Meet Melissa! She is the creator behind Wanderful Traveler, designed to inspire and provide helpful tips for travels and daily life. She loves sharing unique experiences and putting new things on her followers’ radar. In 2016, Melissa took a leap of faith (after many months of planning and saving) and bought a one-way ticket abroad to live out her dream of immersing herself in a foreign culture. From dodging the traffic in Los Angeles, to mastering the bikes in Amsterdam, she is now minding the gap in London!
Name: Melissa Lau
Instagram: @wanderfultraveler
Website: wanderfultraveler.com
Title: Content Creator and Freelance Digital Marketing Consultant
City you live in: London
Most recent city visited… one of my favorite places – Lisbon, Portugal
A typical day in my life includes… lots of chai lattes!
I was born… in Los Angeles, California.
When I was younger, I wanted to be… a restaurant owner – my cousins and I would practice by taking orders and serving food to our uncles and aunts at our family get togethers.
My first job was… at a sandwich shop. Can you tell I love food?
My favorite thing about traveling is… whether you’re traveling in your own country or abroad, travel exposes you to new experiences. Meeting new people, tasting local cuisines, learning from different cultures and some of the best moments are when you least expect it!
I’m currently listening to… Hayden James – “Something About You” (ODESZA Remix)
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be… Anthony Bourdain. Though he has passed now, his musings on travel, food and life itself had a huge impact on my travel mentality. Because of him, I wanted to learn and experience other people’s cultures and traditions through mindful traveling.
One thing I cannot travel without… my phone for Google Maps, TripAdvisor reviews and to take those candid in-the-moment shots!
I’m inspired by… my mother who always see the positive light in all situations.
The one person who motivates me is… my husband James who is a hard worker and thoughtful person. He has helped me achieve my goals by constantly thinking forward.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be… there’s a couple of things that come to mind but it would be amazing to have basic necessities (that we often take for granted) for everyone around the world.
The perfect day would be… exploring a new destination and enjoying a nice meal where all the locals are eating at.
My favorite place I’ve visited… that’s a hard one since I’ve been fortunate to visit so many remarkable places, but two experiences that really stand out is a safari in South Africa (because seeing animals in their natural habitat is so, SO amazing!) and visiting Medellin, where people literally come up to you on the street to say “thank you for visiting my country!” because they are so happy and proud to see people come learn about their city as it was previously dubbed “the most dangerous place in the world.”
My top 3 bucket list destinations… Iceland to see the Northern Lights, Cappadocia to ride the hot air balloons and Petra because it’s the last destination I need to visit to see all 7 New Wonders of the World!
My life… is a beautiful mess.
I’m currently working on… new campaigns with some of my favourite brands.
Always… hungry!
Never… not hungry 😉
Favorite quote… Hakuna matata.
Biggest dream… is to have flexibility and freedom in life. I am so grateful to be living out my dream of living abroad in Europe – creating content around the world for Wanderful Traveler and as a freelancer, helping organizations grow their business through strategic marketing!
My pet peeve(s)… the sound of cardboard boxes rubbing together always gives me the shivers.
My 3 favorite travel influencers to follow… @taramilktea @veeechang @agirlwhoblooms for travel inspiration and creative shots