Travel — Blog — The Greenest Blue

Holy doodles. I am so happy to be back in Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud. I didn’t realize (that’s a lie, yes I did) how much my heart missed this beautiful country that has managed to capture my little heart and squeeze it tight. It makes me want to cry thinking about my younger self and the momentous adventure it was for me to move down here at 25 with only a loose connection to a potential job and housing situation. That leap of faith led me to the most incredible experience and has introduced me to some of the greatest and fastest friends in my life.

Abroad Again

Something feels different. In a good, and weird, and uncomfortable way. This summer is shaping up to be a bit different than I would’ve guessed it to be. I just landed in Auckland this morning after spending the last three weeks or so in Iceland working for Smithsonian Student Travel. It was an epic trip, seriously. The beautiful, frigid, sub-Arctic island is loaded with geothermal, volanic, and glacial wonders, enough to delight even the most avid outdoor enthusiast.

I’m writing right now like I’m trying to create a travel brochure. I’ll admit I’ve been feeling off and non-commital in my writing lately. I have little desire to write something coherent. Instead, I show up to my journals and docs like I just want to work vomit and get on with my day. So I decided to, once again, stop putting pressure on myself to create something polished and just throw the spaghetti (writing and photography) at the wall (my blog and social media outlets) without the need to make them sparkle.

First Antarctic Field Season - Done! Also, All About My New Homeward Bound Journey

2) Life update two: I’ve been accepted into and am joining Homeward Bound! This is a women’s leadership initiative with the goal of creating a global network of passionate, inspired women in STEMM who are working to create change for our planet. I am so excited. We’ve already had our first online meeting, which will continue bimonthly for the next year. The culmination of this program is a 3-week expedition to the Antarctic with fellow members of my cohort.

When Things Don't Go As Expected During Fieldwork

We are winding down our fifth of six trips this season in partnership with Hurtigruten Expeditions. Our lab team collectively has managed to get an extraordinary number of tissue samples from both humpbacks and Antarctic minke whales, despite some challenging weather conditions that have persisted most of the season. We’ve managed to get some drone flights in as well, scoring some interesting behavioral observations and high-quality photos to use for morphometrics (measuring body condition).

A Song of (No) Fire and (All) Ice – Halfway through my First Antarctic Season

I’m halfway through my first Antarctic field season.

Words have been elusive to me lately. So I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves. Photography has always been fun for me, and I’ve enjoyed playing around with light, angles, subjects. But it’s taken on a new meaning for me during the last several weeks. It has become intensely therapeutic. It’s a simple goal I can set for myself each day: get outside and shoot. It doesn’t matter what the outcome is, just get out and shoot.

A Mid-Summer Adventure to Big Island: Travel With a Purpose

Hey! It’s been donkey’s years since I’ve last posted and I wanted to share a cool adventure that’s in the works. This is a different style of trip than I’ve done before, and I’m excited to switch it up. For the next two weeks, I’ll be guiding a high school service trip for 16 students from around the country (and a few from around the globe!). I’ll be working through Putney Student Travel and Nat Geo Student Expeditions, two awesome organizations that host epic service-focused and educational adventures all over the world. Although my leader orientation was remote this year, I can tell that this company brings together remarkable individuals to create life-changing experiences for the adventurous high schoolers that embark with us. SERIOUSLY. They have a knack for it. I met another guide in Maui while she was leading a middle school trip, and she was literally in the middle of through-hiking the Appalachian Trail when she took a break to guide this Putney trip. SO COOL.

Hawaii, Mindful Travel, TravelLauren FritzJuly 24, 2021Big Island, Hawaii, Putney Student Travel, adventure

What's Maui Marine Tourism (Whale Watching, Snorkeling) Like During the Pandemic?

Hi from Maui - just wanted to check in and give a few life updates! The last few months have been a f***ing whirlwind, and in a mostly good way. There are positive whirlwinds, I can confirm – they shake you up and make you reevaluate what’s important to you. Even as I write this, my mind feels like it’s spinning at a thousand turns per second. The last few months have brought a lot of change, a lot of life lessons, a lot of new experiences, a lot of new people, and a lot of talking through masks…so my voice is basically always raspy or gone.

Moving Mountains with Photography - A Chat with Landscape Photographer Luke Praschak

Luke is an amazing friend. We met thanks to our mutual use of Facebook marketplace and Sony camera systems, and immediately clicked with our passions for content creation and nature. I fondly remember our first meeting at the Salty Fox coffee shop across from the Friday Harbor Ferry Terminal, oat milk lattes and bright summer sun lighting up the conversation and the streets. I don’t want to give away too much of Luke’s story (he’s going to share it down below), but what I will do is warn you to prepare yourselves to be blown away by the beauty of his photographs. He specializes in landscape photography, mainly of the North Cascades. San Juan Island residents are blessed to have this national park essentially in their park yard, and in my opinion its one of the hidden gems of our national park system in the U.S. A bit removed and not as easily accessed as the others, I think it provides every bit of the magic and breathtaking alpine views of the more popular Glacier, Ranier, and Olympic National Parks without the gawking crowds.

A Chat with Whale Watch Captain & Naturalist Sarah McCullagh - Friday Harbor, WA

I had the privilege of chatting with the wonderful Sarah McCullagh, who has been in my life since the spring of 2016 when she chatted on the phone with me to interview me for my second naturalist position, up in the Pacific Northwest. Sarah is one of the most passionate, well-spoken, and understanding advocates for the Southern Resident Killer Whales and marine ecosystem in general that I have ever met, and I’ve been so appreciative of all the time I’ve had to learn from her. She’s one of those wildly intelligent gals who knows each of the Southern Residents by sight and can launch into detailed explanations of each of their life histories instantly. I admire that passion so much.

Healing Nature, Healing Ourselves - A Chat with Wildlife Photographer & Biologist Colinda Vergeer

That brings me to introduce the beautiful Colinda. I met this firecracker of a woman from the Netherlands through a mutual friend from Maui who just knew we’d get along, since we “both absolutely adore whales!” Never one to turn down a chance to connect with a similar spirit, I jumped at the chance to meet her. Now that we’ve been friends for a while, I can confirm that Colinda has some amazing stories to tell.

So without further ado, please read on to hear how a passionate nature lover from the Netherlands grew into her role as a project leader for the National State Forest and developed a love for marine life. She’s also an incredible photographer, as you’ll see! All the photos from this post are her own.

So without further ado, please read on to hear how a passionate nature lover from the Netherlands grew into her role as a project leader for the National State Forest and developed a love for marine life.

Behind the Glamour - Top 5 Challenges of Remote Freelance Work

It’s the dream that I’ve had for about the past two years. Location independence. Freedom from a brick and mortar job. The ability to work from wherever, whenever I want. Being my own boss. I wanted this because I was struggling to find the free time to fill my days with meaningful, fulfilling activities besides my job, while still maintaining my mental health. I figured remote work would give me an income stream while allowing me to choose where I wanted to live and how I wanted to spend my days, whether that meant part-time on the boats or simply no boats at all.

Remote Work, TravelLauren FritzFebruary 13, 2020travel, sustainable travel, remote work, freelance writing, freelancer, living your best life

Why Do Whales Do That? Humpback Whale Behavior in Tonga

Because Tonga is one of the breeding grounds of the South Pacific humpback whales, we see an extensive range of behaviors that are focused around accomplishing one of two goals: 1) you’re either here to give birth and raise a calf or 2) you’re here to get pregnant or impregnate another whale.

Sometimes I make jokes that whales are the “original tropical island honeymooners”and that Tonga is the bedroom and Antarctica is the kitchen, connected by the world’s longest hallway, but these expressions are a bit of a euphemism. It’s definitely not all chillaxing and playful getting it on for the whales here. Breeding season is hard work.

The Storm Before the Cyclone - Wild Weather in Tonga Pre-Whale Season!

Island life - a perfect paradise all to ourselves, crystal clear water steps from our bedrooms, falling asleep and waking up to a light breeze rustling through vibrant green ferns. The sun shimmering through coconut trees that are positively loaded down with sweet young cocos, just waiting for us to crack them open and indulge in their sweet, sweet liquid. Morning coffee sipped with your toes in the sand, watching whales blow in the distance. Every single day like this….right?

Haha! Island life is amazing, but there are definitely little quirks that you don’t immediately think about when you envision what it’s like living tropically. Yes, there are the bright white beaches and beautiful blue waters. But there is also a constant onslaught of mosquitos and flies, along with some very large arachnids that can somehow conjure new webs in what appears to be minutes, right across your normal path to the bathroom.

A Plastic Paradise - Traveling through Southeast Asia with Eco-Adventurer Jen Worth

Plastic in Paradise

As our boat began to slow and we craned our necks to get a glimpse of the island that would be our next stop, I felt a huge burst of excitement. This was why we came to the Philippines and why we chose a three-day boat cruise from Coron to El Nido in the popular tourist area of Palawan. We were promised crystal clear waters, vibrant coral and hundreds of empty white sandy beaches to explore. So far it had not disappointed.

The Best Vegan Dining Options in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

I was hesitant to think too favorably about my luck with vegan dining options in my hometown of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. As much as this dear little mountain/lake town means to me, I will say the plant-based food scene hasn’t exactly caught up quite as much here as the (also important) local farm-to-table, sustainably raised meat and seafood industry. It’s encouraging that people here are starting to ask where their food is coming from instead of just nomming down on whatever is set in front of them, but there is really not much of a demand for the green-growing-things-centric meals. So it’s a move for the better, but as with my ability to pan-fry tofu, there is room for improvement.

Five Big Reasons Why I Love Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - Hometown Gushing

What’s Up with Idaho?

Most people have never heard of Coeur d’Alene. Idaho is an often forgotten, sometimes scorned state. When people find out I grew up here (well, at least the sarcastic folks), they immediately comment, “Oh, you grew up on a potato farm?” Shut it - the reason those fries on your plate taste so damn good is because those potatoes had Idahoan soil in which to flourish. You should be grateful!

Pacific Northwest, TravelLauren FritzNovember 19, 2018Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, pacific northwest, inland northwest, hometown, best of, favorite places

Mindful Travel, Part 4: 3 Things to Think Critically About Before You Buy a Plane Ticket

The world is essentially a global village now. If you save up the funds and are willing to plan, you can almost go anywhere. Formerly remote and untouched places are changing fast because of our “travel NOW” and escapist mentality that is leading us to escape farther, be more epic, get off the beaten track, snap those wanderlust-worthy social media pics. When I was in college, I was constantly daydreaming over travel Pinterest boards and writing quotes about going out to see the world, experience things, discover myself and learn by immersion instead of just through books and articles.

Mindful Travel, Part 3: A Day Trip to Lady Elliot Island

This past August, I had the good fortune of flying out to a little island north of Fraser called Lady Elliot. Located off the coast of southern Queensland, it is one of the southernmost cays of the Great Barrier Reef and is known for its abundance of sea turtles, manta rays, reef sharks, and spectacular array of other marine species. The moment I arrived in Hervey Bay, I was surrounded by chatter about Lady Elliot and people who gushed over how amazing it was. Literally, I’d be sitting at the office at work and multiple other crew members from different boats in the harbor would bustle by and stop in for a chat, and inevitably, Lady Elliot would come up. “You have to go. That place is insane.”

Mindful Travel, Part 2: A Balinese Farm Tour and Cooking Class

Let me whisk you away to Bali - the Balinese Farm Tour and Cooking Class is a half-day tour (morning or afternoon) that picks you up from your accommodation in Ubud and whisks you away to a local market in a neighboring village. A guide meets you there and escorts you around to different stalls, pointing out and explaining the local offerings of fruits, vegetables, and various prepared goods.

Exploring the Meaning of Mindful Travel, Part 1: Choosing Ethical Tour Operators

So what makes a tourist activity eco-friendly - as in, how do you decide if it’s a responsible choice or not? You want to support locally-owned businesses that are not only reducing their environmental impacts, but are using their tourism platform to help local communities and raise support for conservation. Sustainable tourism has been defined by the World Tourism Organization as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.”

Marine mammals inspired me to seek a greener lifestyle. What inspires you?

Plastic in Paradise

What’s Up with Idaho?