Offbeat travel website JunketsAndJaunts.com won two awards in the recent San Diego Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ writing competition. The awards were presented on July 17, 2019.
The story, “A Huntington Beach Bartender Pours His Heart Out,” won first place in the Nondaily Reporting and Writing Feature Story category.
The website itself won third place in the category of Digital-Blog.
JunketsAndJaunts.com founder/editor Ron Donoho recently published an anthology of stories originally written for the website. It’s entitled: Junkets & Jaunts: Avocado Margaritas, Surf City Soul and the Center of the World Pyramid.
The book is available for sale on Amazon.com in e-book and paperback format.
Junkets & Jaunts Awards
“A Huntington Beach Bartender Pours His Heart Out” is one of the web stories adapted for the book version of Junkets & Jaunts. It traces the journey of Kimpton Shorebreak Hotel bartender Casey Lyons. This one-of-a-kind mixologist serves up imaginative cocktails as well as heart-tugging stories.
A Society of Professional Journalists writing competition judge wrote a glowing critique. The comment: “A moving story that is well written and captures how a tragedy can be turned into a more positive direction in a person’s life.”
In its first year of existance, JunketsAnd Jaunts.com took third place in the Best Blog category. (Technical support for the site is provided by Luis Alarid.)
Along with travel gear giveaways and insightful roundups, the site is populated with nontraditional travel stories. It’s a collection of offbeat tales that mixes traditional destination tips with colorful characters and creative adventures.
Donoho believes the best regional insights come from bartenders (like Lyons), car-share drivers and casino dealers.
“They know where to find the best meals and deals—and if you show genuine interest, they’ll open up about their lives,” Donoho says. “And often, their lives will reveal the true nature of a city or region.” J&J
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