Thursday Traveler : Justin and Lauren from Justin Plus Lauren

Hello everyone ,Happy Thursday and its time again when I introduce an amazing travel blogger aka #ThursdayTraveller to you all. This week spotlight is on Justin and Lauren from JustinPlusLauren. Justin and Lauren are a Canadian couple who love to travel together and share their stories. They are part-time travelers who make the most of their vacation time to slowly travel all over the world. They love nature, animals, and eco-friendly travel. For all you vegetarians reading this, Justin and Lauren are true inspiration. Travelling and maintaining a vegan diet, trust me that is no joke. As vegans, they seek out delicious plant-based meals on our travels. They also enjoy staying active in their adventures through hiking, biking, walking everywhere, snorkeling, kayaking, and much more!

So what does Travel mean to you? What is the inspiration behind.

Travel means everything to me! Life is so short, and I want to be able to see the world as much as possible. I love witnessing the beauty of nature, marveling at incredible architecture, enjoying relaxing times on beaches, learning about ancient history, and seeing new and varied landscapes. Travel is almost always on my mind and I’m always thinking about where I’m going to be headed next!

Ok so if I ask you to name 3 things you can’t travel without, what would they be?

My camera, my sunglasses, and my toothbrush!

What do you think has been the biggest thing you’ve learned while traveling (about yourself, a culture or travel itself)?

I think that I’ve learned to trust myself more. Being in a totally new place that can be outside of your comfort zone can be a little bit stressful, but I’ve learned generally that I am able to find my way around, find places to eat (Justin and I are both vegans and don’t eat any animal products, which can present a whole other set of challenges!), and meet new people! I’ve also learned to try to relax a bit, and Justin helps calm me down sometimes if situations become stressful. I know if things don’t go as planned, it is best to just roll with it and usually things end up working out great!

Your top 3 destination experiences you’ve ever stayed to date and why?

Bonaire in the Caribbean – It was absolutely amazing going snorkeling here. Not only were there incredibly diverse amounts of fish and coral, but I was able to swim alongside giant sea turtles! It was a very magical experience!

Dominica, West Indies – We went on a whale and dolphin watching trip here and it was amazing. After seeing the movie, Blackfish, and believing so strongly that marine animals should not live in captivity, it was incredible to see these magnificent creatures living in their natural habitat. Also, the dolphins jumped in the air all around our boat, chasing behind us, which was quite cool to see!

Quebec City, Canada – Quebec City was such a unique place in my own country as it truly felt as though we were somewhere in France, not Canada! It was wonderful walking along the cobblestone roads in Old Quebec, and enjoying some sangria on a patio in front of a historic church in a bustling town square (Place Royale). Even though it wasn’t that far from home, we had a wonderful time there!

Have you got lost whilst travelling? If so,what happened?

We got lost recently while we were in New York State – the cable to our GPS broke while we were driving on our way to Watkins Glen, and the GPS battery life ran out! By some sort of sheer luck, we ended up driving past a Radio Shack where they sold GPS cables, so we were able to buy one! It ended up lasting us until almost the end of our trip, when the second cable ended up breaking somehow!At this point, we were in Rochester and just needed to figure out how to get back to the highway. So, we went with the good old fashioned route of asking a gas station attendant for directions.For future road trips, we purchased a really good quality power cable for the GPS and it hasn’t broken yet!

I agree, good GPS does help .. What’s your most practical tip for travelers?

We travel with special dietary restrictions as we’re both vegan, so our practical tip for anyone else in a similar situation would be to plan your food options in advance. Use websites or apps such as Happy Cow to look up restaurants and places where vegetarian meals are offered. Also, bring snacks, or stay at a place that has a kitchen so you can cook your own food. We’ve always been able to plan where to eat ahead of time, and we’ve never run into any problems yet with not being able to eat! This advice would also be great for anyone with food allergies.

Who plays you in the movie about your life?

Haha! Great question. For me, I’d have to say Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Rec / Scott Pilgrim vs the World. She’s pretty funny and sarcastic with a bit of a sassy edge, so that’ll work. For Justin,I’ll pick Ryan Gosling – not because they necessarily look alike, but because they both have that sensitive, caring quality about them!
Wow Ryan Gosling han.. I better book my tickets soon :)…

Finish this sentence: The funniest thing that’s ever happened to me while traveling is…
…wearing the same outfit! It’s happened on more than one occasion that we both get dressed and seem to be wearing exactly the same color of shirt and pants. It’s as though we spend so much time together, we’re beginning to turn into one another!

Okkk so lets start the lightning round 😉 ….
This or that
Books or Listening to music – BOTH. Don’t make me choose!
Planned itinerary or just wing it? – Planned
Solo or group travel – Couple travel or solo travel
Cruise Trip or Backpacking – cruise trip
Winter Vacation or Summer vacation – Summer vacation
Wow there is so much to learn from you guys. I totally believe travelling with your life partner is the best thing. I will definetly check out your top 3 destinations as they sound fascinating. For all you readers , you can follow Justin and Lauren on :