Get to know… Capturing La Vita

So, Laurel from Capturing La Vita, what do you blog about? What is la vita? Life! This is a blog about living! It’s about inspiring and being inspired. I share my passion for travel, Italy, photography, Dreamchasing and chasing the Dreamchasers! Sometimes it’s about traveling with kids and sometimes it’s about adult travel. You will also frequently see me talking about the people of Giglio Island, Italy and the Costa Concordia disaster. I am currently writing a book, due out this spring, about the human side of the Costa Concordia disaster and the experiences during the rescue and the aftermath with the people of Giglio.

Favorite late night snack? Greek yogurt. You can get it pretty much anywhere you travel and it is so good!

Best food discovery? Umm, Italy. Ok, if I had to choose, it would be ravioli with truffles- This was my first full body culinary experience! Food was never the same for me after this!

One thing you can’t leave the house without? No question, my camera. I am a professional photographer and it kills me to be in a great moment and not have my camera on me!

Plane, train, car or boat? Depends on where I’m going! I’m up for all of them, as long as they get me there!

Carry on or checked bag? Oh my, both. I have mastered taking as much as I can on the plane and packing my checked bag to the pound! I carry my camera/computer bag (which is a backpack that I can put other things in), my purse, and a memory foam pillow rolled and wrapped with a scarf. I go back and forth to Italy quite a bit, so I always try to leave things there each trip so I can travel lighter the next time.

What kind of luggage do you prefer? I use a wheeled suitcase that I check and a heavy-duty camera/computer backpack to carry-on.

Do you ever get tired of packing? Actually, I’m getting rather good at it. Where it used to take me days, I can now get it done pretty quickly, depending on the season. It’s much more of a challenge to pack all the winter stuff and make it fit!

Favorite place you have traveled to? Giglio Island, Italy. It is my paradise.

Dreaming of going to next? I am currently planning an extended trip to Italy and SE Asia with my children. I am a single-parent and I have 3 kids, ages 4, 9 and 12. We are hoping it will be the adventure of our lives!

One thing you search out on your travels? People! The best part of traveling to me is immersing myself in the local culture. Making friends with the locals is the way to go for me!

Best travel advice? Keep an open mind when things are different from what you are used to. Try not to judge another culture because it seems strange. Ride the wave of each experience.

Worst travel advice? Don’t bother learning any of the language, you’ll be fine. They all speak English! This may be fine if you are traveling on the beaten path or with a big tour group. If you want to immerse yourself in the culture, I feel you need to make an attempt at the language.

Favorite jet lag trick? Wish I had a great one. I just try to stay awake when I have to and force myself to sleep with the timezone of where I am.

Biggest travel pet peeve? When I see people from my own country not respecting the culture of where we are.

Most embarrassing incident while traveling? This would probably have to be with learning the language. I once asked my Italian partner’s mother (in Italian) if I could please walk the dogs for her. I found out later that I had asked her, “Could I please put meat on my feet for you?” That was pretty funny.

Most beautiful sunset/sunrise? Sunrise- Sleeping outside on the beach in Santo Stefano and waking up to the most amazing sunrise of my life. Sunset- The sun setting over the Tuscan countryside never ceases to take my breath away.

Most amazing accidental discovery? After spending hours alone and lost in Rome, I was directed down an alleyway and told to enter the backdoor of an unassuming church. I first found myself weaving through the hallways of the church offices and I expected to walk into a modest little chapel.  I ended up entering the largest and most beautiful cathedral in Rome. It brought tears to my eyes.

And finally…sweet or savory? Sweet. Europe and their pastries… my total weakness!

If you would like to be inspired, please feel free to sail on over to Capturing la Vita! You never know what you may find or what it may inspire you to do! Have you always dreamed of Tuscany? Come travel with us! We offer off-the-beaten-path Tuscan immersion tours at Capturing Tuscany! We even have a special family tour! You could follow us on Facebook too, if you like us, than “Like” us! I love pinning about travel! Come see what wonderful travel gems I have discovered on Pinterest! If that’s not enough, there is always Twitter! @capturinglavita

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walking on travels: keep traveling, keep moving forward;
take your kids walking on life’s path to adventure

Get to know… Capturing La Vita written by Keryn Means

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