I was flattered to be featured recently on a great travel website called Insider Perks. Founder Brian Searl has filmed travel destination vignettes in more than 75 cities around the United States, and has produced over 500 professional travel videos that feature the best hotels, tourist attractions, and landmarks. Insider Perks is a great resource for planning your next travel adventure! Check it out: www.insiderperks.com

The travel industry is one of the largest in the world. Those who work within it include authors, journalists, bloggers, tour operators, travel agents, owners, managers and their entire staff that includes public relations, marketing, customer service or anyone else caught in the middle.

Now is your chance to get an in-depth look into their lives. Learn what brings them to work each morning, how they deal with problem customers, how they work on a deadline or write the next chapter of their book. These are their stories of struggle, accomplishment and survival.

Today’s guest is Kelli Delaney Kot, editor of KDHamptons.com.

Where does your love of travel come from?

After I graduated college, I spent the next ten years working in fashion at Conde Nast for Allure and Glamour magazine. Traveling around the world for photo shoots and attending the shows in Milan and Paris each season ignited my wanderlust. I love to experience different cultures, architecture, language, cuisine, landscapes and people.

Out of all your career options, why were you drawn to publishing?

I was drawn to publishing because I love photography, and the creative process of producing memorable photo shoots. Working with inspiring people to create images that can sell magazines, clothes, a lifestyle, a place… all of those elements are so intriguing to me.

Tell us about KDHamptons.com and what your goal is for the website?

Launched in the summer of 2011, KDHamptons.com is the official online Luxury Lifestyle Diary of the Hamptons. Focusing on the alluring people, places, beauty, and glamour that comprise the true DNA of the Hamptons. KDHamptons gives readers an authentic taste of everything this tony community has to offer: fashion & beauty features, exclusive coverage of social events & parties, decadent at-home photo shoots, profiles on local icons, and a focus on the farm-to-table culinary scene. With a quickly growing monthly readership, KDHamptons offers an incomparable insider’s view of this world-class destination on the East End of Long Island.

Do you find yourself traveling more or less after you met your husband, Dr. Mark Kot?

I would say the same amount. I wish he could come with me more often, but his urgent medical care practice in Southampton keeps him intrinsically tied to this community. The best carrot dangler I can offer my husband is to choose a destination that offers a lot of activities like hiking, surfing, or skiing. He loved our recent trip to Jackson Hole where he hiked about 12 miles every day.

What is the one place you’ve been that everyone should see before they die?

Abu Dhabi, it is really a magical place. I love the Arabian architecture, the luxury, and the unique “sea-to-sand” adventures you can experience from dune bashing & camel riding in the desert, to kayaking in clear turquoise water against the backdrop of breathtaking Emirates Palace.

If you could retire tomorrow but only pick one place to do it, where would it be?

Honestly, I would retire in the Hamptons. I love the change of seasons, the contrasting landscape of pristine beaches and lush farmland, the proximity to Manhattan where I covet a charming pre-war apartment, and the extraordinary culinary scene of the East End. The Hamptons has really become a premiere destination for chefs who cultivate the farm-to-table movement, and we are the lucky people invited to the feast! Also, in addition to writing, photography and design are my passions. The legendary light of the Hamptons, which has inspired artists from Pollock to Warhol, provides a breathtaking backdrop that I never tire of.

Is there a perception about the Hamptons that you feel needs corrected?

Yes, some people think that the Hamptons is just a summer resort community, but it is truly a layered year round residence, comprised of many interesting types of people including: writers, artists, surfers, chefs, farmers, nature lovers, and successful Wall Streeters who had enough of the stress in NYC, and now work from their Hamptons home!

Fashion, celebrities and travel. If you could only keep one memory, what would it be?

My best traveling memories are with my sister for sure. All of the past adventures we have been on… and the ones that lie ahead! Our favorite island destination would be St. Barths. We love to stay at Villa Kercliff or Haute Maison in Pointe Colombier. We pick up fab food from Maya’s, a chilled bottle of Domaine Ott and head to Saline beach for a full day of sun and fun. At night, we head to Le Toiny for champagne at sunset and then a gorgeous meal by the pool at Le Gaiac, which offers a creative spin on traditional French cuisine. For spa and fitness, Kim and I love to spend a week at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. What a special place: hiking the mountain at dawn, yoga and tennis after breakfast, strolling through the sage gardens on the way to the cozy Villa Del Sol, massages every night… and then wake up & repeat! Lastly, our favorite exotic destination for luxury would be Abu Dhabi, where Kim lives now with her husband, Steve, and my godson, Brady. To break up the cold Hamptons winters I head to the Middle East for three weeks in January. I stay with Kim at her chic Arabian style villa, and for the final four days we always choose an exciting new hotel & spa to stay at. This year we decided to head to Dubai to try the Al Qasr Madinat Jumeirah beach resort and the Zabeel Saray Ottoman Spa on Palm Island. Both were amazing!

What is the worst travel experience you can remember?

Tearing my hamstring skiing in Gstaad, and having to make the long flight home the next day. OUCH! One of my favorite European hotels is the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland. Make sure you pack your glamour, furs, jewels and cashmere for this haute mountain scene. I love it! At the end of a very romantic week years ago, I was making one of my last runs down the mountain on some icy snow when I had a wicked wipeout. I was in a lot of pain when I boarded my flight to NY the next morning, only to find out from my doctor at home that I had actually torn my hamstring. Having to wear flats for the following three weeks only made matters worse! I’ll be more cautious when I meet my sister on the mountain there in early March…

What advice would you give someone who wants to become an editor?

Start networking well before you graduate college. Working at an iconic magazine at Conde Nast or Hearst publications is the greatest job on earth for a recent college grad~ which means there is a ton of competition for a few covetable positions each year. Intern at a magazine during the summer or school year, start your own blog, or write a personal column for your college paper. Create your own unique “voice”, and you will be on your way to attracting a readership and editorial opportunities.