Travel Advisor & La Jolla Mom Owner
Favorite Place in San Diego
La Jolla Cove area
Favorite theme park
San Diego Zoo (Disneyland, a close second)
Favorite hotel
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Hi, I’m Katie Dillon. I’ve lived in beautiful La Jolla, California, for a long time, dating back to when I was a student at UC San Diego.
I’ve left only a few times (once to live in Del Mar). My husband and I were expats in London and Hong Kong for seven years. My daughter was born in Hong Kong. We bought and renovated our house in La Jolla while overseas (I don’t recommend this) and then eventually moved in. Each of these moves has defined this site.
I started La Jolla Mom as a place to write about lifestyle and motherhood topics to keep my brain active. It evolved into a travel business after I began covering tips for flying with kids and reviewing hotels we stayed in.
Living in a hotel apartment in Hong Kong is not unusual, so that’s what we did, and we stayed a lot longer in the hotel than most people do. It just happened to be Four Seasons Hong Kong. I’m very loyal to the brand because of our over four years in that fabulous property. And, I know a lot about hotels.
Eventually, readers started asking me for advice on San Diego travel. I added tips and things to do — becoming a resource for visitors and locals. (I’m a certified San Diego destination specialist by our tourism board.) San Diego has four of the nation’s best theme parks, so people started asking me for ways to buy discounted tickets.
I partnered with aRes Travel in Pacific Beach, down the hill from my house, to offer people cheaper tickets. I also aligned myself with Cadence Travel in La Jolla (where I am in the top 20% of advisors for 2024, 2023, and 2022) to bring travelers VIP hotel perks in San Diego and beyond.
That’s how I wound up covering our three main topics: San Diego, theme parks, and hotels. I want you to get the most out of your trip—whether by saving on tickets, enjoying added hotel perks, or using our resources to self-plan—so you always feel your vacation or day out is worth your time and money.
Recent Writing
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Learn insider tips and best things to do at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego’s Balboa Park. You don’t have to be a comic book or sci-fi enthusiast to love it.
We pride ourselves on aligning with trustworthy companies like aRes Travel, who we sell the majority of our theme park tickets through. We sell tens … Read more
A resort buffet with a petting zoo, ocean-view prix fixe meals in La Jolla, and hot turkey dinners delivered across the county, with this year’s times, prices, and how to book each one.
We’re regular visitors to the La Jolla tide pools. I share everything to know from directions to visible sea life — with tips from a Birch Aquarium expert.
The winter holidays at Fairmont Grand Del Mar will feature outdoor Glice skating, a Nutcracker holiday tea, and more.
Find the best fall things to do in San Diego including Halloween activities, apple picking, theme park fun, tours, events and more on this annually-updated list.
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Reliable tips for saving money on Aquatica Orlando tickets so that you don’t waste time on deals and coupons that don’t work.
The five cheapest ways to buy 2026 Raging Waters Los Angeles tickets, from the date-specific online ticket to the season pass that pays for itself, with every price checked against the park’s own rates.
