Hello I’m Ellie Seymour, a travel writer and author from Brighton, England, and this is my blog Ellie & Co, a unique online travel guide for people who love history, culture and seeking out unique and unusual discoveries when they travel.
I’ve written professionally for some of the world’s best publications including BBC Travel, Conde Nast Traveller, The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, The Telegraph, and many, many others. I’ve also written four travel books. You can have a snoop at my professional writing portfolio, here.
I was born on the west coast of Scotland, but I grew up a London girl, and don’t have a Scottish accent at all.
I studied English Literature at university in London and when I was 19 I worked on a kibbutz in Israel making… horse riding boots.
I moved to Brighton on a whim in the early noughties after visiting my sister who lived here at the time. I fell in love with the city’s quirky charms, bought a little seaside house and never looked back.
I love wierd local museums, small and cosy, underrated neighbourhood restaurants, daytime cinema trips, historic hotels and unique accommodation, hiking to country pubs, drinking red wine, playing with my cats and going to New York City (I am obsessed and visit every year – see here).
I started Ellie & Co in 2016 as a distraction after suddenly leaving a job on a travel magazine (horrible boss situation). At the time, I’d also been living in Brighton a long time and was starting to feel a little bit bored. So I decided to rediscover my city, ‘investigate’ little-known Brighton and local haunts and write about my curious finds here. The rest, they say, is history.
Nowadays, my site features useful travel guides with a historic and cultural focus away from the usual tourist spots way beyond Brighton to the rest of the world, particularly North America where I travel to a lot for work, featuring
Interesting fact: Only a year after starting my blog I was asked to write Secret Brighton, An Unusual Guide, a bestseller to little-known Brighton. I have since published a second guide, Secret Sussex.
For me, travel is not about where you go, it’s about how you see the world and this website is a reflection of this mindset. When I travel I like slow down, avoid the tourist crowds, and seek out sights I haven’t heard about too much. I also try to steer clear of chains.
I try to post regularly 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(at)ellieandco.co.uk or use the contact form below: