Lauren says she has always loved culture, languages and faraway places so it made perfect sense to pursue a career in the travel industry as a way to live out her daydreams and make other people’s dreams a reality too.
She began working in the travel industry in 1997 – starting her career in Melbourne before moving to live and work in London. Her love for travel continued to grow while in Europe as she established a reputation for being thorough, meticulous and providing a level of service not matched by her peers.
Lauren returned to Melbourne after a year of working and exploring overseas and began a new chapter in her career when she started working for a local wholesaler specialising in the Mediterranean and the Middle East region. She remained with them for 15 years and became the ‘go-to person’ for many high-end travel agencies looking for that special or unique luxury travel option or enhancement to offer their clients.
In 2016, seeking new challenges, Lauren moved into luxury retail travel, building on her existing skills and learning to master the travel wants and desires of the discerning traveller. She says her love for beautiful hotels and true and authentic travel experiences began at this time.
During this time she also got to live out some of her personal travel dreams… like sitting high up in the turret of a 15th-century Indian palace looking over a small village watching children get ready for school. She has participated in a cooking class in a private home in a remote part of Rajasthan, enjoyed an early morning walk with elephants in Southern Africa and explored hidden bars in Tokyo. She has swum with manta rays at Ningaloo and shared a meal with hill tribe locals in Chiang Mai.
Whether it is shopping till she literally dropped in Los Angeles or watching the sun rise over Machu Picchu, it all inspires and delights her.
She is a firm believer that travel is about pushing beyond the normal day-to-day and remembering that life is beautiful and that the planet we live on is bursting with opportunities to learn, grow, share, educate, connect and be in awe.
This is what she loves about travel and this is what she wants to help Amaco clients experience.
After a two-year break from travel, she is back and ready to be inspired once again.
Phone : 1300 668 149 or +61 3 9545 0906 if outside Australia
Email : lauren.owide@amacotravel.com.au