A Conversation with Lauren Richardson — TripIt Blog

Heading Locations is a new sequence from TripIt that highlights regular travelers to showcase their special journey styles and insider suggestions. 

For Lauren Richardson, vacation blogger at Lauren’s Suitcase, travel is all about getting imaginative. That is, finding resourceful with how she travels, the place she travels, and how she manages her journey finances. 

“As a graduate scholar, I have to juggle my confined spending budget with my enthusiasm for journey,” Lauren advised me. “I’m always on the lookout for strategies to save when I travel—from just taking my carry-on bag and not choosing a seat ahead of test-in (no excess expenses!) to relying on airfare specials and mistake fares to remaining as adaptable as attainable.” 

Enter: COVID-19, and Lauren at the time once again experienced to get resourceful with vacation setting up. 

“I prepared A Whole lot of road trips,” she explained. “About six months into the pandemic, my fiancé and I transformed a Subaru into a motor vehicle-camper and used two weeks touring by some of the (U.S.) Rocky Mountain states.” 

Without the need of these myriad road blocks, Lauren may possibly not have frequented her preferred beneath-the-radar place to date: New Mexico. 

“New Mexico has something for anyone! Food, society, tenting, national parks, a warm air balloon festival… to me, it is a person of the most disregarded destinations in the U.S. If it weren’t for the pandemic switching many of my journey ideas, I could not have accomplished that trip. I’m so glad I had the probability to stop by.” 

Journey scheduling? Tunes to her ears 

Whether on the street or in the sky, Lauren likes to maintain her vacation plans arranged with TripIt. 

“I wasn’t at all organized right up until I identified TripIt,” she shared. “It’s so helpful to have almost everything in a person spot. When I backpacked by way of Europe a couple of yrs back, I booked so a lot of modes of transportation: bus, prepare, plane—you name it. Possessing TripIt aided me continue to keep monitor of it all.” 

“I use TripIt even when I do not vacation,” she explained. “I’m a large live tunes lover, so I forward all my tickets for future concerts to the app—that way I know what reveals I have booked, what venues they’re playing at, and extra.” 

On staying safe and sound whilst touring solo—and finding out from the locals

A further TripIt function Lauren relies on is the capacity to share her vacation plans—a practice she’s gotten into particularly when using a solo vacation. 

“I’m so grateful for the solo visits I’ve taken. I applied to place off journeys till I uncovered a vacation buddy, but then I had this ah-ha minute, like, why am I waiting around for someone to go with?” she shared. “But of program, I want to be safe and sound when I vacation by myself, so the capacity to share my TripIt itineraries gives me—and my family—peace of brain when I’m likely it by yourself.” 

Lauren also keeps an eye on the basic safety rating of her desired destination with TripIt’s Neighborhood Protection Scores, so she can prepare ahead if she’s browsing somewhere that has a heightened level of risk. 

So, what’s her guidance for making the most of a solo vacation? “Make friends with the locals! I like to get somewhere and fake I reside there. So, I usually make a position to get to know the locals, and inquire about what they like to do.”

“I also opt for to stay at hostels for solo travelers for the reason that they have loved ones dinners and host going for walks excursions that make it effortless to meet individuals,” she included. 

Did you know? The latest study knowledge from TripIt confirmed a single-3rd (33%) of People scheduling to travel solo stated their vacation would also be a bucket-record trip. 

Any other tips for fellow budget travelers—solo or otherwise? “Always reserve your flights initially,” she mentioned. “And be flexible. Selling prices can vary by just a working day or two, so catching a great flight offer on a a little different departure day could open up space in your price range for an excursion you’ve had your eye on.” 

Want to master far more of Lauren’s guidelines for touring on a spending plan? Check out out her Instagram and blog site for more concepts, and uncover out exactly where she (and her have-on suitcase) is headed upcoming.  

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