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Cheerio! Exploring London, England a Second Time Around
Story, photos by Jill Beckel London, England… a city known for its gray skies, beautiful architecture, culture, art, rich history, the River Thames, the British monarchy, pubs and tea. I was fortunate enough to have been able to study abroad in my college days for a term my sophomore year of college back in 2006. Since then, I’ve been yearning to go back and explore the city even more. I recently got the chance to make the trip back with my husband this time and it couldn’t have been better. All that I would have wished for was to have been able to stay longer! I knew that I wanted…
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Watch Out for Altitude Sickness in Sparkling South Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Story, photos/video by Cassie Hepler As a travel writer, there is a rock and a hard place between pleasing tourism boards and yet still remaining transparent and honest to your readers. I’ve never been one to sugar coat anything so I figured why start now? With a journalism background, it is in my blood to report the truth and also to use my experiences to help others. So here we go on an adventure that does indeed have a happy ending… Because I never drove through Nevada (without a U-Haul trailer attached), I thought it would be fun to go on a road trip through Vegas from Phoenix (not during…
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Chill Out, Recharge with Ganja Goddess Getaway at Venture Retreat Center in Pescadero, CA
Story, photos/video by Cassie Hepler I’ve been writing essays about how marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes and beyond since high school (and also the ice caps melting, but that’s another story). So when I got an invite to check out the Goddess Ganja Getaway, I went for it. When people asked what is was, I would reply that I had no clue, and honestly, I didn’t. Not one to shy away from adventure, I boldly went where most East Coasters have not gone before. The website copy says the Original Ganja Goddess Getaway, “is an all-inclusive retreat filled with cannabis, camping, food and fun. It’s a retreat for women focusing…
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Explore One of the Seven Wonders of the World with Grand Canyon Adventures
Story, photos/video by Cassie Hepler Serendipity is a funny word and an interesting experience when it happens to you. Looking for some more wisdom in my monkey mind, I stumbled upon BeCurrent meditation classes with the aerial meditation in green silk hammocks hanging from ceiling hooks. The first class is free (and got me hooked btw) and there is a table you congregate at afterwards to have some tea and chat if you feel like it. It was there that I met the mom of the owner of Grand Canyon Adventures and so starts the story of checking off another bucket list item. Since tours begin at the Flagstaff, AZ location…
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Cassie’s Cars and Casita Oasis in Arcadia, Arizona
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler After about a month at the AirBnb Hobbit Hole studio stay in Tempe, Arizona, it was time to find a (more) permanent space . The train going by at all hours of the night was killing my sleep pattern although I did enjoy the birds and outside kitchen space every morning. I was determined to find something peaceful and serene in a quieter location of the city and closer to the airport. Everyone I met kept telling me how much I would love Arcadia and after scoping out some other locations (including Scottsdale which I learned from a local the nickname is “Snotsdale” because it’s…
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How to Make It All Worth It During Your Hawaiian Getaway at Hyatt’s Maui Regency
Story by Kelly Kusumoto, photos by Colleen Cahill & Kelly Kusumoto It’s all in your head. Every image you’ve ever seen of Hawaii, every story you’ve ever heard. There’s majesty, serenity, and in February, warmth that just appeals to you in the throngs of an East Coast winter. Well, the images and the stories can’t even do Hawaii any justice. There’s nothing like being there. But as I’ve learned the last four years on the right coast, getting there is a big reason Hawaii is such a mystery to those who’d rather fly south to the Caribbean. First off, you have to come to terms that any trip from the East…
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Save on Lodging, Food in Bermuda with Celebrity Cruises
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler This Spring and Summer have been really heating up in my world! Since getting back from Breathless Resorts in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and catching the traveling bug again, I’ve been doing a lot more travel which alway makes my soul happy. I promised one of my besties to go on a cruise with her through Celebrity Cruises which were very nice… and old. Not so much the ship itself but the crowd. Our favorite couple at dinner asked us why we were on this ship with a bunch of old people and we immediately adopted them as our cruise parents. Celebrity is known for…
