Specialized Travel by Laura

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Pittsburgh, PA
Specialized Travel by Laura

I'm a Certified Travel Advisor & Certified Autism Travel Professional, helping you plan a trip curated to your travel party's unique needs.

Ready to chat about a trip? Start here: https://specializedtravelbylaura.com/inquiry

08/18/2026

Most parents of children with autism that I've talked with have never heard about Certified Autism Travel Professionals (CATPs) - so let's change that!

A few tips for choosing the right CATP for you:

1. You can look their name up in the IBCCES registry and check their certification to make sure they've kept it current (it expires every 2 years, and must be maintained with continued education). Link is under the last graphic.

2. You may want to ask if the CATP has any personal experience working or living with someone with autism -- or even better, multiple experiences. As we know, if you've one person with autism...you've met one person with autism.

3. If your loved one has any co-occuring conditions, you may ask if the CATP has any knowledge or experience with those. 🎓 Because of my background in school psychology, I also have education and experience with various disabilities and needs, including anxiety, cerebral palsy, Downs syndrome, Williams syndrome, ADHD, Tourette's, learning disabilities, ARFID, apraxia, and many more.

What questions do you have about CATPs? Drop them below!

08/16/2026

(My apologies if you've seen this on IG or my personal profile already 🫣, but for those that only follow me here, I wanted to extend my thanks for your support and also share how my services are now next-level for my clients!)
********************
Two years ago, I took a leap of faith and started Specialized Travel by Laura. Today, I'm celebrating a milestone that reminds me just how grateful I am for every client who's trusted me along the way. 💙

I've just achieved Pro status with Fora Travel!

This recognition is awarded to a select group of travel advisors who have demonstrated strong sales performance, earned outstanding client reviews, invested in ongoing professional education, and built trusted relationships with travel partners around the world.

As proud as I am of this accomplishment, what excites me most is what it means for my clients.

✨ Even stronger relationships with hotels, resorts, cruise lines, and destination partners

✨ More opportunities for VIP amenities and personalized experiences

✨ Stronger advocacy if the unexpected happens while you're traveling

✨ An even higher level of personalized service before, during, and after your trip

Whether you're planning a luxury Caribbean escape, a European adventure, or a vacation that requires thoughtful planning around accessibility, sensory needs, dietary restrictions, or other complex travel considerations, I'm here to make the process feel seamless, enjoyable, and completely tailored to you.

❤️ Thank you for every booking, referral, review, like, comment, and word of encouragement along the way. I truly couldn't have done it without you.

If you've been dreaming about your next vacation, I'd love to help make it happen.

🏝️ Visit specializedtravelbylaura.com to learn more or schedule a complimentary consultation.

Here's to many more unforgettable adventures together! ✈️🌍

08/15/2026

My client knew where she wanted to go for her family's summer vacation -- the beautiful island of Ambergris Caye, Belize.

But like most busy working moms, she had little time to spend hours researching the dozens of details that make a complex trip like this successful.

By hiring me to do the heaving lifting with researching flights, resorts, island transfers, travel insurance, and excursions like cooking classes, cave tubing, and ziplining, she selected her favorite options I presented in a video proposal and relaxed!

I then organized all of the info -- including packing tips, currency, and excursion details-- in an app that she could access anytime, even when offline.

The result: a family that had a great time, a vacation that went smoothly, and a mom that was able to relax and enjoy the trip as an actual vacation -- not another task on her to-do list. 👏❤️

08/04/2026

When you travel, are you:
🏖️ All about the Resort (relaxing on property)
or
🌴 An Island Explorer (out discovering the destination)?

Or a mix of both (maybe a day or 2 of excursions on a week-long trip)?

Not every Caribbean vacation needs to be all-inclusive. 🌴

One of my clients recently came to me wanting to plan a trip to Turks & Caicos with her two teenage daughters.

Like many travelers, her first thought was an all-inclusive resort.

But after talking through how they actually wanted to spend their vacation, I realized that...

They planned to be out exploring almost every day.

That meant they'd be paying for unlimited lunches and dinners they probably wouldn't even eat.

So, I recommended a resort that included breakfast and watersports, while giving them the flexibility to experience Providenciales' incredible restaurants and beaches.

Sometimes the "best" vacation isn't the one with the most inclusions.

It's the one that's designed around how you actually travel.

That's why I ask a lot of questions before I recommend anything. My goal isn't to book the most expensive resort or the one with the longest list of amenities. It's to help you choose the vacation that's the best fit for you.

Comment "VACATION" and I'll send you my trip planning link to get started.

07/03/2026

More pics & videos from our fabulous week at resort.

The food, pools, and entertainment were all fantastic, and the beach was stunning -- but what stood out was the consistent, genuine friendliness and warmth of the people there.

High-fives, fist bumps, conversations, new phrases (qué lo qué? klk), and going above and beyond for us (hello, buckets of ice to keep our water bottles cold!).

Complimenting our mediocre Spanish 🫣 and holding other people's babies so that parents could participate. 😄

Our butler/concierge, Sebastián even messaged us on his 2 days off to make sure we were taken care of.

Great week. DR, you have my heart!

# #

06/25/2026

This is normal, right? 🥹😭

❤️

06/23/2026

Today at Dreams Dominicus La Romana resort, we:

- loved the music (and drinks) at the main pool (thank you for playing your country's music/borchata, not just American music! Though Alle and I did rock out to Dream On.. 😎 )

- watched a little bit of the Argentina World Cup game with a lot of Argentina fans! Loving the international crowd here and hearing so many different languages. And Alle and I are practicing our Spanish a lot! Everyone is gracious and appreciative. 😊

- played some bocce ball 🇮🇹

- surfed the waves (Alle) / took a hundred pics and videos of this gorgeous water & beach to use as screensavers during the looonnngg Pittsburgh winters (me)

- had a blast at the resort's White Party and learned some new moves...and got to dust off my Macarena skillz from middle school 😆

So much more to share, including gluten free food, autism tips, etc! Excursion on Wednesday! 🤿

06/09/2026

Finding the right hotel is about much more than comparing star ratings and scrolling through reviews.

For this lovely family traveling to Florence to visit their daughter studying abroad, their hotel needed to be:

- close to their daughter's campus

- walkable to the historic center

- spacious enough for 3 teenagers

- and offer a separate space where the parents could relax and enjoy the views

After researching and evaluating the options, one property stood out above the rest.

This is what I do for my clients every day. Sometimes I present a few options that offer different advantages, and other times, one property clearly checks every box.

Either way, my goal is the same: help my clients spend less time researching and more time looking forward to their trip.

If you'd like help finding the right hotel, resort, villa, or cruise for your next vacation, I'd love to work with you.

⬇️ Comment INQUIRY below, or head to the link in bio to get started.

05/21/2026

I am thrilled to share that my host agency, Fora Travel, has been named to the Forbes 2026 Accessibility 200, a list honoring the top innovators and impact-makers in the world of accessibility.

Fora believes that every traveler deserves access to expert, thoughtful guidance—and that the travel industry had a massive gap we could help fill.

Karen Morales, also honored by Forbes, is our accessibility program lead, and she created our Accessible Travel Program that provides training on mobility needs, cognitive needs, service animals, dietary restrictions, and more.

Fora also deepened supplier relationships and partnered with changemakers in the space, all to give us travel advisors the tools to set a higher bar for inclusive travel planning.

This award to Fora and Karen is so well-deserved. I'm extremely proud to partner with them as a Certified Autism Travel Professional and above all, mom to a child with special needs.

If you and/or your family has accessibility needs and/or special needs, I'd love to help you plan your next trip. DM me or hop to the link in the comments below to get started!

7m

05/11/2026

Expert-guided tours can be such a great fit for travelers who want to experience a destination in-depth without the stress of figuring out every detail themselves.

They’re especially ideal for:

✅first-time visitors

✅ multigenerational families

✅ busy professionals, or

✅anyone who wants the confidence of having transportation, guides, hotels, and major sightseeing professionally handled.

The right tour can also open doors to experiences that are difficult to coordinate on your own, like private access to the Sistine Chapel.

And for my clients, having a dedicated travel advisor in their corner before, during, and after the trip adds another layer of support and peace of mind.

If you’ve been thinking about a big trip but aren’t sure whether a guided tour or custom itinerary would fit your travel style best, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to help you talk through the options and find the right fit for your family and travel goals.

Address

Pittsburgh, PA

Website

https://www.foratravel.com/advisor/laura-oliverio, http://www.specializedtravelbylaura.com/

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