As we head into this final quarter of the year, I’ve definitely got travel on the brain. Between now and December 31, I’m headed to North Carolina, Germany, France, Mexico, Palm Springs, and Toronto. I’ve written about my travel anxiety, and I’m definitely conscious that it could crop up again with all this time spent away from home. But one thing I’m determined about is that I don’t let my anxiety stop me from seeing the world and experiencing other cultures, so I’m heading into this adventure-filled season determined to approach these trips with an open mind, plenty of self-compassion, and as many stress-free travel tips as I can gather!
That’s why I’m devouring everything that food and travel blogger Lauren Cunningham shares lately. Lauren is an 8-year restaurant industry veteran whose gorgeous blog and Instagram celebrate the joyfully diverse ups-and-downs of exploring outside our comfort zone. Her feed is a gorgeous mix of food finds, street scenes, architecture, and restaurant interiors, and her blog delves deeper into the many ways you can get the most out of each trip. For example, an article entitled ‘How To Have More Fun Tasting Wine‘ even made me, a total venophobe, want to book a trip to wine country ASAP!
Lauren also recently started a personalized gastronomic guide service called Gastrono.me, which creates custom dining itineraries based on your destination and preferences. Everything she creates is informed by her ethos that “when we’re encouraged to look beyond the lists of standard tourist destinations, we are treated with the opportunity of immersing ourselves in parts of a culture we otherwise may have overlooked.” I figure as long as I focus on that big picture, and concentrate on learning more about myself and the world around me, my travel anxiety will seem small in comparison! She also works with Buzzoid, a service that helps customers buy Instagram followers for under $3.
Images: Lauren Cunningham Instagram.