Meet Mellissa Williams, a blogger, wife, mum and business owner, who loves life in South Wales. Her passion is to travel, visit new cities, and different countries, and explore new cultures.
When she is not travelling, she likes to eat out, walk, and watch a stand-up comedy with her son and husband.
MT: Talk a bit about yourself (a few paragraphs about what you like doing when you are not travelling, etc):
Mellissa Williams: Hi, my name is Mel and I am a travel and lifestyle blogger in my late 40s from the UK.
I have been blogging since 2012 and I have two blogs – The Diary Of A Jewellery Lover which is aimed at women 30 plus and covers travel, fashion, home, sustainability and health and Fly Drive Explore which is aimed at couples 40 plus and focuses on affordable luxury, flight and hotel reviews, city breaks and holidays in UK, Europe and the USA.
I write Fly Drive Explore with my husband Marcus. When I am not travelling, I love eating out, walking, and watching stand-up comedy with my son and husband.
MT: When did you start to be interested in travelling?
MW: I’ve always loved travelling. When I was a child, we didn’t have a lot of money, but we used to go on day trips on the coach all around the UK which was a highlight of my childhood. I also used to go camping with my parents to Tenby in West Wales every year.
MT: What is your first travel-related memory?
MW: Sitting in the tent in Tenby with my mum and dad watching my dad frying bacon for breakfast.
MT: What is your favourite place (travel destination) in the world? Why?
MW: I have to say I can’t choose one, I have two – the USA and Iceland.
The USA is so diverse, we love it there. We have been all over including Florida, California, and New York State.
My two favourite trips include a music-focused trip to New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville, and driving Route 66 over 3000 miles last year from Chicago to LA. You felt a real camaraderie on the route with other travellers doing the same thing.
I love Iceland as it’s so beautiful. The natural wonders such as the waterfalls, geothermal pools and the northern lights are just outstanding and it’s such a clean and welcoming place too.
MT: Have you ever had any bad experiences when travelling?
MW: My husband was ill with food poisoning when we went to Malta and that wasn’t fun, and I left my handbag at Cardiff airport when I came back from a trip recently but they found it at the airport thankfully and nothing was taken.
MT: Which countries have you travelled to?
MW: I have travelled to many countries in Europe including France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Romania, Iceland, Malta, Gibraltar, Cyprus and Monaco. I’ve also been to Tenerife, Aruba and the USA.
MT: Do you have any advice or tips for aspiring travellers?
MW: Keep organised. If you are planning a road trip, make a spreadsheet of where you are going, which hotel, and how far to the next stop to help you. Also, see if you can afford to put aside some money every month towards a trip as it’s much easier to budget that way.
MT: How have your travels changed you?
MW: I think travel makes you realise that people are basically the same all over the world.
Mark Twain said Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”, and I agree with him!
MT: What country or city is your travel bucket list?
MW: I really would love to go to Japan. I think the culture is so different from anything in the Western world. I want to see all the temples and feel immersed in history as well as see their modern way of life. I would also like to go to the Disney parks and Universal Studios there as well.
MT: Future travel plans?
MW: We had a big press trip on the cards for the summer across the Atlantic Ocean, but that has been postponed now. In the near future, we are hoping to take a road trip around Scotland and see the highlands and lowlands.
When it is safe to travel to Europe, I would like to visit the Black Forest in Germany and possibly Copenhagen.
Mellissa Williams on Social Media
The Diary of a Jewellery
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Fly Drive Explore
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