Originally from New York City, Kaeli grew up in Kailua, Hawaii, and St. Petersburg, Florida, before moving back to the Big Apple in December 2010 for an editorial internship with Budget Travel. In 2017, after five years as a Digital Editor at Budget Travel and two years as Senior Editor at The Points Guy, Kaeli gave up her full-time job, left her beloved Astoria apartment, and set off to see the world. The kick in the pants she needed: Turning 30 meant this was her last chance to do the Working Holiday Visa in Australia and New Zealand, which allows you to stay in either country for up to a year and work as you travel—as long as you're 18-30.
In January 2018, Kaeli set off on a two-month backpacking adventure through Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand before beginning her Working Holiday Visa year in Australia. She worked as an usher at a performing arts center in Darwin, where she got to watch Broadway shows for free and meet The Wiggles, and later worked as a ticketing agent at Luna Park Melbourne. She also scored a dream freelance writing gig and embarked on a two-month solo road trip through remote parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia while updating the Outback chapter of the Fodor’s Essential Australia guidebook. In all, she spent time in Perth, Broome, The Kimberley, Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs, Uluru, Brisbane, Beerwah (home of Steve Irwin’s legendary Australia Zoo!), Sydney, Melbourne, Bendigo, Ballarat, Camperdown, Adelaide, and Hobart in Tasmania.
A year later, Kaeli began her Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand, arriving in Christchurch and later settling in Wellington. There, she worked as casual event staff at fancy dinners in Parliament and the Te Papa Museum, serving cocktails and canapés at events attended by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Kiwi actor Sam Neill (the Jurassic Park guy!) She later visited Hawke’s Bay, Taupo, Rotorua, Hamilton, Auckland, and embarked on a two-month road trip around the South Island through Christchurch, Lake Tekapo, Aoraki / Mount Cook, Wanaka, Queenstown, Franz Josef, Greymouth, Abel Tasman National Park, and Nelson.
After two years and two months on the road, Kaeli returned to the U.S. as borders closed and flights were halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She’s currently based in the Washington, D.C. area, picking up copy editing projects and writing about travel for Forbes, Thrillist, Budget Travel, Backpacker Job Board, and whoever else will let her.
