Travel

How To Plan Your Dream Europe Trip (A 10-Step Guide)

May 29, 2015 By Lauren

Last summer, Jordan and I spent our 5 weeks of summer traveling through Europe. We started in Ireland, where we visited some friends and drank lots of Guinness. Next, we headed to Scotland, where we learned about the dark history of Edinburgh, took a boat tour of Loch Ness, and took trains through the Scottish Highlands. From there, we hopped on a plane to Germany, and spent the next 3 weeks exploring Munich, Salzburg, the Swiss Alps, Geneva, Paris, and Bordeaux. It was the trip of a lifetime, and we loved every minute of it (minus the occasional frustrating moment dealing with French train officials. Seriously…they were the worst.)

And now for a not so humble brag….I planned the ENTIRE trip without the help of a travel agent, and I’m pretty proud of it! Below you’ll find a summary of the process I went through to plan our trip. I’m hoping to write some posts more specifically on packing, using a home base strategy, sightseeing, etc, but this is a great place to start!

Without further ado…here is my 10 step guide of how to plan your dream Europe trip!

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Womanly Wednesday: A Guest Post on Chasing After Dreams

May 27, 2015 By Lauren

Holy moly…there are no words to describe THE Haley George. She is my best friend, and more than almost anyone I know has taught me how to love and be loved, how to share life and hearts and struggles. The way she has run after her dream of being a photographer in the midst of fear and doubt is beautiful, and she is one of the bravest, wisest, most adventurous and well-traveled people I know. It is an honor to have her as my friend and as my very first Womanly Wednesday guest post. Check out her website to see more of her gorgeous photos and stories!

There’s no one in the world who could have stared me in the eyes ten years ago and convinced me that my life would look the way it does today. Part of the beauty in getting to be a photographer, and the reason I love telling stories for a living, is the unexpectedness that comes with the process. I’m convinced that every story, in its unexpectedness, joy, and hardship, has much to offer the world— even mine.

Sometimes the way that pieces fit together is obvious; other times, despite the answer being right in front of you, those pieces seem too scattered to connect. Though I carried a camera around everywhere, I never considered being a photographer. Though I loved speaking other languages and experienced a natural ease toward learning words, I never imagined stepping outside of the classroom to use them. Though I loved traveling, I never realized it to be made for more than leisure. Though stories from across the world tugged at my heart like nothing else could, I never dared to enter into them. I’d like to say it has been easy to connect these pieces, but “formative, long, dependent, unfinished” is the more honest set of words that describe my process.

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Sobremesa Stories

April 19, 2015 By Lauren

La Sobremesa: The time spent at the table after a meal; laughing, talking, and sharing stories with the people around the table.

Ever since I was a little girl watching the grownups sip their wine and share old stories around the dinner table, I have felt a certain magic in the moments after a meal: crumbs of dessert scattered across plates, candles burning low, and conversation turning to laughter and memories. I loved hearing my dad reminisce about his travels through Europe (complete with many spot-on accents), my mom’s loud and contagious laugh, and the back and forth of neighbors and friends discussing everything from the latest Angels baseball season to the brokenness and hurt in their homes.

Sharing stories at a Wedding Table, Rustic pink and white flower in jars, burlap runners, candles , globe lights in barn.

In Spain, there is a specific word to describe this time around the table after a meal: la sobremesa. Spaniards are accustomed to spending a long period of time in the middle of the day sharing lunch with friends, family, and colleagues, taking time to savor a meal and conversation before the work day continues. There is no direct English translation for this Spanish word that so beautifully encompasses a culture of lingering, a culture of spending time around the table with the ones who remind us we are known and loved and worth listening to.

Any time I have traveled, this cultural tradition has challenged my on-time, driven nature. It reminds me to choose people and stories over to-do lists, even when my introverted self wants nothing more than to cozy up on the couch with some Moose Tracks ice cream and an old episode of Gilmore Girls. When I moved to Kansas City, Missouri to get married and “settle down,” I knew I wanted to carry the tradition of sobremesa with me.

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