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Omaha Magazine

Laura Lindenstein’s World: 27 Countries and Counting

Oct 29, 2020 04:13PM ● By Katy Spratte Joyce

It started with a trip to Puerto Rico in 2012.

Laura Lindenstein was looking for a special way to mark her graduation from hair school. A friend couldn’t stop raving about Puerto Rico, so the two decided to celebrate with a vacation to the island paradise. 

While there, Lindenstein was told “If you love it here, you’ll love Costa Rica.” So the barber at Energi Salon & Spa in Omaha’s Old Market got her passport in 2013 and has jet-set across the world since. 

Her travels have taken her cage diving with great white sharks in South Africa, watching the sun set in El Salvador, temple hopping (followed by sampling homemade banana wine) in Vietnam. Lindenstein says travel is “almost like a restart button.” She loves to escape the norm and see how others live—often with fewer things, but just as happy. She added that travel also makes her appreciate the ease of life at home.  

 
It’s A Small World, After All. 

Part of why Lindenstein loves to travel is the connections she’s made around the world that prove how small it really is. On her first solo trip to Tamarindo, Costa Rica, she learned that her hostel proprietor, Vicki Parks, was an English teacher in Bellevue, Nebraska. Even more striking was the fact that Vicki is friends with Alex Frisbey, the front desk employee at Energi. Even on a solo trip, there wasn’t a sense of loneliness, because of this connection back to Nebraska. 

Central America? Check.

The majority of Lindenstein’s travels have been focused on one region—Central America. Since it can be affordable to travel there, and is easily accessible from the United States, it made a lot of sense for multiple international trips per year. Lindenstein has been to every country in that area: Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama. Now that those are off her list, she has decided to invest in more distant destinations. The next area of the world Lindenstein plans to embrace is Southeast Asia, as it can also be affordable, despite the long flights. 

Work/Life Balance

Balancing clients’ demanding schedules with her own travel agenda is a priority for Lindenstein. According to her, she is upfront with her clients about her love for travel and works extra hard to squeeze them in before and after she heads out of town. Simply put, “As long as your clients are happy, they are happy.” She said she has even traveled with clients, three in the past year alone.

Having a boss like Troy Davis, co-owner of the salon, who also appreciates a well-balanced life, doesn’t hurt either. In a phone interview, he said, “My business partner Sarah [Pits] and I believe in people living the life that they love. And the happier the person is because they are living the life of their dreams, then the happier the work place.” He continued, “So, we give Laura the freedom to travel when she wants. From our experience, she is happier and more productive when she’s there.”  

Technology also helps, as the salon utilizes a loyalty program and schedule-management tool that notifies clients of travel plans. “This is a feature that makes Laura’s travel pretty easy,” Davis said. “It is not a cheap feature, [but it] helps to provide for our team to work their dream career.” 

The two have also traveled together, from annual Okoboji excursions to hiking the Incan trail in Machu Picchu. This year, their travel plans were limited to lake time in Iowa, but they have discussed heading back to Peru. According to Davis, all of his coworker and friend’s traveling has made her an excellent travel companion. He said, “She never gets stressed or worried; [she] just goes with the flow and has a great positive outlook and cheery disposition.” 

It All Adds Up

Perhaps the most unique thing about Lindenstein and her travel bug is how she funds her wanderlust. Since world exploration is her priority, she cuts back in other ways, such as a living in a cheaper apartment, without a vehicle, and without TV or Wi-Fi. This bare-bones lifestyle approach works for her, but she also has a secret saving weapon up her sleeve—wine bottles. Before every trip Lindenstein saves all of her cash tips in a wine bottle. Before she leaves, she smashes the wine bottle with a hammer and whatever is inside equals her spending cash for the trip. For Myanmar, where she went backpacking this year, those many months added up to over $450. She also keeps a bucket of change, which has netted nearly $200 for her when full. These quirky saving efforts, put in place because Lindenstein is “bad at saving,” mean she can enjoy her trips when she’s actually on them. She has even adopted this method for her travel buddies, as two of the four bottles currently at her place are her friends’, designated for future travel. 

What makes her money go further is her general travel style. Hostels make for affordable lodging, while her trusty 45-liter backpack means she’s ready to be on the go at any time. She typically buys a round-trip ticket somewhere, then sets up a hostel stay for a night or two. After that, Lindenstein “leaves it open-ended, so if you meet people, there’s an option to travel with them.” Yet another way to cut costs on the road. 

Unique Souvenirs 

Lindenstein has adopted a permanent way to remember her travels through tattoos. Her left arm is the designated canvas for some of her adventurous memories. A watch reminds her to make time for what’s important. Geographic coordinates from Starfish Beach, Panama, hearken back to a trip there. She also got a tattoo of a turtle with her friend Rosy Rodriguez in Cancun, Mexico. The ocean theme of other tattoos on her left arm signify her scuba certifications and triumph over fear. She said she was first certified to scuba in Thailand, adding that scuba is “one of her favorite things, but it also scares her the most” since she can’t swim. (She noted via email that, "I’ve always loved the ocean and wanted to see more of it. With scuba diving you don't really need to know how to swim, just buoyancy and kicking your legs.”) Lindenstein also received her advanced diver certification while in Honduras. Getting tattoos, whether in the actual country or at home afterwards, is another way to signify her love of travel. She finds something she loves on every trip and appreciates experiencing new things with new people and fostering connections.

 She added that she is just getting started. “There’s nowhere I don’t want to go,” she said. In late February, she explored the nation of Myanmar in southeast Asia with her roommate Dylan Tinnerstet. Next on her list? She’s hoping to visit a friend in Belgium, volunteer in Australia, and take a solo trip to Nepal. A group trip with friends to the Philippines is also on the agenda. Lindenstein aims to spend every New Year’s in a different country. “Something about watching fireworks on the beach makes me happy.” She’s been able to do this for six consecutive years. 

The end goal is to visit every country on Earth. And she’s just getting started. 

Visit energi.salon for more information.

This article was printed in the November/December 2020 edition of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

 

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