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JOHNNY JET'S Q & A
Writer, Photographer ~ Elizabeth Hansen

PROFILE

I headed west immediately after graduating from Indiana University and have lived in the San Diego area ever since. My first career was teaching, and I took full advantage of the school vacations to pursue my passion for travel. After making several short trips down under, I took a one-year leave of absence and traveled solo around the Pacific. In the Hawaiian Islands, I learned to scuba dive. In Samoa, I watched Aggie Grey (Michener's model for Bloody Mary) dance the siva on her 80th birthday. I lived with a schoolteacher and his family on the island of Maupiti in French Polynesia. The highlight of my stay in Fiji was hitching a ride on a copra boat that was going from island to island. By the time I reached New Zealand, funds were running low, so I found a job in a restaurant in Auckland. When I felt the need for a breath of fresh air, I moved to the South Island and found work picking fruit. In Australia, I stayed with a family in the Sydney suburbs, then crossed the continent and learned to serve beer in a pub near Perth. From there, it was off to Bali, then Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hong Kong, and Japan. I was in no hurry and had plenty of time to hang out with the locals and soak up their culture. Throughout the year I relied on a variety of guidebooks and developed an appreciation for the craft of travel writing. I also found I looked forward to writing in my travel journal and reading back over previous entries. Back in San Diego, I enrolled in a non-fiction writing course at UCSD, during which I wrote a story on Perth, Western Australia. This sold to San Diego Magazine. A short time later my piece on Bali appeared in the L. A. Times. Buoyed by this success, I quit my job. Subsequently, I married photographer Richard Adams and now we travel together creating story/photo packages for magazines, researching book projects, adding images to our stock-photo files - and generally having a great time. I'm a member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA), the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), and GuidebookWriters.com.

ELIZABETH'S ANSWERS

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AS A TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL?
I traveled -- usually by myself -- and used guidebooks and travel articles a lot. One day the "hey, I could do this" light went off ...and the rest is history.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU FLY?
Varies a lot and I don't really keep track. Usually two overseas trips a year and a handful of domestic ones. I like to stay places a long time so I can get past the being-a-tourist bit and hang out with local people.
IN A YEAR HOW MANY MILES/POINTS DO YOU EARN?
Varies.
WHAT CLASS OF SERVICE DO YOU MOSTLY FLY IN?
Coach is OK for domestic, but I try to go business for the long overseas flights.
FAVORITE AIRLINE?
Probably Qantas.
FAVORITE AIRCRAFT?
Something big enough that I don't get claustrophobia.
FAVORITE HOTEL?
No single favorite, but I like the Four Seasons Aviara here in San Diego and had a great time at the Hotel Bora Bora last year. At the other end of the cost spectrum, we averaged 100 Euros a night in Germany this summer. Some of our favorites were the Ambiente in Ziegelhausen (Heidelberg), the Hotel Adria in Munich, and the Filser in Oberstdorf.

FAVORITE HOTEL AMENITY?
I'm anti-amenities. They just clutter up the room. And what's so hard about bringing your own shampoo?
FAVORITE City?
I'm not generally big on cities, but having said that - Sydney is probably my favorite.
FAVORITE AIRPORT?
I wish you'd asked least favorite so I could say Charles de Gaulle - what a nightmare!
FAVORITE AIRPORT TO PASS TIME IN?
Any one with comfortable seats so I can get lost in a book.
FAVORITE ISLAND?
I'm an island junkie, so this question is just too hard. Huahine (French Polynesia) is idyllic. Lizard (Queensland, Australia) is great for snorkeling, but then so is Heron.
FAVORITE SPA?
Not a spa per se, but the most memorable massage was at Turtle Island Resort in Fiji.
AISLE OR WINDOW?
Definitely window. (See claustrophobia comment above.)
ETICKET OR PAPER?
Paper - and I think it's really rank that the airlines are now charging extra for them.
TRAVEL AGENT OR ONLINE?
Phone.
FAVORITE TRAVEL COMPANION?
Self
IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A TROPICAL ISLAND, WHAT THREE ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?
Pen, paper, snorkel.
WHAT DO YOU HATE MOST ABOUT TRAVEL?
Any situation which makes me feel even slightly like a tourist.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT TRAVEL?
Everything except as mentioned above.
BEST TRAVEL TIP:
Keep a journal.