About the Blog

 

Welcome to The Discerning World Traveler, friends! This little piece of the blogosphere is dedicated to those of you who are on the never-ending search for the perfect combination of travel + luxury + adventure + culture. In other words, this blog = a practically-minded adventurous luxury travel blog. 

 

So, what does that really mean? For starters, it means that, as the author of this blog, those are the things that I’m passionate about. First things first. I LOVE to travel. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. You’ve heard that, seen that, been there, and done that on every single travel website, blog, and Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter account out there dedicated to traveling. I fully acknowledge that I’m far from unique in having a passion for travel. With that said, I do believe my past travel experiences (which include, for example, insisting on being shipped off to study French in Paris totally solo at 15 without having taken a single French class), my genuine love of and appreciation for history and historical landmarks/figures (I have a weird thing about touching every single monument, castle, and ruin we visit so that I can feel a tangible “historical connection”), and the admittedly obsessive amount of research I dedicate to the trips we’ve taken, plan to take, and dream of taking (I’m an attorney, so I’ve been trained to pay attention to the details, for better or worse).

 

Second, I enjoy nice things and nice places. Don’t get me wrong. I stayed in my fair share of “off the beaten path” hotels when I was younger, and I loved every second of it. But, now that I’m a 30-something year-old professional, I’ve raised the bar a bit. I find comfort in knowing that I can rely on a concierge to help me coordinate the things I’d like to do and see in the area I’m visiting, and, let’s be honest, you sometimes can’t put a price on feeling totally content ordering room service for dinner because you’re sitting on a balcony with an amazing view you couldn’t get anywhere else. 

 

As far as adventure goes, I’d say I’m somewhere between a 7 and an 8 on a 10-point adventure scale. I especially love a good hike, a scenic (but not too fast or too hilly) run, an impromptu helicopter ride, and, if I could persuade my slightly acrophobic husband to join me, I’d even be down with paragliding or skydiving. In his defense, though, he’s also an avid scuba diver, which is something I haven’t quite gotten comfortable with or committed to (irrational suffocation fears). BUT, between the two of us, we pretty much have the air, land, and sea covered! 

 

One of the most rewarding aspects of travel to me is the eye-opening experience you have when you dare to venture outside of your comfort zone, no matter how many times or places you’ve traveled. Whether we’re talking Spain, Egypt, Morocco, Germany, or, even closer to home, Montana, Louisiana, New York, or Oregon, every place I’ve traveled has made its own indelible impression on me. As the cliché goes, travel expands the mind and fills the gap. 

 

So, at this point, you’re probably asking yourself what you can expect from this blog. What sets it apart from the thousands (maybe even millions?) of other travel blogs? Well, for starters, any and all opinions on this blog are and will always be my own. My primary goal in creating The Discerning World Traveler is to share my love of travel, luxury, culture, and adventure (in no particular order of importance). I’ll bring you along on my journeys, both near and far, as I explore my own native country (the U.S) and the world beyond, providing you with first-hand accounts of the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of the places I visit. 

 

I’ll share my personal travel experiences (the good, the bad, and the ugly, because even the most well-planned trip can sometimes end in semi-disaster), the lessons I’ve learned along the way (hint: LOTS of research!), and my plans for future travels in the hopes of inspiring you to seek out your own unique way of experiencing the world. You’ll get a first-hand account of the hotels I frequent (most, if not all, of which fall in the “luxury” category), tips and tricks that I’ve learned along the way that will help you get the most out of your vacation, city guides and fun facts, reviews of local eats, fun excursions for the more adventurous travelers, sample itineraries, and hidden gems that, even in the age of social media tourism, can still lead to genuine, meaningful travel experiences.  At the other end of the spectrum, I’ll also share the should’ve, would’ve, could’ve of my adventures. This includes failed five course dinners, day trips that were more exhausting than rewarding, and overly ambitious schedules that resulted in missed opportunities, experiences, and (as my husband would say) a lack of relaxation! 

 

About Me

 

 

I’m Kelley (emphasis on the -ey), and I’m a 30-something year-old attorney who loves all things travel. While I was fortunate enough to have a mother who exposed me to different countries and cultures at a young age, I’ve grown to appreciate the gift of travel even more over the years as I’ve slowly developed my own sense of what it means to truly “travel the world.”

 

To me, traveling is equal parts learning (some people may claim I’m a bit of a history nerd), broadening your perspective and world view, challenging yourself, building new relationships with unexpected friends, adventuring into the unknown, relaxing (a relatively new travel concept introduced by my husband, John) and last, but certainly not least, simply escaping reality and taking a much needed mental and physical health break! 

I look forward to taking you along on my adventures! For my latest blog post, click here!