Jenny Willden

• Jenny is editor of Utah's Outdoor Sports Guide magazine and Sensi California.
• She graduated first in her journalism class at Seattle University.
• Jenny appears as an outdoor gear expert on television shows such as Good Day Sacramento, KSL, and others.
• She’s written for over 70 publications and has contributed to TripSavvy since 2019.

Experience

Jenny began her writing career in elementary school where she launched a newspaper with her friend. She went on to be editor of her junior high and high school newspapers after discovering her knack for grammar and news writing. She interned in college at the Seattle Post Intelligencer before discovering her passion was magazine writing, not newspaper writing.

After college, she was hired as assistant editor of Digital Scrapbooking magazine, but left after a year to become the managing editor of Utah’s Outdoor Sports Guide magazine. She’s served as editor there for over a decade while also working as a freelance writer for over 70 publications. Currently, she is also editor of Sensi California, a magazine covering the intersection of cannabis and culture in the Golden State. You can read her work in Women’s Running magazine, Outside Business Journal, Trivago magazine, Matador Network, Marriott Traveler, and countless other publications. In her free time, Jenny mentors new writers and those looking to start a career in journalism.

Beyond travel writing, Jenny is passionate about great gear for adventure. She can wax poetic about hiking boots and sleeping bags for days and loves testing items to find the best of the best to share with her audience. She appears regularly on Good Day Sacramento and KSL TV as an outdoor adventure gear expert.

Awards & Publications:

• Graduated first in the journalism department in her class and received the Talevich Award. This award is presented to the graduating students with the highest GPA in their major in the Communication Department. 
• Member of Alpha Sigma Nu, Jesuit Honor Society
• Secretary and Board member at Utah AIDS Foundation
• Member of North American Travel Journalists Association, Adventure Travel Trade Association, American Copy Editors Society

Education

Jenny holds a Bachelor of Arts (with honors) in journalism and French from Seattle University. She earned the communications department’s coveted Talevich Award for graduating first in her class in journalism/mass communications with a 3.9 GPA. Jenny studied abroad in the French Alps at the University of Grenoble where she earned credits toward a French minor.

About TripSavvy and Dotdash Meredith

TripSavvy, a Dotdash Meredith brand, is a travel site written by real experts, not anonymous reviewers. You’ll find that our 20-year-strong library of more than 30,000 articles will make you a savvy traveler—showing you how to book a hotel the whole family will love, where to find the best bagel in New York City, and how to skip the lines at theme parks. We give you the confidence to spend your vacation actually vacationing, not fumbling with a guidebook or second-guessing yourself. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.