them fly for free or more cheaply on their next trip. Right now, lots of airlines have deals going, like Alaska, who right now has 40-50% bonus miles on purchases, depending on the number of miles you buy. 

Southwest Airlines just has a straight-up buy or gift page, no special deals at the moment, but I know a lot of budget travelers who strictly fly them, so your money may go further. 

Language classes

Right now, you can give Babbel as a gift to someone at up to 60% off. They have online classes, tutorials, an app, and more, all included in a monthly subscription. Get a 6- or 12-month subscription for 50% off, or a lifetime subscription for 60% off. A lifetime, guys! They can learn 14 different languages, and if more are added in the future, they can learn those, too! We just booked a trip to Paris for September, so I might even get this for myself!

Go City attractions pass

Get them the gift of sightseeing and attractions for their next or favorite city with Go City. I've used their passes many times and they save so much money, but they also make amazing and thoughtful gifts. They can see and do more for your dollars than if activities were purchased separately. In fact, many times you can save up to 40% off by rolling it all into this one pass. Choose from 29 cities worldwide or get them a gift of London Pass, Paris Pass, or Dublin Pass. They may even get special discounts for other things in the city, like transportation and restaurants. I love it and so will they!

Staycation box

Gift the traveler in your life a subscription box to Try the World. They'll get a box full of gourmet foods, drinks and snacks from a country and learn all about the flavors of the destination. Each box also features recipe cards and stories, plus the products inside are all curated specially from small, family-owned companies who use traditional methods to give you (or your giftee) an authentic experience. 

Right now, you can get 20% off your order. As always, the more you purchase up front, the cheaper each box will end up being. Choose from 1-month, 3-month, 6-month or 12-month subscriptions. This deal is only for the food box, but if you're looking for a more frugal option, snack boxes are also available.

Experiences

I'm a big fan of experiences over stuff. It creates lasting memories and you can include everyone in them if you want. We've purchased experiences for our entire family to participate in before and it was a big hit. Check out daily deal sites like Groupon, Goldstar, and Living Social for things you can do or gift to others. I am also a big fan of city scavenger hunts. Check out Urban Adventure Quest for deals on small groups, couples, and big groups. You play on your phone, so it's super easy to follow along while you're out there!

Travel reminders

Remind them of their favorite trips or all their trips with the Vagabond Life wanderlust jewelry. Chose from upscale looking pendants and bracelets, keychains, and even engraved rings to add to your choice of jewelry. I think these are super fun and a great way to start a "collection" for a loved one.

I hope this helps with your last-minute gift scramble. You can probably still get many things on my regular gift list in time for the holidays from Amazon. 

Do you have a favorite gift to buy for travelers or one that you loved receiving?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend things I love. If you buy something through my site links, I might earn a commission. This allows me to bring you even more budget travel tips and is totally free to you.

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 offense to kids. I could say the same about disgruntled adults.) Know that things are going to be challenging and plan for it ahead of time.

If you're flying, then get to the airport early, even if you have Precheck or Global Entry. If you haven't booked your flights yet, you need to get on it ASAP. Try to book the earliest flight in the day that you can afford, so you may sidestep the worst of the delays that start in earnest in the afternoons. 

Speaking of, there are still staff shortages at all the airlines and at the airport, so delays and cancellations will happen. Generally, flights get overbooked, which makes travel in the holiday rougher than usual, because most flights are at full capacity and getting bumped is more common than the rest of the year. Check in with your flight as soon as you're allowed (I always have the airline app on my phone, so I get a push notification to remind me when check-in is open, and I can do it quickly and easily, no matter where I am).

This is another reason to get to the airport early. You don't want to be the last person through security for your flight, because the odds of you getting bumped are much higher then. Build in extra time to get there and have entertainment to keep you busy, or plan on getting a meal post-security or using other amenities, like a yoga room, movies, or looking at art. 

Pack light, so the possibility of your bag not getting to your destination with you drops to nearly zero. Not only will you save time and money, but if you get delayed or your flight gets cancelled or rerouted, you have all your belongings with you. There's nothing worse than having to spend the night somewhere and not having an extra change of clothes, toiletries, or other necessities when you need them. 

Invest in travel insurance or check your coverage through your credit cards. Things happen and it's not always optimal. If your travel gets cancelled or you lose days due to a delay, you should be covered.

The plane hasn't even stopped, but there's a line to get off. *sigh*

Let's circle back to patience. Though all of the above things will require it, try to keep your composure and stay chill. Travel can be stressful for a lot of people and when things change, it makes it worse. Remember that it's not the airline crew and gate agents' fault when things go wrong or are delayed. Be nice when you ask them to help you rebook or change seats or whatever else. People are rude to them all day for just doing their job, please don't make it harder on them. 

So, yes, things will take longer, cost more, and be generally more annoying, but knowing that ahead of time and planning for it can help you relax and travel better. Even with the crew shortages and fewer flights to choose from over the last few years, my travels have been fairly normal and all the big annoying things have been things out of my control and have still worked out in the end. Breathing through it and not overreacting, even when I feel like it, is always the best choice.

Once you make it through the airport and get to your destination, annoying things may continue when you have to wait in lines for attractions or get your rental car or visit a museum. So, patience - don't leave home without it!

How do you try to keep your travel days from getting the better of you?

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 that fills our winters. I never used to get seasonal affective disorder, but I find that I am more prone to it in the last 5 years or so and being able to go somewhere warm, or at least with sun, helps. If I can't do that, then I force myself out of the house to do something. Last year I made sure I did something every weekend and I felt a ton better about life. 

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Out of the cold

Go to all the winter markets 

I hit up a bunch of markets when I have the chance, because I do need to get gifts for people, but I also want to support as many small businesses and local artists as possible. Here are some we've done:

ScanFair - They bring the magic of a European Christmas market to us here. Any vendor who makes and/or sells Scandinavian goods in Oregon and Washington come to help folks with their holiday shopping lists and decorate their home.

Market for the Strange - a cool alternative market where you can get your picture taken with The Grinch and/or Krampus and find gifts for the goths or other unusual people in your life. 

Portland Night Market - Once a month, a ton of local artists descend on a big warehouse in town and sell their amazing wares: homemade jewelry, jams, clothing, art, and more. Plus you'll find a bunch of food vendors outside to fuel your shopping venture.

Oddities and Curiosities Expo - a traveling expo for those that like things a bit darker, like skulls, bones, taxidermy, ghosts, monsters, and more. We go every year and find all new local artist to follow.

Geek the Halls - a fun market full of fandom gifts, from engraved cutting boards to purses to table lamps. I've bought so much from this market over the years for gifts.

Wytch Daye - Yet another alternative market, for the witchy friends you have on your list. 

Go on a brewery or distillery tour

Nothing hits quite like a specialty cocktail during the cold months, but even if you don't drink, learning about a new thing is always cool and fun. We just did the Aviation American Gin tour. 

Nights at the museum

We have a science museum that hosts an After Dark event once a month. They often serve alcohol and are for adults. You can enjoy the museum exhibits, eat food, browse vendors, and even see the special exhibits without all the usual crowds (I totally go for that). 

Interactive Art Attractions/Exhibits

I love when I can enjoy art in a completely different way. We just got a new venue in Portland, called Hopscotch. The only other one is in Austin, but it lets you explore art through murals, light installations, lasers and more. 

We explored another one that has been extended through February called Roboto Octopodo brought to you by Fathom Events. You can interact with undersea creatures and scenes, while you look for specific items and also solve a mystery. It's not the best one we've been to, but it was still really fun and a good way to spend several hours out among people. 

A few years ago we spent several hours at the Van Gogh traveling exhibit. I really hope they do this with other artists, because it makes things so much more interesting and also more accessible to people who can't travel to see much of these art pieces.

If you live in a place where there is a Meow Wolf destination, that can be half a day. 

We also have a local artist, Mike Bennett, that does fun walk-through exhibits with a storyline. He started doing large exhibits in his front yard during the pandemic and finally moved into a permanent space that changes throughout the year. Me meet up with friends and do breakfast beforehand, so it's a pretty good outing.

See a show

There are always tons of shows happening around the holidays, so now's the time to get to one or two, whether they're Broadway, off-off-off Broadway, a local band, a ballet, or even a comedy show. You can't beat having a night on the town, even if it's really cheap and really close to your house.

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Holiday Pop-Ups

This time of year sees a lot of pop-ups - bars, shops, restaurants, you name it - and it's a chance to get out and experience something different in a space you may already visit frequently. Last year I used my birthday as an opportunity to check out Sippin' On Sixth, which is a tiki pop-up through the end of the year that has tiki drinks, brunch, lunch, dinner, and specialty events. We hit up brunch, when they were doing a Tiki Santa meet. The restaurant was decked out in luau stuffs, but with a Santa theme, and I went home with a fantastic Santa tiki mug. 

Drive-thru holiday lights

The pandemic really brought back seeing things from your car, so check out what's local to you. Our zoo has drive-thru nights now, there are neighborhoods that shut down the streets except for cars admiring their lights, there are raceways that have holiday light events. Bring some cocoa or coffee, crank up the holiday tunes and heater, and enjoy the lights from inside your cozy space. For us it's Portland International Speedway, Peacock Lane (a Portland neighborhood that goes all out), and Lightopia.

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Out in the cold

Take a tour of all the trees

Right now, every hotel lobby has a big, cool holiday tree. Maybe more than one. Go downtown and see how many you can get to. You can also kip into banks and coffee shops and see them in shop windows. 

Go ice skating

Not all cities have a year-round ice rink like Portland does, but maybe you get a fun pop-up rink for the winter months. Ours just opened last week for the season, for people who don't want to go to the mall and skate with all those people inside. 

Go to a holiday light event at the zoo (or aquarium)

Every year out zoo does Zoolights and, on some special nights, Brewlights for 21+. Bundle up, grab a hot chocolate and enjoy wandering the zoo all lit up for the holidays. The fun thing about the zoo is that they aren't usually Christmassy, but more likely light up tunnels and animals and local scenes. Ours have a few exhibits open, like the indoor portion of the elephant enclosure, and on some nights you can try a bunch of different beers while you take in the lights. 

If you're visiting family over the holidays, these can all give you a break from being cooped up inside together, do some bonding activities, or to get away from them altogether for a little bit. And if you're doing these at home or on a trip, it gives you some fun things to do outside of sitting at home, going out to eat, or normal touristy things. 

What are some of your favorite winter activities around town?