About Laura

Travel has never not been on my mind. I’ll go anywhere and eat anything. When I travel, it’s a quest for the joy of the authentic. Where are the locals eating and how can I taste it? How can I understand and honor this culture more?

And always, where’s the best coffee?

I love to wander around a city and get mildly lost, observing and snacking along the way. I’m looking for the beauty in every place: in mountains, in IPAs, in skylines, in cappuccinos, yes, but mostly in the people. Let’s go places!

Why listen to Laura about travel?

I have loved learning about other cultures, meeting new people and traveling to far away places for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a home with a rotating door for exchange students and other international friends. Global adventure and cultural learning and the joy of travel were always on my mind!

My parents lived in Germany for the first few years of their marriage, which undoubtedly influenced my siblings and me as we heard their tales of international exploration.

It’s as if I’ve had this travel bug and craving to see the world before I really even knew what I was missing.

I adore all things international, whether it’s traveling far away, eating at a restaurant in my hometown or welcoming people from around the world into my home.

I first had a chance to leave North America in college. My very first trip off the continent was with my college orchestra, touring around Europe. When the tour ended, I had arranged to stay a few weeks longer and travel to more locations around Europe.

Back then, when I was young and poor, I was quick to say yes to any opportunity that got me to a new place. I couch-surfed and got from point A to point B whichever way was cheapest. I have wild stories!

What is Laura’s experience in travel?

Through college and grad school, I had a chance to go to quite a few countries. At first, I was completely fixated on just seeing Europe. However, as I traveled, my curiosity expanded and soon I craved any opportunity to see all the continents.

I took a job teaching English in South Korea mostly because I wanted to learn new things about new places.

Professionally, I have experience in writing and editing for international nonprofits. This also provided opportunities to go to new places and interact with many people across cultures.

Then I spent just under a decade working stateside with an international student exchange organization. Though I would always rather be the one who goes places, it was an incredible (and very challenging!) experience to help place international students in American home stays.

What I loved most was helping bridge the cultural gap between the international student and the host family.

I realized my greatest joy was helping others understand and connect with different cultures. I believe connecting other cultures makes you a better host and a better traveler. This desire to understand is what drives me to see the world.

Why does Laura travel?

As I explained quirky cultural differences to the host families and students, I felt like I had succeeded when I heard a host family proclaim that hosting a student made the family want to go see the student’s country. They wanted to experience this other culture because of their positive experience learning about that country through their host student.

And that’s the heart behind this blog too.

Certainly, I am not a perfect traveler! I am not some master of all cultures. But I desire to learn, understand and experience the authenticity of a place. I want to do away with my American mindset and my western instincts so it doesn’t get in the way of experiencing a new place.

I travel to practice curiosity and cultural reciprocity.

Sometimes that means eating something that strikes me as unusual.

Sometimes it’s awkward.

Sometimes it’s confusing and tiring.

Usually, it means confronting beauty and removing my own assumptions and opinions about the way a thing should be.

And undoubtedly, there are moments within the process of travel of utterly surprising joy.

It’s because of those moments that I travel.

If I can help you also experience the joy of travel, I will be thrilled.