Jennifer Melroy is an avid traveller who has a particular interest in the beauty she can find in her own country – the USA.

JENNIFER MELROY was brought up by parents who saw the importance of travel and nature and she spent many of her younger years in national parks around the US.

Today she has travelled to 16 countries across five continents and 39 states in the US – she has climbed five mountains over 14,000 ft, hiked 1,000 miles of trail and is a certified SCUBA with 60 dives to date.

In this fascinating interview Jennifer talks more about what it’s like to be a travel blogger as well as going into detail about some of her biggest climbing and hiking accomplishments.

You can find Jennifer’s blog at made-all-the-difference.com or follow her on Twitter at @matdifference.

What inspired you to start travelling and what were some of your early experiences of travel?

I started travelling at an early age. I took my first plane ride when I was eight months old across the US to attend a kite festival. My only memory from that trip was spilling sand in my French fries. Growing up, my parents took me all over the USA to various national parks. I remember seeing wolves in Yellowstone, learning to snorkel in Bonaire, using a telescope to spot mountain goats in Glacier National Park.

Jennifer pictured on the beach on one of her earliest vacations.

How many countries have you visited and what have been some of your highlights and wildest experiences?

I have been to 16 countries across five continents so far. I have been to 39 states in the US. I have lived in three different countries, US (four states), UAE and Equatorial Guinea. I have had some rather wild experiences. In February 2015, I did a winter road trip in Iceland. I was on my last leg of my trip around ring road and slid my rental car on some black ice and hit a guard rail. It was the middle of the night and I was alone and my cell phone battery had died. I had to do some quick thinking to patch up the front bumper so I could drive to my hostel.

One of my favourite travel experiences was my first cross country USA road trip. I drove from Florida to Washington so I could spend the summer working in Mount Rainier National Park. I spent the trip exploring the United States and the summer hiking in Mount Rainier.  During that summer, I had a rather wild adventure in North Cascades National Park where my hiking group split up and someone got lost and I had to call Search and Rescue. He was found safe and sound, but it was a rather wild experience.

Jennifer’s photo of the Wall Notch Trail in South Dakota.

Could you tell us more about www.made-all-the-difference.com and what visitors can expect from the website and blog?

Made all the Difference Travel Blog started while I was living on oil rigs in Africa. I was having some great adventures on my days off such as going to Colombia and Iceland. I was using other travel blogs to help outline my trips and realised that I could help other people plan their trips using my adventures.

Visitors can expect some more amazing posts about my adventures. I have several posts in the work about my recent road trip to South Dakota and my April trip to England.

A landscape photo of Utah taken by Jennifer.

What about some of your hiking and climbing accomplishments and do you have any more challenges set for the near future?

I have hiked the Wonderland Trail and over 2,000 miles in various US national parks. I have done several mountains in Colorado such as Mt. Elbert and Pikes Peak. I am hoping to get a chance to climb Long’s Peak sometime in the next month. At some point in the future, I would like to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail (Georgia to Maine) and the John Muir Trail (California).

One of Jennifer’s pictures of the mountains in Washington.

What advice would you give to someone looking to travel for the first time but not yet sure if it’s for them?

I would start small. Take a weekend trip somewhere. Explore the area, get a feel for planning something and go from there. Get used to being out of your comfort zone.

The Marblemount Trail in Washington.

Where are you currently and do you have any exciting travel plans for the rest of the year and beyond?

I am currently in Fort Collins, Colorado. Right now, I am in the process of job hunting for a day job. I have an engineering degree and would like to get a few years of use before I quit and travel full time. I don’t like to plan much ahead so I barely know what my exploration plans are for tomorrow let alone the rest of the year.