Laura Schuerwegen

I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a Patreon for years.
Friends and readers have suggested it, I’ve watched other creators build beautiful communities there—but something always held me back. Maybe it was the feeling that I had to perfect the concept first, or that asking for support meant I had to offer something grand and polished from day one.

Over the past few months, a long and unexpected journey loosened that hesitation.
I wandered from Italy to the Netherlands and Belgium, tying up loose ends before returning—once again—to Africa. Somewhere between trains and trams I realised: I don’t need to wait for perfect. I just need a space where I can share the things I love creating—stories, poetry, glimpses of the road—in a way that invites deeper conversation than a social feed ever could.

A Love Letter to the Belgian Coast

My very first Patreon post is exactly that: a love letter to a small discovery during those travels.
While wrapping up paperwork in Belgium, I decided to take my son to the seaside. He had never seen the ocean. We ended up in De Haan, reached by the De Kusttram—a coastal tram that runs the entire Belgian shore for the price of a single €3 ticket.

I’d ridden it as a teenager, but this time, after twenty years living abroad, I saw it with different eyes: sweeping dunes, quiet walkways, seaside towns each with their own flavor. What I once dismissed as crowded and overbuilt revealed long stretches of wild sand and an unexpected charm. That sense of rediscovery is what I wrote about in the post.

(If you’d like to read it, it’s up now for everyone on Patreon.)

Why Now

So why Patreon, and why only now?

Because I finally understand that sharing doesn’t have to be a performance.
It’s about connection and about sustaining the work I care about—writing, art, travel reflections, unscripted moments of discovery. Patreon lets me offer that directly to people who want to be part of it, without algorithms deciding who sees it.

If you’ve enjoyed my stories here, you’ll find more of the same—plus the occasional behind-the-scenes note, poetry printable, or travel musing—over there. And if supporting isn’t for you, that’s fine too; just reading and sharing means a lot.

👉 Visit my Patreon

Thanks for being here, and for letting me take you along for the ride—tram bells, ocean breeze and all.