Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelley Woods.
Kelley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a kid, I’ve always loved to travel with my parents. But only traveled between Texas and Louisiana and I always wondered what the other states looked like. Back in 2015, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I didn’t want to take medication, so I was trying to figure out a way to suppress it a bit. One day, I was watching TV with my mother and Guy Fiery of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives was on, and he was in Phoenix, Arizona. I told my mother that I would be flying to Arizona that next year and I did. I flew to Phoenix, Arizona with all type of problems. My flight was canceled, no reimbursement for the flight or the night I missed at my resort, lost luggage, and flew on a holiday weekend. Finally, got to Phoenix and I said to myself, “You came here for a reason, write it down.” I wrote down all the things that made me happy and what was destroying me. That was the easy part; it was the action part that was hard. But, while in Phoenix, I was missing something… my kids. Every place I went, I thought about them. Went home and started researching how much I could have saved on that trip alone, I could’ve saved $300. With that $300, I could’ve have brought my two sons and my parents. Once, I learned how much I could save on travel, I brought my kids along, even my parents and started sharing the information and experiences with others like myself — a working single parent traveling with my kids inexpensively and helping those that want to do the same.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road, and it still isn’t. One struggle is building a community and actually have people to listen to me. Helping to change other’s mindset is extremely hard. But, I’m still going with it. The small wins add up, and I celebrate all of them. If you feel as if no one is listening, it’s a lie you’re telling yourself so you can quit. Someone is looking and listening; it can be a fan and a hater. They are both listening. Keep going with a purpose, and you’ll never have to question how you got to where you are.
Please tell us about Traveling With Cute Luggage.
I’m a travel influencer and consultant. I help working single parents travel with their kids inexpensively. In order to do that I create content such as blog posts, live streams, webinars, classes, ebooks, travel guides, travel experiences, and travel strategy sessions. I use creativity and travel to overcome adversity. I make travel dreams a reality.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I’m a music lover, I listen to tons of music. Jazz, hip hop, R&B, I listen to so many genres, I’m an old band geek. I listen to a few podcasts, Single Black Motherhood, The Mattie James Show, Side Hustle Pro, Startup Masters of The Sphere TV, Switch Pivot or Quit, Communities That Convert, just to name a few. I just picked up the Trevor Noah book from the library and I’m ready to dig in and my oldest son picked up the Young Adults version of the same book.
Contact Info:
- Website: travelingwithcuteluggage.com
- Email: kelley@travelingwithcuteluggage.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/travelingwithcuteluggage
- Facebook: facebook.com/travelingwithcuteluggage
- Twitter: pinterest.com/travelingwithcuteluggage
- Other: linkedin.com/travelingwithcuteluggage
Image Credit:
Kelley Woods
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