By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Content Agency
June 14, 2016
We first met Lauren Conrad when she was a teenager on MTV’s reality series, “Laguna Beach” and its spinoff series, “The Hills.” Since then, Conrad, has translated her on-air popularity into the real world. A best-selling author (“L.A. Candy”), she has launched beauty and fashion lines, including Paper Crown. Her latest endeavor with co-founder Hannah Skvarla is The Little Market, an online store where the entrepreneurs promote fair trade for the artisans who provide their handmade products. Conrad, 30, resides in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, Calif., with her husband. Fans may follow her on Twitter or her website.
Q. What is your ideal way to travel?
A. I love exploring new places and experiencing different cultures. I travel a lot for The Little Market. Whenever we are planning a trip, we like to do plenty of research on the areas we will be traveling to. It’s important to learn about local customs so you can be respectful of other cultures when you are a guest in their country. Being considerate of greetings, dress codes and other ways of daily life can help avoid offending anyone.
Q. What untapped destination should people know about?
A. I thought Nepal was amazing. We had been traveling throughout India meeting with different artisan groups for almost two weeks and decided to stop in Nepal to see one more artisan group before heading home. I wish we had been able to spend more than a day there. It was so beautiful!
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. The first trip I can remember taking was to New Zealand to visit family. I remember it was the first time I ever experienced an environment completely different from the one I was accustomed to. I loved it.
Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A. One of the most important things that I have learned is how important a good travel buddy is. Not everyone has the same approach to travel. The group you are with can completely change your experience.
Q. Have you traveled to a place that stood out so much that you felt compelled to incorporate it into your work?
A. I was really inspired by all the colors in India. I was currently working on a spring collection for Paper Crown and the whole color palette was inspired by the photos I took while I was there.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. If I have a three-day weekend, I love running away to Cabo San Lucas. It’s a short flight from Los Angeles and the weather is amazing.
Q. If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. The only time I have ever been away from home during a big holiday was one Thanksgiving years ago. I was filming “The Hills” at the time and we were shooting in Paris. It was strange to celebrate an American holiday at a French restaurant, but it was nice to be able to spend it with the crew.
Q. What are your favorite hotels?
A. Smaller boutique hotels. Airbnb is also a great option.
Q. What are your favorite restaurants?
A. When my husband and I are going out to dinner in L.A., we prefer a more casual setting. We love going to Versailles for Cuban food. If I am heading out with girlfriends, we like eating at Grasias Madre or Mercado. If I am in Laguna, I love going to Javier’s for Mexican food.
Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A. One of my favorite memories from traveling was in Africa. We were staying at the Arusha Coffee Lodge in Tanzania. Hannah (Skvarla) knocked on my door early one morning, just as the sun was rising and told me to come quickly. The fields of coffee beans were filled with dik-diks (small antelopes), which is one of the cutest animals I’ve ever seen in my life. We were running up and down the rows of coffee plants chasing them around. It was kind of amazing. My worst memory was on that same trip. When we arrived at the lodge in Burundi, I was handed an emergency walkie-talkie and made my way to my room, which was a structure with canvas walls. When I arrived, I was surprised and delighted to find a clawfoot tub in the middle of the room. When I got closer, I noticed dark spots in the center of the tub that resembled blood. I looked up to see if the roof was leaking and saw a bat hanging directly above me.
© 2016 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
This was great – she had some good stories/memories!