Our traveler of the month is a Laura Childers-Maistros. She is a Sales Engineer, a radio show host and an aspiring politician. Currently, she’s a Precinct Representative for the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party in Ohio.

Traveler Spotlight Questions

1. How do you spend your day offs?
Depends on the day. I work a lot so having the chance to sleep in is lifeee. Other than that I enjoy hiking, cooking, attending concerts, and traveling as much as possible.

2. What do you do in life?
I am a Sales Engineer for a company that makes heaters for chemical processes. In addition to that I also host a metal radio show Saturday nights called Radio Children which broadcasts in the Cleveland area (and can be heard online at wruw.org). And finally, I am an aspiring politician and currently a Precinct Representative for the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party in Ohio.

3. How have you developed your career?
Well, I am only a year into my career so it is hard to say. I have a degree in Polymer Engineering, in order to travel and keep myself out of the lab, I have taken the Sales career path and am now heading Asian accounts for my company. I have yet to travel to Asia within the position (I am only a few months in), but am expected to by the end of the year to visit clients and handle business!

4. Who are your biggest influences?
That’s really hard to say. I don’t really look up towards famous people or characters. In my life, my biggest influence is probably my mother who is a badass, once engineer, now heavy equipment operator. She has always worked in male-dominated fields, but she can hold her own with anyone. She is also the most kind person I have met. She will feed the homeless, give rides to strangers, help someone she just met. She is amazing and inspires me to be a better person each and every day.

5. How long have you been traveling?
I did not go on my first plane ride until I was 19. I would say that is when I really started traveling. I always had a desire to go places, we never traveled much when I was a kid, so once I tasted freedom… I was hooked. I am 24 now, so I would say 5 years. In that time, I have visited over 20 states, and 10 countries.

6. what made you pursue this?
It’s hard to say. I always had an urge to travel the world. When I was 15 I would stay up all night planning my backpacking trip to Europe that finally happened when I was 21. There is something comforting about going into the unknown and being uncomfortable. The places I’ve gone and the experiences I have had just keep me out there wanting more.

7. How has traveling changed you?
I am much more confident in myself and my decisions. I am comfortable eating a meal alone, getting lost, meeting new people, overall I am just more comfortable being uncomfortable.

8. What’s your dream destination?
There isn’t any one destination that is my dream destination, but my next soon-to-be planned big adventure is to backpack South America. I would love to see Patagonia to the tip top of Columbia. The culture and life is so very different than what I am used to, it intrigues me!

9. What’s your most memorable travel (so far) and why?
The first time I backpacked Europe. It was my first time leaving the country and I spent 3 weeks traveling by myself. It was shocking, inspiring, gave me time to reflect on myself and what I want, it was life changing.

10. Any travel tips that you’d like to impart to our fellow travelers?
Buy plane tickets on Tuesdays. Pack extra underwear. Bring local currency change. There are no bad reasons to travel.

Traveler Spotlight Pictures

Traveler Spotlight Social Sites

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More Traveler of the Month

• Traveler Spotlight: Mia Pascual, Nurse, Mom, and Overall Badass Woman
• Traveler Spotlight: Ellah Abad – Fearless, Independent, and Driven
• Traveler Spotlight – Irish Dunca, Nurse, Discover How To Travel in Style
• Traveler Spotlight – Neil Alvin Nicerio, Discover His Adventures in Japan
• Traveler Spotlight: Laura Childers-Maistros, Sales Engineer , Discover How this Metalhead travels from One State to Another