How Group Travel Transformed a Small-Town Wisconsin Writer with Mel Ripp
Mel Ripp is living proof that travel fundamentally changes who you are. In this episode, Laura catches up with the "nice girl from Wisconsin" who went from reading encyclopedias and dreaming about faraway places to casually dropping "when I was in Cuba last month" into conversation. After joining her first group trip to Morocco in fall 2023, Mel has completely transformed—prioritizing travel over bathroom renovations and stepping outside her comfort zone in ways that changed how she shows up back home in Door County. They discuss the magic of group trip dynamics, what it's like to embrace vulnerability on the side of a Moroccan highway, and how saying yes to travel creates a ripple effect in every area of life.
