Hi, nice to see you here!

My name is Dani Leigh, and I’m the blogger behind Travelling Jezebel.

Researching and writing for Travelling Jezebel is my full-time job (I still can’t wrap my mind around that!), as well as my biggest passion project.

Through my articles, I help people discover off-the-beaten-path destinations in Europe and beyond, with a focus on culture, gastronomy, and offbeat experiences.

Originally from Manchester in the UK, I’ve spent the last nine years travelling, often staying in places for months at a time (I guess I was a ‘digital nomad’ before there was a name for it!).

I’ve also done a lot of volunteer work. From feeding the homeless in Morocco, to working at a beach bar in Cambodia, teaching English in Poland, working at countless hostels, and volunteering at a rural winery in Albania, my volunteering experiences have enabled me to travel slowly and deeply, discovering the local culture in a way that most people aren’t able to do.

It’s been a wild ride.

But how did it all begin?

And why should you stick around to discover new places with me?

Who is Travelling Jezebel?

I’ve always been a writer.

I graduated my BA in English Literature and Creative Writing with First Class Honours, and modules that I studied included creative non-fiction, and travel writing, priming me for a career in travel blogging!

While I was at university, I ran several blogs (the biggest one was about feminism and current affairs), had my work featured in publications such as New Internationalist, and was a regular feature writer at Charee Mag (a now-defunct women’s magazine).

I even had my own radio show on Shock Radio for a while!

However, I always knew that I wanted a life of travel, and so, as soon as I graduated from university, I hopped on a plane to Thailand with three friends for a one month backpacking adventure through the country.

It was amazing.

But it wasn’t enough.

A week after my return to Manchester, I booked another plane ticket, only this one was for three months, alone.

Those three months turned into nine years and counting, and during that time I’ve lived in five different countries (Cambodia, Poland, Italy, Ireland, and Spain), and travelled to over 30 more, usually staying for at least a month in each place.

My style of travel is less about ‘Instagram-worthy spots in Paris’ and more about road-tripping through Kosovo and discovering the most isolated places in Georgia!

It is about diving deep into destinations and forming connections with the people that live there, the food they eat, and the hidden gems that each place has to offer.

I also love anything offbeat – spooky tourism, strange museums, urbex, street art, and of course, gimmicky themed cafés.

My goal with Travelling Jezebel is to inspire you to discover the world’s hidden gems through that lens of culture, gastronomy, and offbeat experiences.

Will you join me?

Features and mentions

Over the course of my blogging career, I’ve been lucky enough to be interviewed on podcasts, work with household names like Jet2, and have been featured in numerous mainstream publications.

My personal favourite feature is a Serbian newspaper called Blic, that wrote a whole article about me and my love for rakija, calling me ‘the biggest ambassador for rakija outside the Balkans.’

I’ve also appeared on The Remote Life podcast and the Itchy Feet podcast, and written several articles for Landing, a platform that provides accommodation for digital nomads.

My human rights articles have been quoted and referenced by many major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Arab, The Rio Times, and The Philip DeFranco show. I also appeared in a short documentary on TRT Deutsch about modern slavery in Dubai.

Connect with me on social

Although my blog is, and always will be, my primary platform, I am active on most major social media platforms, and I’d love for you to follow along with my real-time updates on there!

The place where I’m most active is Instagram. This is where I post real-time vlogs and stories from my travels.

I also have a Facebook page, which I promise I’m trying to get better at updating! You may also want to join my Facebook group about hidden gems in Europe.

X/Twitter is where I talk about all things SEO (another big passion of mine), and you can also find my professional updates (and humble brags!) on LinkedIn.

TikTok is another place where I post content, although not as frequently as other platforms.

Want to support my work?

There are currently over 350 in-depth travel guides on this blog, and I won’t stop until I have 10x, or even 100x that amount!

If you’d like to support my work, there are several ways that you can do so.

Use my links when booking activities and accommodation – If I ever recommend a hotel, tour, or means of transport, I’ll usually provide a link for you to book whatever it is that I’m talking about. Oftentimes, that link is an affiliate link, and if you use it, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! This is an easy way to support the blog, and you can rest assured that I only recommend services I trust and use myself.

Buy me a coffee! ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ is a website where you can make a small donation towards the upkeep of my blog. You can think of it as giving me a tip. You can find my profile and make a donation here.

Pin my articles on Pinterest – If you use Pinterest, saving my pins is a great way to spread my content. You never know, it could go viral! To find my pins, just follow me on Pinterest and head to the ‘created’ tab.

Tell your friends and family about me – If you know somebody planning a trip, let them know about my blog! I’ve covered many destinations, especially within Europe, and they just might find what they’re looking for here! Word of mouth is such a big help to me!

What’s in a name?

For over two thousand years, the name ‘Jezebel’ has been associated with promiscuity and sin, with the majority of people not knowing that actually, the real Jezebel was a QUEEN.

Jezebel is one of the biggest female villains in The Bible, denounced as a murderer, prostitute, and enemy of God.

But who was she really?

Well, Jezebel was a foreigner in a strange land, an outspoken woman in a patriarchal society, and someone who refused to denounce her own religion and culture no matter what.

While other women of the time acted in absolute submission, Jezebel did not.

She refused to submit to her enemies and oppressors. She fought fire with fire, shrugged off accusations of whoredom and blasphemy and refused to flee when she knew that she was going to be killed.

In the moments before she was brutally murdered, Jezebel painted her eyes with kohl and styled her hair, remaining fearless until the very end.

JEZEBEL represents DEFIANCE.

She represents INDIVIDUALITY, FEARLESSNESS and INDEPENDENCE.

I believe that the world needs more Jezebels.

This is the reason for the name of this blog.

P.S. If you’re interested in reading more about Jezebel’s story and the context surrounding it, click here for a fascinating breakdown.

 
I hope you enjoy my website! If you have any comments or questions then please do leave them in the comments section at the bottom of each article

If you are a brand, tourism board, or PR professional and you want to work with me then please head to the Work With Me page for all of the info you need!

XOXO

If you liked this article and would like to support my work, please click the button above to donate a couple of bucks and buy me a coffee. The ad revenue that I receive on this website is minimal, so support from my readers enables me to keep creating content that you (hopefully!) love to read.