Interview Series Featuring Lesley, A Travel Blogger

It’s been awhile since I’ve done an interview, but I’m back! I have some interviews in the works so hopefully I’ll have some coming up for you all to read very soon.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I watch the Bachelor. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine and I’ve watched it on and off for years. So it was quite thrilling for me when Lesley Murphy from Sean’s season agreed to be interviewed for my blog. She is so nice and friendly.

I follow her blog The Road Les Traveled and am so inspired with her being a travel blogger and the amount that she has traveled all over the world. She shares how she gets paid to travel, her life abroad, and gorgeous pictures of her adventures. You too will be inspired after reading her blog entries! She is currently living in Buenos Aires.

Scarves, comfortable shoes, cameras and a sense of adventure.

Thank God for FaceTime! I talk to my family a lot, and my boyfriend is the most loving person on the planet. I’m very lucky to be able to experience this unique life with him by my side.

Absolutely! My family is everything to me, so it’s been tough being away during holidays and other special moments. I’ve missed a good bit while being away, including big friend reunions as well, but I know I will see everyone soon enough, whether it be during the holidays, weddings, bachelorette parties, etc. I also know that what I’m doing is beneficial to me in so many ways, so it’s extremely worthwhile.

Ahhh.. I have a love-hate relationship with the food in Argentina. They love steak and red wine, and while I do too, I don’t love it every day! It’s hard to find a good salad down here, so that’s a little frustrating. Consistency is hard to find as well. If you finally find something you enjoy, it will have most likely changed by the time you go back. Apart from the food in Argentina, I think my favorite cuisine throughout other parts of South America has been Brazilian food. There’s nothing like Acai. YUM.

It’s allowed me to step out of my comfort zone. It’s made me patience and appreciative. It’s given me friends all over the world. I’ve learned more trying to navigate new cultures than high school, college, you name it. Traveling has expanded my thinking, contacts, memories, and livelihood. If people didn’t allow the grass to grow under their feet and got out more, the world just might be a better place. It’s a great way to avoid misunderstandings, war and suffering. It’s simply a matter of not having a preconceived idea of what something or someone is, but rather going to see what something or someone is. Travel will change you, for better or for worse. For me it was luckily for the better.

I’ve been traveling since I was little. Family vacations happened annually, and I’ve also been fortunate to be my best friend’s travel buddy as well. She’s an only child, so I played her second sister growing up! Lucky me. She’s the best.

It started when I was really little, with my adoration for travel growing with each subsequent trip. There are many parts to this answer, which you can read more about here!

Thank you! I have a dual major in Journalism and Psychology, so I wrote a lot throughout college. It’s important to me that my personality shines through my writing because I think this style is more personable, allowing my readers to feel closer to me and part of the journey. Ultimately, that’s what I want.

Loaded question! There are so many places on my bucket list that my bucket list has a bucket list. The top spots probably go to Antarctica, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

I love to get lost in the culture of the people…see how they move, act and live…see what they eat and do for a living. Hopefully the locals will inspire me, and then it’s just a chain reaction from there. I’ll try to put it on paper for my followers to read, and they’ll be inspired to see the same places I just explored. I like to think I can make a different one destination at a time.

Iguazu Falls – a massive waterfall bordering Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, and then Bariloche in southern Argentina after that. Then it’s home in Arkansas for the holidays. Can’t wait!

Honestly, I did it as a joke not thinking anything of it. I was at work one day, typed in abc.com, and there was a banner ad for applying to be on the next season of The Bachelor. I was curious as to what questions were asked, so I took a look. The online survey took less than 10 minutes, and they called me two days later.

Lasting friendships that can withstand jealousy and reality TV – a huge feat!

It was hard to say what I was expecting because I’d never done anything like that in my entire life. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, though. Very positive all the way around.

Yes, I’d seen many previous seasons before I went on the show. I never once thought “I’m going to be those girls one day, that’s going to be me in the rose ceremony.” I was a bit surprised at myself for even applying, but I’m so happy I did.