\nSure! My name is Lauren and I\u2019m originally from a small town in the U.K. called Staines-Upon-Thames. It\u2019s around half an hour from central London, but couldn\u2019t be more different!<\/p>\n
I spent the entirety of my pre-travel life there, and while it was a perfectly nice place to grow up, it wasn\u2019t particularly exciting!<\/p>\n
Can you remember what first got you interested in the world of travel? and why?<\/strong> I quickly found that I loved discovering new destinations and learning about the people who lived there. As soon as I returned home, then, I would sink into a deep depression when I realized I would need to wait an entire year until I could venture somewhere else. I was forever daydreaming about where I might travel next.<\/p>\n When I started university, I remember coming across the concept of a gap year and immediately being enthralled. I had no idea that there were people out there who spent an entire year exploring the planet \u2013 it sounded incredible. I began to research and soon stumbled across my very first travel blog.<\/p>\n The rest was history. I was so inspired that I set about making my dream a reality. I took on three jobs, sold everything I owned, and started a travel blog. Then, once I graduated with my degree, I left the U.K. on a one-way ticket.<\/p>\n Within months, I had turned my blog into a profitable business. It was at that point that I realized if I didn\u2019t want to go home, I didn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n Twelve years later and I can\u2019t believe that traveling the world is my career.<\/p>\n In the next year, If you could only visit one place for one week, where would it be?<\/strong> What are some of the top places you enjoyed visiting the most? Why?<\/strong> I loved the sense of solitude you gain when traveling across Namibia. It\u2019s one of the least densely populated countries in the world, where you can drive for hours without seeing a single person or building. And yet, it has so much to offer visitors, from towering sand dunes to herds of elephants to an abandoned mining town that\u2019s now being reclaimed by the desert.<\/p>\n Another one of my favorite countries is India. There\u2019s nowhere in the world quite like this magnificent place. Travelling there means encountering a true bombardment of your senses, as you\u2019re surrounded by unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells, chaos and charm, and world-class monuments that you\u2019ve never even heard of. As an added bonus, it\u2019s home to the best cuisine in the world.<\/p>\n Tonga rounds off my top three countries by being home to the best beaches in the world. And because barely anybody visits this island nation, you can have those pristine white sands all to yourself. Throw in a fascinating culture and history, welcoming locals, and the ability to swim with migrating humpback whales, and you\u2019ve got yourself a wonderful country to travel through.<\/p>\n Can you share a funny story that happened to you while traveling?<\/strong> Now, something you need to know about me is that I always keep my passport close by. I mean, I\u2019m a travel writer: it\u2019s absolutely my most valuable possession. Except, I had somehow managed to forget that it had fallen under my bed the night before. Instead of immediately putting it back in my bag, I had made a mental note to retrieve it before checking out the following day.<\/p>\n Spoiler: I did not, in fact, retrieve it before checking out.<\/p>\n I made my discovery when I was sitting in an overcrowded pick-up truck on my way to the local bus stop, surrounded by well-traveled backpackers. That was embarrassing. I notified the driver that I\u2019d forgotten my passport, but to my horror, he refused to drive back to my hotel to pick it up.<\/p>\n Instead, he motioned for me to climb out of his truck and walk.<\/p>\n Yikes.<\/p>\n But what else could I do? I grabbed my bag, climbed over the thirty-odd travelers who were crammed in the back of the truck, and began to run. \u201cLady is running!\u201d he shouted in my direction. \u201cLady is running!\u201d I knew it had been a mistake to wear my leggings with the worn-out elastic. My ordeal was far from over, however: there was just one bus a day to my next destination, and it was due to leave in just ten minutes. I needed a taxi, and I needed one fast.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, it was still early in the morning, and the streets were void of traffic. The owner of the hotel noticed my predicament and jumped on his motorcycle to try to find a taxi driver for me.<\/p>\n Two lessons I learned early on in my travels are that everything usually works out in the end, and people are kind. Once more, those beliefs were realized, as the owner saved the day for me: he found me a taxi in no time at all, and somehow, I managed to make it to the bus station with minutes to spare.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s just say that the third lesson I learned was to always check that I have my passport.<\/p>\n What was one of your more popular posts in the last year? And why do you think it caught on?<\/strong> I think this all comes down to a blend of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. After several years of lockdowns and isolation, we\u2019re all craving to make up for lost time when it comes to travel. There\u2019s so much demand for it right now!<\/p>\n But rising prices across the globe are making travel less accessible for everyone. So what to do when you\u2019re desperate to travel but can\u2019t quite afford it? Start a travel blog!<\/p>\n I\u2019m seeing travel lovers start websites in their droves, looking to find a way to fund their travel addictions while building a life that revolves around exploration and adventure.<\/p>\n What are 3 tips for traveling the world safely? And Affordably?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ll start with the safety tips:<\/p>\n And when it comes to saving money:<\/p>\n You have many Travel goals. What is your top travel goal for this year? And why?<\/strong> It really is about time I changed that.<\/p>\n Where are you planning to travel next? and why?<\/strong> When I\u2019m not traveling, I maintain a home base in Melbourne, Australia, but I\u2019m committed to avoiding its cold winter months and heading north each and every year. Mostly, these trips are about seeing my family, but I always squeeze in some interesting layovers (South Korea and Mauritius, in this case!) along the way.<\/p>\n What are you doing now (or about to do) that you are excited about? Do you have any new projects?<\/strong> I\u2019ve been running Never Ending Footsteps for 12 years now, and it’s been my sole focus over that time, so it feels exciting to be trying something new. Running a resource site is quite different to a narrative travel blog, and I\u2019m enjoying building up a new skill set. My dream is to achieve the same success with Everything Victoria that I have with my travel blog, and I\u2019d love to inspire more people to travel to this beautiful corner of Australia.<\/p>\n Thanks for joining and sharing with us your journey and these valuable tips on traveling, Lauren!<\/p>\n If you want to know more about Lauren, here is where you can find her: Planning a trip to Â鶹APP ? Get ready !<\/p>\n These are\u00a0Amazon’s\u00a0best-selling<\/strong>\u00a0travel products that you may need for coming to Â鶹APP.<\/p>\n Bookstore<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Travel Gear<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\nI realized from a young age that I was always happiest when I was away from home. I was absolutely that person who had a calendar affixed to their wall so they could count down the days until their next holiday.<\/p>\n
\nThe country that\u2019s right at the top of my travel wishlist right now would have to be Egypt. I used to be obsessed with Ancient Egypt when I was younger, so getting to see all of those incredible monuments with my own eyes would be a thrilling experience. Hopefully, I\u2019ll get there soon!<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019ll give you the top three: Namibia, India, and Tonga.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.discoverwalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/lauren-on-dune-45.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nA story that always makes me giggle is the time I forgot my passport while traveling in Myanmar.<\/p>\n
\nAnd yet, for some reason, on that fateful Tuesday morning in Myanmar, I didn\u2019t bother to check that my passport was in my bag. I\u2019d been traveling for three years at that point and my passport had always been where I kept it, which was the front pocket of my daypack. Why would it have been anywhere else?<\/p>\n
\nI turned the corner to the street that my hotel was on, and a local began to call out to me.<\/p>\n
\nAnd then my pants fell down.<\/p>\n
\nWhen I entered the reception area of the hotel, the waistband of my pants clenched firmly in my fist, the owner of the property cheered and raised my passport above his head in a celebratory salute.<\/p>\n
\nOver the past year, I\u2019ve been surprised by how much my guide on how to start a travel blog<\/a> has taken off. So many people are starting travel blogs this year and it\u2019s been a pleasure to see.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nI\u2019d love to get to South America. Despite having traveled for the better part of 12 years and having visited 100-odd countries over that time, I still haven\u2019t stepped foot on the continent.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019m about to set off on my first big trip of the year! I\u2019ll be spending the next three months exploring rural South Korea, basing myself in London for a month, walking the 100-mile Wicklow Way in Ireland, then recovering from it all in beautiful Mauritius!<\/p>\n
\nI do have a new project! I launched a brand new travel website last month called Everything Victoria<\/a>. Last year, when my partner and I moved to Melbourne, we soon discovered there was a real lack of in-depth information on travel in the state of Victoria.<\/p>\n
\nNever Ending Footsteps Blog<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\n