Hello and welcome to my travel blog! My name is Dawn Diaz and I have a passion for many things! Tennis, hiking, biking, & reading to name a few! But what tops my list is travel! Whether it is a weekend trip in my beautiful home state of Arizona or two weeks in New Zealand, I will find a way to incorporate one of my other passions!
My Family
My husband of 28 years is my best friend and travel partner! His name is Cesar and his passions include mountain biking(or any activity on a bike), playing guitar and fixing just about anything! Together we raised 3 crazy boys who are now grown and making their way in this world. Our oldest is Tristan who is a medical student at Temple University in Pennsylvania and a photographer. Our middle son is Julian who is a linguist and air traffic controller in the USAF. He preforms in local theater productions on the side. Aidan is our youngest who just graduated from ASU with a Bachelor’s in Animation. He enjoys designing tattoos, Japanese animation and indoor rock climbing.
I believe my passion for travel started due to the fact that I was raised in an Air Force family. We moved about every three years which forced me to adapt to new places and find new friends. Each move opened my eyes to new cultures, new view points and new experiences. I was born in Daytona Beach, FL and from there moved all over the US to places like Panama City Beach, FL, Las Vegas, NV, Valdosta, GA and Colorado Springs, CO. My high school years were spent in Aviano, Italy and what an experience that was! Cesar, who was born and raised in San Diego, CA, and I met in Colorado Springs while he was in the AF. We then moved to Gilbert, AZ where we raised our boys. I was not used to staying put for years on end so to cure that itch we travel!!
What made me want to start a blog? Well, I enjoy posting all our trips on social media so I can share with family and friends what I am up to. After every trip post, I receive several messages asking me to share my itinerates. My travel notes were always a jumbled mess of information and not suitable to share! What better way to keep a diary of my adventures than to write it all down in a blog! This way I can share it with all of you and have a written record for our boys and future grandchildren!
You may be wondering where the name of my blog came from! Dawn Till Dusk was a suggestion from our boys and when Cesar and I heard it we knew it was a fit! What you will soon find out about me is that I am an early riser and I go and go till the sun goes down! This is how we travel. We squeeze in as much as we can in every location we visit! Not everyone can hang with us but that’s okay! I plan to share it all with you right here in my blog!
Another thing you should know about me is that I am a frugal traveler. I would rather spend our money on unique experiences than luxury accommodations. We avoid high priced restaurants and opt for “hole in the wall” or “Mom and Pop” local dining options. We pack picnics for lunch, look for airline deals, use hotel awards, collect airline credit card points and do tons of research to find the best deals.
I believe that travel is a form of education. The more we travel the more we learn and the more we open our minds to new cultures, new ways, and new view points.
Thank you for getting to know me and I hope to see you all out traveling!
