Having earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Hawaii in 1996, Sharael has combined her interest in travel and adventure with her passion for writing and has had her work published in numerous magazines, newspapers and Web sites.
Beginning her journalism career as a staff writer for the University of Hawaii newspaper, Ka Leo O’ Hawai’i, she then became a correspondent for Hawaii Paddler magazine. Soon after graduation, Sharael moved to San Francisco where she worked as an intern for San Francisco magazine.
She has written for additional print publications including Sunset magazine, Laguna Beach magazine, Newport Beach magazine, Orange Coast magazine, Modern Luxury magazine, Bespoke magazine, Marin Independent Journal, Palo Alto Weekly, Pleasanton Weekly, Adventure Sports Journal, San Mateo Daily Journal and others. She also worked as a sportswriter for the San Francisco Independent newspaper.
In addition, she has written for websites including Outside Magazine Online, Los Angeles Magazine Online, Travelocity, Lonely Planet, Orbitz.com, Forbes Travel Guide, Fodor’s, Thrillist, AFAR, Matador Network, CitySearch, BayInsider, ZDNet News, ZDTV (TechTV), CNET News.com, Away.com, GORP.com, and was a Web Correspondent for AmericaTrue.org.
She has also worked as a columnist for About.com’s “Climbing” site and Suite101.com’s “Adventure Sports” site, wrote about family travel for Examiner.com and wrote a weekly “AOL Help” column for ZDTV (TechTV).
Sharael also taught a class entitled “Freelance Writing for the Web” at the Learning Annex and the Bay Area Video Coalition in San Francisco. Sharael went on to earn a certificate in Intermediate Multimedia from the Bay Area Video Coalition.
Utilizing her technical and journalism skills, Sharael also worked for NBCOlympics.com as a Media Engineer during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
In 2010, Sharael and her family relocated to Orange County where she began working as a regular contributor for Laguna Beach and Newport Beach magazines.
In 2021, Sharael and her husband Jeff became empty nesters. Since then, Sharael has been enjoying her time working as a full-time freelance travel writer – and playing pickle ball, of course!
In her free time, Sharael has volunteered for the following non-profits:
- Laguna Beach High School PTA, Membership Chair, 2019-2021
- Laguna Beach PTA, Coffee Break (Parent Lecture Series), Committee Chair, 2015-19
- Laguna Beach School Power, Board of Trustees, 2015-16
- Laguna Beach Garden Club, Publicity Director, 2015
- Interscholastic Laguna Beach Mountain Bike Team, Publicity Director, 2015
- Carlton Elementary, El Morro Elementary, and Anneliese Schools, Garden Manager, 2010-14
- City of Laguna Beach, Environmental Committee Secretary, 2010-12
- Hidden Villa Farm, Los Altos Hills, CA, Environmental Education Docent, 2010