Work with McKenzie

Editor, Reviewer, Brand Storyteller, & Photographer

words per year

years in book marketing & publishing

happy indie authors, poets, small presses, & literary magazines

years of editing experience

happy hotels, restaurants, small businesses, & dream travel destinations

years in social media, product descriptions, & UGC

Summer is almost here, and it is time for your space to shine!

If you’re in a tourist destination like me, it’s not too late to do the work to help tourists find you and select your experience, whether you’re running a restaurant, a hotel, or other tourist hot spot.

I moved to Croatia during the pandemic in 2020 and have spent the almost five years since throwing myself into the culture here, learning all that I can, and taking chances. That quickly turned into opportunities to review restaurants, small businesses, and other locations, and I’m excited to formally offer this as part of what I do as a writer.

My latest restaurant visit got back to me a few weeks ago, thanking me for coming out, writing an article about them, and also sharing my experiences in my Instagram stories, because he had seen an obvious uptick in their number of visitors (some of which even mentioned they had heard about the restaurant online). I’m excited to be a part of more shifts like this and would love yours to be one of them.

Travel & Food Writer for Hotels, Restaurants, & Your Dream Destinations

starting at $1 (USD) per word

In-Depth Review of Restaurants, Hotels, & Experiences

As a Food & Travel content writer, and with a background in in-depth commentary and review pieces, I enjoy immersing myself in new experiences, thinking about them, and sharing them with others.

This might come in any of the following forms, depending on your preferences:

- - In-Depth Review Articles
  - Long-Form Personal Narrative with Links to Experience
  - Long-Form Guide to Restaurant Scene, Tourism Scene, Etc., with Emphasis on Your Location

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starting at $250 (USD)

Social/Short Form Coverage of Restaurants, Hotels, & Experiences

Sometimes we need long-form think pieces, and sometimes we need fun and quick pieces that feel like Facetiming with a friend or sharing our explorations on our Instagram stories. This is a new and fun way to explore the journey through a multi-course meal at a restaurant; packing, arriving, enjoying, and saying goodbye to a hotel or resort; or going through the whole journey of immersing yourself into a dream destination.

This form of content can uniquely involve the audience, and its bite-sized style keeps them coming back for updates and boosts the experience’s traffic.

- - Series of Blog Posts
  - Series of Instagram Posts/Photos (Can Also Be Used for Facebook)
  - Instagram Stories Series
  - 1-5 one-minute TikTok videos

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Starting at $100 per package

UGC-Style Photography

A picture is worth a thousand words! If you need a greater visual presence for your dream location, your luxurious sleep accommodations, or your latest menu items, these 3-5 photo packs would be vital additions.

- - 3-5 photographs (the price increases for ongoing use instead of one-time usage rights)
  - Larger Photo Packs Available
  - Images Cropped for Preferred Platforms
  - Prices increase depending on photo usage

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I remember the very first time I watched Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep & Amy Adams, I was so taken by Meryl’s portrayal of Julia Child’s excitement upon entering her Parisian home for the first time. She elegantly twirls her way through the space, ending up in a beautiful, classy, & just so Parisian bedroom with fluffy floral prints.

And then Julia happily flops down on her bed, only to discover that she’s much too tall for it, her feet dangling off the end of the bed.

After living in coastal Croatia for 3 years, I realize that living as an expat, mom of 3 bilingual kids, & freelance writer is a lot like sleeping with feet hanging off of the bed.

The situation is imperfect… but that bedroom is still stunning.

I’ve dealt with culture shock, bureaucracy, language learning troubles, food sensitivities, undiagnosed conditions, family estrangement, & staggering social anxiety… but I’ve lived on a beautiful coast, experienced healing springs & mudbaths, taken up hiking & bike trailing, & started a literary magazine, too. To use a cliché, there can’t be dark without light; there can’t be immersion without some cultural adjustment, & there can’t be beautiful beds without feet dangling off of them (well, maybe you’ve got me there).

– McKenzie Lynn Tozan, Mediterranean & Me on Substack

McKenzie and Cadence at Zadar's Sea Organ

food & travel

Mediterranean & Me

On Substack

A travel & food Substack following a Midwestern mom transplanted from the cornfields of Northern Indiana to the Adriatic Sea on the coast of Croatia. Stumbling through learning Croatian, enjoying European cuisine, trying her best to embrace her inner Julia Child/Stanley Tucci/Cheryl Strayed, unlearning & recreating herself, & loving every minute of it.

mediterranean & me - on substack