Careyes is a hidden gem of a community on the Pacific Coast of Mexico founded in 1968 by the Italian Gian Franco Brignone. The town while very much filled with Mexican charm also has an Amalfi Coast vibe in architecture and style. It’s a community that consists of a residences (which are like condos) around a restaurant and series of infinity pools but beyond that are bright villas and casitas dotting the hillsides with open-air architecture and bold colors. There are several restaurants as well and a turtle hatchery, polo field, and one of a kind art experiences like the grand Copa del Sol. There are full-time and part-time residents here from all over the world giving this slice of dramatic coastline a cosmopolitan feel. One of the best parts is the ease of it all. Located 1.5 hours from Manzanillo airport it’s an quick trip from LA and also all the larger houses include a staff that will prepare local cuisine and drinks making it so you never have to leave, and if traveling with kids this is definitely a plus. It’s a hidden gem that rarely feels crowded and always feels unique and relaxing and usually quite a good deal compared to a traditional hotel experience.

Iceland is a magical land that I have completely fallen head over heels with. I’ve been twice now and still feel there is so much left to explore. There is no other place that has such variety of landscape from bubbling hot springs to glaciers to waterfalls with sheep and horses frolicking by. While a very popular tourist destination, sheep outnumber locals so you can still find yourself off the grid experiencing yet another gorgeous waterfall that you have all to yourself.

To view more photos of my travels to Iceland please click here.

Ahh that freeing feeling as you leave the smog of LA and see those gentle giant windmills in the distance.  The air feels a little cleaner, the sky a little brighter, and you feel suddenly more relaxed.  And all that mod design makes you feel like you’ve rolled into an old movie.

 There’s lots of ways to do Palm Springs but really what will decide your trip is where you stay which is why I’m listing more hotels than I normally would.  Palm Springs is a place where the main activity is lying by the pool so it all depends on what kind of pool scene you’re after.  Always expect to pay half price if you can manage to come on a weekday instead of a weekend.

As a photographer I absolutely loved Cuba – the old cars, the crumbling grandeur, the beachy climate.  As a tourist I thought it was challenging.  This is not a place where you can just look up a nearby restaurant on Yelp if you’re hungry.  There’s barely any WIFI and there are not enough Casa Particulares (home run restaurants) to serve all the tourists.  Chances are your favorite bar or restaurant there is everyone else’s so be prepared to wait or be turned away if you don’t have a prior reservation. 

 There are two currencies in Cuba, one much cheaper for the locals in addition to their food stamp cards they use at markets and one that is pretty close to the dollar for tourists.  What this means is that the cool bar or restaurant will be too expensive for most locals so you’ll find them hanging out with a bottle of rum on the Malecón (the stone wall and pathway but the ocean) instead.  And there is a downside to all that crumbling beauty: the locals would like to fix up their homes but the government doesn’t give them money to do it.  They have to be enterprising without getting in trouble.  And while Cuba is amazing in that everyone gets free education and medical care you can make more money as a cab driver to tourists than as a doctor or teacher.

 In general, my favorite thing was just to wander the streets there so bring good shoes and explore the unique beauty of Cuba.

 Note: While I didn’t make it to Trinidad or Viñales it would have been nice to experience a less touristy Cuba.

The occupational hazard of being a travel photographer is wanting to move to all the places you visit, but Mexico City really is a place I could live.  It has the laid-back attitude of LA but the walkability and grit of New York with of course the amazing food and culture of Mexico plus some of the best museums in the world.  I also have never been to a city more obsessed with dogs!  I love going to the one of the many gorgeous parks and seeing the dog walkers wrangling a menagerie of breeds.  Every café in the charming Condesa and hip Roma has dog bowls for your furry friends and what could be better than that?

This is the place to get off the grid, lose cell service, succumb the nature around you with quail, rabbits and coyotes popping up from behind the signature Joshua Trees that give this desert land its name.   Some of the best stargazing there is amongst other-worldly boulders and cacti.

The nearby towns of Yucca Valley and Pioneertown are also worth exploring with the can’t miss restaurant, bar and live music venue of Pappy & Harriet’s.  The hotels here are expensive and rather disappointing.  Instead reconnect with nature and get first access to the park by camping or get an Airbnb near the park entrance.

I have been lucky enough to have visited Hawaii countless times and it’s a place I’ll continue returning to.   Being in Hawaii is to know that the guiding force here is Mother Nature and that we are all just visitors, in awe of her beauty and power.  Not one to believe in superstitions, I have seen bad luck fall on people that have take a lava rock with them. All the islands are all different versions of paradise with astounding beaches, lush forests, and great food.  My two favorites are Kauai and Maui.  Kauai is wilder and more untouched but the weather here can be unpredictable and generally rainier.  Maui is a bit more developed than Kauai but has something for everyone and generally more sunshine.  Hana is also in Maui which is wild and full of untouched places to discover especially if you beat the day tourists by basing yourself there. Because Maui is quite big you may want to split up your stay by booking a room on one side of the island for part of it and the other side for the rest so you don’t spend the whole time in your car.

I wasn't sure what to expect when we headed to the Azores but I definitely was surprised to see that almost every road there is lined with the most gorgeous hydrangea bushes.  On São Miguel island they are all perfectly pruned, in the same powder blue color scheme, and some are quite massive.  The island reminded me of a combination of an east coast hydrangea-filled island, Iceland with its hot springs and volcanoes, Hawaii with its lush foliage and clear sea, and Ireland with its pastoral grazing cows.  But really São Miguel is its own special place with us visitors trying to make sense of its unique beauty.

When I was in elementary school my parents bought a small place in the sleepy surfer community of Rincon Point in Carpinteria. This sleepy place is more discovered now with beachgoers and surfers alike. I have fallen in love with this area of the California coast and even got married in Montecito. Santa Barbara is a great small city but the towns leading up to it including Carpinteria, Summerland, and Montecito are perfect tranquil weekend getaways from Los Angeles.

I have been lucky enough to have visited Hawaii countless times and it’s a place I’ll continue to return.   Being in Hawaii is to know that the guiding force here is Mother Nature and that we are all just visitors, in awe of her beauty and power.  All the islands are all different versions of paradise with astounding beaches, lush forests, and great food.  My two favorites are Kauai and Maui.  Kauai is wilder and more untouched but the weather here can be unpredictable and generally rainier.  Maui is a bit more developed than Kauai but has something for everyone and generally more sunshine.  Kauai has a more boho feel though where locals care about keeping GMOs out of their fruit and vegetables and chickens run wild in the streets. The Napali coast on the north shore is wild, rugged, and unlike anywhere else.

Copenhagen, a city where people are ranked among the happiest on earth. There’s a lot of theories on why this might be but a popular one is that the Denmark provides universal education and health care so there are less inequalities between citizens and a mutual respect for others and the country. It is also a very liberal city where people are forced to interact with each other due to the cycling culture, so there is less of a feeling of isolation. To experience this vibrant destination where bicycles outnumber people, it’s best to be like a local and hop on a bike. Learn a few biking hand signals, stick to the bike paths, and get riding with a bike share company like Donkey Republic to immerse yourself in the plethora of museums, cafes, shops and bars.

Point Reyes is one of my favorite places in the whole world. I’ve gone there for my birthday for years and if it was just a little closer it would be my dream to own a place there. If you love oysters and nature this place is a dream. The area is famous for their BBQ’d oysters - don’t hate until you try it! You could spend weeks hiking the many trails of the national park and still not repeat a step. If you’re looking for a beautiful, quaint, and foodie vacation this should be your next trip.

Big Sur is why people move to California. The dream of hopping in your car and driving through some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world where redwoods meet the ocean. The first trip my now-husband and I ever took was when I was 19 and we drove the PCH from Los Angeles to San Francisco and Big Sur was definitely the highlight. We camped, hiked through redwood groves, had picnics on the beach, and tried to not stop every 5 minutes to take a photo. This is the ideal place to really unwind because cell service is dodgy to non-existent here. I have now visited Big Sur several times for fun and also for work, diving deeper into this special enclave that hopefully will never change.

I fell in love with French Polynesia on a cover assignment for Travel + Leisure Magazine. It was pretty much a dream job and due to the sporadic flight times between islands I was able to spend more days than usual in some places. While in Tetamanu Village I scuba dived for the first time in the clearest and most marine-life abundant waters I have ever experienced. Getting to places like this is challenging but you are rewarded with cleaner water where you can watch sharks and rays from the shore.

While French Polynesia seems incredibly far-flung it is actually only two more hours flying than Hawaii. What you give up in ease of getting around, communication, and food you gain in the clearest protected waters with snorkeling that will spoil you for the rest of time. And while you could spend tons of money on high end overwater bungalows there are also some amazing places that are a lot less expensive if you’re willing to forgo some creature comforts. I’ve now been lucky enough to have traveled to these islands three times and always leave wanting to go back again soon to discover another atoll in paradise.