Since joining Seattle Met in 2011, Allison Williams has overseen the magazine’s travel and outdoor coverage, including deep dives into Olympic National Park, the Columbia River, and a Burger King drive-thru in Canada. She edits the travel-focused blog Tripster and contributes service, news, interview, and narrative pieces to the magazine, including long-form features about mountain mysteries and puppies in prison. She’s earned awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and been nominated for a City and Regional Magazine award. 

Allison was raised here in Olympia and studied writing at Duke University, Oxford University, Columbia Journalism School, and University of Alaska. She began her career in New York City in the newsrooms of Metro newspaper and Time Out New York, then hightailed it back to her native habitat so she could write guidebooks and climb mountains.

No Layover

How a New Direct Flight Lands at Sea-Tac

Our airport has more new routes than ever, now to Tahiti in the Southern Hemisphere. How do we end up with so many global connections?

10/11/2022 By Allison Williams

Fall Wine

Washington Wine Levels Up

A trip to wine country in Walla Walla and Woodinville never looked so good. Here's where to taste, what to do, and where to stay.

10/10/2022 By Sean P. Sullivan, Allecia Vermillion, and Allison Williams Photography by Brooke Fitts and Amber Fouts

First-Timer’s Guide

Walla Walla Travel Basics

Tasting rooms, the Marcus Whitman, seasonality—the when, why, and how of visiting Eastern Washington’s signature wine-tasting area for the first time.

10/10/2022 By Allison Williams

Fall Wine

How Hotels Are Changing in Walla Walla

A trip to Walla Walla once might have led you to the Marcus Whitman or a chain hotel. Now, Abeja, Eritage, the Finch, and Yellowhawk are shaking things up.

10/10/2022 By Allison Williams

Trip or Treat

Haunted Halloween Road Trips around Washington

Paranormal investigations, scary forests, and underwater pumpkin carving make for perfect fall road trips around Washington state.

10/05/2022 By Allison Williams

Branching Out

Larch Season Is Finally Here

The trees around Washington turn brilliant shades of yellow and orange before losing their needles—here's how to find our unique brand of fall foliage.

09/30/2022 By Allison Williams

Extremely online

How the Department of Natural Resources Won Social Media

A Washington state agency's Twitter and Instagram are going viral with wholesome memes about campfire safety and trail etiquette.

09/21/2022 By Allison Williams

Trail Tales

Mailbox Peak Is Seattle's Quirkiest Hike

One of the hardest hiking trails on the I-90 corridor outside of Seattle, considered a training ground for Rainier, also holds the weirdest summit treat.

09/16/2022 By Taylor McKenzie Gerlach

Cheers?

The Duel of the Oktoberfests

Two fall festivals are raising a toast in Central Washington. One is in Wenatchee, the other in Leavenworth. But they're both...Leavenworth Oktoberfest?

09/14/2022 By Allison Williams

Guide to Leavenworth

Best Places to Eat in Leavenworth

The Bavarian tourist town in Central Washington has turned into a destination for quality vacation dining, from the Watershed Cafe to München Haus.

09/13/2022 By Allison Williams

Due South

From Seattle, Belize Is Barely Off the Beaten Path

A new Alaska Airlines nonstop flight links Seattle to a small Central American country south of Mexico—but it isn’t as remote as it feels.

09/12/2022 By Allison Williams

Guide to Leavenworth

Best Things to Do in Leavenworth

Between the wild outdoors and the wilder nutcracker museum, the Bavarian wonderland in Central Washington is anything but a sleepy mountain town.

09/09/2022 By Allison Williams

Get Outta Here

Delta Is Giving Away Frequent Flyer Miles

The Seahawks miles promotion returns. But—and this is a big but—it all depends on Seattle's football team doing well without Russell Wilson.

09/09/2022 By Allison Williams

Guide to Leavenworth

The Best Places to Stay in Leavenworth

From the luxurious spa and soaking pools of the Posthotel to the Sleeping Lady Resort up Icicle Creek, here's where to book in this cozy mountain town.

09/08/2022 By Allison Williams

Take Off

What's New at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Air travel is back, somehow both more glorious and frustrating than ever. Here's the best of the new shopping and dining in the terminal.

08/22/2022 By Allison Williams

Trail Tales

The Enchantments Is Washington's Most Spectacular Hike

The Leavenworth-area trail is long, steep, and unforgiving—and so stunningly beautiful that everyone wants to hike it. Here's how.

08/19/2022 By Allison Williams

Lite Brite

How to See the Northern Lights Near Seattle

Check the space forecast for northern lights alerts, there might be an aurora show coming to Western Washington. Plus: Where to view the lights.

08/18/2022 By Allison Williams

Short Stops

Portland's Sports Bra Invents the Women's Sports Bar

Screening exclusively WNBA, NWSL, and other women's sports games, this neighborhood bar in Northeast Portland is a perfect road trip stop.

08/16/2022 By Allison Williams

Quote Unquote

Avery Barnes Brings African Style to Pioneer Square

A city program, Seattle Restored, helped the young entrepreneur make an African streetwear boutique and community space a reality.

08/15/2022 By Allison Williams

Save Us

Satellite Devices Redefine Safety for Hikers

If you regularly hike or camp in the backcountry, a satellite communicator has become an essential piece of emergency equipment.

08/10/2022 By Allison Williams