About Lauren Holt | Family Travel Blogger & Disney Expert

Hi, I’m Lauren Holt, the mom, traveler, writer and longtime content creator behind Motherhood & Beyond.

I started this website in 2013, when my children were little and motherhood looked very different than it does today. Over the years, this space has grown right alongside our family, from traveling with babies and toddlers to navigating vacations, adventures and everyday life with tweens, teenagers and a young adult.

And that evolution is really what Motherhood & Beyond is about.

Families change. Kids grow. The way we travel changes. But I’ve learned that the adventures don’t have to stop. In many ways, they just get better.

Today, I share first-hand family travel experiences, Disney vacation advice, outdoor adventures, road trips, food, lifestyle content and the everyday moments that happen somewhere in between.

Who Is Lauren Holt?

I’m a U.S.-based family travel blogger, mom of three and content creator with more than a decade of experience writing about family life and travel.

I’ve traveled with my children through nearly every stage of childhood, from diaper bags and strollers to teenagers who have their own opinions about where we eat, what we ride and what time we wake up.

That experience gives me a perspective I value deeply when I write.

I’m not researching family travel from the outside. I’m sharing what we’ve actually experienced, what worked for us, what I would do differently and what I think other families may want to know before planning their own trip.

My goal has always been to create content that feels like advice from another mom who has already been there.

A Family Travel Blog That Grew Up With My Kids

Motherhood & Beyond began as a place to share motherhood, family activities, recipes and the adventures we were having with young children.

More than a decade later, those same kids have grown up on these pages.

Our travels have included everything from camping and road trips to theme parks, resorts, cruises, outdoor adventures and multigenerational vacations.

These days, I especially love talking about travel with tweens and teens.

There is a common idea that certain family experiences become less magical as children get older. My experience has been almost exactly the opposite.

The magic changes.

Our Disney vacations now include later nights, more spontaneous plans and teenagers who can explore with a little independence. Outdoor trips turn into bigger adventures. Restaurants become part of the experience. And travel gives us something increasingly rare as kids grow older: uninterrupted time together.

That perspective has become an important part of what I share here.

My Disney Story

Disney has been part of our family story for years, and it eventually became part of my professional story too.

I was originally selected for the Disney Parks Moms Panel, now known as planDisney, when my children were still very young. I have served as a planDisney panelist during multiple years, including 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2024.

Helping families plan Disney vacations has given me years of experience answering real questions from travelers about Walt Disney World vacations, resorts, dining, attractions and navigating Disney with children at different ages.

But some of my favorite Disney knowledge has simply come from experiencing it with my own family.

We have visited when my children were small enough to believe every princess was real and returned as they became teenagers who still find their own version of Disney magic.

That is one of the reasons I strongly believe families don’t necessarily outgrow Disney. The magic grows with them.

Family Travel, Outdoor Adventures & Finding the Fun in Between

Disney may hold a special place in my heart, but our adventures stretch well beyond theme parks.

I grew up in Colorado, where being outdoors was simply part of life. Hiking, camping, sightseeing and road trips have always been some of my favorite ways to spend time as a family.

After years in Colorado, our family’s story brought us east to Pennsylvania, opening an entirely new region for us to explore.

That means you’ll find a mix of destinations here, including:

Family vacation ideas
Disney travel
Travel with tweens and teenagers
Pennsylvania and East Coast adventures
Colorado travel and outdoor experiences
Family resorts and hotels
Road trips
Attractions and activities
Camping and outdoor recreation
Food, recipes and places worth eating
Everyday family life

Sometimes the adventure is a major vacation.

Sometimes it’s a weekend road trip.

And sometimes it’s finding a really good cocktail and sitting down long enough to enjoy it.

All of it has a place here.

Why I Started Motherhood & Beyond

When I created Motherhood & Beyond, I wanted it to feel less like a website telling parents what they should do and more like a conversation between people figuring out family life together.

That hasn’t changed.

There is plenty of perfectly curated family content online. Real life is usually a little messier.

Trips don’t always go according to plan. Kids have opinions. Someone is hungry. Someone forgot something. The weather changes.

And somehow those often become the stories we remember most.

I want Motherhood & Beyond to be useful, but I also want it to feel human.

When you land here looking for an answer, I hope you find the information you need. But I also hope you feel like you know the person giving it to you.

More Than a Decade of Blogging & Digital Storytelling

I’ve been creating online content professionally since 2013, which means I’ve watched the internet change quite a bit.

Blogging evolved into social media, search changed, video became increasingly important and now families are discovering travel ideas and answers through AI-powered search tools as well.

Through all of those changes, my approach has stayed fairly simple:

Create something genuinely useful for the person reading it.

Today, Motherhood & Beyond combines long-form editorial content with social media storytelling, email subscribers and an established community of nearly 20,000 moms.

My articles are structured to be helpful for traditional Google search as well as newer ways people find information through AI search, Answer Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization.

But the technology isn’t the story.

The experiences are.

A Little More About Me

Outside of travel and blogging, I’m usually happiest when I’m creating something.

That might mean cooking, crafting, sewing, painting, planning our next trip or rearranging something in the house that absolutely did not need rearranging.

I’ve also spent years volunteering in my children’s schools and community, including serving as a PTA president, classroom volunteer and ESL teacher.

I’m married to my longtime adventure partner, and together we’ve raised three kids who have provided more stories, laughs and travel memories than I could ever fit into one website.

They are also responsible for much of what you’ll read here.

For better or worse.

What You’ll Find on Motherhood & Beyond

If you’re new here, start wherever your next adventure happens to be.

You might be planning a Disney vacation with teenagers, looking for a family-friendly weekend getaway, searching for an outdoor adventure, wondering whether a resort is really worth visiting or simply looking for something good to make for dinner.

Motherhood & Beyond is built around one idea:

The adventures change as our kids grow, but the magic doesn’t have to.

And I’m really glad you’re here to share some of ours.

Follow Along

You can follow my latest travels, family adventures and everyday moments on Instagram and social media, subscribe to Motherhood & Beyond for new stories and travel ideas, or explore the site to start planning your next adventure.

For brand, destination and media partnerships, visit my Work With Me page.