Posts in Travel
Day Trip to Joshua Tree - Top Activities for a One Day Itinerary

Desert, cacti, funny looking trees, giant round boulders, and an indescribable feeling of mystic magic in the air - this basically describes Joshua Tree National Park in a nutshell. Named after the uniquely shaped trees (which actually aren't trees at all), Joshua Tree is located inland in Southern California and offers a popular wilderness destination for hikers, rock climbers, photographers and nature lovers.

The Joshua Tree park is comprised of over 795,000 acres of land, which is bigger than the state of Rhode Island! So you may be asking, how could I possibly see this enormous park in one day? While you can’t see everything in such a short period of time, you can definitely hit up some highlights and get the overall feeling of the park.

In this guide I will give you all kinds of options for your one day trip to Joshua Tree, giving you plenty of activities to fill up your itinerary. They will range and vary as far as how physically strenuous they are, from leisurely park walks to ambitious hiking trails. In short, there’s something for everyone!

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Where to Stay in Santorini – Fira (Thera) or Oia?

My husband and I spent a couple weeks traveling through the Greek islands during the summer month of July. During the process of planning our trip, I did a ton of research on the island of Santorini. Specifically I wanted to know if we should plan on booking our hotel in the city of Fira (also known as Thera) or the village of Oia. There are pros and cons to each location, and it ultimately boils down to what kinds of activities you plan on partaking during your Greek island trip.

Read on to see my detailed breakdown of both the Santorini cities Thera and Oia. I also provide activities and itinerary suggestions for each location, making planning your own trip a breeze!

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Honest Review of the Blacklight Run

My friends and I bought tickets to the Blacklight Run in San Jose. I had no idea what to expect before our arrival, it was definitely a big surprise! In this blog post I will outline all the details, including both the pros and cons of the event. This may help you decide if you want to try it out for yourself.

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Top 10 Best Cities in North America to Own a Vacation Property

It’s a widely accepted fact that owning real estate is one of the best financial investments you can make. My husband and I own two homes in Sacramento - we live in our East Sacramento house and we rent out the other to tenants. Our next big venture will be to invest in a vacation home that will most likely be rented out the majority of the time.

The process of acquiring real estate requires a lot of research beforehand. But the type of research you’ll be looking into really depends on the end use of your property. In the next several paragraphs I will go into detail about all the important checklist your vacation property must have to be successful.

Additionally, this blog post explores the top ten cities in North America that we have been looking into and I’ve reported my findings to help anyone make an informed decision about investing in their own vacation property. Whether you're getting a house for convenience, sentimental value, or investment, I've outlined why each city should be a contender in your house hunt.

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Top 30 San Diego Locations for Engagement and Wedding Photos

Your engagement and wedding day are momentous occasions in your life and you will want your pictures to mark the moment and reflect the sentiment. You'll want to capture the beauty and romance of your union with your partner in a location that reflects the happiness you shared in those moments. This is why the unparalleled ambiance and scenic landscapes of San Diego are ideal for booking for photography session.

San Diego is truly a beautiful city, with great weather and plenty of photo opportunities during all four seasons. It offers a variety of unique locations, such as scenic neighborhoods, modern urban backdrops, gorgeous beaches, and picturesque natural landscapes, all just a short drive away from the city, making it an ideal spot for your engagement and wedding photos.

In this blog, I’ll go through some of my favorite spots that you can choose from, I’ll mention some places for family photos in San Diego, and discuss the benefits of investing in a professional photoshoot for your engagement and wedding.

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Top 10 Epic 30th Birthday Travel Destinations

Is your 30th birthday coming up? Do you dream of going on a trip and celebrating this special occasion with a bang? Being that I am a woman in my 30's I can tell you from personal experience that you are entering a new era in your life... and your 30's will kick ass! As a travel aficionado I highly recommend marking this milestone birthday with that dream trip you've always wanted to take but just hadn't gotten around to it yet.

Whether you're looking to plan a trip with friends, searching for an ideal foodie destination, or a romantic couples trip, in this article, you'll come across ten very promising trip ideas, both in the U.S. and abroad. If you're going to celebrate your dirty thirty birthday, let's do it in style!

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A Weekend Guide to Half Moon Bay – Top Things to See and Do on the Coast

Dramatic nature sites and breathtaking ocean scenery – it is not difficult to see the allure of Half Moon Bay. If you wish to discover this unspoiled stretch of the Northern California coast, I've handpicked the best things to do and see in the area.

Thanks to its small-town charm combined with incredible vistas, Half Moon Bay has become a loved weekend escape from the hustle and bustle of the nearby cities, San Francisco and San Jose. From excellent surfing opportunities to great hiking spots – Half Moon Bay offers its visitors a wide range of experiences.

Half Moon Bay is my hometown, I was born and grew up here up until I moved away for college. This guide is composed from the perspective of a local with many revealed hidden gems. My blog post is also filled with many of my favorite photos taken over the last several years. Keep scrolling to find all kinds of inspiration for your trip.

Whether you wish to have a romantic laidback weekend with your loved one or a fun-filled getaway with the whole family, Half Moon Bay won't disappoint. But don't just take my word for it – book a trip and see the magic for yourself!

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Greek Islands Packing List: What to Pack for Greece in the Summer

My husband and I spent 10 days vacationing on the Greek islands during the month of July. Greece is definitely a favorite summer vacation spot because the Mediterranean climate brings warm temperatures and the ocean water is perfect for swimming.

Whether you are going to a tourist hot spot such as Santorini, or seeking a calming and relaxing scene on a quiet Greek island, the Cyclades islands is the place to go for an idyllic summer vacation.

Once you’ve booked your tickets and planned out your vacation itinerary, the last step is figuring out what to pack for a trip to the Greek islands. In this practical guide I’ll give you valuable advice that I learned during our trip to Greece. I will give myself kudos on doing a pretty good job when packing my own bags, but there were a couple vital things that I completely forgot about. Read on to see everything you will need (and some things you won’t) during your Greek summer vacation.

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Over 20 Santorini Instagram Spots to Photograph During Your Greek Islands Vacation

One of the world’s most bucket-worthy places to visit is the Greek Island of Santorini. Right off the mainland of Greece there are literally thousands of small islands, and of those a little more than 200 are inhabited. But the single most scenic and iconic village is Oia which is the crown jewel of the Santorini island.

No doubt you’ve seen photos of the famous whitewashed buildings with the blue dome rooftops. While this style of architecture can be found all over Greece, the village of Oia has the most vibrant and preserved buildings situated right next to each other. The natural way the locals built their community right along the edge of the caldera turned out to be the most picturesque and photogenic layout. Very Instagrammable to say the least!

In this guide I will breakdown all the best Insta-worthy spots in Oia, Santorini and also other photo spots around the island of Santorini. If you’ve booked a stay of few days in Oia, you’ll have plenty of time to cover all the classic Instagram photo spots in Oia and then take day trips to other parts of the island.

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Travel Guide to Folsom, California - Family-Friendly Things To Do

The small historical gold rush town of Folsom is one of those California hidden gems that make for an excellent day trip from Sacramento or a weekend trip from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Folsom is a popular travel destination because it’s filled with historical charm, lots of shopping spots and tons of outdoor water and nature recreation for weekend warriors.

Our family lives in the city of Sacramento which is a short 30 minute drive from Folsom. Over the years we’ve visited Folsom more times than I can count and each time we discover something new and fun.

This Folsom guide will cover over 25 family-friendly things to do. Whether you’re looking for a leisurely weekend getaway or an action packed vacation, there’s something for everyone in Folsom.

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Guide to the Most Colorful Murals in Sacramento, California

Sacramento is an especially colorful city with Insta-worthy murals scattered all over our favorite neighborhoods. We can thank the curation efforts of Wide Open Walls, an organization that commissions world-famous mural artists to come paint the walls of Sacramento.

This blog post is a collection of my favorite Sacramento murals. I especially love that so many of these murals are painted by women and they have such a sweet feminine esthetic. Most these murals are located in popular areas in Sacramento to eat out and hang with friends. Next to each mural I’ll give a few suggestions on things to do and see in that neighborhood.

In this mural guide you can hover over each image to see the full description and location of each mural. Some of them are located on Wide Open Walls Mural Map and I’ve put the link in a button next to the photo. By the way, many of these murals don’t have names (or I can’t find the name) so I give them by own descriptive name for reference.

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Dog-Friendly Travel Guide to Yosemite National Park

When we were planning our trip to Yosemite, the first question I asked was: "Can I take our dog Holly with us?". It turns out that you can actually bring dogs into Yosemite National Park. It's the perfect place for everyone to enjoy the great outdoors. After a lot of research, I complied this complete dog friendly guide to Yosemite. So pack up the car and get ready to hit the trails!

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Best Baby and Kid-Friendly Things to Do in San Diego

San Diego is the perfect Southern California destination for a family vacation. The weather is almost always warm and sunny year-round and there’s endless fun things to do with children, toddlers and babies. In San Diego you’ll find world-class beaches, scenic neighborhoods, all kinds of fresh cuisine and tons of parks.

My husband’s family lives in the greater San Diego area and we often take family trips to visit them. We have endless experience taking the kids and their cousins out to many of the places I’ve outlined in this blog post. I speak from experience when I say that San Diego is very kid-friendly!

In this blog post I will outline our favorite spots to hangout with our kids in San Diego. This guide includes great places for stroller walks, beaches, family-friendly neighborhoods, nature and amusement parks and of course the two zoos.

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Guide to Planning Your Las Vegas Bachelorette Party

As one of the world's most exciting cities, Las Vegas has always been a top destination for bachelorette parties. There's no shortage of options when it comes to hotels, entertainment, and activities that make for the ultimate bachelorette experience.

As you can see from the photos in this blog post, my girlfriends and I lived it up in Las Vegas for a weekend of debauchery and partying. From high-energy nightclubs to world-class restaurants, Las Vegas has something for everyone.

In this guide, I’ll divulge some of the best ways to plan your Las Vegas bachelorette party. From crazy and wild, to more tame and respectable, you’ll find plenty to discover in this blog post.

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Top Los Angeles Instagram Spots - Over 50 Instagrammable + Photogenic Places!

The iconic city of Los Angeles has a certain kind of magical aura surrounding it and this is perpetuated by all the glamorous and Insta-worthy places you can explore and photograph.

While there’s really no shortage of Instagrammable places in LA, the spots highlighted in this blog post are the best places to start for beginners and first time visitors. But I promise they’ll be some gems in here for SoCal Instagram veterans and OGs.

When I’m looking for photography inspiration, I gravitate towards bright, airy and colorful backdrops. This applies to restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, murals, iconic landmarks and neighborhoods. Which are basically all the hangout places during a vacation.

In this blog post you’ll find over 50 Instagrammable places in Los Angeles. The sections in this guide are divided up into hotels, best neighborhoods, famous streets, foodie spots, famous and iconic landmarks, beaches and more!

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Over 200 Cute + Cool Girl Los Angeles Captions and Quotes for Instagram

Los Angeles is one of the most visited cities in the entire world which also means that it’s one of the most Instagrammed. There’s so many photogenic and Instagrammable neighborhoods around LA that you’ll never run out of areas to photograph.

Consider this blog post your caption cheat sheet when you’re looking for something new and fresh to write when posting on Instagram. I capture all the moods from funny, inspirational, whimsical, edgy cool girl and bohemian beachy vibes. Pretty much any beautiful photo you capture will have the perfect quote or caption to narrate your LA story.

I’ve broken down this list into the popular and most visited areas of Los Angeles including Hollywood, Venice Beach, West Hollywood, Malibu and Beverly Hills.

Because Los Angeles has so many awesome beaches, there’s a section in this blog post to find witty and funny beachy vacation captions.

I’ve also included a bunch of foodie related captions because there’s so many very cute places to eat in Los Angeles and there’s a good chance you’ll be snapping Insta photos of your meals. Specifically there’s captions for brunch, coffee shops, ice cream and more.

Finally, at the bottom of this post you’ll find Los Angles and California themed song lyrics and famous quotes that you can use as a caption.

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Los Angeles Girls Trip - Santa Monica and Venice Beach Itinerary Ideas

While Los Angeles is a huge metro in California, it always seems like I end up in Venice and Santa Monica when we’re road trippin’ to Southern California. It has all those perfect Cali cool and beachy vibes that instantly make you feel you’re on vacation.

I spent a weekend in Santa Monica with my girl gang just hanging out and enjoying good food along with the scenery. On this particular trip I actually did a good job of capturing photos of all our weekend adventures. So make sure to give this blog post a good scroll for some trip inspiration.

If you’re planning a first time visit to Santa Monica and Venice Beach then this travel guide was made for you. I will breakdown the tops areas to sightsee, where to eat, nightlife and of course beaches too. So many excellent options to build your Santa Monica and Venice Beach itinerary.

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Instagram Guide to the Winter Wonderland Imaginarium Lights Show at the Cal Expo in Sacramento

We’re going on five years living here in Sacramento and we’ve started to look forward to the Global Winter Wonderland which comes to town every year for the holiday season. During the months of November, December and January the Cal Expo in Sacramento converts into a magical lights festival with light displays, holiday music, amusement rides and carnival foods.

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Babymoon in Palm Springs - A Pregnancy-Friendly Travel Guide

As a parent to two littles ones, I always highly recommend expecting mamas to take a pregnancy-friendly babymoon vacation before the arrival of baby. Trust me when I tell you that traveling will never be the same once your pregnancy is over and you’ve got kids to care for. Your babymoon is the last hurrah and a chance to relax before the chaos of motherhood begins.

California has several pregnancy-friendly destinations for a babymoon and Palm Springs is definitely at the top of the list. A Palm Springs babymoon is all about relaxing in the desert with beautiful natural scenery mixed with hotels designed with modern decor.

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Girls Trip Guide to West Hollywood in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a huge sprawling city and it can quickly become overwhelming to decide on what to do and where to stay when planning a girls trip. West Hollywood (referred to as WeHo by locals) tends to have all those bucket list things we love for traveling. In West Hollywood there’s an abundance of restaurants with great food and ambiance, fun daytime activities and poppin’ nightlife.

Whether it’s a bachelorette trip, a birthday celebration or just because you want to spend quality time with your gal pals, West Hollywood in Los Angeles is the perfect place to plan a getaway with your girlfriends. There’s plenty of places in West Hollywood that have those modern feminine vibes we love.

In this travel guide I breakdown all the highlights of West Hollywood to help you plan your itinerary. When I’m traveling I’m always on the hunt for restaurants with yummy food and a great ambiance, so all my foodie recommendations are picture pretty.

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