Hello fellow wanderer, I’m Lauren (aka Wanderluluu)!

I’m an award-nominated blogger from Massachusetts on a mission to debunk the myth that the world is a scary and dangerous place for female travelers…starting with Colombia! 30+ countries, across 5 continents later, I now call Bogotá, Colombia home after visiting on and off since 2015, and am here to show you all the beautiful travel experiences you can have not only here in Colombia, but in destinations across the world!

So, what’s my story?

Unlike a lot of travel bloggers out there, I did not grow up traveling. In fact, my first international trip (besides a few all-inclusive resort vacations with my family growing up) was when I studied abroad in Rome during my junior year of college back in 2011. That was the travel experience that changed my life and opened up my world. From that moment on, I knew I needed to incorporate travel into my life on a deeper level.

After 3 years of working in a 9-5 office setting at an e-commerce fashion company in Boston and simultaneously working as a waitress in a local pizza restaurant after college, I realized that every spare penny I made and every spare moment I had went towards traveling. In 2015, I made the decision to quit my 2 jobs, wait for the lease on my apartment to expire, pack up (and get rid) my stuff, and moved to Melbourne, Australia by myself to find adventure and start this very blog!

I lived in Australia and solo-traveled throughout Southeast Asia for about a year, and I have been traveling around the world ever since! For several years I worked as the COO for Pangea Dreams & hosted women’s entrepreneur retreats across the globe.

Now I work as the Director of Brand Partnerships at Wanderful where I work with amazing sponsors like Destination DC, Googe for Creators, Breeze Airways, Microsoft Start, MiO, Go Rving, and dozens more to support our industry-leading events. I’m also the founder and CEO of Wally The Wandering Wallaby, a children’s book collection and brand that inspires children to travel. I now reside in Bogotá, Colombia full-time with my fiance.

Why Colombia?

Back in June of 2015, my fiance moved to Colombia for work and I have been visiting ever since. It wasn’t until the summer of 2019 where I finally made the move down here to live in a more full-time capacity and I’ve been loving every minute! Although my fiance is what originally brought me to Colombia, I have fallen in love with this country because of the unique experiences I’ve had like zip-lining through the treetops of the Amazon Rainforest, hiking 4 days through the jungle to reach a 1,000-year-old Lost City, horseback riding through coffee-covered hillsides of Colombia, learning basic Spanish language skills in Medellin, and dancing in the parade like a local at Carnaval de Barranquilla – to name a few.

What does the “Beyond” part mean in “Wanderluluu | Colombia Travel & Beyond”?

It means that although I have the expertise and main focus in Colombia travel, I write about destinations around the world beyond just Colombia! Some of my favorite countries besides Colombia are Vietnam, Italy, and Japan, to name a few! I plan to always be exploring new places across the globe and sharing my experience here with you!

What will you get out of this blog?

So often we hear how scary and dangerous the world is, especially for female travelers. I’m on a mission to debunk that myth and to provide as much value as possible by always keeping it real and sharing all the information and knowledge that I learn through my travel experiences. This blog provides detailed itineraries, guides, and transportation advice for each featured destination in order to give you the confidence you need to travel on your own, no matter the destination. I typically partner with boutique, locally-owned, and eco-friendly hotels, tours, and brands and will always disclose when sponsored travel is involved.

Thank you for being on this journey with me!

Wander on,

Wanderluluu xx