Welcome to The Checklist Travelers!
We're so excited that you've stopped by! My name is Lauren and together with my husband Michael we have decided to launch our blog, The Checklist Travelers, for fellow explorers who want a scheduled travel itinerary, but don't want to plan or hire a travel agent.
About Us
Based out of Oklahoma, we both have a background in TV news and met in 2018 while working at competing TV stations. We have since left the newsroom and our current career paths allow us to travel more frequently.
So where did this passion come from?
We both grew up never traveling or going on family vacations.
After graduating from college, I got my first taste of seeing the world by backpacking across Europe for three weeks with my two girlfriends. Arriving back in the United States with a lifetime of memories, I knew I wanted to continue traveling as often as I could.
Michael on the other hand, had his first out of the country adventure on a cruise to Mexico. He had such a great time that he wanted me to experience a similar trip and we set sail in the spring of 2019 to Cozumel. This was our first big trip together and we had the best time!
Michael proposed in December 2019 and we got married in 2020 three days before Michael’s birthday. Every year we take a week-long trip to celebrate both milestones!
The planning begins
Due to COVID, we pivoted our honeymoon plans to a quiet getaway to the Smoky Mountains coupled with a visit to the Bourbon Trail near Lexington, Kentucky. It was the first time we mapped out an itinerary that kept us exploring somewhere new every day! Plus during COVID, reservations were needed just about anywhere you went, so this got us in a habit of always researching what reservations we needed before leaving town.
For our one year anniversary we planned a full blown Disney World adventure and explored Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. The efficiency of our itinerary allowed us to experience every ride in every park (some even multiple times, hello Avatar)!
Note: We will share our Disney World itinerary in an upcoming blog post.
Last year, we continued to hone in on our planning skills for our trip to Wyoming and Utah. Following our itinerary, we explored the iconic town of Jackson, took a dip in a natural hot spring, hiked through Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, and had a fantastic dinner in Salt Lake City all within a week's time.
Why The Checklist Travelers?
Travel has become one of our passions and the inspiration to start this blog. Instead of my itineraries slowly fading down my list of sticky notes in my phone, I wanted to share them with others looking for adventure! Michael came up with the fun name that encompassed both the travel and planning aspect of our blog.
Here’s the premise: We'll share our adventures and send subscribers our free itineraries to use as a guide! Let The Checklist Travelers help you out so you can spend more time exploring!
Cheers friends! We hope you enjoy The Checklist Travelers!
