Reintroducing ArcticTumbleweed

Take the evening sunset stroll with a ranger-led group in White Sands National Park. The views are unparalleled and you’ll be amazed at all you learn about the cool, soft sands beneath your feet.

There's a lot going on right now (in and out of our heads). Maybe we all need to take a few really deep breaths and think happy travel thoughts. (I'm applying this mentality daily, like lotion or the gummy multivitamins I should be taking.)

So, to inspire you (and me) for post-covid travel, I'm getting back on my blog game. I've got so many stories to share from the past year+ and I hope they'll serve as entertainment, future travel inspiration, and good reminders that there are plenty more happy hours in your future, plenty more sunsets to chase, plenty more dunes to sled down, and many, many more adventures await just a few miles ahead.

And since it's been a while…allow me to reintroduce my travel-writing self. My name is Lauren DeFazio, but here, I go by ArcticTumbleweed. I'm an anchovy-loving, coffee-hating, tornado-chasing, wannabe long-haul trucker, road-tripping extraordinaire who's on a mission to bring you three things.

Number 1: The best of the roads less traveled and the sights less seen. I'm here to put an end to the knee-jerk notion: "Wtf's in Idaho? Kansas? North Dakota?" Because I know that there is SO much to see in every state and every country, and much more than the big things they're known for. It's just a matter of knowing where to look. And that's why I'm here. To help light the way through travel tips and tales.

Number 2: National Parks for the rest of us. I'm not the nature-lover who's got the best gear and backcountry permits or the gal who knows how to pitch a tent without cursing and injuring herself (yet). I'm not a backpacker who goes on 13-mile hikes for days on end (I'll do a maximum 3.5-mile hike and call it a night in a lodge with room service). And prior to that hike, I'll stuff my sling bag with hand sanitizer, Tums, Clif bars, Altoids, headphones, maybe a selfie stick, flip flops in case my feet get hot, external chargers, a gigantic Cannon camera, a bandana that I probably won't wear, my National Parks passport, and perhaps most importantly: my National Parks Junior Ranger booklets & pencils, but more on those another time. Point is, I know exactly how to have an epic time at an NPS site without being a daredevil cliff hiker or any kind of athletic. The scenic drives and their stopping points (and sometimes a bit beyond them) are where it's at and where you can take in some of the most spectacular scenery our nation has to offer.

Number 3: You can count on me for general entertainment, including, but not limited to, mishaps. Getting stuck in the mud, getting pulled over in a pickup truck with Tennessee plates on an Indian Reservation in New Mexico, airport fiascos, wrecking a rental car on a rogue road sign while trying to photograph another road sign, and more 100% true stories! The kind of stories most people don't come home from vacation with, but that I'd be disappointed not to come home from vacation with. I'll share people stories: unforgettable encounters with perfect strangers. And notes on personal growth: meditative thoughts on life, inspiration, lessons learned, blunt honesty + unique and uplifting perspectives that I hope will make you think and maybe even move you in a way that sticks with you, helps digest a thought or gives you the courage to give life outside of your comfort zone a try.

So stay tuned for good, exciting things coming soon. Whether you're feeling cooped up and crazy or you're in a blissful state of solitude, you're doing great in this new territory you were thrown into. And if you ever start to feel like you're not navigating these uncharted waters so well, call on your friend me, ArcticTumbleweed. I'm here.

Stay safe & well, everybody.