LAUREN CARDINALE
Founder & Lead Travel Designer
LAUREN CARDINALE
FOUNDER & LEAD TRAVEL DESIGNER
CTA — CERTIFIED TRAVEL ASSOCIATE · VTA — VIRTUOSO TRAVEL ADVISOR
In 2013, Lauren Cardinale founded Travel Design Co. from New Orleans with a simple conviction: the people who know a destination best should be the ones designing your journey through it. More than a decade later, 90% of her clients return year after year — and nearly all of her new ones arrive by referral, a testament to the kind of trust that can’t be marketed. Named a Condé Nast Top Travel Specialist for five consecutive years (2020–2025) — a recognition reserved for “industry superstars who pull off the impossible” — Lauren brings to every itinerary the insider knowledge she earned working with 5-star hotels and global tour operators long before she opened her own doors.
“The best way to describe my job is as a memory maker. And I don’t take that designation lightly.”
LAUREN IN COZUMEL
LAUREN & FAMILY IN GREECE
LAUREN IN BUDAPEST
A Note from Lauren
Travel has been my life’s work — and after more than a decade of designing journeys for people I genuinely care about, I still believe the best trip is the one that surprises you. Not with inconvenience, but with that moment you didn’t plan for — a table that appeared, a view that stopped you mid-sentence, a place that made you feel something you didn’t expect to feel. That’s what I’m designing toward. Every single time.
Lauren Cardinale
RECOGNITION & CREDENTIALS
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
✦ Condé Nast Top Travel Specialist 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
✦ Caribbean Journal Best Cruise Agency
✦ World’s Best Luxury Travel Agents (OYSTEO)
✦ ASTA Verified Travel Advisor
✦ Virtuoso Travel Advisor (VTA)
SPECIALIST DESIGNATIONS
✦ Signature Travel Expert Select
✦ TripAdvisor Reco Founding Advisor
✦ Fiji Matai Specialist
✦ CTA — Certified Travel Associate
✦ Member, Signature Travel Network
✦ Operating under Travel Planners International (TPI)
TRAVEL SPECIALTIES
Lauren specializes in custom European itineraries, African safaris, luxury and river cruises, honeymoons and romance travel, and complex multi-destination journeys. Her client base spans couples, families, and groups — connected almost exclusively through referral, a reflection of the trust she has built over more than a decade in the industry. She has first-hand knowledge of France, Greece, Türkiye, Thailand, Mexico, Fiji, French Polynesia, and destinations across Africa and Central America — paired with a global network of destination specialists who extend that expertise to every corner of the world.
Custom European Itineraries · African Safaris · Luxury & River Cruises · Honeymoons & Romance · Group & Celebration Travel · Multi-Destination Journeys
Lauren is a proud New Orleanian — a city she believes makes people better travelers. She lives there with her husband Doug and their three children: Luca, Max, and Camila Kate. When she isn’t designing trips for clients, she’s usually planning the next one for her family.
READY TO START PLANNING?
Let’s design your next extraordinary journey together.
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