Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jessica Kelly. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

About a decade ago, I started a blog called It’s Pop Not Soda (I’m from Buffalo, where everyone calls it pop), reporting about the food, drink, and event scene in Western New York. My little blog ended up leading to experiences like judging cooking competitions, contributing to cookbooks, and snowballed into me writing about food for other local publications, then national publications, and beyond.

When I wanted to start writing about travel, in addition to food, I started a blog called AdventuresAreWaiting.com (still my name on Instagram) to begin telling stories with the goal in mind of writing for other publications and freelancing.

I started writing travel stories for local publications, pairing my photography, then national, then international, on the side while working as a full time event planner. During COVID, I moved out to Upstate New York with my fiance. After losing my full-time event planning job because of COVID, I got an unusual opportunity during a time where people really weren’t traveling, to contribute regularly to the travel section in the local newspaper to focus on nature-based trips in New York. As travel unfolded and began opening up, I expanded to New England road trips, and continued branching out as restrictions dropped. When things reopened completely, I began receiving invites to international destinations, connecting with PR representatives and tourism boards in destinations like Mexico, Peru, United Arab Emirates, and more. Since then, I’ve visited 60 countries throughout all 7 continents! It’s a constant hussle, coming up with pitches and angles to entice my editors, but I really enjoy where my career has taken me so far!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a Travel Journalist and Photographer with a focus on wildlife travel, in addition to luxury, adventure/expedition, and culinary travel. My work has appeared in publications like TheTravel, Robb Report, Lonely Planet, Business Traveler, Smithsonian, Condé Nast Traveler, Global Traveler, Elite Traveler, Insider, AAA, Thrillist, Matador Network, Hemispheres, Lonely Planet, Today’s Bride, Travel + Leisure, The Knot, Islands, Time and more. In addition to writing, I specialize in photography, videography, and copy editing. Anyone interested can find my articles here: https://www.clippings.me/jessicakelly. I’d also be happy to connect on Instagram (@AdventuresAreWaiting_)!

I’ve always loved wildlife, but my life changed when I visited Botswana in December of 2022. Nothing compares to seeing wildlife in their natural habitat with their babies; playing, exploring, journeying as a pack. It’s incredibly moving, I felt changed in the best way after that trip. It’s very humbling to witness those quiet, instinctive moments. That trip was a turning point for me. I write about various kinds of travel, but I’d say 90% of what I do is wildlife focused, paired with my own photography whenever possible!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

This career isn’t always easy. There’s a constant need to adapt while navigating expectations, advancing platforms. I learned first hand not to get too comfortable, to continue learning and reinventing how I work, staying sharp and creating interesting pitches. There’s so much to be grateful for in this industry, the experiences I get to have never slip by without me getting emotional and taking a moment to be so thankful. Observing mountain gorillas holding their babies in Rwanda, seeing the pink dolphins in the Amazon, watching blue footed boobies in the Galapagos Islands, hiking among penguin colonies in Antarctica, swimming with hunpback whales in French Polynesia, and so much more. There are a lot of positives, but it can be difficult. It takes persistence and discipline and a lot of behind-the-scenes hustle to make this work sustainable. Even when feeling burnt out or defeated, you have to keep going and believe in your ideas.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

It can be a surprisingly isolating job, working online, traveling solo often, and primarily connecting with PR contacts, editors, and tourism boards through the digital world. It’s so important to fit in face-to-face time whenever possible, or at the very least, a phone call. Press trips with editors and journalists, conferences like IMM, in-person meetings, and working to build relationships is extremely important!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clippings.me/jessicakelly
• Instagram: @AdventuresAreWaiting_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/me?trk=p_mwlite_feed-secondary_nav
• Other: TikTok: AdventuresAreWaiting

Image Credits

Jessica Kelly