Credit: @brokeandabroadlife
We’re back with the next edition of Meet the Media Monday! The series features a brief Q&A with leading Charlotte journalists as we get to know the faces behind the stories that matter most in the Queen City. For the latest entry, we chatted with DeAnna Taylor of CharlotteFive.
DeAnna is a North Carolina attorney turned travel blogger for Broke and Abroad who writes for international travel publication Travel Noire in addition to covering all things Charlotte for CharlotteFive. We talked with DeAnna on being a Charlotte native, how she got into writing and her extensive travels.
Where are you from?
DT: I am from Charlotte, born and raised. I’m happy to be a unicorn! All my family is still here. Everyone is pretty much still in the same area that we were raised in. When I was in law school at NC Central I lived in Durham and I spent four years in Virginia in undergrad and then Korea for a year but outside of that, I’ve always been in Charlotte.
How did you end up in Korea?
DT: I guess it was just to a point where I was burnt out! I was practicing law and I was also a personal trainer here. So I was juggling working full-time as a lawyer and then in the morning and evenings doing personal training. I needed a break. And so I researched living abroad and earning money and came upon teaching English in Korea. I did that for a year while I traveled. It was the life!
Where did you visit while living in Korea?
DT: In the one year I went to nine countries in Asia. The Maldives and Thailand were my favorites. It’s so laid back and they’re both so cheap once you’re there. For longer holidays I would go farther away. I loved it.
How did you get into journalism?
DT: I started my travel blog (Broke and Abroad) about three years ago. It started from being able to find flight deals and people asking me how I travel so much and letting them know that I’m not taking these expensive, luxury vacations. I had to find a way to travel on a budget so I started blogging when I would find deals and also about traveling solo.
While I was in Korea there was an opportunity to write for the tourism board in the city that I was living in. They wanted expats only to help other expats so I started writing for them. And then about two months before I left Korea, the opportunity came for Travel Noire. When I came home I thought, well I’m from Charlotte so why don’t I try my hand at some local publications and then got connected to CharlotteFive.
What do you like to write about (besides travel)?
DT: New restaurants openings. Being from Charlotte, it’s fun to see what new places are coming here and why they decided Charlotte of all cities. Especially if it’s a place that isn’t based on the East Coast. It’s cool to see that our city is important!
Do you have a favorite social media handle?
DT: Instagram. It’s your let-loose outlet and you can post anything you want. Facebook is a little bit more conservative and you have to be mindful of what you’re saying. I feel like I’m more expressive on Instagram than I am on Facebook. I have a Twitter account but I mainly use it if something goes viral to check out these huge Twitter threads.
What’s on your travel bucket list?
DT: I didn’t get to go to Indonesia when I was living in Korea. I want to do Bali and an island adjacent to Bali called Lombok. That’s definitely on my radar.
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