Hi and welcome! I’m Laura, and I’m a writer, designer, and technical analyst who lives in the Kansas City metro area.

Nothing inspires me more than open roads, fresh air, and getting lost on backroads discovering nature, wildlife, and trusting my smartphone while also using a paper map. [Nothing like losing cell service and navigation while in the middle of nowhere.]

Like most writers and creative people, I get inspired by viewing the world around me. I always have a pen and notepad (old school!) when I go hiking or for nature walks. If you ever see a strange woman sitting beside a waterfall with a notepad in her hand, wave.

What’s with the name Travel Artsy?

The motivation behind this blog is to help people find their inner creativity. Traveling to nearby (and distant) places to find inspiration for a book, magazine article, or post-it note. Watching the calm of a babbling brook can help re-energize us. It takes our mind off of the latest news, stock report, or work issue.

On this blog, I am looking to put all of the national and state parks on a map that I can. I also try to include local parks, beaches, and lakes that you can go to at minimal or no charge. When you load the page, it will ask for your location. From there, you can see the sites around you. Click on the link and you can get directions.

If you want to go on an adventure, road trip itineraries can be found to help provide additional inspiration.

Life is short. Dream big. Get lost every once in a while. Travel and be artsy.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m a travel novelist, but rather a novelist who travels – and who uses travel as a background for finding stories of places.” – Paul Theroux

“To travel is to find solace in this chaotic world”
― Anamika Mishra, For the Sake of Love

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.