Independent Contractors of ENW

ENW’s Story

Written By Dawn L. Holmstrom

While just hanging out, sitting on the couch in the spring of 2008, my boyfriend (Bill) asks, “If you could have any career, what would it be?” Without hesitation, I explained to him how I had always wanted to host my own travel show. Why? Well, let me tell you…

The travel bug bit me early in life. As the daughter of a junior high math teacher, I had the opportunity to travel throughout the summers, and any other holiday breaks, to a variety of places. My dad and I camped and fished around the northwest and took our time driving across the United States. Even my mom joined us from time to time, when we went on our short little jaunts to Canada or Mexico. And when Dad was busy teaching, Mom would take me to Hawaii. As if that wasn’t enough, I headed out on my own as a teen and lived in Australia my junior year in high school. The world was my oyster!

Although I had a brief lapse in traveling, I got back into it in college. I was fortunate to get hooked up with Oregon Geographic Alliance, who is affiliated with National Geographic. They gave me the opportunity to travel and study in Wales. Before I got there, I visited as much of England and Ireland as I could! Backpacking on my own was such a liberating experience!

As soon as I was done in Europe, I headed down to study in Mexico and lived with a family in Guadalajara. And you know, there’s nothing like going to a country and really immersing yourself into their way of life and environment. It truly gives you a deep appreciation of their culture, as well as your own. 

Traveling at an early age, getting a taste for living like a local, as well as appreciating and learning about the amazing diverse cultures I had the opportunity to experience, truly opened my eyes and mind to the incredible world in which we live. Our world has so much to offer, see, and experience! And, being able to share with others about what is out there to learn about and explore is a passion of mine! I want to be able to give my viewers the world, just as my parents had done for me.

So, what does all of that have to do with ENW? Well, after explaining my story to Bill, he exclaimed, “We can do it!” WHAT??? Did I hear him right? I asked, “Why? How?” He talked about how his goal was to make all of my dreams come true, which completely melted my heart. Yes, he is an incredible romantic. Anyhow, with him having enough media background knowledge to make him dangerous, coupled with my passion to share the world with others, we came up with Explore the Northwest. We just had to find someone who believed in it as much as we did to help us!

Enter Bryan Lee, Bill’s best friend of, well, FOREVER! After Bill explained to Bryan our concept, he knew we were on to something and was ready to jump on board. And with that, ENW was born! Today, we’ve grown into a larger crew, but better yet, we’ve become family.

Oh yeah, if you’re wondering what happened to my wonderful, romantic boyfriend? Well, we got married on December 21, 2008. And, if you’re a blog follower and wondering if all of the amazing romantic stories are true? They are! I am the luckiest girl in the world!