Meet the Traveling Black Widow

Charlotte Simpson, the woman behind The Traveling Black Widow, finds adventure and positivity in everything she does and hopes to inspire that in others. Even when she worked as a special education teacher and then a guidance counselor, Charlotte wanted to help others live out their potential and lead the best life for them.

Charlotte hopes to share her optimistic spirit of living life to the fullest with her followers. She often sees other widows or women underliving their life and hopes that documenting her upbeat, down-to-earth travel thoughts will prove that others can do it too. Whether she’s finding the silver lining in a situation, praising God for the wonderful opportunities she has, or asking questions of her followers, watching Charlotte travel the world on Instagram is like chatting with one of your best friends. 

From the young age of six, Charlotte’s grandfather took her on as a traveling companion and her excitement for travel only grew from there. Years later, she and her late husband fulfilled their goal to travel to all 50 states (and quite a few other countries as well).

After her husband passed away, Charlotte and her daughter decided to travel to celebrate the first Christmas without him. To her joy, Charlotte spoke with solo travelers and took great inspiration from them. The following summer, she took her first solo trip.

From there (and with some coaxing from her daughter), The Traveling Black Widow became a reality on Instagram.

Just as people love their kids, pets, friends in different ways, Charlotte loves traveling. It’s palpable. The rush of endorphins when she gets to their airport, soaking up every view outside her window seat; for Charlotte, nothing compares to seeing the world with her own eyes. 

When Charlotte isn’t traveling, you’ll find her volunteering as a CASA Child advocate, helping out in her friend’s ESL class, or attending to her spiritual life at Eastern Star Church. 

Follow Charlotte on her travels on Instagram and Facebook.

Charlotte in a tree house
Charlotte near the ocean
Charlotte pointing to "East"