Sarah Gemba | Founder

Hola, I'm Sarah!

I’m the Founder and Principal Travel Designer here at Spain Savvy. I have the ambitious and exciting vision of making Spain the premier travel destination for fellow Americans and the gateway to the rest of Europe. Throughout my 20 years of travel design experience, and just as long living in this adopted country of mine, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my own unique discoveries with travelers of all backgrounds. Families, honeymooners, and retirees have all entrusted me to craft their unique itineraries, and I’ve found that our local knowledge is what makes for a truly incomparable experience.

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Client Testimonials


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julien thuret
julien thuret
00:16 29 Sep 22
I cannot begin to express how amazing Sara & Spain Savvy were in planning an incredible vacation for my family and me. Having heard great things about Sara and Spain Savvy, we reached out to her and provided her with our time frame for travel and a bit about our interests. We were traveling from Portland, OR and we wanted to see as much of Spain and Portugal, as we could see in a 3-week period. We also wanted to explore parts of both countries by car, which allowed us to visit sites that we would not have been able to see otherwise. Lastly, we were traveling with our daughter, who was turning 13 on the trip. With that all being said, Sara took all of this into consideration and created a vacation experience like no other.Our vacation started in Barcelona and continued to Granada, Seville, Ronda, Monte Gordo, Lagos, Sagres, Castelejo Beach, Lisbon, Obidos, Porto and ended in Madrid, with day trips from Madrid to Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, and Avila. Sara made all the detailed arrangements, including flights between Spain and Portugal, local car rental and all train transportation. Additionally, Sara partners with local tour guides that are experts in their local area and provide wonderful private and small groups tours that ranged from tours of historical sites, shopping, as well as tours focusing on local gastronomy & drinks, as well a fabulous flamenco tour in Seville. (We also had the pleasure of meeting Sara in person when she came to meet us in Seville)!Sara is also a wealth of knowledge when it comes to local cuisine and restaurants. Along with well known establishments, Sara made daily reservations at several local family owned and run restaurants. The food and experiences at each place were outstanding. Sara also planned a wonderful food tour in Porto, for my daughter’s 13th birthday, with an incredible diner experience at Emotivo, including a surprise birthday cake!Along with planning every detail of the 3-week excursion, Sara is incredibly professional and wonderful to work with. She promptly responds to all e-mails and text messages and makes herself available while you are traveling. Spain Savvy also uses the app, Trip Plan, where Sara will provide you with a very detailed daily itinerary, which will include all travel documents, including boarding passes, hotel and restaurant information and reservations, as well as all tickets to private tours, events, etc.We will definitely be contacting Sara & Spain Savvy for all of our future travel needs to Spain, Portugal and Morocco Sara and Spain Savvy will make you travel experience magical and seamless!
Laurel Griswold
Laurel Griswold
22:43 14 Sep 22
We just returned from a 14 day trip to Spain. We are so glad we contacted Spain Savvy for our travel planning! We originally planned to go to Spain on our honeymoon in 2020, but like everyone, our lives were altered that year and we had to postpone. We reached out to Sarah to help us navigate our travels to Spain during the pandemic and are so glad we did! We ended up having to postpone our trip to Spain again in 2021 and planned for 2022. The wait was worth it and it made our two week journey throughout Spain that more special. We appreciated our delayed honeymoon even more and were filled with gratitude.Sarah was wonderful to work with and helped make our trip such a wonderful experience and a memory we will always cherish. We communicated with her on several occasions to address our needs and travel desires. We expressed how much we wanted to immerse with the culture, especially the culinary experiences, and she tailored our vacation for us and exceeded our requests.It was comforting to know Sarah was there for us during such unprecedented travel times and was there for us during our travels to Spain as well. The travel app she provided was extremely convenient and we used it repeatedly to navigate our itinerary.Sarah and her team really went above and beyond for us and we are so thankful! She even secured tickets for us for a special event! From the guides she selected to the hotels, restaurants and experiences, she made sure our trip to Spain was outstanding. We highly recommend Sarah and Spain Savvy!
Ben Fort
Ben Fort
03:55 30 Aug 22
Sarah is a gem. She helped us plan a 2 week trip to Barcelona, Costa Brava, and Mallorca. We had never been to Spain, and brought our family with 2 girls (10 and 13). She took the time to understand what made us tick, and was UNBELIEVABLY responsive as we planned the trip. We were rusty travelers, and having her in our corner gave us tons of confidence. Her app is amazing, so intuitive, and a great resource to download, even if you don’t have service. She planned everything from our lodging, meals, boat charters, food tours, and suggestions for casual outings on our non-scheduled days. Our girls said the trip to Spain was a huge highlight to summer, and we are so grateful we made it. I’m not sure we could have pulled this trip off without Sarah and Spain Savvy.
Marla Rzeszotarski
Marla Rzeszotarski
19:09 27 Jul 22
Contacting Spain Savvy was the best decision I've ever made for my travel planning!! Sarah and her team went above and beyond to create the most memorable trip ever for my family. Sarah took care of every request that we had and she really took the time to listen to us to create a trip that was tailored just for us. Sarah was there every step of the way - both in planning this trip and during our travels - in case we needed anything. Plus Sarah's handy travel app was the most convenient item that we took on our trip ;-). We can't wait to plan our next adventure with Sarah and Spain Savvy!
Michael Seidman
Michael Seidman
20:51 19 Jul 22
During these uncertain times, Sarah was a great resource planning our trip and providing near instant expert ideas and support when we needed help mid vacation with dinner reservations, bags that didn't make the connection, itinerary changes due to circumstance. I am a fan of Spain Savvy services.
Meg Prestigiacomo
Meg Prestigiacomo
18:19 17 Jul 22
Sarah did an amazing job with our family trip to Spain! She crafted an itinerary that matched the our families interests and was meticulous with every detail. From the ongoing communication, quality of accommodations and restaurants to to the creativity with all of the activities we enjoyed, they were all excellent! We would highly recommend Sarah for your trip to Spain!
Anne Potter
Anne Potter
16:29 07 Jul 22
They did an outstanding job coordinating our last 7 days in Spain. Could not have been better. Sarah was helpful before, during and after our trip.
Mary Spencer
Mary Spencer
21:07 03 Jul 22
We often question and regret the choices we make. I can honestly say that booking my travel with Spain Savvy was one of THE BEST choices I have ever made!! Sarah booked and navigated a wonderful week in Barcelona and Mallorca Spain for me and my family celebrating my daughter’s high school graduation. Sarah handled everything from lodging, transportation , tours , restaurant reservations etc. Sarah was always available and responded to emails in a very timely fashion. Sarah was also in contact with us every step of the way during our vacation. Booking your travel with Spain Savvy will take the worry and stress out of planning. I am thinking of next venture to that part of the region so that I can use Spain Savvy services again!
Vicki Blodnik
Vicki Blodnik
19:51 27 Jun 22
Sarah was the best. Every aspect of the trip was amazing and she understood they type of trip we were looking for. They planned every detail of travel that we needed and wrapped everything up into a simple itinerary. Thanks so much Sarah and team!
Jose Criado
Jose Criado
23:48 26 Jun 22
We just returned from a 12-day trip to Spain that was originally scheduled for March 2020. During the past 2 years we have worked with Sarah and her staff to coordinate the trip. Sarah has been attentive, responsive and demonstrated high degree of professionalism during these difficult times. My wife and I traveled with our two teenagers and everyone had a wonderful time. Sarah designed an itinerary that included everything from a Tapas, Tavern and History Tour in Madrid to a walking/bike tour in Sevilla to a guided exploration of the White Villages. The guides she selected for the tours not only showed their expertise but were also warm and we always felt we were with a friend rather than in a traditional tour. The restaurants she recommended were outstanding and the location of the hotels helped us manage our time more efficiently due to their ideal locations. This is the first time we work with a travel planner and it has been our most productive, fun and efficient (time management) trip. I highly recommend Sarah and Spain Savvy!
Elaine Wessel
Elaine Wessel
16:11 07 Jun 22
My husband and I used Spain Savvy to plan our honeymoon trip to Spain in May 2022. We visited Madrid, Seville, and Mallorca, and it was amazing! This was our first time ever using a travel planner, and it was a great decision to work with Spain Savvy! Sarah and her team have a knowledge of the cities that allowed for personalized recommendations for dining, attractions, and activities in each location. The accommodations were wonderful, and we appreciated that Spain Savvy was able to secure upgrades and other exciting activities (food/wine tour, horseback riding) that we would not have been able to easily do ourselves. Additionally, the travel planning app that contains schedules, tickets, reservations, and other information (even when you don't have wifi) was super helpful and we used it daily throughout our 9-day vacation. Sarah was always very professional and polite, and we appreciated that she and her team were dedicated to giving us a memorable and unique experience. Would recommend!
Susan Skinner
Susan Skinner
16:54 29 May 22
Spain Savvy did a great job organizing our trip to Barcelona. The hotel accommodations were just what we were looking for. The guides were very personable and informative. All transportation arrangements worked seamlessly and the restaurant recommendations were top shelf. Most importantly, Sarah was responsive and accessible both in the planning stages and the trip itself. She made things easy for us and I would recommend you contact her if you are considering traveling to Spain
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Google Rating
5.0
Based on 67 reviews
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