What happens when a business trip to source vanilla completely rewrites your understanding of food, travel, and community? That's exactly what happened to Emmanuel Laroche, flavor expert, culinary storyteller, and host of the Flavors Unknown podcast. Born in France and raised in the kitchen by his mother, Emmanuel brings a lifetime of culinary curiosity to his travels. When he went to Madagascar, he discovered caviar production feeding impoverished children, honey that's actively protecting forests, and a culture where food carries deep meaning. In this episode, Laura and Emmanuel geek out over pink peppercorn, Tokyo sushi, Mexico City street food, and the great Wisconsin cheese curd debate. It's a conversation about why paying attention to where your food comes from can — and does — change lives.

Ecuador wasn't even on the radar — until it suddenly was. When Laura received a last-minute invitation to scout the country and couldn't go herself, she did what any resourceful travel entrepreneur would do: she called the one person she knew would say yes without flinching. Enter Krista Parks, energy healer, trauma coach, resident woo-woo, and now — self-proclaimed birdwatcher.

What followed was a whirlwind private tour through some of Ecuador's most jaw-dropping landscapes: cloud forests, the Amazon rainforest, volcanic highlands, and the adventure town of Baños. Krista fed hummingbirds from her hands, got a cacao facial in Mindo, navigated a thigh-deep cave hike with a machete, and learned about shamanic traditions from an Amazonian tribe — all in one week.

In this episode, Krista walks us through every highlight, what surprised her most, and why Ecuador is the perfect destination for Laura's signature New Year's group trip.

If you've ever ditched a museum to photograph a street cat, this episode is your people. Laura sits down with Jeff Bogle — travel writer, photographer, and author of Street Cats and Where to Find Them — for a conversation that starts with cats and ends somewhere beautifully deeper. Jeff has visited 20 destinations across five continents specifically to find, photograph, and connect with street cats, and what he's discovered along the way goes far beyond feline fandom. He talks about how cats pull us out of tourist bubbles and into real neighborhoods, why Lima, Peru earns his rare five-toe-bean rating, and the lesson in consent and resilience that every cat quietly teaches us. He also shares the story of Tilly, his soul cat and the heart behind the whole book. Oh, and there's a Mediterranean street cat cruise happening this fall. Yes, really. Stay for the giveaway details at the end — you won't want to miss it.

What if flying business class wasn't just for people with corporate expense accounts or trust funds? Ashley Peterson of Ashley Gets Around has spent years proving it doesn't have to be. Her flight deal service — the only women-owned premium-only service in the space — sends subscribers deals that run anywhere from 30 to 80% off typical business and first class prices.

In this episode, Ashley pulls back the curtain on how she finds deals before anyone else does, why hub airports like Minneapolis might actually be working against you, and what "mistake fares" really are (and how fast you need to move when one drops). She also gets refreshingly honest about credit card points, airline loyalty, and why even she — a person who literally teaches people to earn status — mostly just grabs the first card in her wallet. This is the episode that might finally get you to stop flying economy.

What does it actually look like to build a life you chose — not one you inherited by default? In this episode, Laura sits down with Emily Paulsen, host of Curious Life of a Child-Free Woman, to get into the nuances of living intentionally outside the traditional life map. They talk about why child-free representation matters, how online communities create tension instead of connection, and what happens when life surprises you (spoiler: Laura shares something she's never said publicly before). Emily brings her signature no-agenda energy to a conversation that isn't about convincing anyone of anything — it's about having the space to actually think for yourself. Whether you're child-free by choice, by circumstance, or somewhere in the beautifully messy middle, this episode will make you question how many of your daily habits, life timelines, and held-off experiences are really yours — and which ones you just inherited without asking.

Laura's first solo episode is exactly what it sounds like — personal, a little uncomfortable, and completely worth it. She unpacks a year of major life changes: falling for someone she almost didn't give a chance, learning what "childfree" really means when life doesn't go according to plan, moving into a new home, and reckoning with a business that no longer looks like the one she set out to build. If you've been following along and wondering what's really going on behind the scenes, this is your answer.

In this deeply anticipated follow-up episode, Laura reunites with Andrés Asevís — beloved Cuba tour guide, author, and now, a free man. After a lifetime on the island, Andrés made it to Spain just days before an oil crisis grounded international flights and plunged Cuba into deeper chaos. One week into his new life, he joins Laura to share the raw, unfiltered experience of stepping into the first world for the first time: navigating digital payments, discovering cheap European fashion, eating McDonald's, grappling with too many cheese options, and processing the profound, disorienting joy of simply having choices. This is part two of Andrés's story — honest, emotional, and completely worth the wait.

Remember when wedding registries meant crystal and china? Sara Margulis didn't just question that tradition—she built an entire business around challenging it. As co-founder and CEO of Honeyfund, Sara turned her personal solution into a platform that's helped nearly 1.6 million couples receive over $1 billion in wedding gifts. But this isn't just about funding vacations. It's about a fundamental shift in how we celebrate love and what actually matters when starting a life together.

In our conversation, Sara reveals what she's learned from watching millions of people give the gift of travel, why couples who honeymoon stay happier longer, and how Gen Z is completely rewriting the wedding playbook. We dive into 2026's surprising honeymoon trends, the psychology behind why experiences beat things, and practical strategies for making dream trips happen. Whether you're planning a honeymoon, questioning wedding traditions, or just curious about how love and travel intersect, this episode will shift your perspective on what truly matters.

What happens when a rebellious kid barred from the kitchen becomes a self-taught chef creating meals that make people lose their minds? Meet Hannan, the chef behind Tamoont Dining + Gathering, whose culinary journey began not in a prestigious cooking school, but watching Food Network on basic cable while her stepmom ruled the kitchen with an iron fist.

Raised between Wisconsin, Morocco, and Tunisia, Hannan has traveled to over 20 countries across four continents, always observing how people gather, slow down, and use food to build genuine connection. From flying solo at age seven with a diplomatic passport to working in professional kitchens at 15, she's someone who learned cooking the hard way—through failure, persistence, and an obsessive attention to how food brings people together.

In this episode, we dive deep into the lost art of slowing down, trusting your instincts even when everyone thinks you're crazy, and why Americans have completely forgotten how to relax.

Self-taught Kenyan wildlife photographer Justin Emanuel shares his journey from high school camera owner to safari expert, plus insider tips on overlanding, what to pack (and not pack), and why the best camera for your safari might be no camera at all.

That $499 tour deal you're eyeing? Someone in the supply chain isn't getting paid fairly.

In this episode, I sit down with Iris Serbanescu, founder of By Iris Representation and wmnsWORK, to unpack the truth about ethical travel and greenwashing in the tourism industry. With 13 years of experience across tech, luxury, and adventure sectors, Iris has seen both the best and worst of our industry.

We dive into how to identify truly ethical tour operators versus companies just using sustainability buzzwords for marketing. Iris breaks it down into two key questions: Where does your money actually go, and how does the company minimize harm to local communities and ecosystems?

The conversation covers the real economics of solo travel and why women travelers face a "single supplement" penalty on top of already making 75 cents on the dollar. We also discuss the sobering reality that while 60% of the travel industry is made up of women, less than 8% of executive positions are held by women.

But this isn't just about what's wrong—Iris is actively changing the industry through wmnsWORK, the first tourism-specific business accelerator for women and non-binary entrepreneurs in North America. She shares practical travel hacks from her years in the industry and explains why supporting small, locally-owned operators matters for sustainable tourism.

Whether you're planning your next trip or work in travel, this episode will help you become a smarter, more conscious traveler who understands that the cheapest option often comes at someone else's expense.

Travel coach Sonia Cruz Oro reveals how astrocartography maps your birth chart to geography, showing which destinations amplify creativity, healing, or major decisions—and why Laura keeps getting called to Egypt.

What happens when you stop waiting for perfect timing and start saying yes to everything? Laura sits down with Teresa Kalina, who rebuilt her life after divorce at 44 by embracing every opportunity that came her way. From signing up for BumbleBFF to build new friendships, to traveling to five countries, taking singing lessons, learning to paint, and working toward visiting all 50 states before turning 50, Teresa proves that it's never too late to start over. They discuss why waiting for the "right time" is dangerous, how group travel creates instant community when you need it most, and why your 40s might be the best decade to reinvent yourself. If you've ever thought "it's too late for me," this conversation will change your mind.

Forget the broken New Year's resolutions that fizzle by February. Laura sits down with Rachel Trapani, an elementary school teacher from Michigan who transformed from someone who took one trip she couldn't afford in 2019 to traveling internationally five times per year by 2023. They're sharing the exact 10 travel resolutions that made the difference—from automating savings accounts to packing light, surviving long-haul flights, and saying yes to trips that scared her. This episode includes a free downloadable guide packed with product recommendations, travel credit card tips, packing essentials, and apps they swear by. If you're done with vague promises and ready for an actual roadmap to make 2026 your best travel year yet, this is your episode.

What does it really take to leave everything behind and build a life abroad?

Five years ago, Lindsey Tague answered that question by buying a one-way ticket to Mexico. She hasn't looked back since. Today, she runs a successful content marketing business while living as a full-time digital nomad across seven countries—and in this episode, she's sharing the truth about what that journey actually looks like.

This isn't your typical "quit your job and travel the world" story filled with sunset photos and inspirational quotes. Lindsey gets refreshingly honest about the parts of nomadic life that don't make it to Instagram: the Airbnb disasters, the Colombian island with no electricity or running water, the language barriers that complicate everything from daily errands to romantic connections.

We dive deep into navigating the dating scene across multiple countries and cultures, and Lindsey opens up about the complicated reality of being an independent American woman in Latin American cultures where traditional gender roles still dominate. It's both attractive and challenging in ways she never expected.

What I love most about this conversation is how Lindsey makes the digital nomad lifestyle feel genuinely accessible. She's not promoting an unrealistic fantasy or selling you a course. She's simply sharing her experience—the messy, unglamorous, beautiful reality of building a life by design. She wasn't rich when she started. She wasn't fearless. She didn't have it all figured out. She just took one step, then another, and figured out the rest along the way.

If you've ever wondered whether this kind of life is possible for you, or if you're tired of the polished, curated version of nomadic life flooding your feed, this episode offers something different: honest answers, real stories, and proof that you don't need to have it all together to start living differently.

What happens when you throw three adventurous travelers into Mexico City during Day of the Dead? Magic. Chaotic, unpredictable, sometimes frustrating magic. In this episode, Laura sits down with Stacey, Betsy, and Megan to relive their unforgettable journey through one of Mexico's most sacred celebrations. You'll hear about Megan's 45-minute battle with acrophobia in a hot air balloon, a shaman cleansing that revealed everyone's reproductive health secrets, and the epic traffic disaster that turned their welcome dinner into a midnight taco run. But this episode isn't just about the adventure—it's about why Laura is saying goodbye to this trip. The overtourism during Day of the Dead has reached a tipping point, conflicting with her core mission to take travelers off the beaten path and support destinations that genuinely need tourism. It's a conversation about responsible travel, cultural immersion, and knowing when to let go.

Remember that I Love Lucy episode where Lucy stomps grapes and everything descends into beautiful chaos? That was essentially our Georgia trip—except our version included shotgunning wine from roof tiles, topless sulfur bath bonding within hours of meeting, and consuming absurd quantities of khachapuri. In this episode, Laura reunites with travelers Mea, Melissa, and Erik to share the real stories behind their Georgia adventure. This isn't just another travel highlight reel. You'll hear about the wine harvest day that spiraled gloriously out of control, abandoned Soviet spa complexes begging to be explored, unforgettable carpool karaoke sessions, and why this group formed the deepest bond Laura has experienced across nearly 30 trips. Georgia remains a mystery to most Americans, but with 8,000 years of winemaking history and hospitality that feels like aggressive kindness, it's a destination that transforms everyone who visits.

What happens when you lead 14 women to one of the world's most challenging destinations without ever having visited it yourself? Dawn Mullarney—known as the Unique Connector—did exactly that when she brought a group to Cuba this past January, and she's doing it again next month. After spending over two decades in corporate leadership and nearly burning out (doctors suspected a stroke at 35), Dawn now works as a business strategist helping leaders who've built successful businesses but feel like they're drowning. She chose Cuba not for personal bucket-list reasons but for its transformative nature—the discomfort that forces growth, the community connection, the opportunities to give back. In this episode, Dawn and Laura discuss the reality of group travel leadership, why perfectionism is the enemy of transformation, and why busy entrepreneurs desperately need to prioritize travel even when—especially when—they insist they don't have time.

Kerry Breckle got divorced in her early 60s and decided to fall in love with life again. Before this transformation, Kerry was afraid of flying, uncomfortable being away from home for long, and spent her days reading books to pass the time instead of living her own adventures. She describes that version of herself as "just existing"—a feeling many of us recognize when we're unhappy. The Kerry you'll meet in this episode is radically different. She's the woman who jumped into a hot air balloon over ancient pyramids in Mexico and got her first tattoo at 63 in a foreign country. In this powerful conversation, Kerry and Laura discuss the messy reality of starting over: the fear, the doubt, navigating divorce while booking plane tickets to unfamiliar destinations with strangers. Kerry's core message is both simple and revolutionary: You have a choice. Are you going to be bitter or better?

When Laura started planning her Kenya group trip, she wanted it to mean more than just adventure. She wanted to leave something meaningful behind. That's when she encountered period poverty—and felt embarrassed she'd never considered it before. Globally, 500 million women and girls lack access to safe, reliable period products. Girls miss school every single month. Their futures shrink because of something as fundamental as menstruation. Abby Hay, founder of Nora Period Care and Soul Purpose Foundation, has made eliminating period poverty her mission. Just back from Malawi where Nora's products are ethically manufactured, Abby shares how responsible production transforms entire communities while getting safe period care into the hands of women who desperately need it. Laura's partnering with Nora to provide reusable period kits to 260 Kenyan girls—each kit lasts 10 years and costs just $10. That's a decade of period care for the price of lunch.