Take a Road Trip Along Route 66 With Portuguese Model Sara Sampaio

The 2014 SI Swimsuit Rookie of the Year returned to the fold for an adventurous feature.

Cara O’Bleness | Oct 20, 2023

Sara Sampaio was photographed by Ben Morris along Route 66.

Ben Morris/Sports Illustrated

Sara Sampaio was featured in back-to-back SI Swimsuit Issues in 2014 and ’15. While her beachside photoshoot along the Jersey Shore resulted in Rookie of the Year honors, the Portuguese model returned to the fold in a slightly different setting the following year. In 2015, Sampaio was photographed along Route 66 in a series of enviable looks away from the water.

In addition to her work with the brand, the 32-year-old has worked with notable companies like Armani Beauty and Victoria’s Secret. Sampaio has been modeling since the age of 16, and was the first Portuguese model to be featured in the SI Swimsuit Issue.

“I won a contest in Portugal when I was 16. But I was in high school and my parents are strict and said I have to finish school,” she told Women’s Wear Daily of her career trajectory. “So I was only modeling part time and doing really small things in Portugal here and there. In America you can do homeschooling, but there you can’t. You have to go to school, you cannot miss any of it, not even a few days. So I finished and went to university in Lisbon. And while I was in Lisbon, I was doing more editorials, then came the opportunity to go international.”

During her sophomore SI Swimsuit photoshoot, Sampaio donned a number of bikinis on Route 66, which she traveled along with photographer Ben Morris for the occasion. Below are a few of our favorite snapshots from the feature.

Sara Sampaio — Ben Morris/Sports Illustrated

Now through Nov. 1, 100% of SI Swimsuit’s portion of proceeds from cover prints purchased here will be donated to the Maui Strong Fund, which is helping to support the people and places of Maui affected by the recent wildfires.

Shop Now and Make a Difference

Published Oct 20, 2023

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara O’Bleness is a writer and editor on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Prior to joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, O’Bleness loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.