About Me
I have a tattoo on my arm that reads: Travel is the cure for ignorance. Those are not only words that I strive to live by but a mantra that I firmly believe in. Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer—richer in experiences, richer in forming bonds both with the individuals you love and those whom you meet while traveling, and richer in an understanding of the way the world works, inevitably gaining a human lesson on understanding, compassion and empathy. Travel not only opens your eyes to new cultures and ways of life, but it can enrich your soul and make you into a better person—if you do it right. You can meet new people, gain a better understanding of tolerance, and see awe-inspiring masterpieces that make you appreciate just being on this planet, forcing a reminder that this world does not revolve around our often unintentionally egocentric way of life.
And so that is the meaning behind “Travel is the Cure.” The idea for the name of this company arose out of the tattoo that sits permanently on my arm, though the saying is actually a shortened version of a quote by famed author Mark Twain. The full quote reads: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
We all know that quote can be interpreted in many ways. While it clearly means that through travel we become more enriched, more enlightened, and often gain the ability to open our eyes to new places, people, cultures and ways of life, I think this quote can also be interpreted in another way: that travel has the ability to enrich one’s life in a more personal, self-enhancing type of way. My belief is that travel not only can make us all more tolerant and respectful of other people and cultures, but also simply improves the quality of our lives. Travel can be fun, eye-opening, exhilarating, and in so many ways one of the best tools someone can use to better their own life. It is for all of these reasons that I try to travel as often as possible.
I caught the travel bug at a young age. Growing up in a small country town, travel for me at first included short trips to places like San Francisco and Los Angeles. The city lights and constant hustle and bustle were so foreign to me, and I was instantly drawn to the never-ending excitement that a big city has to offer. I don’t have a specific recollection of the first time I visited one of these places, but I am thankful that throughout my childhood, I was never relegated to just my small hometown, as my mom took me all over California and our neighboring states.
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That probably was also what prompted my first "real" travel experience—when I chose to spend my sophomore year of high school in Italy as an exchange student. Thrown in head first with absolutely no Italian language under my belt, I instantly had all things Italy crammed down my throat. And I loved it. Every minute of it. And I have had the desire to travel all over the world ever since.
I decided to start a travel website and blog because while I do think I have some great advice and information to share, I primarily felt the need to give back to a web community that I have so heavily relied upon in formulating my own travel plans. Over the years, I have often relied on travel review sites like Tripadvisor, travel blogs like Blonde Abroad and Young Adventuress, and even doing research through social media--primarily on Instagram--in making my own decisions on where to go, where to stay, where to eat and what to do. I have gained so much valuable information using these mediums throughout the years that I feel the need to give back to this community and add to it what I can.
Why did I originally decide to do this? Well, admittedly my initial motivation was for selfish reasons. First, I tend to take a lot of photos when I travel and other than just letting them pile up in my iCloud, I never really end up doing anything with them. Putting them into a blog or on a website was not only a good way for me to organize what I deem to be the best photos, but also act sort of like a digital scrapbook. It was my shoebox full of photos and information to someday look back on.
Second—and this was at one point probably the most important—I have a horrible memory. I have a knack for remembering random, unimportant facts, but somehow can’t remember specific details of what I did on a trip a few years ago or, for example, the names of some of my roommates in college (which wasn’t all that long ago). So that is why I say the blog started off for selfish reasons—it was my way of documenting my travels in a way that I could someday reference and refer back to them and hopefully be able to remember more of the details.
But then it morphed into so much more. I was lucky enough to quickly gain a follower base of like-minded individuals who love to travel as much as I do. And then I began to have people reach out to me for advice about new destinations they were planning to travel to. And so it occurred to me that helping others by creating unique, location-specific content can be a benefit to us all. The purpose of this site is to share my experiences and offer a bit of advice on topics I feel I have earned the right to call myself an expert in. Put simply, the information and advice is here to help people make travel decisions for their own trips, share information about travel and photography related products, and answer any questions that you may have.
Best of luck on your travels and keep that bug alive!
xoxo Lauren
Contact Me:
Note: For business inquiries, please message me directly using the email above, or visit my WORK WITH ME page for more information about ways we can collaborate. I am constantly looking for new brands and locations to promote, so whether you are a tourism board, travel company, resort, or product company, I can help market your brand with authenticity and creativity. You can also view my Media Kit HERE.