About Me & Grey Globetrotters

SEASONED GLOBETROTTING ADVENTURER | EMPTY-NESTER | PART-TIME TRAVELLER | FULL-TIME FOODIE | CULTURE & HISTORY NERD

About Coralie - founder of Grey Globetrotters Travel Blog

Welcome! I’m Coralie 🙂

I’m a Brit with five decades of international travel experience who believes there’s no age limit to adventure. I’m here to help you travel more.

Let me share a little about my story and travel experience with you.

I had my first big travel adventure at 14

While my friends were obsessing about pop music, boys, and makeup, I was swotting in the library for a project on the “Birdlife of India”) 🐔 It turned out perfectly, as I won a national competition to spend a month working on a conservation project in India and Nepal.

That trip ignited my passion for travel. I felt like I’d been catapulted into a different world where everything was loud, vibrant and exciting. I spent my days putting tracking collars on tigers, bathing elephants and learning about the critically endangered gharial crocodile. 🐘🐊

At 17, I headed off to a tiny Greek island with money saved from my Saturday job!

To stretch my budget, I slept on the floor on the overnight ferry, took a cheap train to London, wandered the city all day and grabbed a night flight to Athens before a 4-hour coach journey and another ferry 🙂

I’ll admit that my strongest memory is picking sea urchin spines out of my foot after I went swimming without water shoes 😂. It didn’t put me off Greece, though – I’ve travelled to many Greek Islands since, and it’s on my agenda again for 2024.

Over the years, my travel style has graduated from tents and bare-budget hostels to boutique hotels and comfortable B&Bs. I love a bit of affordable luxury! Do you?

This year alone, I’ve been to Mexico, Nashville, Jersey, Germany and all over the UK, with 100% of my travel costs covered by this blog. (More about how this works below ⬇️).

As an empty-nester with my son away at university, I’m a dog mum who loves castles, city breaks, and afternoon tea. And cheese. Bring me ALL the cheese 🧀

Where I’ve Lived/Travelled

Grey Globetrotters - Inspiring Over 50s Travel

Working around a great full-time professional role that I love, I’ve explored more than 40 countries across five continents. I’ve lived in four countries, moved house 37 times, and worked away from home a lot.

It’s made me a ninja at packing – bags and houses 😂🎒🧳

I’ve plenty of experience travelling solo, with family, with friends and colleagues, as a couple, and as a parent.

My travel expertise lies in the following destinations:

📍 The United Kingdom– England (London, Shropshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Birmingham, Durham, Cheshire, Bedfordshire, Twickenham), Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Inverness, Fort William), Wales (Cardiff, Blackwood, Llangollen, Chirk, Pontcysyllte, Bala), Isle of Man (Douglas)

📍The British Channel Islands – Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm, plus Les Ecrehous

📍Egypt – Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, Siwa, Hurghada, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Mersa Matruh, Abu Simbel

📍Germany – Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne, Lübeck, Potsdam

📍China – Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Suzhou, Guilin, Yangshuo, Hong Kong

📍Greece – Skiathos, Samos, Santorini (Oia, Fira), Crete (Chania, Heraklion, Knossos), Athens, Rhodes, Zakynthos, Mykonos, Hydra, Aegina, Spetses

I’ve also travelled to these places and have a wealth of experience from those visits:

Europe

📍France – Paris, St Malo, St Tropez, Biarritz, St Lo, La Rochelle, Dinan, Dinard, Dol de Bretagne, Rennes, Caen, Bordeaux

📍The Netherlands – Amsterdam, Utrecht, Groningen, Eindhoven, The Hague, Rotterdam

📍Malta – Valletta, Gozo, Rabat, Mdina, Qawra, Mellieha, Sliema, Marsaxlokk

📍Italy – Rome, Venice, Sestriere, Sauze D’oulx, Pompeii

📍Spain – Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Gran Canaria, Majorca (Palma), Calpe, Benidorm (Ugh)

📍Austria – Vienna, Kitzbuhel, Obergurgl, Hochgurgl, Innsbruck

📍Bulgaria – Sofia, Pamporovo, Borovets

📍Switzerland – Zurich, Geneva

📍Slovenia: Bled, Kranjska Gora

📍Ireland – Dublin

📍Luxembourg – Luxembourg City

📍Monaco – Monaco City

📍Portugal – Algarve

📍Gibraltar – Gibraltar

North America

📍USA – California, Tennessee, Washington

📍Canada – Toronto, Niagara

📍Mexico – Mérida

Asia

📍Indonesia – Bali (Ubud, Denpasar, Kuta, Mount Batur, Nusa Dua)

📍Thailand – Bangkok, Kanchanaburi

📍Singapore – Singapore Island, Sentosa

Oceania

📍Australia – Adelaide, Kangaroo Island


Wondering Why I Started Blogging?

After visiting China in 2018, friends asked about my travels, as they were desperate for first-hand experience, guidance and ideas for itineraries.

Blogging felt like a natural next step, but I made a ton of mistakes. I bought some pretty crappy blogging courses. You know the sort – the ones that promise the world, have very thin content (the information you can find for free anywhere on the internet) and absolutely no after-sales support.

I felt stupid, deflated and out of pocket 😢

Feeling burned by the experience, I kept writing, but I closed my wallet and focused on reading other travel blogs. I made notes about what I liked, and I low-key stalked (ahem, followed) bloggers I admired. Grey Globetrotters was growing steadily, but I wanted more!

And then I had my Hallelujah moment!

I stumbled across someone who was making waves in the travel blogging industry and had a course – specifically for travel bloggers. It sounded perfect.

But I’d been stung before, so I was super sceptical. I stalked her a bit more, looking at the clean, simple structure of her posts, and I loved how engaged I felt as a reader. I felt like she was talking to me – and I wanted to be like that!

I learned that she uses search engine optimisation (SEO) and affiliate marketing strategies (which I knew nothing about) to earn way more than $100,000+ per year from her website.

I also discovered that she offered FREE (yes, free!) live training for anyone wanting to learn more about blogging and creating a website that makes real money.

Again, I was super sceptical. I thought I was signing up for one of those pre-recorded YouTube videos where there would be no chance to actually ask any questions.

So, I bit the bullet and signed up with expectations that were lower than a snake’s belly button. Was this successful travel blogger really going to share exactly what I needed to do to have the same success as her? Really???

How wrong can a girl be? Here’s what happened:

  1. Laura showed up on the call – in person
  2. She was real, funny, and relatable.
  3. She shared a few things that I could take away THAT SAME DAY to action – for FREE
  4. She wasn’t salesy or pushy
  5. She said blogging is a marathon, not a sprint and didn’t make any “get rich quick” promises. She did give me confidence that there is a process to follow – and that she could teach it to me.
  6. I liked her. I thought, “I could work with this person and learn from her.”

The “A-Ha” moment came when I found that I wouldn’t only be paying for a course with lifetime access and regular updates (for no extra money – woo hoo!). I’d join a community of bloggers like me, led by Laura, in a very active Facebook group, with regular additional (also free) training. Frankly, I liked the sound of it all.

Did I rush off the call and buy the course there and then? No. I tested the things that Laura had shared on the call to see if they worked. If they did, I was ready to buy!

Well, folks, I bought the course, and it’s transformed both my thinking and my blog.

  • I now have multiple blog posts in the top 3 slots on Google – which matters for making money!
  • I spend less time writing each post because I know how to structure them properly for success and EXACTLY what to include.
  • From a gradual start, my blog now funds my travel habit – and other things too
  • I’m now in a position to plan an early retirement

Psst! Want To Be A Travel Blogger?

Now, I don’t pretend to be a blogging expert or teacher because I’m neither of those things.

But, if you’re thinking about starting a travel blog, or maybe you already have one that you would like to start earning “proper” money from, I can’t recommend Laura’s course highly enough.

>> Intrigued? Here’s a quick link to the freebie introduction I mentioned.


What Can You Expect From Me?

Through Grey Globetrotters, I share my travel experiences and provide tips about how to plan and budget trips with detailed, well-researched travel itineraries and insider tips – all designed to help you get the most out of every travel experience.

The blog mainly aims at cultural travel and “soft” adventure on an affordable luxury budget.

If you want to know how to toboggan down from the Great Wall of China or how to visit an oasis town in Egypt’s Western Desert (and feel safe), or even what to do in England as a first-time visitor, then you’re in the right place!

Having grown up in Jersey, lived and worked in London for years, and finally (well, for now!) settled in Yorkshire, I make no apologies for sharing content about these much-loved places 🙂

Not sure where to start?

You can check out the latest blog posts, pick your destination, or browse through my travel tips.

If you have any questions, I’m here to help. Reach out by sending me an email or head over to my socials.

Until next time Grey Globetrotters