Hello! Thank you for dropping in. I’m Ellie, a travel writer and author from Brighton, England.
In my day job, my professional writing credits include BBC Travel, The Independent, The Guardian, and many, many others. I’ve also written three books. You can see my portfolio, here.
For me, travel is not about where you go, it’s about how you see the world. When I visit a place, I like to get to know it away from the tourist crowds, seeking out unusual and unique sights and places I haven’t heard about too much. I also try to steer clear of chains, preferring unique and authentic hotels with character and charm (that don’t cost the earth). I also love history, food and talking to colourful local characters.
I started my travel website back in 2016 as a distraction after leaving a job at a travel magazine. At the time, I’d also lived in Brighton for aaaages and was getting a bit bored. So, to inspire me to relike my city again, I started ‘investigating’ little-known Brighton and rediscovering local haunts and posting about my curious finds.
Interesting fact: Only a year after starting my blog I was asked to write Secret Brighton, a guidebook to little-known Brighton. I have since published a second guide, Secret Sussex.
In other news, I was born on the west coast of Scotland, but grew up a London girl, so I don’t have a Scottish accent at all. I came to Brighton pretty much on a whim in the early 2000s. I studied English Literature at university, I’ve worked on a kibbutz in Israel where I worked on a production line to make… horse riding boots (!). I am also obsessed with New York (I go there every year – see here).
I cut my teeth on the kinds of small business-to-business magazines you see on Have I Got News for You (!). Dull, maybe, but through them, I travelled the world: Valencia, Munich, Monte Carlo, Tallin, Morocco, Toronto, Singapore, South Korea, Shanghai, Beijing, Sydney, Tasmania… Buxton and Birmingham.
I try to post regularly on Tuesday and Thursday OR Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week and am becoming less sporadic as my blog grows. I also have a newsletter.
If you want to have a chat you can email me at hello@ellieandco.co.uk or use the contact form below: