In April 2017, Michele was invited to be one of the original contributors for the online travel magazine Getting on Travel, which offers a fresh take on luxury for travellers over the age of 50. This exciting new project was launched by two professional, award-winning travel writers and bloggers Irene S. Levine and Janice Mucalov– who each have their own award-winning travel blogs, More Time to Travel and Sand in My Suitcase. GettingonTravel.com  offers ideas, tips, giveaways and inspiration on the special pleasures of the travel experience at midlife and beyond. You can find Michele’s food, drink and travel experiences from Mexico, the Caribbean and other  sun destinations on her Getting on Travel Contributors Page.  Initial social media audience at launch is estimated at 150,000+ followers.

2016

In  November, Michele won top prize at the CTO TRAVEL MEDIA AWARDS IN CANADA. Her article that explored Grenada’s culinary landscape was awarded the top award at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)’s Caribbean Travel Media Awards programme. The article, “Extraordinary Grenada” that appeared in Taste & Travel International Magazine won the Best of the Best award announced at the Caribbean Tourism Industry Awards Luncheon in Toronto. The article also won in the category of Best Feature in a Consumer Magazine. 

Her blog post “12 reasons I’m Tempted to Drop Everything and Move to Grenada” was awarded the Best Blog Post of the Year by public vote.  Read more here:  Press Release

On February 9, 2016, the North American Travel Journalists Association  awarded Michele with four awards in the 2015 NATJA Awards Competition. Awards were given to publications, travel writers, and photographers whose work was published in print, electronic and online media from October 2014 through September 2015.  The competition, now in its 24th year, honors the best in travel journalism.

Silver Medals 

Category 129: Special Focus Travel Articles – Print: Culinary Travel

• “Hunting for Jamon” in Taste & Travel International magazine

Category 127: Special Focus Travel Articles – Print: 50+ Travel

• “Our Wild Planet: A Multi-generational Visit to Costa Rica” Fifty-five Plus Magazine

Finalist 

Category 124: Special Focus Travel Articles – Print: Cruises 

• “Sailing the Secret Caribbean,” Fifty-five Plus Magazine

Category 128: Special Focus Travel Articles – Print: Intergenerational & Family Travel

• “Our Wild Planet: A Multi-generational Visit to Costa Rica,” Fifty-five Plus Magazine

2015

In March 2015, Michele’s blog A Taste for Travel joined Yummly, the popular recipe and food website launched by foodies who wanted to help other food fans do what they love – cook, eat, and share! Now,  A Taste for Travel readers can use the Yum button to save recipes on the A Taste for Travel blog to their personal recipe box.  How handy is that? All you have to do is watch for the YUM button at the bottom of each A Taste for Travel recipe post and you’ll never have to go rummaging around in your print recipe folder to find the recipe you’re looking for. All you have to do is Yum the recipes.

Here’s what the Yum button looks like:

Yum

2014 

On December 3rd, the Huatulco Food and Film Festival awarded a Diploma of Recognition to Michele for her contribution to  promoting and fostering interest in the cuisine of Oaxaca, Mexico in her story published by Air Canada’s enRoute Huatulco’s Soul Food. 

A travel essay was selected for the anthology Chance Encounters: Travel Tales from Around the World, published in November 2014 by World Traveler Press and available on Amazon.

2013 

Metro News, Canada’s largest daily, featured excerpts from the Puerto Escondido Travel Essentials app in a feature 5 Hotspots in Puerto Escondido  on Oct 9, 2013

Reader’s Digest interviewed Michele for the story 10 Less-Travelled Mexico Destinations that appeared online Oct 1, 2013.

 Mexico Report announced Michele as one of nine ambassadors for the 2013 Real Heroes of Mexico project   on April 2013.

2012 

Toronto Star selects Puerto Escondido Travel Essentials as APP of the Week – June 30, 2012

Presentation “There’s an app for that ” was an introduction to the world of  authoring tools, compensation and the rewards/challenges of creating applications for mobile  devices. According to TNS Global, one-third of the world’s populations now use a smartphone and interest in Mobile devices such as smartphones, cell phones and tablets is growing rapidly. Whether you write about business, shopping, cooking or travel, if  you’re a freelance journalist you need to be ready for this new world of mobile technology.

Puerto Escondido Media Exchange Michele hosted a presentation on Twitter 101 on October 17, 2012. Email info@michelepeterson for a free copy.

North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) awarded Michele  a Bronze Award of Excellence in Travel Writing  in the category of Intergenerational and Family Travel for her article “My Nude Christmas with Mom” which ran in the Ottawa Citizen on December 24, 2010.

2011

Selected as one of Tripbase’s 100 Favorite Travel Writers
In 2011, Michele was selected as one of 100 Favorite Travel Writers by Tripbase, a top travel planning website.

2010

Winner of Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) award
In October 2010, Michele was awarded the “Best Travel Feature Article Award for a Publication or Television in English” by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) in Montreal, Canada. The article “On the French Caribbean Rum Trail” ran in Air Canada’s onAir publication in January 2009.

2008

Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO)
In February 2008, she worked as a volunteer adviser with the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO) in the western highlands of Honduras, beyond the Mayan ruins of Copan. This capacity-building project promoted sustainable tourism and hope to improve economic opportunities within the local community.