The birth of Born on a Saturday
What is Born on a Saturday, really?
In May, I celebrated my actual birthday. When my Mom gave birth to me, it was a Saturday. So, quite literally, I was born on a Saturday1. As such, I’ve always felt a natural affinity towards Saturdays and have declared them to be the “best day of the week!” on many occasions. Friday is widely celebrated as the end of the work week. Sunday to many people is considered scary as the reality of your next week starts to creep in. And Mondays, well, most people don’t love them for one reason or another. But Saturday? Saturday is supreme. It’s ease, it’s comfort, it’s no where you need to be but everywhere you want to be. It’s the day to do whatever you need to do to recharge and renew without the tie to a working day (Friday) or the fear of the next day (Sunday). Whether you celebrate it solo, as a couple, or in a group, I like to view Saturday as a source of power, renewal and a sort of rebirth to prepare you for the following week.
About a year ago, I woke up on a Saturday with an urge to start a creative project, but didn’t fully understand the specifics of it yet. I had been looking at local real estate the evening prior and found this gorgeous, historic, homesteady-type property that I thought would make an incredible Bed and Breakfast. I hadn’t slept much but I felt this surge of energy around the idea. Several hours of IG and internet scrolling later; I had researched the local rules on Bed & Breakfast operations and I had also applied to become a Fora Travel Advisor (I’ll come back to what this is later), subscribed to several short-term rental/vacation property owner business emails, and was convinced I had a new path in life. Once Monday came and I was fully re-immersed in the realities of my work week, my obligations and just general life stuff; the energy and momentum faded into just a quiet hum in the background. Also, shortly after attending an incredibly crowded open house on the aforementioned property, it’s status went to ‘Pending’ on Realtor.com and it was gone. I do think of it often.
Over the coming year, I periodically came back to the idea of Bed & Breakfast or small hotel ownership and also luxury travel experiences. Levi and I stayed at Hasbrouck House for a night and I was even more convinced that owning a property like that should be in our 10-year plan. In any free time that I had, I used it to research travel destinations, hotels, and short term/vacation rental ownership. I planned meticulously detailed travel itineraries for my own personal travel and used my vacation days to “research” incredible hotel experiences at Lutetia Paris , Korakia in Palm Springs, and Reschio in Umbria, Italy. I reformatted trip itineraries I had previously built and saved every hotel/restaurant/experience recommendation on a location that I came across from trusted sources. I finished my training through Fora to become a certified Travel Advisor and started engaging in their forums regularly.
I classified these activities as a hobby and a creative distraction from every day life. In a year that presented with many professional, personal and worldly challenges and felt so incredibly heavy at times, maybe this was just my new version of baking banana bread throughout the pandemic times. But as 2024 wore on, I felt there was more than that. The energy and feeling I had that first Saturday I started down this path. The ethos of Born on a Saturday. It electrified me in a way that I hadn’t felt in really maybe ever. So I spent time with it. And gradually in bits and pieces it came to me.
If the phrase Born on a Saturday is the feeling I’ve described above, the concept of Born on a Saturday is a brand and I aspire to create something that invokes that feeling. It is the careful and thoughtful planning of experiences to ensure whenever and however you are traveling, you have that re-born, re-newed feeling that you can only get on a Saturday. On a practical level, my intention is to build this so that it is:
Luxury Travel Planning Services (from simple to complex itineraries) - launching today as a certified Travel Advisor via Fora; please be on the lookout for an email from me with more specifics on how to work with me.
Born on a Saturday-Trips & Journeys - this companion Substack, officially launching today with the intention of being free and eventually paid content to include my thoughts on how to spend your Saturdays, travel memoirs & guides, and more.
Travel Experiences & Stays - launching in the near future and growing over time; including unique, short-term, vacation rentals (starting with our beloved Avalon property “Harbor in the Tempest House” in 2025 + additional properties to be added over time), as well as curated retreats and experiences for solo + groups.
A Bed & Breakfast or Hotel - launching in the next 10 years.
& in a rapidly changing world impacted by technology - there will be more.
If you are still reading at this point, thank you. I realize that this Substack may not appeal to everyone and that’s ok. If this is your first intro to Substack, take a look around - there are a lot of incredible writers using this platform and hopefully you find something you’d like, even if it isn’t me. But I’d also encourage you to stick around and join me on this journey. I plan to write a mix of informative travel type info as well as short stories, narratives, etc. that I’ve only previously kept to myself. I’ll soon be releasing additional information about travel planning services and if you are planning travel in the next year - please reach out to chat about how I can help!
For Saturdays & all life’s trips and journeys,
Lauren
Coincidentally, my life long creative inspiration, my sister Karin was also Born on a Saturday, albeit a few years after me. So much of the energy I have had for this project comes from her.