We Turn One! Let’s Celebrate with Castles, Lanterns & Snowy Dreams 🎂🏰🧊

Hey besties! 🎉✨

Guess what? We’re turning ONE YEAR OLD this week!! 💌🥹

Twelve months ago, We started this little newsletter with a dream: to send a bit of magic, mystery, and slow travel joy straight into your inbox. Since then, we’ve wandered together through enchanted forests, hidden beaches, foggy villages, and wild starlit skies. 🌍💫

To celebrate, I flipped the script and asked you — “What’s the most underrated place you’ve ever visited?”
Your answers? Absolute magic. 🕯️🍵❄️

So this birthday edition is your edition. We’re off to:

• A lantern-lit hill town in Taiwan

• A castle-dotted region of gothic beauty in Romania

• A northern winter wonderland that glows with cosmic light

Let’s unwrap this together — because after all, this newsletter has never been just about destinations.
It’s about the feeling of finding your place in the world. ✨

Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading. Thank you for wandering with me. 💫
Now… let’s go somewhere incredible.

🧐 Travel Trivia Time!

Which Romanian city is considered one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe and is the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler?

A) Brașov
B) Sighișoara
C) Sibiu
D) Bucharest

👻 Hit reply with your guess — extra points if you’ve actually been there!

🧳 Health & Safety Tips: Fall–Winter Explorers Edition

🌨️ Check road closures:

• Iceland’s highland roads may close early due to snow — plan lowland routes or 4x4s

• In Romania, remote villages may have limited access — double check accommodations in fall

🧣 Layer like a local:

• Jiufen may be humid, but it’s chilly at night — bring a breathable rain layer

• Iceland + Transylvania = serious thermals. Don’t skimp on socks or gloves!

📱 Stay connected:

• Transylvania has patchy WiFi in rural zones — download offline maps & language apps

• Iceland roads often rely on weather alerts via text — ask your host how to opt in

🌍 Spotlight Destinations: Picked by You 🧭

🍵 1. Jiufen, Taiwan 🇹🇼

Vibe: Lantern-lit magic + steep tea roads + Studio Ghibli in real life

Overlooking the sea and draped in perpetual mist, Jiufen is Taiwan’s whispering hill town. Once a gold rush hotspot, now it's where travelers come to slow down and sip oolong with the clouds.

Walk narrow stairways lit by red lanterns, wander markets filled with pineapple cake and taro balls, and pop into hidden teahouses perched on the cliffs.

🍰 Slow moment: Oolong + mountain view at A-Mei Teahouse = absolute serenity
🎥 Don’t miss: The town that inspired Spirited Away feels especially dreamy in fall fog
🔗 Explore Jiufen
🔗 Watch a video here 

🦇 2. Transylvania, Romania 🇷🇴

Vibe: Gothic castles + forest legends + wine by candlelight

No, it’s not just about Dracula — though, yes, the castles are cinematic. Transylvania is moody in the best way. Come for the vampire lore, stay for saxon villages, forest hikes, and some of Europe’s most beautiful (and quiet!) autumn roads.

🕯️ Slow moment: Wine by the fire in a centuries-old inn in Sighișoara, the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler
🏰 Underrated tip: Skip the crowds at Bran Castle and hike up to Poenari Fortress instead — spooky, silent, spectacular
🔗 Plan your Transylvania escape
🔗 Watch a video here

❄️ 3. Iceland in Winter 🇮🇸

Vibe: Icy silence + volcanic warmth + skyfire nights

Most people visit in summer. But winter? That’s when Iceland turns otherworldly. Frozen waterfalls, lava-heated hot springs, and northern lights that swirl across the sky like whispered spells. It’s not just cold — it’s cosmic.

🌌 Slow moment: Stargazing from a geothermal hot pool in the middle of a lava field
🛷 Local tip: Head to North Iceland (Akureyri or Húsavík) for fewer tourists, better light shows, and snow-laced fjords
🔗 Discover winter Iceland
🔗Watch a video here 

📈 Travel Trend Watch: Chill Mysticism Is In 🕯️

While everyone else is booking busy cities and basic beaches, here’s what you are chasing:

• 🌫️ Foggy villages with folklore, forests, and warm meals

• 🌌 Skies that move — northern lights, lantern festivals, fire-lit roads

• 🛷 Cold stillness over tropical noise — snow as a mood, not an obstacle

• 🧙 Mystical, not mainstream — haunted trails, ancient rituals, cozy darkness

This fall and winter? We’re not rushing. We’re wandering slowly toward magic.

💳 Points & Rewards Corner

Off-Season = Points Season 🔥

✈️ Icelandair via Alaska Mileage Plan

• Fly U.S. to Iceland starting at 22.5K Alaska miles one-way

• Bonus: Free stopover in Reykjavik for 7 days

🏨 Marriott Bonvoy Gems

• Book charming boutique properties in Brașov or Taipei starting at 10K–20K points/night

• Elite members: Look for off-peak PointSavers rates!

💡 Pro Tip:
Use points for shoulder-season stays — fewer crowds, better redemption value, and dreamy upgrades (especially in Taiwan and Romania).

✅ Answer: B) Sighișoara

Sighișoara’s colorful towers and cobblestone alleys feel like a gothic fairytale — fitting, since it’s the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler (aka the real-life inspiration for Dracula). Bonus? It's way less touristy than Bran Castle — and way more romantic.

💫 Until next Friday…

Here’s to misty stairways, castle shadows, and stars dancing above silent lava fields.
Some beauty whispers. And now you know where to find it.

Links and Guides:
To assist you in planning your next adventure, here are some valuable resources:

• CDC Travel Health Notices

• Travel Advisory and Alerts

• World Nomads Travel Insurance

• Lonely Planet Travel Guides

TripAdvisor Reviews and Recommendations

With folklore, fog, and a full heart,
Sasha 🕯️🌌🍵
Editor, Travel Report Weekly

🌍 Stay curious. Keep wandering.