Maria José Santana has worked as a journalist since 1998, with a special focus, in recent years, on tourism and travel. She writes for Fugas, the travel magazine of the Portuguese newspaper Público. She is also the author of the books Ilhas da Ria (2021) and Até Que o Mar nos Separe (2014), and founder and director of a regional online magazine in her city (Aveiro Mag).