Why I started Ellie’s Travel Tips

I have been creating travel content for years, and the questions I keep coming back to are practical ones. Which cabin should I book? Is the more expensive option actually worth it? How much time do I need? What should I skip? Is this destination easy to explore independently? What is going to cost extra once I get there?

There is plenty of beautiful travel inspiration online. I love that part too. But I am happiest when I can take the inspiration and add the details that help someone make a decision.

Cruising is a very big part of this site

I am an itinerary-first cruiser. Norwegian is often my personal go-to because I like the relaxed atmosphere, but I will happily choose another cruise line when the ports or route are better for the trip I want.

On Ellie’s Travel Tips, I cover the whole cruise-planning picture: cruise lines, ships, cabins, fares, onboard life, ports, itineraries, dining, accessibility, family travel, and all the things that are much easier to understand before embarkation day.

I am also the Ellie behind CruisePorts.co. That site is my specialist cruise-port project, focused on terminals, transportation, walkability, port hotels, shore planning, and the logistics of getting ashore. The two sites are different on purpose. Ellie’s Travel Tips helps with the broader trip, while CruisePorts.co goes very deep on the port day itself.

How I work

My engineering background definitely shows up in the way I research travel. I like specifics. I want the actual venue name, the real cabin category, the correct terminal, the current rule, the distance from point A to point B, and the source that supports a fact when getting it wrong could affect someone’s trip.

I also care about being clear about experience. If I personally visited, sailed, stayed, photographed, or tested something, I can tell you what that experience was like for me. If a guide is based on research, I will not pretend I was there. Both can be useful, but they are not the same thing.

You can read the full process in the Editorial Policy & Review Standards.

A few things about me

• Based in: Madison, Wisconsin.
• Favorite destination: Patagonia is very hard to beat.
• Window or aisle: Window, always.
• Hotel or Airbnb: Hotel girlie.
• Always in my carry-on: AirPods and a good book.
• Currently planning: Usually another cruise.

What you can expect from this site

I want Ellie’s Travel Tips to feel like getting advice from a travel-obsessed friend who did the homework first. That means useful specifics, honest tradeoffs, realistic planning, and enough personality that researching a vacation still feels fun.