Lea Rose Allbaugh is a freelance writer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. She’s currently based in Chicago (except for when she’s on a traveling stint), and is obsessed with all things travel. She caught the travel bug back in 2015 during an exchange to the Netherlands, and has been traveling ever since. Through her writing, she hopes to inspire others to get up and go experience the world. Aside from travel, she loves reading, writing, and anything creative. She writes on her website Written World.
🌟 Favorite Destinations:Chicago, Illinois; North Carolina; Portugal; Italy; and the Philippines
🎓 Education: UNC Charlotte (B.A. in Communications Studies with focus in International PR), B.A. in Dance Performance, 2020
✔️ Fun Facts: I danced (mostly ballet) for about 18 years, I’m an avid journaler, and I can say “bless you” in 8 languages so sneeze away (but don’t actually).
Meet Lea Rose
Tagaytay, Philippines
Barcelona, Spain
Chicago, Illinois
São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
📚 What was Your Favorite Travel Experience or Story?
One of my favorite travel memories comes from the semester I spent in Florence, Italy during college. Every Thursday evening after my travel writing class, my friends and I would have dinner together at a nearby dim sum restaurant. It became a weekly tradition followed by a walk through Piazza della Signoria and the Duomo before heading home for the night.
I adore this memory just for how ironically un-Italian it is. I loved immersing myself in the local culture through food, people, and language during my time in Florence, but something about this memory just makes me smile. It was one of the things that made the city feel like home to me. And to this day, I like to tell people “nothing reminds me of Italy the way that dim sum does.”
It just goes to show that some of the most memorable travel experiences aren’t what you think they’ll be, and instead, they’re ones that you create by doing something a little unexpected.
🗺️ What’s Your #1 Expert Travel Tip?
Don’t be afraid of straying from your itinerary. In my opinion, some of the best, most meaningful travel experiences can come from the in-between moments; where you stumble upon amazing places and people you never would have encountered otherwise. So, while I love a well-researched list of things to do, I highly recommend allowing yourself the ability to wander so these special travel moments can find you.
If there’s a vista you want to stay at for just a little while longer, do it. A street you want to wander down? Do it. A group of locals or other travelers you want to talk to? Do it. Be open, present, and allow a destination to tell you who it is. You never know what you’ll discover.
🧳 Backpack or Suitcase?
It depends on the type of trip (I’m a chronic overpacker), but I like backpacks just to *try* to keep things simple.
✈️ Window or Aisle Seat?
Window seat for short flights, but aisle seat for long flights!
