Little Larey Loves

Lara February 1, 2015

How El Nido Turned A Backpacking Explorer Into A Sunbathing Chillaxer

Okay, truth be told: after our month-long adventure in China in the summer of 2013, me and my backpack were on the verge of a breakup. I seriously started to resent that ol’ thing and it was time for him to go. I was done. Full disclosure: the fact that I was getting closer and closer to the big 30… View Post

Lara November 18, 2014

Next Stop: Picture Perfect Paradise!

If you follow me on Twitter you’ve probably noticed my excitement for my upcoming trip to… PARADISE! Yes, I’m going there. Paradise. Me, me me! So, where is this paradise of yours, you ask? Let me take you away to a place where the sun is always shining, the water is crystal clear, the sand is warm and white, the… View Post

Lara September 28, 2014

Road Tripping Along The Pacific Coast Highway

Highway 1, or California State Route 1, is known throughout the world as the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) – one of the most amazing drives in the United States. Our California road trip just wasn’t going to be complete without some serious cruising along the beautiful coastline that outlines the Pacific Coast Highway. The Pacific Coast Highway? The PCH runs from… View Post

Lara August 17, 2014

Into the Wild: Yosemite NP

After our first couple of days exploring the Golden State (see previous post) it was time to head inland, to Yosemite NP – one of the oldest ánd coolest national parks in the US of A. I ain’t sayin’ she a gold digger Most visitors to the park come from San Francisco or LA and drive straight up to Yosemite,… View Post

Lara July 28, 2014

California Dreaming: San Francisco & Napa

July is almost gone and it seems that our little country finally got the memo that it is in fact summer (with tropical thunderstorms and everything)… Our trip to the Golden Coast this May already feels like forever ago, so I thought it was ’bout time that I updated the blog with the latest travel adventure: our camping-is-super-cool-California-roadtrip! You might recall that we chose… View Post

Lara April 27, 2014

Eat Cake For Breakfast (and lunch and dinner too)

Yes, this post is about cake. Nope, this has nothing to do with travelling. Well, unless you consider searching for the best (cake) recipes a journey of its own. Which it kinda is. So, new little fact about me: I’m a bit of a foodie. That’s right, I love me some food and I also love making that food. I… View Post

Lara January 5, 2014

Oh, The Places You’ll Want To Go

As I’m returning to my everyday routine after a massive cooking (and eating) marathon during the holidays, I’m also looking ahead to the coming year. 2014. The year I turn 29. IEKS! But, a new year also means a brand new set of vacation days that are ready to be filled with amazing trips and adventures. Unfortunately, Santa didn’t bring… View Post

Lara August 12, 2013

From China’s Paradise To Hustling & Bustling Hong Kong

In 2006 the Dutch travel show host Chris Zegers visited Yangshuo, a beautiful town in the Southern province of Guangxi, China. He predicted that it wouldn’t take long before the masses would discover this place and, Chris, I can tell you my man: you were damn right! If everyone does it, it must be fun! Since the beginning of our… View Post

Lara August 8, 2013

Ticket To Ride China

On Tuesday 30 July we left Pyongyang railway station and after we switched trains in Dandong we had another 14 hours before our arrival in Beijing, 23 hours after we’d left the DPRK. The rest of that day was spent in The Village, a shopping complex in Beijing where we had a final lunch with our Dutch buddies at Hatsune… View Post

Lara August 2, 2013 Pyongyang

Single Hearted Unity – North Korea

Where to begin when trying to capture the most amazing trip ever in one blog post? So yeah, this is probably going to be a long one… Here we go, North Korea – the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – the Hermit Kingdom – or, just as they call it themselves, Korea. The World’s Most Notorious Airline On Thursday we… View Post

Lara July 24, 2013

Ni Hao Beijing

Okay, so we’re still alive and kicking (though we’re nearly melting since it’s 39 degrees at the moment). To be honest we were kinda relieved to discover that China is not as disgusting and crowded as we expected it to be. Tomorrow morning we’ll be leaving China for a couple of days for, let’s say, the main event of this trip:… View Post

Lara July 18, 2013

This North Korean Boy Will Melt Your Heart

This is the cutest kid ever! And what a great performer, right? I must have watched this clip from the North Korea episode of Departures over fifty times and it still melts my heart every time I watch it. If I meet this little dude in North Korea, I’m definitely getting his autograph. I’m in love ♥. View Post

Lara July 7, 2013

The Trip Of A Lifetime Is About To Commence – China & North Korea

Only 13 days left before our grand China & North Korea adventure. Wait a minute. ONLY 13 MORE DAYS?! Right. In 2 weeks we’ll have just touched down right about now (around 3pm Chinese local time) and I’m probably walking around the old Hutong area in Beijing with a nice hot and sweaty back but also wearing a smile from… View Post

Lara January 15, 2013

The Footprint Challenge

In September 2012 I started the Better the World Traineeship. For this program me and 7 other young professionals founded The Footprint Challenge. We started looking for people who weren’t afraid to accept a challenge and who were willing to try to reduce their ecological footprint within 40 days and contribute to a better and greener world. On 1 January 2013… View Post

Lara August 17, 2012

Rowing In Republika Bulgaria

Yes, that’s right. Another rowing world championship in Eastern Europe! This time around we travelled all the way to Bulgaria. And to be fair, if it weren’t for all these rowing championships, my Eastern European Countries check-list would be a lot thinner. It’s not that this area doesn’t attract me, on the contrary. I would love to cross all former… View Post