About me
I'm a writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, and Travel by Lori is where I keep my travel notes — honestly, and in my own words.
I started this journal in 2019 after one too many trips planned around generic "top 10" lists that all sounded the same. I wanted somewhere to write down the real version — the early mornings, the wrong turns that turned out right, the small practical things nobody tells you. It grew from a notebook into this.
— Lori
My story
I grew up chasing horizons in the Southwest — long drives, red rocks, the kind of landscapes that make you go quiet. Living in Phoenix, I'm lucky to have Sedona, the Grand Canyon and a dozen desert back roads within easy reach, and they taught me how I like to travel: slowly, with room to be surprised.
That instinct followed me further afield — to the Amalfi Coast, to Kyoto, to wherever a good window seat would take me. Everywhere I went, I noticed the same thing: the trips I loved most were never the over-packed ones. They were the ones with space in them.
So that's what I write about. Not the fastest way to "do" a place, but the most rewarding way to actually be there.
How I work
Small blog, simple rules.
I write from my own trips. If I haven't been somewhere or don't rate it, I won't pretend otherwise.
This is a personal journal, not a billboard. No pop-ups, no sponsored reviews dressed up as stories.
I'd rather give you one tip you'll actually use than ten you'll scroll past.
Travel by Lori is a personal blog and publisher. It is not a travel agency. I don't sell flights, tours or accommodation, I don't take bookings, and I don't process payments. When you plan a trip, you arrange everything directly with the airlines, hotels and operators yourself, under their terms. I'm just here to help you decide where to point the car — or the plane.
Want to say hello or suggest a place I should write about? Here's how to reach me.