Balloon race video and upcoming events

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

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There are hot-air balloon rallies, races, and fiestas all over the place: The Yahoo directory has a long list of annual events, SmarterTravel.com’s Kate Hamman recently wrote about Albuquerque’s upcoming Balloon Fiesta; and the Red Rock Balloon Rally in Gallup, New Mexico, will be held from December 2 to 4.

The reason I bring this up is because I just found a short video of this year’s Great Reno Balloon Race that highlights the visual impact these events can have, and thought I’d post a link for people who A) enjoy watching pretty things, and B) are trying to figure out if they’d like to attend a balloon event and want to get a sense of what it’s like. Listen with sound for maximum soothing effect.

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