About Ellie
Hi, I’m Ellie. I like trips that feel exciting before they feel complicated.
I took my first cruise on the Disney Magic when I was eight, grew up to become an engineer, and somehow ended up using the same problem-solving part of my brain to plan trips.
That is what Ellie’s Travel Tips is for: helping you sort the decisions that actually change a trip while keeping the fun part intact.
My story
I started with the questions I always wanted answered before a trip
I have been creating travel content for years, and the questions I keep coming back to are the practical ones. Which cabin should I book? Is the upgrade actually worth it? How much time do I need? What should I skip?
I love the inspiration side of travel too, but I am happiest when I can take a place or trip that sounds amazing and make the plan around it feel easier. The engineer in me likes specifics, tradeoffs, and figuring out which details matter enough to deserve your attention.
I also care about keeping the advice human. A trip can be beautifully optimized on paper and still be miserable if every day feels rushed.
What I write about
Four ways into the site
I write across a lot of places and trip types, but most of the site fits into four useful starting points.
Plan the sailing in the right order
Itineraries, cruise lines, ships, cabins, costs, onboard life and days ashore.
Open cruise planningStart with the place
Cities, islands, parks, coastlines and regional guides when you already know roughly where you want to go.
Browse destinations
Make the driving days realistic
Routes, pacing, overnight stops and enough room in the day to enjoy why you went.
Open road trip planning
Sort the practical side
Budgeting, packing, solo travel, transportation, pre-trip prep and the details that make travel smoother.
Browse planning guidesHow I work
The engineering shows, but the trip still comes first
I like the actual cabin category, the correct terminal, the real distance between two places, and the rule that could ruin a plan if it changed. I also do not want a useful guide to sound like a technical manual.
Editorial policyI say when I was there
If I personally visited, sailed, stayed, photographed or tested something, I want that experience to be clear rather than implied.
I do not fake firsthand experience
A well-built guide can still be useful when it comes from careful research. I just do not pretend those two things are the same.
Details beat generic advice
Exact ships, cabins, routes, neighborhoods and tradeoffs are more useful than advice that could apply anywhere.
Changing details get revisited
Schedules, rules, access and prices move. The pieces that can materially affect a trip deserve another look when they do.
The long-running obsession
Cruising is a very big part of what I do
I am an itinerary-first cruiser. I care about the route before the logo on the ship, and I would rather pick the sailing that fits the trip than force every vacation onto one favorite cruise line.
I am also the Ellie behind CruisePorts.co, where I go much deeper on terminals, transportation, walkability, tender logistics, port hotels and what a day ashore can realistically hold.
A little more Ellie
The places between the planning spreadsheets
Ready to plan something?
Start with the trip you are building, or send me a note if you are looking for Ellie.