When my job sends me to Europe, there is only one thing on my mind … where else can I go while I’m there? In May, I was scheduled to work in Frankfurt - an international melting pot boasting beautiful parks that provide the perfect backdrop for a city run and some of the best sushi (yes, sushi) I’ve had away from California. Not to mention the modern German fare, such as what you’ll find at Meyer’s Restaurant. Frankfurt deserves a post of its own, but that’s for another time. Since I was traveling solo and only had a weekend, I wanted to stick close to Frankfurt. I’d like to think it was fate that I stumbled upon Baden Baden, which means “bath bath,” given I have an obsession with baths. Dating back to the Roman Empire and famed for its rejuvenating thermal waters, this quaint little town is a...

Since I don’t live in a state where the leaves change color, for me, fall is the season for wine. I’m spending next weekend in Napa Valley and before I get there, my wine shipment from Willamette Valley will have arrived. As a lover of good wine, I’ve been around the world tasting vino from Old World vintages in Bordeaux and Douro Valley to New World varietals in Sonoma, Napa and Santa Barbara. This past spring, I had to try my hand at the famous Willamette Valley Pinots and the incredible scenery I’ve heard so much about. Here is my recipe for a perfect fall getaway to Oregon wine country. PJ Pants: THE place to stay in Willamette Valley, The Allison Inn & Spa manages to achieve the luxuriousness of a resort and the coziness of a mountain cabin. The rooms are comfy enough for a post-wine tasting nap; the...

You know those friends you have where no matter how much time has passed since you’ve last seen each other, it seems like no time has gone by? (Or, at least I hope you do.) That’s how it is when I get together with Molly and Christine — we’ve been friends for over a decade when we all left our homes in the South for the glamour of life in LA. Since then, our lives have definitely changed and we don’t all live in LA anymore, but we still manage to rendezvous for long weekends when we can. The list includes Napa, Charleston and New Orleans … and now Coronado. Coronado Island is a small, quaint island community just outside of San Diego. It’s a place where you can leisurely walk or bike and decompress from city life or the intense heat that afflicts most parts of the country during...

When I first heard about MissTravel.com, I was admittedly skeptical. It’s basically Tinder for travelers – a matching service for people who want a travel partner, but also wouldn’t mind if they found love in the process. First dates take place everywhere from the Maldives to Bolivia to Sweden … and come with no strings attached? Seems too good to be true. Approximately 600,000 members (who go through a strict approval process) are giving MissTravel a go and we caught up with one of them to discuss why she joined, what really happens on dates and how she’s loving her new life in London. Meet Chelsea.  How did you find out about MissTravel and what made you join? I saw an ad for it on a different dating website, with a question like “Young and want to travel?” I was instantly sucked in. Are you on the site to find...

Nomade Tulum is the coolest new hotel in Tulum that you haven’t heard of yet, but will soon be all over your Instagram feed. As a person who has traveled frequently throughout life, there are certain destinations that really resonate and feel extra special. While unpacking my suitcase from Tulum a few weeks ago, some powder white sand fell out and I was instantly nostalgic for this magical beach town. There’s so much to fall in love with and then miss when you’re back home, but for the purposes of this blog let’s talk about a favorite hotel.    Tulum is known for stylish boutique accommodations and Nomade Tulum, a recent installment, is no exception.  From the same team that runs neighboring sister property Be Tulum, Nomade shares that same chic aesthetic, but with a bohemian twist.  Offering ten different room categories including a villa with a pool (!), a...

by Monica Rohleder I am the child of a flight attendant and by the time I was 10, I had been to Hawaii a dozen times. My mother formed a love affair with the Hawaiian Islands through her travels there, so I followed suit and found my home away from home on the raw, magical and spiritual Big Island. The Earth begins and ends on this Island every day. At the North end of the Island, you see the lush green vegetation, flowers, waterfalls and life that came from the volcanoes, now quietly sleeping. But on the South side, experience a completely different landscape that resembles the surface of the moon. Black lava canvases the land, sporting varying colors and textures, all markings the dates when the flow began. As the sun shines down on the black rock, rainbows of colors sparkle and dance on the surface, as the crashing...

Napa is basically what happens when you blend a bit of Tuscany, with a dash of the scenery and overall loveliness from “The Sound of Music,” and mix in a healthy dose of every fairy tale land you’ve ever read about.  Except the castles in this fantastical kingdom are surrounded by vineyards, and the gold at the end of the rainbow is this magical thing called wine.  Now let’s get to it. PAJAMA PANTS …where to crash and get some R&R Andaz Napa I stayed here in its previous life as the Avia Napa Hotel and I have an inkling this iteration is even better. What’s best about this hotel is the location in the heart of downtown Napa, which means easy access to local tasting rooms and brunch spots when you just want to walk somewhere. Plus, there’s a huge bathtub in the middle of the room – perfect...

by: Tracey DeFrancesco Australia is synonymous with sun, adventure, and laid-back locals with sexy accents. I’ve long dreamed of traveling Down Under to cuddle koalas and box with kangaroos (let’s not get hung up on the fact that neither of those things is legal). So when TWS Tennis Tours invited me to join their trip to the 2016 Australian Open, I packed my summer clothes and tons of sunscreen and hopped on a plane for the fifteen-hour flight across the Pacific Ocean. Melbourne is a city known for experiencing four seasons in a day: a rainy morning turns into a scorching hot afternoon followed by a chilly evening. But it’s also a mysterious city whose best offerings can only be found by exploring alleyways and ducking into arcades to see what hidden gems lie just around the corner. If you’ve also been longing to see the other side of the...

Charleston, SC has long been a tourist destination for history buffs, beach bums and culinary enthusiasts. And while the city could have always been described as quaint, cute and the idyllic Southern town, it would never have been described as hip, cool, modern or happening. But in the last  few years, all that has started to change. It began with the culinary pioneers whose amazing food inspired by local fare caught the attention of the rest of the world. Then came the rapidly expanding bar scene on Upper King where divey college bars closed in favor of upscale lounges and cocktail bars (this area has since reverted and been replaced by Canonborough). But there wasn’t really a hotel to match the city’s unique take on the arts. Until now.  As luck would have it, I was visiting Charleston in late August when the Grand Bohemian (a 50-room luxury boutique hotel)...