Welcome! We Are Mike & Laura.
A practical travel blog built by two obsessed travelers who turn trip notes into helpful guides, and teach others to do the same.
Who We Are
We’re Mike and Laura!
We’re travelers, parents, and long-time bloggers who believe great trips start with clear, no‑fluff advice.
- Laura started travel blogging in 2014.
- We met in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in late 2015.
- Blogging has been our full‑time income since 2019, and these days we travel with our daughter in tow.
Alongside this blog, we run Scale Your Travel Blog (SYTB), an education platform that’s helped thousands of bloggers build sustainable revenue using our proven strategies.
What You’ll Find On Our Blog
We share personal itineraries, smart budgeting, and practical ways to travel more without wasting time or money.
- Affordable Luxury & Smart Splurges: Think 5‑star vibes on a 3‑star budget!
- Destination Deep Dives: The exact routes, stays, and logistics we use to have successful trips.
- Ski Towns & Mountain Life: From our favorite Colorado base (Steamboat Springs) to winter destinations worldwide.
- Island Escapes: Especially our favorite (French Polynesia) and the islands on our must-see list!
- Moving Abroad: Thinking of uprooting your life? We share loads of success stories, practical tips, and the steps you should take to make it happen.
- Digital Nomad Jobs & Side Hustles: We love untraditional ways of earning money, so you’ll find a lot of content about it here!
If you’re here to plan a trip, move abroad, or to level up your blog, you’re in the right spot.
Start Here: Reader Favorites
Use these quick links to jump right in.
French Polynesia
- Is Bora Bora Worth the Hype? Here’s What No One Tells You
- Where to Stay in Mo’orea
- Which Moorea Overwater Bungalow Resort Is Best?
Colorado & Mountain Towns
- Steamboat Springs in Winter: Things to Do
- 3 Best Steamboat Springs Hot Springs To Explore
- 8 Best Crested Butte Hiking Trails
Greece
Travel Smarts
- 7 Skyscanner Tricks For Booking The Cheapest Flights
- How to Travel the World When You’re Broke
- How To Book Hotels At The Cheapest Rate Worldwide
For Bloggers
- From Exhausted Teacher to 6-Figure Blogger in 2 Years
- How Tanya Grew Her Blog to $800/Month in Under a Year
- Travel Blogger Makes £2K+ a Month While Raising a 1-Year-Old
Our Story (Timeline)
2014 – I (Laura) launched a travel blog while teaching English in Bangkok, Thailand.
2015 – Mike and I met in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I worked as a server in the same restaurant Mike was bartending and playing music.
2017 – Saved $25,000 in five months, bought a fifth‑wheel, and hit the road. We planned to say in Bend, Oregon long-term to document the PNW.
2018 – I discovered an opportunity to teach English online through a company called VIPKID. I also honed my travel hacking skills, which would came in handy as we started to travel abroad as a couple.
2019 – The blog became our full‑time income as we mastered skills like SEO, affiliate marketing, and email marketing.
2020–2024 – We spent these four years extensively exploring destinations like French Polynesia, Montenegro, Iceland, Greece, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, and many more, typically staying at least a month in each place to truly experience it.
2021 – After growing our travel blog to consistent $10,000+ per month, we launched and grew our education platform, Scale Your Travel Blog, to help others do what we do: make money while writing about our travel experiences.
Today – We split time between Minnesota, Colorado, and the destinations we cover, and now with our daughter along for the ride!
By the Numbers
- 11 Years: Of consistent blogging and testing.
- 40+ Countries: long‑stays (usually 1+ month) to research each location.
- Thousands of Blogging Students: Through our #1-rated course & community, Scale Your Travel Blog.
- 100% Reader‑Supported Content: Via display ads and affiliate links we love and use ourselves.
Destinations We Know Best
We spend months in the places we write about.
A few standouts:
For Travel Bloggers
(Scale Your Travel Blog)
We teach a simple system for sustainable blog income using our own proven methods, and without living on social media.
- Practical trainings and templates
- Real‑world examples from our own sites
- Student wins from beginners to full‑timers
If you’re interested in making money travel blogging, whether you’re just starting from scratch or you’ve been spinning your wheels for years, here are some of our top resources, and courses:
Travel Resources We Trust
We’ve compiled our go-to travel tools; the same ones we personally use to book cheaper flights, stay in incredible places for free, and keep our adventures running smoothly.
Bookmark this list before your next trip!
Flight Deals & Travel Hacking
- PointsYeah.com – If you’re into collecting airline points, you must use this website to check for the best deals!
- SecretFlying – A must-bookmark site for crazy flight deals — we’ve flown business class for economy prices more than once thanks to this site.
- Skyscanner – Still one of the best flight search tools, especially with its “Everywhere” and “Whole Month” features.
Free or Low-Cost Accommodation
- Trusted Housesitters – Stay in incredible homes around the world for free by caring for pets. We’ve stayed in mansions in Breckenridge and Park City through this platform.
- WWOOF – Exchange a few hours of help on organic farms for free stays (and often meals).
- iMoova – Relocate cars, vans, or motorhomes for companies and get your rental free or nearly free.
Travel Essentials
- Saily – This is a super cool app that allows you to purchase an eSIM card for almost any destination worldwide without changing your number. And it’s cheap!
- Viator – We book nearly all our tours through Viator: reliable, well-reviewed, and available worldwide.
- Thermarest Pillows – Tiny, packable, and surprisingly cozy for flights, camping, or road trips.
Work With Us
We partner with destinations and brands that fit our readers: smart, value‑driven travel with occasional upgrades.
We currently have an audience that spans the following platforms:
- 100,000+ monthly blog sessions
- 31,000+ email subscribers (60.8% open rate, 1.45% click rate)
- 4,500+ Youtube subscribers
- 16,600+ Instagram followers
Ways to collaborate
- Sponsored content and brand collaborations
- Newsletter placements and dedicated features
- Custom video campaigns and destination coverage
- Affiliate partnerships and long-term collaborations
- Speaking engagements and trainings for blogger or DMO teams
Every brand is unique, and so is our approach. Let’s talk about your goals and craft a partnership that fits. Reach out to us at:
laura @ mikeandlauratravel . com
Contact
Questions, partnership ideas, or other inquiries?
Email: laura @ mikeandlauratravel . com
Instagram: @mikeandlauratravelblog
YouTube: Mike & Laura Travel
Thanks for reading and for being here!
Your support lets us keep creating travel guides that actually help.