Who We Are
We give readers the tools and information they need to easily upgrade their hotel stays, save money on activities like theme park tickets, and spend less time on planning. Our specialty is San Diego (most of the La Jolla Mom team lives in or has lived here), but our resources and exclusive discounts help our community travel well worldwide.
We are different. We are a massive hive mind of team members, thousands of clients, millions of readers, and contacts we speak with in hotels and at attractions. Our conversations and collective knowledge drive our recommendations and the content on this site.
How It Started
La Jolla Mom was launched in 2009 by Katie Dillon as a place to write about motherhood topics (hence the name). Before settling in La Jolla, a seaside community in San Diego, her family lived as ex-pats in London and Hong Kong. She often flew long-haul with a baby and lived at Four Seasons Hong Kong. With this unique background, she began writing about family travel and reviewing hotels.
Next, readers naturally started asking for San Diego travel advice. They visit for the (almost) year-round sunshine and world-class theme parks. The natural next step was to offer discounted theme park tickets to help locals and visitors enjoy attractions like LEGOLAND California for less. This also meant we could offer them at major theme parks across the United States, from Universal Orlando to Disneyland. We likely have cheaper tickets for you if you visit a major theme park, zoo, or aquarium.
La Jolla Mom continued to evolve through an affiliation with La Jolla-based Cadence Travel. Our community has access to VIP benefits through various programs at thousands of four- and five-star hotels in San Diego worldwide at no extra cost. We now have a huge network of partners inside hotels, attractions, tour companies, and ticket sellers — many we consider friends.
Why We’re Different
When booking a hotel or theme park ticket directly through us, you have the support of real people. We have your back, as do the dedicated hotel staff we work with who look after VIP reservations. We will also refer you to different promotions and websites if we feel they offer a better value.
Katie lived in a hotel, so she has a keen eye for what a good hotel stay should be like. Katie is the San Diego hotel expert — there isn’t anyone with her knowledge or connections in town. We actively tap into our community of over 2000 clients that we book into hotels for feedback about their vacations. Their first-hand experience and reviews influence our recommendations and some of the content on this site.
Here’s what doesn’t influence our recommendations — free stays or free stuff. We understand that readers don’t respect or want to read reviews of things that are provided for free or sponsored. I (Katie) don’t.
Our Team
Katie Dillon
Katie Dillon is the managing editor and owner of La Jolla Mom. She is also a travel advisor, a hotel expert, and has written most of the articles on this site. More from Katie.
Madeleine Collins
Madeleine Collins is a British, San Diego-based writer and editor who has been published in Marie Claire, The Hollywood Reporter, Cosmopolitan, and more. She writes and edits some of our articles. More from Madeleine.
Edward Castro
Edward helps keep our theme park ticket articles current with the latest prices and information. He also used to work at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Tonya Waite
A lot goes on behind the scenes here. Tonya works on our hotel side to keep our bookings organized and liaises with hotels. She is a travel advisor with a CTA from The Travel Institute.
We have a lot of help behind the scenes, so stay tuned for more team introductions.
In the Press
A few fun appearances. Katie has also written extensively about San Diego for USA Today 10Best and Pacific San Diego (now San Diego Union-Tribune).
Client Testimonials
Plan Your Perfect Trip
Have questions about planning your next vacation or securing exclusive hotel perks? Contact us today for personalized advice and recommendations.
