Belle DuChene

• Belle's passion for immersive travel began with a Rotary International Youth Exchange year in France back in 2000, an experience that left her fluent in French and launched a lifetime of exploration spanning more than 50 countries and friendships in over 60.
• She has made itinerary writing her specialty, building each one from personal scouting trips where she has discovered the best of what a destination has to eat, play, and stay.
• With a degree in textiles and apparel, she shops every destination like a fieldwork assignment, seeking out local fabrics, makers, and markets, and she always packs an empty extra suitcase to bring the goodies home.

Experience

Belle DuChene has spent nearly two decades writing about places and the best ways to experience them. She directed travel editorial at Midwest Living, coordinating more than 25 contributors across a 12-state coverage area, and served as senior editor at dsm magazine, where she also contributed to ia, the publisher's statewide Iowa magazine. She was also the sole author of Catch Des Moines, the city's official visitors guide. She is a longtime freelance contributor to People Inc. brands including Better Homes & Gardens and HGTV. Belle also documents her own travels at "Bookmarque That", her travel blog and Substack. As a writer for Islands, her goal is simple: to give readers itineraries and destination stories detailed enough to trust with their own vacation days.

Education

Belle holds a Master of Arts in strategic communications from the University of Northern Iowa, where she also earned a Bachelor of Arts in French and textiles and apparel.