Take one look at Kellee Edwards on Instagram and it becomes instantly clear why the pilot and thrill-seeking travel journalist landed her own Travel Channel show called Mysterious Islands.
Edwards’ resume is impressive. From Chicago but raised in San Bernardino, California, it was the family road trips Edwards took as a child that sparked something inside of her to see more of the world, inspiring her to obtain her pilot’s license, followed by a certification in scuba diving. As her world grew from adventures like scaling active volcano Mt. Pacayo in Guatemala and zip lining through Mayan jungles in the Yucatan Peninsula, an increased passion for adventure travel emerged, with Edwards exploring destinations across the globe in search of remote locales and adventures that aren’t for the faint of heart.
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With more than 35 countries under her belt, Edwards put her expertise in adventure travel to work, becoming an On-Air contributor for FOX 5 San Diego’s “Live for Travel” segment and writing and editing for Pilot Getaways magazine before diving into her new gig with the Travel Channel.
With Mysterious Islands, her new show where she ventures to remote lands rarely visited by travelers, Edwards is currently the only African American woman with a show on the network and only the second black woman in the channel’s history to be at the center of her own show.
Understanding the importance of female and minority representation in adventure travel, Edwards has long been an advocate for diversity in the travel space. “I’ve been well received and welcomed by some of your favorite TV hosts and they make it known that they are rooting for me,” she recently told Essence.com. “Being a black woman in the adventure travel space is even more isolated and I’m glad I’ve been given a platform and opportunity to show that I can do it just as well.” For a woman who has seen and done it all, Kellee Edwards is just getting started.