Recently I was musing on all the incredible things I’ve seen and people I’ve met around the world — and how many amazing things still await me, as the more I travel the longer that bucket list gets. Many of the fondest memories I have from my life have been when traveling, so I thought […]
In my head, I called him the Chilean Marlboro Man. His name was Luis Cheuquel and he was a baqueano (cowboy) in this vast, untamed Patagonia landscape. We met him at the estancia (ranch) to go on a horseback ride up into the mountains. Luis – nicknamed Lucho — was finishing saddling the horses as […]
It is still dark when the Colque family makes its way up the volcano, climbing steadily in the early morning hours. The air is cool and arid here in the Atacama, the world’s highest and driest desert in the far northern reaches of Chile, along the Andes mountain range at the borders of Bolivia and […]
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I'm Shelley, a journeyer and learner of the world, freelance journalist and author, yoga chick and dog lover. I pound the keyboard from home barefoot every day, and while my boss is demanding she also occasionally lets me have the early afternoon cocktail. I think not going into an office or collecting corporate paychecks are very good ideas, though not always profitable. I have written for National Geographic, USA Today, The Guardian, Texas Monthly and CNN, among others. Neither the New York Times nor Johnny Depp have answered my letters yet.
I love animals, yoga, indie movies, cooking, wine, books and chocolate, though not necessarily in that order. I believe in karma. Mean people suck. If I could have any dream job I would like to be a superhero. I have performed a catch on the flying trapeze, boarded down a live volcano, snorkeled with seals and was once robbed by a monkey in Nepal. But, I don't know how to whistle.
My mantra is "travel with a purpose."
See the world like a local!
A book I wrote with my partner Keith, that lays out how we travel as much as we do, for damn near free.
Trading Places 