Noordhoek Beach, South Africa
Karen Elowitt is a Sacramento-based PR and comms expert, journalist, copywriter, and photographer. She currently works as a Senior Account Executive at an integrated comms/PR/public relations firm, and in the past has worked in communications at California State PTA, in public relations at both Tilson PR and The Travel Corporation, as the editor of the African travel magazine AFKTravel.com, as an editor for travel expert Peter Greenberg, and as a newspaper reporter at papers in Boston and Los Angeles.
Karen grew up in suburban Los Angeles, where she dreamed of traveling the world and living anywhere but L.A. She got her wish. She has visited 135 destinations in 32 countries and lived in London, Johannesburg, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Boston, San Francisco, Florida and Brooklyn. She’s choppered over Victoria Falls in Zambia, swum with tiger rays in Mexico, trekked on horseback in New Zealand, gotten lost on the metro in Moscow, and sweated in the Negev desert in Israel. Along the way she got a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Boston University’s London campus, and studied journalism at both Northeastern University in Boston and the London School of Journalism.
Berlin
Karen started her career in newspapers, first as a reporter for a Boston-based weekly newspaper, then as a reporter, copy editor and page layout designer for a suburban Los Angeles daily. Eventually fate led her to the office of nationally-known travel expert Peter Greenberg, where she wrote and edited travel content for his web, TV, radio and print projects and contributed to his book Tough Times, Great Travels. For three years after that she was an in-demand freelancer based in the Caribbean, where she was the Virgin Islands Local Expert for 10Best.com (part of USAToday). She also contributed articles, blogs, photos and copy to clients such as CNBC.com, Priceline.com, Destinations of the World and the VI Source newspaper. While living in the Caribbean Karen also worked as the chief researcher on Peter Greenberg’s bestselling book, The Best Places for Everything.
For three years after leaving the Virgin Islands she was the editor of AFKTravel.com, a comprehensive travel website exclusively devoted to Africa. While working as editor, Karen lived for a year in Johannesburg, reviewing and writing about hundreds of restaurants, hotels and activities all over southern Africa. When that adventure ended she pivoted to public relations, promoting several national and international travel brands owned by The Travel Corporation. Her next job was with Tilson PR, where worked as an Account Executive, handling PR for numerous top companies in the hotel business, the restaurant industry, construction and real estate. After that she moved back to California and managed communications for California State PTA. She now utilizes her many skills as a Senior Account Manager for a niche PR firm specializing in renewable energy. However, she is still in suburban California, so her life has truly come full circle.
Read more about Karen’s travel style in this profile on JohnnyJet.com.
