About Dawna

When I return home from traveling, I look always forward to unpacking my bags, organizing my notes and downloading my digital images. Every task sparks a memory of journeys to far-flung destinations or even closer locales that are literally just around the corner or an island-hop away. 

That's when it hits me that I'm truly living my dream! I love sharing remarkable adventures with kindred spirits who also embrace their wanderlust, as well as armchair travelers who are simply hoping to dip deeper into their bucket list.

As a freelance feature writer based between Honolulu and San Diego, I currently specialize in the travel destinations, adventures and people of the Hawaiian Islands, Mexico, the South Pacific and Western United States. My stories have appeared in publications that include The New York Times, San Francisco Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, Smart Meetings, Hemispheres, Outside, Recommend, 7x7, HiLuxury, Honolulu Star Advertiser, Prevue and Travel Agent Magazine. Stories have ranged from detailing corporate retreats at dude ranches and teeing off on Hawaii's top golf courses to diving with whale sharks in Australia and crop dusting the waving wheat fields of Oklahoma. 

I'm also a frequent contributor to TravelAge West, a bi-weekly magazine targeting retail travel agents and wholesalers in the Western United States. Especially helpful with my travel focus is my membership in the Society of American Travel Writers. With a little help from these friends, I often find a familiar face no matter where my travels take me.

I've been fortunate to accrue 25-plus years of feature and travel writing while simultaneously gaining an extensive background in a variety of traditional and interactive communications areas - marketing, advertising, public relations, media relations, promotions, production, editorial writing, editing, blogging, social media and creating web content.

Clients have included Hawaiian Airlines, Villa Group Resorts Mexico, Daymark Realty Advisors, Kapiolani Community College, Kohala Ranch, Roberts Hawaii Tours, Honolulu Zoological Society, American Hawaii Cruises, Duty Free Shoppers, Sheraton Hawaii, Kapalua Resort, New Otani Hotel, Maui Marriott Resort, CompUSA, Pearlridge Shopping Center, Papillon Helicopters, Kemper Insurance, Schuler Homes. Lonestar Development, Pepsi Cola, Pizza Hut and Oceanic Cablevision. 

During 25 years of residing exclusively in Hawaii, I also enjoyed a ten-year stint serving as Director of Communications for a Honolulu-based hotel and resort condominium management company with 12 properties on four islands. From directing photo shoots and overseeing collateral production with graphic artists to writing copy for trade ads and creating press kits, I learned how each of these activities link together to impact the bottom line.

When I look back on my career, that juggling act became the turning point where I started looking forward to going to work each day. And fortunately, that hasn't changed yet.