A Travel Blog for Beautiful Trips
Dreamy hotels, honest destination guides, and slow itineraries for the places worth going to.
Hi, I’m Lauren!
The Girl Behind the Guides
I’m a California-based travel writer and photographer, and I plan trips the way I would for my best friend: one beautiful hotel, a long lunch, and room to wander. Every place here is one I’ve been to and would go back to, or one I’ve researched so thoroughly — for myself or a friend — that I’d book it tomorrow myself!
Start Planning Your Trip
Where to Stay
Luxury, to me, is a feeling, not a star rating. A family-run masseria can be every bit as worth it as a cliffside suite.
Hotel Obsessed!
Where to Eat (& Drink)
The tables I’d fly back for, the aperitivo spots that made me feel like a local, and the long lunches that turn into evenings.
Destination Guides
Italy, California, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. Pick a place, and I’ll show you the version of it I fell for.
Destination Weddings
I planned ours in Puglia from across an ocean, so I know how dreamy (and overwhelming) it can be. Venues, planning, and more!
Tips & Travel Guides
My Travel Tips!
If you’re a born wanderer like me, you probably go into full panic mode the moment no u[...]
The more I've traveled — through Italy, on long-haul flights, during quick California w[...]
One of the most common questions I get — especially from people, especially women, plan[...]
Postcards from Travelers
The Latest from the Blog
Just Landed!
Before Puglia, before Napa, before I ever wrote a word about travel, there was the Columb[...]
A particular light shows up in Napa Valley around late October and early November. The vi[...]
Is there a city, just one, that has your heart and probably always will? Somewhere far[...]
Frequently Asked Questions
You Have Questions. I Have Answers.
What kind of travel does Lauren Belzer write about?
Boutique and luxury hotels, slow itineraries, food and wine, and destination weddings, mostly in Italy (especially Puglia), California, and the Pacific Northwest, and wherever I wander next!
Are your recommendations sponsored?
Some links are affiliate links, and partnerships are always disclosed. If I wouldn’t go back, it usually doesn’t make its way onto the blog.
Where should I start?
Pick a place on the destinations page, or start with Puglia, the place I dream about the most.
Got a question I didn’t cover? I’d love to hear from you! Send me an email at lauren@laurenbelz.com, or slide into my DMs on Instagram @lobelz.