Hallo Reader! The holiday season is about to take off, and I couldn’t resist giving you a first-class look at the latest travel goodies before the shopping madness boards on Black Friday. With Prime Day landing October 7–8, it’s the perfect connection to snag some upgrades that’ll keep your adventures running on time—no layovers required.

Here's what you'll find below:

• 🛍️ Travel goodies we're eyeing and upgrades you should look into!
• 🎥 New YouTube video

If you haven't yet, make sure to check out the latest on our social channels: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

New Travel Goodies

While I thought we could wait until closer to Black Friday for this, I figured, why not help you get your shopping list ready to go nice and early before holiday season.

OH and guess what, Amazon's Prime Day has already been announced for October 7-8. Sign up for Prime so you can be ready!

New travel gear I've got my eye on:

There are definitely a number of different ways to prevent mishaps and it really comes down to these tips:

1. ​Amaran Go - Probably not a new product but I only recently found out about this awesome MagSafe portable light which is great as an external light for your phone.
2. ​Ultra Thin MagSafe Charger - This year we've seen a reduction in the size of MagSafe power banks. With capacities of 5,000mAh and 10,000mAh, these become incredibly easy to slap on when you need a recharge, especially with the faster Qi2 standard.
3. ​Apple AirPods Pro 3 - I'm finding it tough to justify upgrading but from the early reviews, the noise-cancelling is a significant jump (you can use these as ear plugs). If you'd like to save money, the AirPods Pro 2 dropped in price so this might be a great time to get one since this supports "live translation" which should be really handy when traveling.
4. ​DJI Osmo Nano - This summer we tested the Insta360 Go3S and enjoyed the form factor but it was terrible in low light. Currently, both the new DJI Nano and Insta360 Go Ultra look really similar. I will say that these smaller action cams have been more enjoyable to use than the GoPro.
5. ​Panasonic ARC5 Palm-Sized Razor - I first learned about this in Japan but it took awhile to make it here. It's still a tad expensive but having seen it in person, love how small it is and how this is a rare 5-blade system.
6. ​DJI Mini 5 Pro - I'm definitely enticed by the bigger sensor and the ability to do 225 degree rotation shots. This just might be our next upgrade.

New gear we've purchased this year:

So what started as a great trip has started to sour because of something that happened. Here's how you can turn things around:

1. ​Peak Design Roller Pro - If you've watched our review video, you'll know that this was what we were mostly testing this summer and it is honestly my favourite bag. As a traveler and photographer, it's a match made in heaven!
2. ​Peak Design 45L Outdoor Backpack - Another item I've been testing all summer and while I thought I wouldn't like it as much as my Shimoda backpack, I've been enjoying it because it's not quite as bulky while still providing the features I need for hikes and carrying a lot of camera gear.
3. ​Owala Water Bottle - Squeezing this in because I felt the FOMO as it seemed like all the cool kids had one of these. I will admit, the option to sip and suck is nice. While not super practical for travel, it's been great at home and around the city.
4. ​MagSafe Phone Tripod Carabiner - I'm not sure if you've been peppered with these sponsored posts on Instagram but I decided to give this a shot and to my surprise, it's actually kind of useful!
5. ​Apple Watch Charger Dongle - I've gotten sick of packing the full Apple Watch charger so I was ecstatic to discover this. This works perfectly with my Anker charger because it has a USB-A slot and I can basically plug this dongle in there and charge right off of it.

Let us know if there's something that you've been eying when it comes to making travel easier!

Best Deals This Month

Here are a few deals that we're tracking on our deals page.

• ​30% Off WANDRD Transit Backpacks - You can save 30% on all Transit Backpacks, one of WANDRD’s best-selling and most popular products, with code TRANSIT30. Valid until September 30, 2025.
• ​REI Clearance Deals - Fall clearance of many brands including Arc’teryx, Patagonia, and The North Face.
• ​Unbound Merino Fall Sale - Get $50 off for a limited-time discount on Unbound Merino’s Slim Travel Pants. This promotion is valid until November 1, 2025.
• ​Holafly - We recently signed up with them to provide a new promo code for our readers. Use GOINGAWESOMEPLACES to get 5% off.
• ​Europcar App Discount - 15% discounts through the app for bookings between now and December 17, 2025. Deal ends September 28, 2025.

For more offers, we have our deals group on Facebook. It's free to join if you haven't yet!

✏️What's New on the Site

In case you're not subscribed to our "let us know whenever you publish something new" list, here are our new posts. We aim to publish posts twice a week so if you subscribe you are always kept in the loop!

We've been on a roll on our YouTube channel and our latest video covers our 4 days in Tampa (couples edition!).

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☝️ What's Next at Going Awesome Places

By the time you're reading this, I'll be on a plane to 🇨🇭 and then a train into Munich 🇩🇪. Yes, this'll be my second time going to Oktoberfest but as part of our group's milestone birthday celebration, we've taken in some Top Gear inspiration to drive the Stelvio Pass in 🇮🇹.

If you know what I'm talking about, let me know!

For the rest of October, we might have another personal trip coming up but we'll announce that one a little later on.

🍻 Prost!

🍪 Travel Tidbits

Travel News

Here's the latest from the industry with a few articles that we think you'll enjoy.
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• ​The Overhead Bin Rules Flight Attendants Wish Every Traveler Knew: Sure, it may sound like an easy task, but there are a few ins and outs that crew members would like you to know.
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• ​The One Color You Should Never Wear in a Passport Photo: Here's how to avoid delays—and rejections—during the passport application process.
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• ​2025 fall travel trends: Gen Z travel on the rise this shoulder season: This fall, travel is being redefined by Gen Z globetrotters, passionate leaf-peepers, and sunseekers eager to make the most of shoulder season at emerging beach destinations.
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• ​Destination D23 2025: Disney Parks, Resorts and Cruise Line Reveals and Updates: Following a weekend of events, panel presentations, entertainment showcases and retrospectives, Disney has revealed upcoming updates.
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• ​The ancient civilisation that inspired US democracy: Discover rich heritage of Lycia, an ancient maritime republic that's recognised as the world's first democratic union.
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• ​These are the North American airports that travelers find the most satisfying: Long lines, delays and record passenger numbers, but these airports are the ones breaking the trends.

We are so ready for fall, are you?

After the long hot summer we are so ready to bust out the knitwear and unleash our best PSL persona.

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What piece of travel gear has been game-changing for you? It could be small or big. We want to know about it so just reply to this e-mail.

Cheers,

Will Tang
​Chief of Awesome, Going Awesome Places

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