Time sure flies and just like that we're in May and at the cusp of summer. That means that if you haven't planned your trip yet, time is starting to run out!

To help you with your plans, we have a few things that might give you the kick in the butt you need.

If you've already planned a trip, we'd love to know where you're going this year! Just reply to this e-mail.

Memorial Day Deals

This is always a great time to buy travel gear and seek out deals.

Columbia Sportswear - Their "Almost everything 25% off" sale is on where you can get an extra 15% off the sale price on select styles through 5/24 with code SAVEINMAY.
Backcountry.com - Huge Memorial Day sale through 5/29 at midnight where there are items that are up to 50% off.
SoloStove - Those looking to level up their backyard or campsite, save up to 50% off sitewide. You can also get a free Mesa with purchase of any fire pit or bundle.
Shimoda - Need to upgrade your photography backpack this year? Use code WELCOME10 to get 10% off.
Resorts World Las Vegas - Get 30% off rooms and one bedroom suites from now until June 6. Good for stays until the end of the year.

The Reluctant Traveler

This travel-themed show on Apple TV+ came out at the end of February. We had a chance to watch the show and loved the lighthearted take on travel and going face-to-face with your fears.

Eugene Levy got to visit some pretty amazing properties and doing some digging ourselves, we uncovered all the properties episode-by-episode.

Arctic Treehouse Hotel (Episode 1, Finland)
Nayara Tented Camp Hotel (Episode 2, Costa Rica)
The Gritti Palace Hotel (Episode 3, Italy)
The Kudadoo Resort (Episode 5, Maldives)
Kruger Shalati Train Lodge (Episode 6, South Africa)
Verride Palácio Santa Catarina (Episode 7, Portugal)
Hoshinoya Tokyo (Episode 8, Japan)

These could be great places to start your trip planning if you were inspired by what Eugene was able to see and do!

It's also been renewed for a second season! More Eugene Levy and his eyebrows is always a good thing 👍

Oh and one tip if you don't have Apple TV+, they're constantly giving away free months such as this one tied to Friday Night Baseball.

This Month in Travel

Lots of "best of" articles are coming out for this year. This sure inspires wanderlust and could be your ticket to awesome ;)

CNN - This is their take on where to travel in 2023 and we love that Fiji, Laos, Bogota, Tanzania, Cairo, and Belize are in there!
Peak Design - Their newest Kickstarter for the Micro Clutch is up. Now's your time to grab one if you're a mirrorless shooter and also get 50% off Peak Design Mobile products, up to 31% off the Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod, and 20% off cameras straps and clips. That's Black Friday prices and then some.
WANDRD - If you're a fan of their products, their Transit Travel Line on Kickstarter is also up. Their Transit Carry-On Roller looks like a great product.
Expedia - Their 23rd Vacation Deprivation Report is out where "vacation deprivation levels" have hit a 10-year high. Interest in flights soar as summer getaway searches are up 25% year over year and 81% of travelers worldwide pledge to travel in 2023 no matter what. Do you belong in this category?

Travel Tip

We've been getting a lot of questions about wifi hotspots and eSIMs recently. Which is better? Which is cheaper?

Why wifi hotspot? We love these because multiple people can connect to this. This is great for groups but the problem is that you need to invest in a device first.

Solis (previously Skyroam) is popular amongst travellers where Global day passes are $9 USD or $55/5GB. Pokefi is a cheaper alternative at $15 USD/5GB.

Why eSIM? Newer smartphones have this capability and makes it really easy to activate. You can have your home SIM and eSIM active at the same time. You can create a hotspot but is not as convenient to do. What's nice is that you don't have to carry another device (which means another to charge every night).

eSIM companies such as Airalo have started to dominate the space where Global data is $35 USD/5GB. Regional passes such as Japan-only are only $11.50 USD/5GB.

Long term, we still think Pokefi's value can't be beat but we don't deny the convenience of Airalo.

💡 When using a wifi hotspot, make sure to activate low data mode so your phone doesn't start passively updating apps and uploading to the cloud.

What's next at Going Awesome Places

Our website redesign is still in the works! Our team's been busy getting things ready. We can't wait for it's eventual launch 🤞.

May is our recover month after a busy 11 day campaign in the Ozarks. You can check out a bit of what we were up to in our Instagram highlight. We'll be busy creating videos and articles for it so look out for that soon!

We want to hear from you

We have a lot of coupon codes on our site, ranging from hotels and car rentals. Do you feel like something is missing? What other kind of travel deals do you look for when you plan trips? Let us know by replying to this e-mail!

Cheers,

Going Awesome Places Team

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