Maureen Littlejohn | writer, editor, communication specialist

I am a writer, editor, traveler, and a communication specialist. I love dogs, honesty, fairness and justice….usually in that order. As a travel journalist, I have explored many places and cultures. I’ve been lucky enough to ride elephants in Thailand, try on a sealskin parka under the midnight sun in Nunavut, share songs in a steaming Mexican temazcal (sweat lodge) and stroke the soft fur of lion cubs at a refuge in South Africa.

In my role as executive editor of Culture Magazin, I carefully comb through the many lifestyle (food, travel, health, fashion, beauty) articles we share with the Vietnamese diaspora here in Canada, as well as write about Canadian and international destinations.

Recently, I have been appointed to the Board of Directors of the World Food Travel Association, an organisation that believes as passionately as I do in sustainability and the promotion of local entrepreneurs to enhance a destination’s sense of place through sense of taste.

I am also a member of the Transformational Travel Council, an organisation that believes in treading lightly and taking care to honour and properly connect with the people and places we visit on our adventures.

My writing is not restricted to travel. I view the process as opening a door and I’ve happily taken on a multitude of subjects as I’ve pursued my livelihood. Whether the assignment is to write an article about security, compile an annual report, or craft a CEO’s speech, I am eager to enter new realms and increase my own personal knowledge.

Contributing to projects that make the world a better place is an ongoing goal. My passion for international development, blended with my skills as a professional communicator, has helped broadcast the work of some very dedicated people and organizations. I’ve traveled throughout Ethiopia on behalf of CUSO International, spent a year in Swaziland with Crossroads International working as communications officer for the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse, and worked for nine months in Vietnam with World University Services of Canada as a communications/marketing advisor for a Hanoi college. A few years ago, I returned from Ghana where I was sent by Crossroads International to work with Pro-Link, a local NGO that works to improve women’s livelihood skills, educate about HIV prevention and build maternal health clinics.
You can read more about my travel writing and volunteering at Travel Writing 2.0.

Thank you for letting me share with you.