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SAMANTHA KARAM
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An Ode to the Yard Sale

This past weekend I went to The Great Portage Yard Sale in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. This trip has been an annual tradition with my partner’s family for nearly a decade, and I love joining in.

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Tuesday 06.16.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 

I Went to Arizona for My Bday & Now I Want to Live There

I thrived in the dry alpine air and near-constant sunshine of the desert. Plus, the Sonoran-style Mexican food was out of this world. Arizona made me feel equally introspective and alive. It was exactly the kind of trip I needed to kick off my 30th year.

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tags: Nature, Itinerary, Logistics
categories: North America
Tuesday 06.09.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 

Thoughts On Turning 30 & Reflecting on My 20s

Culturally, we act like the start of your 30s is the start of your decline. Especially for women, there is this societal pressure to always be perceived as a 20-something. We are told that our value diminishes as our age increases.

But I’m just getting started.

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tags: Reflections
categories: Advice/Experience
Tuesday 06.02.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 

What I'm Wearing This Summer: Petite Traveler's Edition

Dressing well in the summer poses a unique challenge when you’re petite, perpetually cold indoors, and always on the move. Read on for summer outfit inspo, regardless of your height, and insights on how these specific pieces work for my body, lifestyle, and values.

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categories: Advice/Experience
Tuesday 05.26.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 

I Went Underground. Here's What Came Back Up

My friend Ali is an avid caver and a member of the National Speleological Society. She knows how to navigate the world beneath the one you and I walk on each day. When she offered to guide a caving trip for me and a couple of our most adventurous friends, I said yes before I could form the thoughts to talk myself out of it.

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Tuesday 05.19.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 

America's Suburbs: A Critique & A Love Letter

I have mixed feelings about the car-dependent suburbs of America. I wish they were more walkable, community-driven, and diverse. At the same time, I have a deep nostalgia for Suburbia because it was my world for the first 19 years of my life.

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tags: Reflections
categories: Advice/Experience, North America
Tuesday 05.12.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 

What I Actually Spent on Travel This Quarter: Q1 of 2026

This post is a full breakdown with the honest numbers behind my winter travels. This month I completed two trips and purchased my flights for a third.

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tags: Finances and Budgeting
categories: Advice/Experience
Tuesday 04.28.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 

32 Reasons to Unplug: A Birthday Weekend in the Woods

I planned an entire Dave-centric weekend, complete day-hiking, a wooded cabin, the best burger in West Virginia, and two nights to play as many board games as he wanted.

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tags: Nature
categories: North America
Tuesday 04.21.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 

How to Have a Car-Free Vacation in North America

Biking to brunch!? What a radical idea!

This post is for people like me: The 40% of Americans who can’t ditch their car today but are curious about what a different kind of life could unlock. Maybe, after your car-free vacation, you’ll return home a little more convinced that freedom from cars is worth building toward on a nationwide scale.

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tags: Logistics
categories: Advice/Experience
Monday 04.13.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 

How Airlines Turned Discomfort Into a Core Business

POV: You’re crammed in the window seat with a full bladder and a grumbling stomach :’)

I am not a tall person. At five feet and one inch, I am an objectively compact traveler. I’m the size of person who airlines should theoretically have no trouble accommodating. Yet, on a recent two-hour flight, I found myself crammed into a window seat so restricted that shifting my weight felt like an act of violence against my neighbor.

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tags: Logistics, Reflections
categories: Advice/Experience
Tuesday 04.07.26
Posted by Samantha Karam
 
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