Travel and experiencing our world is one of the foundational pillars of this company, and each of you have incredible journeys to inspire us, and knowledge that we hope to learn from. Through this series, we hope to share insights from women like you as they travel our globe bolding pursuing their daring life adventures.

Today’s contributor is Lauren Gowins. Lauren is the founder and CEO of Bold Agency, a creative strategy marketing agency. Though she is currently living Stateside, Lauren spent most of her pre-college years around the World. We are excited to get to know Lauren as she shares her pro-travel tips!

WELCOME ABOARD LAUREN!

Tell us a little about yourself.

LAUREN: Hi, I am Lauren Gowins! Although I was born in the United States, I have been fortunate enough to have spent most of my days growing up overseas. From Doha to Delhi to Dubai, my family and I moved all across the world. Which made it really hard to answer the question, “where are you from?” when I moved back to the States for college.

After graduating from the University of Montevallo with a degree in Graphic Design and Public Relations, I now happily reside in Huntsville, AL with my husband and two pups.

TAKING FLIGHT:

Where are you off to next and why?

LAUREN: It’s a toss up right now. My husband and I are planning our 5 year anniversary trip which was originally planned for Thailand, one of my favorite places in the world. However, political issues and COVID protocols are making us look elsewhere. So right now we are narrowing it down to Curaçao, Turks And Caicos, or maybe a spot in Mexico!

MILEAGE CLUB:

As an avid traveler, what are your go-to travel hacks?

LAUREN: When you traveling through an airport, don’t dress to impress. Practicality wins every time. Wear shoes you can easily slip off. Invest in a clear plastic zip bag for items that need to be quickly grabbed: passport, tickets, cash, etc. Also, invest in a really good travel pillow! Hmm…oh, definitely bring chapstick. You don’t realize how dehydrated your body gets in an airplane. Lastly, a Kindle or e-reader is a life saver for long delays and won’t weigh your bag down if you are a book lover.

TRAVEL TRINKETS:

What’s your favorite travel souvenir?

LAUREN: My mother calls these “dust collectors”, haha! I always like getting a piece of art from anywhere we go. Whether it is a handmade fabric llama I got in Belize, or a carved face mask from Cozumel. I love collecting memories in our house.

PERSONAL SPACE:

We’ve all had that neighbor who does THAT THING… What’s your biggest plane etiquette pet peeve?

LAUREN: Someone not wearing deodorant…yep.

IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT:

On the airplane I tend to…

LAUREN: I watch as many “free” movies as I can, then take a Benadryl and sleep for as long as possible. The average trip back home to see my parents in Dubai was about 26 hours. So I got really good at napping.

SECURITY CHECK:

Do you get to the airport 4 hours early or get there just in time to walk on the plane?

LAUREN: Nervous Nelly. When you travel overseas, there are so many things that can happen i.e. gate changes and security check lines. So it is best to always to allow yourself more time than you expect.

TOURIST ATTRACTION:

Favorite thing you did on your last trip?

LAUREN: During one of my favorite trips with my family in Thailand, we hiked up to the top of an active Buddhist monastery in Phuket. It had stunning views of the island and when you reach the very top, you can go through a ceremony and get blessed by one of the monks. It is one of the most surreal experiences.

LOCAL FLAVOR:

Food/snack/beverage we shouldn’t miss from your travel destination?

LAUREN: If you are traveling through Dubai, you have to try a vegetable or cheese manakeesh from a local Lebanese bakery. It’s kind of like a really thick Mediterranean quesadilla. But if you head further south to Thailand, you must snag some satay chicken from the market.

TRAVEL ITINERARY:

Do you plan everything down to the date, time and place where you will be each day on your journey, or are you a more of a “fly by the seat of your pants” traveler?

LAUREN: I’d like to hope I am somewhere in between. I like having a general plan to guide the trip, but l also love sprinkling in some unplanned adventures!

TAKE HEART. TAKE FLIGHT.

Our motto - Take Heart. Take Flight. - calls us to courageously search for who we were meant to be, to break free of the fears holding us back, and to boldly pursue the daring adventure set before us. Tell us how you are living this motto in your life.

LAUREN: I love this! In 2019 I made the decision to start my own company and each day is a scary adventure that I am thankful to be on. Pushing back our fears and learning to pursue our dream takes courage, but it is so rewarding!