“It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and, if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien
Hello and welcome! I'm so glad that you're here.
“Here” is A Dangerous Business, a travel blog that aims to inspire people to fit more travel and adventure into the lifestyle they already have. You'll find detailed travel itineraries and weekend trip guides, as well as tips, packing lists, and travel observations from more than a decade of personal travel experience, all written by a professional travel blogger.
I don't believe in the traveler vs. tourist debate, only write about places that I've personally been, and travel in a way that (I hope) feels realistic for the average person.
My goal is to make getting “swept off” in your next travel adventure as easy and stress-free as possible.
Who is Amanda Williams?
I'm Amanda! That's me!
I grew up on a Christmas tree farm in northeast Ohio, and was a fan of horses, boy bands, the Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller, and the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. At the age of about 15, I vowed that I would save my money so that I could go to New Zealand (where LOTR was filmed) after I graduated high school – and I got my first passport stamp from there in 2005.
Since that first big adventure abroad in 2005, I have been to more than 60 countries on 6 continents, and my bucket list only grows instead of getting shorter.
I'm a full-time travel blogger, but I'm NOT a full-time traveler or “digital nomad.” I travel and work from a home base in Ohio, and firmly believe that you don't have to quit your job or leave your loved ones behind indefinitely in order to be a traveler.
(I did try to be a digital nomad once, but it didn't end well.)
You'll mostly see me around this site, but my husband Elliot pops up, too, from time to time.
Some random fun facts about me:
The important things:
- I have a bachelors in journalism and a master's degree in tourism management.
- I have a minor in German, but can't speak it very well at all.
- I like to consider myself to be pretty adventurous and open to new things (though not always when it comes to food).
- I live near Cleveland, Ohio, and love the city; I love it so much that I started a second blog about it: Cleveland Traveler
The less important (but probably more interesting) things:
- Before I was a blogger, I worked full-time at a small newspaper as a copy and layout editor; I started out editing obituaries.
- I love the scent of freshly-cut grass.
- I have been bungee jumping five times, and am always up for doing it again.
- I took Irish Step Dancing lessons in high school.
- I really hate all things “Twilight.” (See here if you do, too.)
- To contradict the previous statement, I like chick flicks, no matter how corny or predictable they are.
- I can write my name upside down.
- I am awful at video games.
- I have a ginger cat named Weasley.
How I travel
My travel philosophy is that travel is impactful and transformative, but it doesn't HAVE to be anything you don't want it to be. It doesn't have to be uber-luxurious and expensive, but it also doesn't have to be backpacks and hostels. Travel doesn't have to be going to exotic, hard-to-reach places, but it also doesn't have to always be all-inclusive resorts.
There's no right or wrong way to travel – only a way that's right for YOU.
I started out as a budget traveler, backpacking my way solo across Europe and Southeast Asia over the course of a couple years. As I've gotten older, though, my travel style has changed (yes, it's allowed to do that!), and now I travel probably like a lot of you do: on a moderate budget, willing to pay a little extra for comfort, convenience, and really special experiences.
Two things have remained consistent for me over the years: I only go places I want to go, and I always write about my personal experiences in a way that (I hope) is easy to follow so that you can plan to exact same trip for yourself.
A few more things about my travel style:
- I believe in climate change, and do what I can to minimize my negative impact on the planet by traveling as sustainably as I can, avoiding flying when it isn't necessary, and offsetting my carbon footprint. (Learn more in my environmental disclosure.)
- I do my best to research and follow cultural norms of whatever place I'm visiting, and acknowledge ALL parts of a destination's history, even when the past is uncomfortable.
- After studying tourism development (I have that master's degree in tourism management!), I make an effort to spend my money in ways that support local economies in the places I travel.
- I don't believe in gatekeeping information about destinations, and believe that public lands and the outdoors are for everyone. If I visit a place that I truly feel is too fragile for tourism, I simply don't share about it at all.
- I don't believe in only visiting “new” places and don't really care too much about counting countries – which means I return to my favorite places a lot!
- I sometimes am a “pack it all in” type of traveler, and know that not everyone else is. And that's fine! You do you. If my content isn't right for you, no hard feelings.
Posts to read about Amanda
Posts about me and my travel philosophy you should read:
- Why I'm Not Afraid to Travel Alone
- Why I Won't Get Mad if You Call Me Lucky
- Where It All Began — It's Carmen Sandiego's Fault
- 26 Things Travel Has Taught Me
- 5 Ways Travel Has Made Me More Adventurous
- Why I DIDN'T Quit My Job to Travel
- How I Make Money as a Travel Blogger
- How I Failed at Being a Digital Nomad
And go check out my travel timeline if you're curious about where I've been!
News coverage of Amanda
Along with being a guest a few times on local morning show New Day Cleveland, I've also been featured in the following online articles:
- Everything You Need to Know About Traveling Solo as a Woman at HuffPost Travel
- Here's How You Can Actually Travel the World Without Quitting Your Job at Buzzfeed
- How One Travel Blogger Funds Her Adventures at US News & World Report
- Maintaining relationships on the road at USA Today Travel
- Alumna Travels the World and Blogs About It at Kent State University
What is A Dangerous Business?
A Dangerous Business is a travel blog that was begun in 2010 when I was working full-time as a copy editor at a newspaper. The blog started as a hobby; a creative outlet to document some of my past travels. But I fell in love with travel blogging, and began growing a following.
I went back to school in 2011 to get a master's degree (thinking I'd change careers and work for a tourism board), but when I finished in 2013 I decided to work part-time and focus more on the site. I went full-time as a blogger in late 2015, and it's been my full-time job ever since.
Today, A Dangerous Business is one of the top travel blogs on the internet, getting more than 150,000 visitors per month and being promoted to an audience of more than 100,000 followers on social media. I've partnered with brands and destinations all around the world (learn more on my Work With Me page), have spoken at conferences and events like the New York Times Travel Show and TravelCon, and have been featured on sites like Travelzoo, The Huffington Post, and USA Today Travel.
The main goal of A Dangerous Business is to show people how to fit more travel into the lifestyle they already have. I cover global destinations and bucket list-style trips, and always focus on how people can realistically replicate these adventures themselves.
And, in a day and age of writers-for-hire and AI technology, I think it's important to state that I write everything on this site myself, and I have personally traveled to every place featured here. All of my tips and suggestions on A Dangerous Business come from personal travel experience.
Awards for A Dangerous Business
In 2013, I won the Ottawa Tourism Travel Writing Award for a piece I wrote about staying at the Ottawa Jail Hostel.
In 2018, A Dangerous Business was awarded a Silver Award for Best Travel Blog in the 2017-18 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, which is hosted annually by the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW).
In 2019, I won two Silver awards and one Honorable Mention in the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards.
In 2021, A Dangerous Business was awarded a Gold Award for Best Travel Blog in the 2020-21 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, which is hosted annually by the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW).
In 2023, I won the Gold Award for Instagram Storytelling in the 2022-23 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, which is hosted annually by the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). (Check out my Instagram here.)
Speaking appearances
I'm regularly asked to speak at conferences and on webinars about travel and running a blog as a business. A few notable past speaking experiences include:
- I was featured on an episode of HuffPost Live about Why More Women Are Traveling Solo.
- I've participated on panels at the New York Times Travel Show in 2018, 2019, and 2020 about being a blogger/influencer.
- I spoke at the 2017 Women in Travel Summit on a panel about social media strategy.
- I was a mentor/speaker at Bloghouse from 2017-2020.
- I spoke at the Social Travel Summit in 2019 in Ravenna, Italy about affiliate marketing.
- I spoke at TravelCon in 2018 and 2022 about affiliate marketing.
- I spoke at the SATW annual conference in 2023 about being a digital publisher.
Press mentions for A Dangerous Business
- Publisher Interview: A Dangerous Business at Mediavine
- 11 Ways Millennials Can Travel for Cheap at Parade
- 31 Romantic Weekend Getaways to Book on a Budget at Oprah Daily
Contact me
Want to get in touch with me? Here's how:
You can email me at adangerousbusiness [at] gmail [dot] com, or fill out my contact form.
You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Other fun stuff
Want to know where all in the world I've been? Check out my Destinations page, or my Travel Timeline.
Want to know what goes in my backpack or suitcase? Check out my Packing List page! It lists all my favorite gear, and is also where you'll find my trip- and destination-specific packing lists.
Curious about where I turn to search for flights or book a hotel? Head over to my Travel Resources page for lots of great tips and secrets.
And, lastly, if you'd like to work with me in some way, check out my Work With Me page.
*Note: My headshots (which you'll see throughout the site, including on this page) were taken by the super-talented Jessie of Jadie Foto. The watercolor illustration you'll find behind my new newsletter sign-up box was done by the lovely Candace Rose Rardon.
Amanda! So amazed at your blog, I don’t know how I’ve not come across it before. As a fellow kiwi I’m glad you have such an obsession with my country – makes me proud. I just recently watched The Hobbit and planning to get married near Peel Forest.
I’d have to say I can also blame Carmen Sandiego and the road trips I took with my dad across the North Island.
You truly are an inspiration and now I know I should “just do it” when it comes to writing about my travels, past; present and future.
Thanks and keep on spreading the good travel karma 😀
Suz
Thank YOU, Suz! Happy travels!
Hi Amanda!
It’s awesome to see adventurers like you out exploring the world. A couple of years ago, I taught English in France to elementary students and had the opportunity to travel to another 11 countries on the European continent (while on break of course). I know what you mean about that pesky travel bug! I call it my itch I can’t stop scratching!! And New Zealand! Ahh….my ultimate destination, and why? I too was a LOTR nerd in high school; how stoked are you for The Hobbit to come out??
Anywho, I just wanted to tell you about our great app INTERPRETRAVEL. It’s the first to market, on-demand, live interpretation app! In lieu of a faulty translation, INTERPRETRAVEL connects you instantly with an interpreter from our language catalogue. INTERPRETRAVEL just adds that confidence, reassurance and security knowing you literally have an interpreter right in the palm of your hand.
If you have any questions on INTERPRETRAVEL, please email me and let me know. I’d love to hear more about your adventures! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest; that way we can keep in touch!
Safe travels my friend!
I am SO excited for the Hobbit!
And thanks for introducing me to your app. I’ll have to check it out.
Hey there, Amanda! I just found your blog, and I really like it!
I also am beginning to wonder if we were separated at birth. ;D You mentioned going to New Zealand with your mom for two weeks in 2005. Well, guess what? My first overseas trip was to Germany…. in 2005… for two weeks… with my mom!
Okay okay, so maybe that doesn’t make us twins, but I still thought it was funny. X) I’m also a grad student (and thus feeling guilty about spending so much time looking up travel stuff!), and I also speak some German. 🙂
So here’s a big energetic wave from me! Keep traveling, keep writing!
Hey Sarah! Welcome to my blog! Hopefully my travel stories help keep your grad school spirits up (we all need distractions sometimes!!)
Wow, that was fast! 😀 Thanks! Yes, we certainly do… Off to browse some more, and then… homework!
Hi Amanda – very nice site layout and content. Enjoying your blog very much. Cheers Dave
Thank you, Dave!
Oh I see – Flickr’s got beef with Pinterest, eh. Seems a bit odd to me that Flickr would make the choice on behalf of its users to cut off (or at least stifle) that traffic stream. But I’m no insider so what do I know. Only time will tell if it was a wise move.
Well I have a hack that circumvents Flickr’s block. I could link it back to your site for example: “Photo courtesy of https://www.dangerous-business.com “. Is that cool with you; what do you say?
Double J
Like I said, I think it mostly has to do with copyright concerns. I don’t mind if you still pin my photos, though, as long as that’s all you’re doing with them! 🙂
Hey Amanda,
I love your blog particularly because your the photos. That said what’s up with not being able to pinterest the photos?
Hey JJ! The only explanation I can come up with is that I host my photos on Flickr, and have a copyright on all of them. I read a while back that Flickr was going to disable sharing to Pinterest, so maybe that’s why you aren’t able to? I haven’t done anything on my end to prevent sharing, so that’s the only thing I can think of!
New fan, love your site!
Thanks, Nick! Glad you found it! Welcome!
Hi Amanda!
I’m a kiwi from Christchurch, currently living in San Diego and working as an Au Pair. I just found your blog and I’m enjoying reading through your posts 🙂 Loving your Tolkein quote by the way-my website is onetravelsfar.com- “Little by little, one travels far.” Great minds hehe
Welcome to my site, Stacey! So glad to hear you’re finding things you like!
Hi Amanda!
I stumbled upon your blog and love the Lord of the Rings quote, was it one of Bilbo’s? Anyways, just thought I’d leave a comment and say thanks for the wonderful website! I’m going to book mark it and check back! All the best for your future adventures.
Hi Amanda! So glad you stumbled upon the site and like it — and yes, that quote is indeed one of Bilbo’s!
[…] part of our “Travel Tips” series, we interviewed Amanda Williams who spent 5-months living in Wellington on a study abroad program. She lived right in downtown […]
nice to meet someone with the same interest…travel travel and travel..wish you a safe and sound travel all the time..who knows one day our ways would meet…let me know if your heading to germany in your future travel..
Hello,
Just wanted to leave a comment to say I think your attitude towards what defines a traveller is great – you dont have to be on the road continiously to be a traveller – I take a few trips a year cause thats what I can manage & reckon thats good enough – others have a different attitude though eh?!
Glad to have stumbled across your site.
Cheers,
Laura
Thanks for the comment and kind words, Laura! I’m a total believer that there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to travel. Whatever works for you is what you should do!
nice to meet you Amanda…i am also a travel addict..not really a pro writer and photographer but i just simply love to travel and take pictures of all kinds…
Nice to “meet” you as well, Ruby. Thanks for stopping by!
Nice to meet you!
I had no idea there was such a thing as “Christmas tree farm”. And I didn’t know some towns in the U.S. didn’t have McDonalds. One article and I learned two things already! 😆
I’m also a travel junkie, also looking for a life at home/travel balance, also love writing. And traveling. Duh.
I move from France to Canada a few years ago and I love being based in Canada even though the travel bug is still there… It’s somehow comforting to see we are all struggling with the same balance problems!
Nice to meet you as well, Zhu! It’s always great to hear from fellow travel enthusiasts.
Hi Amanda,
It’s nice to come across someone similar to me – I like to have my house and dog and job, but I love to travel too. It’s hard balance, but I enjoy it a lot. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Vanessa
Hey Vanessa! Thanks for dropping by and saying hello. I know my travel style isn’t ideal for everyone, but it works for me. I like having a home base!