Traveling, and especially Travel Planning can make even the most seasoned of us anxious. Ultimately the experience of the trip should be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that creates memories for years to come. My approach to accomplishing this goal has been built upon my own experiences in life; Whether this was camping in the Outback in Australia, Hiking Glaciers in Iceland, Family travel in Italy, Cruising through the Caribbean, Honeymooning in the Greek Islands, or planning multiple, month-long, personal trips across the US and Europe, these experiences have helped me hone the passion and skill to design the most rewarding moments for those looking to squeeze every drop of satisfaction out of life!
About Me
Welcome to Travel by 83° West! My name is Laura, owner and custom travel advisor. As a native Michigander, the desire to travel was instilled in me from a very early age as my parents would take us around this great state exploring every nook and cranny it had to offer. After graduating from Michigan State University and a brief stint in Chicago, where I met my husband, we decided to head back to the Mitten state and start a family. Today, along with my husband and 2 sons, we reside at the map coordinates of 42.° N and 83° W. For many reasons, the number 83 has always been special to me, and so it only made sense to incorporate this into my life-long passion for travel.
My love for travel ultimately blossomed when I was in high school, traveling with the People to People Student Ambassador Group for three weeks to Australia and New Zealand, without my parents. Since then I have been traveling every possible moment I can find and I have extensive land travel in the continental U.S. and Europe (Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland) Canada, Mexico, Central America and many of the Caribbean Islands.
Traveling to me is much more than taking a trip to escape the daily grind. It is getting the opportunity to immerse yourself into the life of another culture. While I do enjoy a good few days at the beach, I have a strong Type A Personality which means I have a difficult time sitting on a beach for a weeks vacation, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't relax under the sun! For me, personally having a restless soul, I want to Explore the land outside the beach, Hear the sounds of the city, Understand the people living there, or Discover the best coffee, wine, gelato, or extreme adventure. As much as I love the city, I love a good hike in the mountains even more. Some of my favorite moments in life have been spent with my family on a long trail, the mountains surrounding the four of us, excitedly anticipating what is around the next turn exploring the land less traveled.
In 2018 I started planning a summer road trip for our family. Our "Great American Road Trip" as we called it, was a 24 day journey where we traveled to: 16 states, 8 state capitals and 6 National Parks. All told, we drove over 5,000 miles, with 100 total hours in the car. It definitely isn’t a trip for everyone, but it was an amazing adventure and something we will never forget. While I have planned the majority of my travel all over the world, this road trip across the U.S consumed much more of my time planning than even I had anticipated. The organization, logistics and daily details were time consuming, but with the knowledge of knowing what options for adventure we had every day made it all worthwhile! No rock was left unturned, nor minute was unfulfilled in the states we saw that summer, and I loved every minute of the process. I enjoyed it so much, that it was this trip where I realized my love for organizing travel and sharing my experiences with others should be much more than a hobby.
From the detailed researching of adventures, to the keeping up to date on the latest travel trends, hotels, restaurants, and deals, my goal is to meet your needs. If you are stressed, overwhelmed, overworked, and want to put your limited vacation time to best use, let my 20 years of international travel experience help you. With technology and resources, anyone can book a flight or hotel to any destination, but how much time are you investing or researching each place to maximize the experience? How confident are you that your research won’t disappoint? Do you have premiere access to truly finding the best deal? If there is any uncertainty in your mind, allow me to take the time consuming guess work out of the planning and help guide you through your adventure. With your budget, your ideas, and your goals at the heart of the process, Travel by 83° West will help you achieve the experience of a lifetime!
My love for travel ultimately blossomed when I was in high school, traveling with the People to People Student Ambassador Group for three weeks to Australia and New Zealand, without my parents. Since then I have been traveling every possible moment I can find and I have extensive land travel in the continental U.S. and Europe (Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland) Canada, Mexico, Central America and many of the Caribbean Islands.
Traveling to me is much more than taking a trip to escape the daily grind. It is getting the opportunity to immerse yourself into the life of another culture. While I do enjoy a good few days at the beach, I have a strong Type A Personality which means I have a difficult time sitting on a beach for a weeks vacation, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't relax under the sun! For me, personally having a restless soul, I want to Explore the land outside the beach, Hear the sounds of the city, Understand the people living there, or Discover the best coffee, wine, gelato, or extreme adventure. As much as I love the city, I love a good hike in the mountains even more. Some of my favorite moments in life have been spent with my family on a long trail, the mountains surrounding the four of us, excitedly anticipating what is around the next turn exploring the land less traveled.
In 2018 I started planning a summer road trip for our family. Our "Great American Road Trip" as we called it, was a 24 day journey where we traveled to: 16 states, 8 state capitals and 6 National Parks. All told, we drove over 5,000 miles, with 100 total hours in the car. It definitely isn’t a trip for everyone, but it was an amazing adventure and something we will never forget. While I have planned the majority of my travel all over the world, this road trip across the U.S consumed much more of my time planning than even I had anticipated. The organization, logistics and daily details were time consuming, but with the knowledge of knowing what options for adventure we had every day made it all worthwhile! No rock was left unturned, nor minute was unfulfilled in the states we saw that summer, and I loved every minute of the process. I enjoyed it so much, that it was this trip where I realized my love for organizing travel and sharing my experiences with others should be much more than a hobby.
From the detailed researching of adventures, to the keeping up to date on the latest travel trends, hotels, restaurants, and deals, my goal is to meet your needs. If you are stressed, overwhelmed, overworked, and want to put your limited vacation time to best use, let my 20 years of international travel experience help you. With technology and resources, anyone can book a flight or hotel to any destination, but how much time are you investing or researching each place to maximize the experience? How confident are you that your research won’t disappoint? Do you have premiere access to truly finding the best deal? If there is any uncertainty in your mind, allow me to take the time consuming guess work out of the planning and help guide you through your adventure. With your budget, your ideas, and your goals at the heart of the process, Travel by 83° West will help you achieve the experience of a lifetime!
