New contest offers free trip to Europe

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

Sarkis joined SmarterTravel in 2003. She's always on the lookout for authentic local experiences and her next great meal. She loves discovering new destinations, predicting trends, and turning amazing travel experiences into inspiring stories.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Yahoo! Travel, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and other publications. Her work has also been published in 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 J Pillow Travel Pillow. It's a bit bulky and noticeably phallic, but it's the best inflight sleep aid I've ever found.

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.

See recent posts by Christine Sarkis

Every few months, VisitEurope.com sends out a newsletter (you can sign up for it on the site’s homepage) with activity ideas, places to stay, and reasons to visit a variety of featured countries in Europe. Over time, I’ve started looking forward to receiving these emails, because they often include under-the-radar local experiences that you simply won’t find in a guidebook.

The theme this time is art, and I learned about museum expansions in Spain, architecture in Turkey, and opera in Norway. There’s also information about a contest for free trips to Europe.