Hello there or even more fittingly, “Hallo + Willkommen”.
I’m Sandra. In my homeland of Germany and in James Bond-style, I’d introduce myself as Frau Weinacht, Sandra Weinacht!
Travel, eat, drink, repeat, about sums up what this newsletter and I’m all about.
Why the 007 reference? I love fast cars, get around a lot, sometimes even undercover, and just like the James’, I enjoy the occasional splurge: Be it dining with the (Michelin) stars or taking a plunge into the rooftop spa pool of an uber-lux hotel. It’s not all glam for me, as I don’t live in a fancy NYC or LA loft, but a suburban 3BR/2BATH in SC with a husband, teen daughter, a dog and two cats. No regrets there. Often the best moments, meals and memories are to be had/made in so-called, hole in the wall places along the roads less traveled. The best recommendations I’ve gotten over the years were not necessarily from other travel pros, but often from locals in the places I’ve visited — from local friends, chefs, hoteliers, bartenders, shop owners, etc. Seeing/experiencing is also key to knowing what it’s really like. And while I love the occasional business class upgrade, there’re ways to make a 15 hour flight in coach kinda enjoyable or even to survive a Ryanair flight with a toddler in tow.
As much as I love to jet around the globe (admittedly, it’s mostly travel around Europe and the US), I always look forward to returning to my family or meeting up with friends at home or along the way. Even after four decades, I don’t travel light as my suitcases are always full of edible souvenirs as I call myself a home-chef. I love reading cookbooks, but I never follow a recipe. According to my husband, I also collect speeding tickets, although officially it’s just “Do not disturb” signs.
I live and love to travel. As a travel pro for two decades and counting, it’s mainly traveling for work since I’m also a mom, a wife, an entrepreneur, not to mention once a journalist, always a journalist. But, there’s first and foremost an unusually high amount of wanderlust in my DNA, fostered from the moment I could be taken places, by my dad, the grandmas, then venturing out on my own, with friends, on the job, for our clients. Vorfreude, one of my favorite German words that’s kinda known in English, stands for “joy of anticipation” and boy do I love to plan one-of-a-kind trips for others. Fun fact, I struggle booking anything for myself. I joined the so-called ‘happy industry’ of travel and tourism in 2000, after working as a reporter and a journalist, mainly for German print media. Fast forward seven years and a Hallmark movie worthy love story that started at Oktoberfest in Munich — although I don’t really drink beer —, I turned my love and passion for travel into a career. Together with Ted, the aforementioned love story protagonist at the world’s largest beer festival (and who should be played by either a young David Hasselhoff or Matthew McConaughey), we co-founded and still proudly own Inside Europe Travel Experiences, a boutique travel company that creates group tours (yep, double dirty word alert) that you’ll actually want to go on.
My day job at Inside Europe is creating unique experiences for epicurean travelers that value our editorial approach to planning one-of-a-kind journeys for affinity groups. Occasionally, I offer VIP concierge planning services for returning travelers, but again, that’s not what this newsletter is all about. Yet, if you made it this far, you’ll probably want to stay in the loop and I’d love to share my travelicious finds with you too.
Why subscribe to Vorfreude + Wanderlust?
Do you know how many times I’ve been asked: “Can I carry your suitcase?”. Or, “What’s your favorite hotel, restaurant in XYZ?”
It’s taken me 22 years, a global pandemic, and too many nudges to count by family and friends to get back into writing. It’s true, oh the stories I can and should tell — about what to and what not to do when traveling, from exploring 80+ countries, six continents, eating at countless restaurants and staying at well over 1,000 hotels.
Subscribers to the free newsletter get semi-regular updates on the places I’ve been and recommend to visit, plus travel tips and read-worthy re-shares from other travel pros. Paid subscribers and our Inside Europe EPIC travelers also get access to a curated list of personal favorites as well as occasional, exclusive, to-good-to-miss-out-on travel deals. I’ll also share my curated rolodex (now google map lists) for personal favorites in our destinations. Paid subscribers also get to leave comments or ask questions, and I’ll do my best to answer each and everyone of them. Last, but not least, I’ll include tales from the travel crypt such as hotels I would never go back to and why, plus much more in-depth stories and detailed Q&As. Why is there a paid option? Because it takes a lot of time to write it all down, not to mention the investments to make all these discoveries. A lot of so-called travel pros have never been to the majority of places they recommend and sell. And to make it worse, some even ‘steal’ other people’s findings, claiming them as their own. Rest assured, you’ll get your money’s worth.
