Taos is one of the most enchanting towns in the state of enchantment. At nearly 7,000 feet in elevation, this northern city sits on the edge of the Rio Grande in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the start of the Rocky Mountain range. It has a rich indigenous culture and is home to a World Heritage Site (Taos Pueblo). It’s a renowned art colony, with a world-class ski resort, majestic landscape, distinctive cuisine, and so much more. It’s a place where national jurisdictions have changed hands three times (Spanish, Mexican, American), and encompasses the past, present, and future. Here is our guide to a perfect weekend in this perfect city…

We decided to spend a recent weekend getaway in Ojai, CA. I only heard great reviews about this mountain-side “small town” saddled between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and wanted to check it out for myself. I imagined a true small town, far inland, and away from it all. Like one of those Hallmark channel Christmas movie settings (is anyone else obsessed with those? I’m going to imagine you just said, yes.). What I got was a quaint town, only 15-20 minutes inland from the coastal city of Ventura. Surrounded by mountains and ranches, and filled with things to do and see (and eat), especially during our weekend stay, Ojai is definitely a unique place to visit. Here are a few of our favorites, to create your own ideal itinerary… 

Mexico City aka #CDMX is the 17th largest city in the world, and is full of rich history, from the Aztec, to the Spanish colonials and now, the modern world. Regardless of what you’re looking for, you will likely find it in one of the many unique neighborhoods in the city (I’m partial to the Condesa and Roma neighborhoods). This includes phenomenal cuisine, archaeological sites, museums, lucha libre wrestling shows, live music, boutique shopping, street vendors, and much more. It’s impossible to see it all in a lifetime, let alone in one day. But we’ve created a list of our favorites, so that you can design an itinerary that’s right for you!

At 5,000 ft elevation, Cuernavaca, the capital of the Mexican state of Morelos, is a short 1.5 hours drive south from Mexico City. It has a historic colonial city center, which was once home to the (in)famous Spanish conqueror, Hernan Cortes. Cuernavaca is the place Mexican nationals go for respite to escape from the constant hustle and bustle of Mexico City. Many even retire or keep vacation homes in Cuernavaca. Although the entire state of Morelos was greatly affected by September 2017’s earthquake, the citizens of this quaint city have maintained their optimism through community and resilience.

Sayulita was once a hidden beach village off the beaten path until Pinterest, Instagram and Bachelor in Paradise took over. It lies just 25 miles north of Puerto Vallarta along Riviera Nayarit and the Madre Occidental Mountain range. It’s not only a small and sleepy beach town, but it’s home to some beautiful artisans, great beaches and surf. Not to mention it’s next to Mexico’s version of the Galapagos, the Islas Marietas. We had a long weekend to explore this colorful town and knock the islands off of our bucket list.  Here’s how to do it all in one day (because you can #SiSePuede)…

Most people agree that Joshua Tree is a magical place. Situated between California’s Mojave Desert and the lower Colorado Desert, it’s home to the native Joshua Tree (hence the name), Joshua Tree National Park and Little San Bernardino Mountains. Due to its beautiful topography and nature, it has a long history of luring in artists, hikers, rock climbers alike. Only located 2.5 hours away from both Los Angeles and San Diego, it’s no wonder why so many Angelinos and San Diegans purchase second homes here. Joshua Tree has quite a bit to offer, whether you’re there for a day, the weekend, or forever. Here’s our must-dos…

Guanajuato is an old colonial city, college town, and the birthplace of the famous muralist, Diego Rivera. This city is full of history, color, culture, food, and fun. It is built on a series of tunnels, originally designed to prevent flooding, which nearly wiped out the city twice before. The underground tunnels have since been transformed into actual roads, leaving very little surface space above ground. We haven’t stopped thinking about it since we left, and hope to return back soon, especially for Dia de Los Muertos. This is how to do it all, and do it right traveling to Guanajuato in just one day…

I had the privilege of spending a few weeks in South Korea, specifically in the city of Daegu. Although I worked the majority of the time, I had some free moments to explore the city. Through my own trials and tribulations, I can tell you how to do things right, especially in just one day.

Also, yellow dust is a real thing. 

We can all agree that living with an autoimmune disease such as Celiac, or with any food intolerances or allergies is not very fun, or convenient, for that matter. Especially when trying to find something tasty! The amount of San Diego restaurants who cater to these communities, makes it feel almost effortless to find allergen-friendly food! As someone diagnosed with Celiac and other food intolerances, who is San Diego based, I have tried and tested most of what America’s Finest City has to offer time and time again, and the results have been delicious! I have compiled a list of my ten favorite spots that I regularly visit, and I recommend them to anyone visiting or living in San Diego.

We had a lot of fun in Seoul this past spring and I was able to get my fill of Korean BBQ, KoMex (nm, no such thing as too much KoMex), Korean cosmetics, and raccoons (yes, raccoons). The highlight was visiting the infamous (?) Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North Korea from South Korea. Here are my favorite places, and more importantly, food items, and what’s worth visiting if you only have one day.

Tucked in the mountains of San Jacinto, and just a hop, skip and jump away (aka 2 hours) from both busy metropolises of Los Angeles and San Diego exists the beautiful and quaint town of Idyllwild. The town serves as nice escape for anyone. Whether that’s a solo getaway, camping trip with friends or family, or a romantic adventure, driving up the hill will sure be worth it.

The Camino seems like a far-away dream at this point. A dream that I wish I hadn't woken up from. To think that just two years ago, I was a pilgrim; walking an average of 10 miles a day from pueblo-to-pueblo or city-to-city.  It’s been a little while since I stepped foot in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, the celebrated finish line of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (Camino Frances route) Pilgrimage. I vividly remember that moment and everything I had worked for up until then… the blood (literally… the unearthly blisters!), the sweat and tears that went into walking those 500 miles (800 km) from St. Jean-Pied-Du-Port (eastern side of the Pyrenees mountain range), France to the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela (northwestern Spain). All worth it, along with a picture in front of the famous cathedral and a Compostela (certificate) to document this feat I completed.

Busan (pronounced Pousahn), is South Korea’s second largest city, and is at the southern end of the country, opposite of Seoul. It is boasted for having some of the best seafood in the country, and the largest geothermal spa in Asia. It is also just three hours by ferry from Fukuoka, Japan. In spending a couple of days there, I got down some of the must-do’s in this city.

Walking into Santiago felt like it took forever, but I never walked so lightly, so briskly into a city on the Camino. What a feeling ! Which I believe would be more bitter than sweet, if it weren’t for this cold (slightly better) and my blister-riddled feet. Santiago is an old and beautiful city, full of history. But I seem to always visit cathedrals while they are being renovated. There were quite a few pilgrims rejoicing in front of the construction site (that’s what it was).  They were all either crying, laughing, hugging, or laying on the square’s floor, staring at the clouds and digesting their own feelings. I didn’t recognize most, but I did run into Thomas, Tongdo, Mitchell and Peter.  Peter was my Camino stalker from Hungary, who I felt the need to take a photo with in front of the cathedral (because it was a win-win situation).  As the photo was being taken, and with a heavy accent he told me that he hoped he as a Hungarian was a positive representation of Hungary, causing me to burst out into laughter. Then apologized for perhaps making me feel uncomfortable for placing his arm around me for the photo. Nah dude, you breathing heavily behind me on the trail and in restaurants made me feel uncomfortable.

Upon leaving our ´hotel,´we located a bar to have coffee and zummo OJ.  It wasn´t raining until about 10 minutes into our trail.  Having a cold, this really put a damper on things (no pun intended).  Luckily we had stopped at a pharmacy were I was able to get some herbal medicine.  I was also able to get a refill on my prescriptions I had on me.  Why is the US Healthcare system as corrupt as it is?  For example, I got 30 Tramadol tablets for 5 euros without a prescription or insurance.  Must be nice, Europe.  Must be real nice. Unfortunately, no Z-pack without a prescription. 

We decided to decline the €10 a person breakfast buffet that the hotel had to offer.  Instead we opted for coffee and gluten-free stale muffins for 2 euros each at nearby bar.  This AM was cold, and as we were leaving Sarria, I kept thinking to myself that I am sure this city has more to offer, and that we weren´t in a good mindset yesterday to enjoy it.

Our albergue may not have had any gluten-free breakfast options, but it did have a Zummo vending machine. Take note: Christmas/Hanukkah/Birthday wish-list only includes this vending machine. In all seriousness, we knew that real food was 12 km away, and that we couldn’t afford to skip out on two meals like we did yesterday since we were completing 23k today. Therefore, we sat for an all-American (ha) breakfast at a bar in Triscaterra, 12k in.

The coffee was super crappy this morning, which meant we would have to wait for 12 km, all uphill until we could get our hands on some descent Joe and hopefully something edible. We were however grateful for the sunshine, bringing us some surreal views. Our app recommended taking the road rather than the trail set out for pilgrims. Perhaps we were sharing the road with cars and bikes, but we didn’t have to climb down and back up and up again for more of an incline, unlike the other pilgrims.

All but two pilgrims had left by the time we had gone to the kitchen for our breakfast. The express coffee maker was not up to our standards of coffee that we had gotten used each morning at the various cafes we sat in. We were saddened by the sight of rain pouring outside, knowing that it would make for a long day. Starting off on the Camino, we got a good idea of how pretty Villafranca de Bierzo would be sans rain and fog. At the point of exiting the city, we had a choice of either passing under the seemingly narrow and treacherous tunnel or taking the long way around. We opted for the former. This was a good risk to take, as it resulted in us saving two miles of walking in the rain. I wouldn’t usually say this, but I was glad to walk parallel to the road today because of how much it was pouring. Luckily it wasn’t just road, but also nature (mountains, rivers, streams) keeping us company… And even better, no rocks.

I had some coffee, OJ and the rest of the gluten-free bread I was given for free yesterday. It was surprisingly not that cold outside and the weather report said no rain, but the gray colored clouds seemed to think otherwise. I don’t trust meteorologists.