Greetings from an American Nomad!

I’m delighted that you’ve joined me on this never-ending journey across America. If you’re reading this post, I can only assume that you’re a passionate traveler like me – curious about the myriad of places and cultures that make up this incredible world.

The “travel bug” bit me as a child in New Orleans, and my feet have never stopped wandering. While my friends took family vacations to the Florida coast, Mom and I embarked upon lengthy road trips across America – to towns like San Antonio, Texas, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Once, we spent three weeks exploring the East Coast – from Washington, D.C., to Montréal.

As I grew older, my fascination with travel was only matched by my passion for the written word. By the time I graduated from Northwestern University (with dual degrees in English and Radio/TV/Film), I knew that I wanted to travel the world and share my observations with others. Soon afterward, I met my future traveling companion. Like me, Daniel had a long wish list of destinations he hoped to see in his lifetime. Together, we journeyed to places as far afield as Yosemite National Park; Venice, Italy; Oxford, England; and Baja California. On an impulse, we quit our corporate jobs in downtown Chicago, sold our furniture, bought a travel trailer, and left with little more than our cat, Pawws, in tow.

For well over a year, we lived and worked on the open road, crawling through caves in southern Kentucky, searching for diamonds in Arkansas, hiking the remote sand dunes of South Padre Island, and getting hitched in a tasteful Las Vegas chapel. While traveling around the country, I wrote articles for magazines such as MotorHome and Route 66 on sights like the San Diego Wild Animal Park and Amarillo’s Big Texan Steak Ranch, contributed a monthly “leave no trace” travel column to The Ecotourism Observer, updated California and national park guidebooks, and started a novel inspired by our journey.

Today, Daniel and I have a new kitty (Ruby Azazel), but we haven’t stopped traveling. When we’re not on the road, we live in one of three amazing places: Los Angeles, New Orleans, and northern Michigan. And, of course, I still write about travel as often as I can. My latest two guides include Moon Michigan [2] and Moon Baja RV Camping [3].

Through this blog, I plan to explore the country that I call home. America offers a wealth of unique cities, varied landscapes, and one-of-a-kind landmarks – all just waiting for you to experience! I’ll focus on the advice, news, and destination highlights that you’ll need to travel across the U.S. – occasionally, I’ll even share a few of my own adventures and mishaps.

I hope you’ll visit often – and drop me a line now and then. I welcome feedback and ideas for future posts. If you have a question about the specifics of U.S. travel – from visiting national parks to traveling via RV – let me know! Tell me, too, if there’s a particular region that interests you most. To send me a note, you can register and comment below, or email me at laura [at] wanderingsoles [dot] com.

In the meantime, have a safe, happy journey – wherever you’re off to!