Welcome to the Simply Nel Belle Blog

Welcome

In 2018, it is my goal to pursue my blogging as a business instead of just a hobby. I love blogging and connecting with aspiring writers and readers. I am all about encouraging women to travel by offering fun tips, budget-friendly travel ideas, and beautiful destination inspiration. Traveling has completely changed my life and led me to meet so many interesting people. Please allow me to formally welcome you to the Simply Nel Belle Blog.

Why Simply Nel Belle?

When I was looking into a name for my blog I wanted something that felt unique and true to who I am. Nel Belle is actually my childhood nickname given to me by my father as a child. My dad passed away back in 2009 so I wanted to pay tribute to him in this small way.

Who am I?

If you have never come across my blog before then you are probably wondering, who the heck am I? Well, my name is Janelle, I’m 29 years old, and an online grad student and work in higher education. I am naturally curious so I am always taking courses or reading to pick up new skills.

I am originally from a small town near Somerset, Pennsylvania, but I surprisingly have lived 7,000 miles away in Seoul, South Korea where I worked for two years as a public school English teacher. Living in South Korea was an incredible experience that I will always treasure. While I was overseas, I actually ran another blog where I documented my experience called Shimmering Seoul.

After Korea, I worked at Rice University in Houston, Texas for two years before I had some drastic and unexpected life changes that led me back to Pennsylvania.

Given my circumstances, I felt it was best to return to my hometown to regroup and decided where my journey would take me next. Talk about a whirlwind! After much research and exploration in the area, I decided to move to Boston, Massachusetts, because that city truly feels like home every time I visit.

How did I start my blog?

As I was sitting in my hometown in January, feeling down and lost. I thought back to when things made sense to me and realized that I was the happiest when I was blogging and traveling.

During my months of drastic change, my longterm boyfriend broke up with me. I truly lost who I was as a person in my last relationship by trying to be something that I thought my ex-boyfriend wanted. I forgot to focus on what I wanted, my independence, and my passion projects.

I am not a conventional person and it has never been who I am. In truth, I was making myself miserable trying to fit the norm and the expectations of others while seeking their approval. I didn’t recognize myself.

When I started doing research online, I noticed that there was a whole community of women that felt the same way I did. They didn’t want to settle down or be tamed. They wanted to go in a different direction and go for their goals, travel, and build something for themselves.

One big learning curve!

This new blog will be a journey to finding my place in a new city. I look forward to offering you plenty of travel tips, self-love inspo, and more. Be sure to subscribe and connect with me on social media. I would love to hear from you!