“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list,” Susan Sontag once said. She had the right idea.

I am a writer, connoisseur, and chronic overpacker with a penchant for Asian food and impromptu adventures. Whether I’m boarding a 15 hour flight to Hong Kong or the train to Flushing, Queens, I believe that seeing, breathing, and being somewhere new can have a profound influence on the way we live our lives back home. And it can be a pretty spectacular time to boot.

Over the last decade, I’ve called home to five cities on three continents and had the good fortune to visit nearly 30 countries, from Argentina to Scotland to Taiwan. I spent three years living and playing in the winter wonderland of Sapporo, Japan, and have more recently settled into a lovely little Brooklyn brownstone.

My travel philosophy is simple: spontaneity is good, but a great recommendation is even better. I don’t think you should have to be rich to travel well, and I seek activities and locales that have a purity of spirit: authentic food, well-crafted rooms, and a sliver of experience that is yours alone, even in the most touristy of destinations. I am especially drawn to big landscapes, surprise detours, cluttered markets, and any place drenched in sun.

I have chronicled my exploits for publications like Fodor’s Travel, SHIFT Magazine and the Huffington Post. You can find me at kellybritton.co and on Instagram as @brittonkelly.