Laura Powell

About this Speaker

"Laura Powell is a nationally-recognized wellness and travel journalist and consultant. She has been entrenched in these areas for more than 25 years. She currently serves as Contributing Special Assignments Editor for Organic Spa Magazine, and also conducts wellness tourism consulting work under her own banner and on behalf of RLA Global. 

From 2017 through 2020, Laura served as luxury editor and wellness correspondent for Skift, the top publication for travel industry insiders. She started her travel and wellness journalism career at CNN, where she covered those beats for nearly five years. Her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, National Geographic Traveler, CNN.com and several airline magazines. 

Wearing her consulting hat, she has worked with dozens of industry companies, destination marketing organizations and associations. Past clients include the World Travel & Tourism Council, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and Destinations International.

During the course of her multi-decade career, Laura has spoken at dozens of travel industry conferences, and has appeared on television and radio stations throughout the United States.

Laura graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University, with a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism. She also has a master’s degree from the University of Essex in England, with additional graduate studies at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

She currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. 

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