Introducing Dog Friendly Destinations Fabulous Female Founder Lauren Jones
Do you own a dog?
I do! Milo is a rescue dog; he was found under a caravan. He was taken to the local vets and looked after by a nurse with the same name as me (Lauren Evans at the time). When I found this out, I knew it was a sign. I heard they were looking for someone to adopt Milo and so, asked my other half who said no! It was Christmas time and all I could think about was the little 8-month-old puppy all alone (he wasn’t, he was loving life with the vet and her two other dogs, to be fair). Eventually Rob agreed to meet Milo for a walk and as soon as he ran at us sideways and peed on our feet, we knew he’d found his forever home.
Tell us a little about you and your journey to the here and now and how you started Dog Friendly Destinations?
I absolutely love day trips, weekends and holidays in the UK. And Rob and I have always taken Milo with us. It means that I’ve spent years jotting down ideas and itineraries for places where we can go that welcome dogs. My knowledge combined with Rachel’s (Dog Friendly Destinations’ co-founder) years spent working in Communications and Digital Marketing led us to creating Dog Friendly Destinations and showcasing the UK’s best places to stay, eat and go with your four-legged friend. Basically, we couldn’t find anyone that would give us a job combining writing, photography, travel and cute pups so we had to create our own.
New Discoveries in 2021
Sandhole Cottages, Cheshire - beautifully renovated barns in the Cheshire countryside.
Ty Cerrig, Anglesey - one of our favourite locations in North Wales.
The Old Sunday school, Cornwall - we've been dreaming of visiting Cornwall this year so this one was a must with its gorgeous views and beautiful interiors.
Grand Get Togethers, York. The perfect staycation for a special occasion or reunion.
Do you review every place on your website or do you have a team of reviewers that help you?
At the moment, it’s just Rachel and me. Although having spent almost a full year in lockdown, we’ve not been able to get out and about anywhere near as much as we would have liked. It’s meant relying on advice, input and research from some of our favourite dog-owning friends, family and Instagrammers.
What areas does Dog Friendly Destinations cover?
We cover the whole of the UK. We have been approached to feature properties in Europe but we’re not quite ready to expand yet.
How many properties do you have?
We currently have 50 carefully selected dog-friendly holiday properties on the website with more in the process of being written up. And we also feature dog-friendly restaurants and coffee shops, too. With having the children at home quite a lot over the past year and home-schooling too, we never seem to be able to get through our to-do lists as quickly as we would like.
Where are you based?
We’re in North Wales with countryside walks on one side and beautiful beaches on the other. It’s also one of our most requested areas for dog-friendly holidays which means that every dog walk we go on is practically research.
Top three places to stay during the summer?
Scotland is always high up on my list. I love a trip that combines beautiful scenery, incredible walks, a day in Edinburgh and the opportunity to sample a whiskey or two. The Lake District is incredibly dog friendly with brilliant pubs that always welcome weary paws with a treat or two after you’ve been out exploring. Rachel would tell you that you can’t beat Cornwall – she’s trying to persuade me that we need to buy our very own dog-friendly holiday property close to the beach. For research for the website, obviously ;)
What were you doing before?
I was a teacher, would you believe? But moved into social media a couple of years ago when Rachel needed an additional pair of hands in her digital marketing consultancy. It wasn’t long after the birth of my little boy which meant that I was better able to juggle work with being a mum.
What gets you up in the morning?
It’s a coin toss between Milo and Emlyn, normally – around 6am. Joking aside, since we launched Dog Friendly Destinations, every day brings something exciting that makes me want to leap out of bed. Whether it’s chatting to our property owners, looking at all the gorgeous photos we get tagged in on Instagram, or discussing future plans with Rachel, I’m so proud to have created something that people are finding genuinely useful. It’s a buzz that I want more of. And that’s why you’ll rarely find me lying in.
An object you would never part with
I’m so sentimental. I have a box of things. All to do with Emlyn. I treasure all his firsts.
The biggest female influence in your life
A more recent one for me is Holly Tucker, for giving us the inspiration to build a business doing what we love! But also, for starting her own multi-award-winning business with a newborn. On days I struggle with now two children and a business, she is my inspiration, that it is possible. Do Friendly Destinations is already proving to be a success during a global pandemic and no childcare and I’m confident this time next year, it will be the business we dreamed of.
In my suitcase I packed..
Everything! With children and a dog, there’s literally nothing that I don’t take on holiday. Honestly, my bags creak from the sheer amount of things I squash in them. Mums are a bit like magicians, aren’t they? Able to make anything appear from the depths of their totes.
Where would you like to go next?
Oh, this changes pretty much every day. The problem with working in travel is that so many amazing places come across your desk. Rachel stayed at Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall and after seeing her photos, that’s definitely somewhere I need to go to soon. We’ve also been trying to find a date to get away to A Corner of Eden in Cumbria but with lockdowns and school holidays ever-changing, we’ve not been able to book it in.
Favourite breed of dog?
It has to be a collie otherwise Milo would get very upset. But, to be honest, all dogs are super cute with their own unique personalities.
Your favourite website
Being dog lovers and taking full advantage of lockdown in loungewear daily, it’s got to be Frankie and Dotties, Luxury loungewear, clothing and accessories made for dog owners. And we have an exciting collaboration coming up with them soon.
A recent “find” or brand
Olive & Berry, an eco-friendly dog brand selling anything and everything for dog lovers from cosy dog beds to funky collars. We’ve been eyeing up their gorgeous eco-friendly reusable coffee cups to take with us when we can travel more.
If you were to buy a magazine subscription which one would it be?
The Simple Things, a magazine all about taking time to live well. It celebrates slowing down, enjoying what you have and making the most of where you live. It also has delicious recipes which I like to rustle up when we are bored of the same old dish at home and can’t visit our local for a pub lunch.
In your fridge, you’ll always find
Planet Doughnut doughnuts, hands off the Malteser Crunchie Mix-up! The perfect afternoon pick-me-up or even first thing in the morning when the nights have been particularly rough, please don’t judge.
The beauty staple you’ll never without
Concealer, to attempt to mask my permanent dark circles.
WHAT’S NEXT for Dog Friendly Destinations?
Well, the pandemic ending would be a huge help for us to expand the business. We want to visit and add more handpicked properties to the website and create bespoke itineraries to match each one. Our intention is not to be the biggest website in terms of the number of properties and places we feature; more to be a truly trusted source of high-quality recommendations that inspire people to experience lovely things with their four-legged friends. We’d also like to create a range of stylish travel products too. That would be a dream!