Conversations with Eriel Cleveland

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eriel Cleveland.

Hi Eriel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a military brat, my father retired from the Air Force after serving over 25 years. We averaged about 2 to 2 ½ years in one location before the military was packing us up to another journey. I was born in Panama City, Florida, by the age of one, I had moved to Mississippi and that was the beginning of my adventures. I lived in Monterey, Tampa, Anchorage, Prattville, Alabama, Dayton, Washington D.C. The last stop was Birmingham, Alabama. My parents were fortunate enough to give me opportunities to visit other places. I realized from these adventures that I wanted to travel the world. By age 10, our travels had taken me on a cruise to Cozumel, Denali National Park, Grand Canyon, Disneyworld, Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Las Vegas, and the Hoover Dam. By age 21, I had traveled to Pigeon Forge, Nassau, Bahamas, Virginia Beach, and Hershey Park. These opportunities allowed me to want to broaden my horizons and continue to travel. As a young adult, I want to experience other cultures and visit other countries. I did some research, and it led me to take a class on how to Travel Solo with Ebony. She taught me how to do research on my trips, how to travel safely, finance my trips, and how to capture videos and pictures. This led me to create my vlog to show people my travel journeys and what is out there in this world.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it wasn’t a smooth road. When I started Bombshell Travels, I uploaded my first travel content on my page, and I didn’t get a huge turnout. I talked to Ebony, my travel mentor, about it because I was disappointed. She gave me a lot of feedback on what I needed to do. She told me to I needed to post my content on other social media platforms (for example TikTok, Youtube, etc.). She told me to use hashtags, tag companies, use Instagram reels, interact with people, and to be consistent. She told me doing those things, I would gain more followers and attention to my vlog. After I took her advice, I noticed my page was reaching my audience and growing more.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I graduated from Harrison School of Pharmacy at Auburn University in 2020. I’m a pharmacist, and I work at a hospital. I work for seven days and I’m off seven days. My work-life balance allows me to travel.

How do you think about happiness?
Setting goals and achieving those goals. I love traveling. Also, being able to cross things off of my bucket list.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bombshelltravels_/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4pw16fdo0L0O6lRZPe4Nwg/videos?view=0
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
The personal photo was taken by Mari. I booked my photo shoot through Airbnb Experiences. It was called Fun and Colorful Photos in Old San Juan.