Where are you based?

I'm based in the San Francisco Bay Area and Hawaiʻi island, making the jump between places several times a year.

What topics and places do you cover?

Within travel, I cover stories about place—from adventure to culture, and environment to food and drink. I especially love telling stories that allow people to get a deeper sense of place, and a greater understanding of why a destination is the way it is.

What outlets do you usually pitch (and write for)?

Most recently, I've been working with National Geographic, AFAR, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Saturday Evening Post, Sierra, various AAA publications, Nob Hill Gazette, and Azure Road.

The best PR pitches include ...

A clear, timely hook and accurate links. I appreciate detail, but prefer that I don't have to wade through it to get to the point. While my byline includes my middle initial, I don't need to be addressed by “Jill K.” as most automated emails and newsletters do.

Are you in-house or freelance (or both)?

Freelance

What is your approach to press trips?

I appreciate trip invitations, but I'm incredibly selective about which opportunities I can accept. I prefer to focus on destinations and angles for which I know I can sell a story, and I am more likely to travel solo rather than join group trips (where many of us write for the same outlets and thus there are fewer opportunities to sell multiple stories).

What are your professional pet peeves?

Most of the publications I write for don't guarantee assignments ahead of time, and I have little say about when an article will be published, so I don't love multiple follow-ups asking when an article will run or requests for pre-confirmed coverage. Please don't call me out of the blue—I have a work and family schedule that's packed and I'm happy to schedule a call when it makes sense. And no, I do not do AI work.

In your past professional life  …

I spent a few years working in performing arts, for Cal Performances (the arts-presenting organization at UC Berkeley) and the San Francisco Symphony. I also worked in tech and was part of the team that launched the first commercial online magazine (HotWired) before moving on to CNET, Excite, Yahoo, and a travel startup.

Where would you like to return to?

I always feel at home in New Orleans, New Zealand, Hawaiʻi, French Polynesia, Mexico, and the Nordics.

What's on your bucket list?

A lot of places: Mongolia, Bhutan, the 'stans, Turkey, Tonga, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Mozambique, Gabon, Botswana, Bolivia, and Greece.

Where do you travel for fun?

Considering that I travel so much for work, when I'm on my own time, I usually want to go somewhere to chill out and enjoy on a slow schedule.

What nugget would you like to add that we haven't touched on?

I save promising ideas, even if I can't always respond to all emails. While I may not be able to act on something in the current moment, that archive allows me to follow up when an idea may be able to work. That's far more likely when the pitch is personalized to the type of topics that I cover.

How best should people contact you?

See my TravMedia profile for the best way to contact me.