Laura McFarland
Senior Travel Writer, Travel Lemming
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Laura McFarland is a writer and second-generation Bay Area local. Laura fell in love with traveling and chronicling her adventures after moving with her family to London for several months and co-writing a blog at the ripe age of 12. Laura is passionate about travel, climate change mitigation, sustainable food systems, and being outdoors whenever she can. In her free time, you can find Laura chatting with farmers at a local market, going for a swim in the nearest body of water, or drinking a pale ale.
🏠 Local to: San Francisco, California
🌟 Favorite Destinations: California, Oregon, Croatia, Australia, France, Argentina
🎓 Education: University of California, Berkeley (BS, Society & Environment, 2021)
✔️ Fun Facts: I’m a geography nerd and can list every country in the world from memory. I also love the ocean and can hold my breath for 2 minutes underwater. After graduating college, I lived on a farm for 4 months and cooked outside on a Coleman camp stove all summer long.
Meet Laura
📚 What was Your Favorite Travel Experience or Story?
In 2018, I lived in Croatia for the summer, spending my time first in a small town on the coast and later in a small town up north. I fell in love with both of these places: the natural beauty, the history, the local friends I made, the host families that welcomed me into their homes.
That year was particularly special because the Men’s FIFA World Cup was happening, and Croatia was doing well. Shockingly well. They made it to the first knockout round, and everyone in my 5,000 person town packed the pubs to watch. They won, in a dramatic penalty shootout, and then they won their next game the same way. When it was time for the semifinal, the whole town was buzzing.
I can still remember that game as if it was in slow-motion: the pub erupting and beers being tossed into the air when Croatia scored, jumping and hugging the old Croatian man next to me when the final whistle blew, running out into the streets to fireworks being set off and people dancing on top of cars.
It was the first and only time in history that Croatia made it to a World Cup Final. The whole town partied until about 4 in the morning. In the final, they ended up losing to France and getting second place, but no one seemed to hold onto that disappointment for long. It was thrilling just to have gotten there. I felt supremely lucky to have been a part of it.
🗺️ What’s Your #1 Expert Travel Tip?
Find the balance between adventure and comfort. Traveling is all about escaping your comfort zone, but your trip can very easily start going badly if you don’t take time to check in with how you are mentally and physically feeling. Make sure you not only have your adventure outlet, but also that you have a safe place to come back to where you can relax and have down time if you need it.
🧳 Backpack or Suitcase?
Backpack.
✈️ Window or Aisle Seat?
Window, always.
