Gretchen Kelly has traveled to over 60 countries in the past five years both as a freelance writer and in the capacity as US News Editor for International Business Traveler magazine. Working for the New York Post, Executive Travel, Women’s Health and the Travel Channel, among others, she has written about global leisure travel trends and destinations from locales as far flung as Armenia, the Transylvanian mountains of Romania and the North Pole.

Kelly was also recently commissioned to write over twenty new destination-related stories for The Travel Channel's re-launched web site.

contact info: gktravel@aol.com

Gretchen's Blog:

MAY '13 - TRAVELPULSE.COM
Gretchen Kelly is currently writer/editor of www.travelpulse.com

JULY '12 - TRAVELMOLE.COM
Gretchen Kelly is the North American Editor of www.travelmole.com

JUN '12 -NY POST RUSSIAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL

OCT '11 - WALES/STARZ PROMOTION
Gretchen Kelly conceptualized the idea of a connection between Visit Wales and the Starz TV series, Camelot. Kelly concepted and wrote the copy for this thirty second spot which ran on Virgin USA flights throughout 2011.

SEPT '11 - Blogging for RED STAR LINE in Belgium

2012 marks the opening of the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp. My own grandfather traveled through Antwerp on a Red Star Line ship on the way to a new life in New York. I've been blogging about the Museum and leading their search for a mystery girl seen in a photo of the era with a single Red Star Line ticket in her small hands. In the past months I've interviewed Diane Von Furstenberg, the Prime Minister of Belgium and the Vice Mayor of Anwerp, along with experts in ancestry and immigrantion for the blog. www.redstarline.be

JUL '10 - Blogging for WALES

My time as a guest blogger for Visiit Wales http://usa.visitwales.com is almost over and I've gained thousands of new readers and have received some very touching fan mail. One reader wrote me that he felt that my love for his country really showed through. He was right, I do love Wales. I love it's singularity, it's stubborn resistance against conformity and the aspects of modern life that diminish us as individuals.

The pieces that seemed to touch a nerve were my food-related stories, my last ghost-busting tale of a visit ot "the Cave of Death" and my story about Jan Morris--one of my travel writing heroes. Facebook fans responded and interacted with these stories in fascinating, silly, engaging and sometimes deeply emotional ways.

This was my first outing into guest blogging and the interaction of my work with my readers, and the quicksilver aspect of the medium are compelling.

Stay tuned for more links to future guest blogs around the world.

GK

JUN '09 - TIN TABULOUS!

Just back from Belgium where the buzz is all about the new animated, Spielberg-directed Tin Tin film: The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn which is set to star Daniel Craig as Red Rackham and Simon Pegg as "The Inspector." Word is that Tin Tin tourism is going to be all the range in 2010 (when the film debuts) and in the meantime the Comic Museum in Brussels is spiffing up, having moved location to a spot right near the Royal Gardens. Yet another reason not to count Brussels out as a European destination. But hey guys, can we do something about the graffitti? What is that, resentment against the civility and homogenousnes of the European Union?

GK

NOV '08 - Where's Moriarty?

Sherlock Holmes is filming in Manchester, UK with Robert Downey, Jr. as Conan Doyle’s super sleuth and Jude Law as Watson.  But where’s Moriarty? 

Mancunians swear they’ve seen Russell Crowe skulking around Town Hall, where the cast and crew have been filming scenes set in Parliament (where no filming is allowed).  But Crowe is not confirmed as the film’s baddie and lots of chatter has been going back and forth about who will take the role.

Meanwhile, the Iron Man himself was rumored to be staying at the sleek and chic Lowry Hotel just outside of town. 

The film is set to wrap next year but don’t hold your breath for an accurate release date.  Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, which was due to open this Christmas is now on hold till the summer of 2009. 

JULY '08 - BAZ BANKS ON OZ

Baz Luhrman’s australia is set to give Oz a big set-jetting boost.

The Australian tourism board is in talks with the director of “Moulin Rouge” to promote the Queensland city of Bowen (stand in for 30’s wartime Darwin) and other locations in a tie in marketing effort for the film’s november debut.

The trailer already features a big banner ad for Qantas on its homepage.  Officials are hoping for an Australian-sized “Crocodile Dundee” influx of starry eyed travelers who see themselves as Hugh Jackman (complete with leather hat) or Nicole Kidman who is seen in promo pics walking through the desert in high heels with a load of Vuitton luggage being carried by lackeys behind her. 

As Australia is a long haul away for fuel-depressed and cash-strapped Americans, Baz’ film better be very bloody good or this campaign just might go the way of a Croc Dundee sequel and flop—badly.

GK

MAY '08 - JONESING FOR INDIANA

Everyone is getting in on the Indiana Jones set-jetting bandwagon.  Fandango is promoting summer blockbuster travel and Expedia is touting Indiana Jones’ style vacations to places like Petra in Jordan (where The Last Crusade was filmed).

Insiders tell us that most of the new flick was filmed in Hawaii (which Speilberg used in Jurassic Park). 

Set-Jetters might be a bit confused with all this hype.  For instance, visit www.indianajones.com and you'll find the sites’ MySpace link offering contestants a chance to travel to “the mysterious city of Venice,” which was in the Last Crusade but not in the new film.  If you really want to travel “like Indy” to Venice, you’d better get a vintage amphibious plane to fly you there.

Insider Set-Jetters should suit up first, Indiana style.   First stop:  the shop that made Indiana’s iconic hat, Swaine, Adeney, Brigg(They also made James Bond’s briefcase).

Stay tuned for a complete insider’s view of keeping up with the Joneses, travel-wise….

GK

APRIL '08 The new movie FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL opens this week. Set jetting travelers, take note: it was filmed at Honolulu’s Turtle Bay Resort, (www.turtlebayresort.com)  Stay tuned to this site for insider info and tips for planning your own Turtle Bay romantic getaway (with or without loser ex boyfriend).

GK