Meet Lauren from Wanderlust Movement!

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In this interview, get introduced to Lauren from Wanderlust Movement!

Lauren Melnick is a South African travel blogger and digital nomad who runs Wanderlust Movement. When she isn’t exploring a far-flung destination, she helps women start location-independent businesses so that they have more time to travel the world.

Interesting in keeping up with Lauren’s adventures? Follow along on Instagram!

How long have you been blogging for? Why’d you decide to start a travel blog?

I’ve been blogging about my travels since 2016. I decided to start Wanderlust Movement after I quit my job to pursue my dream of becoming location independent.

Blogging was one of the avenues I used to become a full-time traveler.

Do you have any tips for new travel bloggers/aspiring travel bloggers?

I think my biggest tip is to start! Starting is always the hardest part because we have a lot of limiting beliefs that stop us from perusing what we really want.

Another tip that’s just as important is that you have to love it and be committed to learning as much about blogging as possible.

SEO, keyword research, affiliate marketing, and building an audience are all incredibly powerful pillars that will help you succeed and you need to take the time to master each one.

What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started traveling?

As someone who has had her passport stolen twice, I definitely wish I was more conscientious. 

Why do you love to travel?

I love the adventure! The world is so big and there are so many incredible things to see and discover. I really want to explore as much of this planet as possible. I really feel that is my purpose in life and my vision for myself.

What’s your best and worst travel experience?

I’ve had so many phenomenal experiences traveling! But seeing a group of gorillas in Rwanda by accident (I was doing the Dian Fossey trek and not the super expensive gorilla trek) is at the top. But also spending two weeks in Croatia (where my family is from) was a super special experience!

My worst travel experience has to be when my passport was stolen in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It also happened again a year later when I was waiting for my taxi in Tbilisi, Georgia to go to the airport and my bag was stolen along with my passport and new DSLR camera.

Do you prefer solo travel or traveling with other people? Why?

I prefer traveling solo because I don’t have many people in my life that can travel as much as me. So if I had to wait around for other people, I wouldn’t have had half of the adventures or seen so much of the world.

What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been to? Why?

Yoh. This is a tough question. In Asia, Vietnam and Singapore have been my absolute favorite destinations. Vietnam has delicious food (I loved how easy it was to find vegan Vietnamese food) and the natural scenery is spellbinding.

In Singapore, you can see so much by just walking around. I loved how cheap the food was at the Hawker Centre and how genuine and helpful the people were.

What’s your biggest travel tip?

Use Skyscanner! It’s the best way to find the cheapest flights departing from any destination. I’ve found incredible deals on there and it’s saved me so much money on flights.

Is there one specific thing you like to do, see, or buy in every place that you visit?

Does eating food count?

Lol. I always try to find a vegan version of the local cuisine and I try my best to support local restaurants, shops, and tour providers as much as possible. 

Is there one particular food that you’ve tried while traveling that you loved? What food was it and why do you love it so much?

Vietnamese coffee. It holds the key to my heart. I would die happy if I had a permanent supply around me at all times.

But for food, I am obsessed with the bread in Georgia. I spent two months there and would buy a fresh loaf every single day. It was heaven.

Quick Questions

Plane or train? Train

Hotel or hostel? Hotel

City or nature? Nature

Popular site or off the beaten path? Off the beaten path

Suitcase or backpack? Backpack

Fast travel or slow travel? Slow travel

Professional camera or iPhone photography? DSLR

Warm or cold weather? Warm

All photos used throughout this post are courtesy of Lauren from Wanderlust Movement!