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Affordable Cambria Hotel Templeton Joins Paso Robles, California Wine Country
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler The Cambria Hotel Templeton – Paso Robles makes an excellent, affordable home base to explore California wine country! Owned by Choice Hotels International, the brand positions itself in the upper midscale to upscale market, comparable to brands like Courtyard by Marriott or Hilton Garden Inn. The Cambria is about a year old with boutique vibes and modern interior design styling without being too casual, funky or fancy. With price points lingering around $100 a night, it is super close to Highway 101 and all the wineries winding up the mountain. There are 132 rooms stretching across 3 floors and we were in the deluxe suite…
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Explore Organic and Family Owned Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles, California
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler Robert Hall Winery is an organic, family-owned and operated Paso Robles winery in California! We started our whirlwind wine tasting tour being greeted by a sweet tiger kitty Mcaire with this outstanding regenerative organic certified space where they certainly pride themselves on hard work while slaying their craft. These are some outstanding, award-winning wines that represent perfectly the vibrant and premier Paso Robles winemaking region while expressing the spirit of the valley. The estate-grown varieties have big, bold characteristics and our wines are crafted with rich, complex flavors with some of them only available at the mothership location like the sparkling white to…
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Taste a Sip of Tuscany at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California
Story, videos and photos by Cassie Hepler On the road again to Paso Robles, California! Just off Highway 46 East, these rolling hills have evolved into a buzzing area full of new wineries and tasting rooms. And I was so excited to begin the journey by staying at Allegretto Vineyard Resort. You can get the taste and vibes of Italy without the airline price tag with its Tuscan-style architecture, museum-caliber artwork, spa, restaurant, lamas, sheep, vineyard tour and gardens. Owned by the Ayres family, we put it to the test to see if it does indeed compare to Tuscany as I was just there in Spring. With its upscale tasting…
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Seven Unusual Travel Superstitions from Around the World
My lucky number is seven. I was born on September 7, my phone number has 7 in it and my house has 7s in the land square footage. So I guess I am also superstitious after all! I don’t know what it is exactly but it gives me peace when I see it and know things are flowing in the right way. Travel stress is certainly a real feeling due to concerns around potential airport delays, disruptions or mishaps abroad. Some say air travel causes more anxiety than filing taxes or visiting the dentist! I would agree with the taxes but am the weirdo that likes the dentist – so…
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Explore the Center of the World in Felicity, California
Story, videos and model Cassie Hepler, Photos by Delfin Welcome to the Center of the World in Felicity, California! Located on the Yuma, Arizona border, we ended up spending a glorious day shooting around this quirky place by default as our usual beloved Buttercup Sand Dunes were overrun with weekend RV and buggy traffic. (Hint: only go to the sand dunes on early weekdays for true lost in the desert vibes). But make sure to put Center of the World on your road tripping between states bucket list! We literally drove past it and were like what is that place only to end up there frolicking and having the best…
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Holiday Gift Guide for a Tough Year and Tight Budget
Story by Cassie Hepler, submitted images This year has been absolute shit! With a few glimmers in my life along the way of 2025 like visiting Cancun, California and the South of France, it’s been literally like pulling teeth since the Annoying Orange took office, tanked the US economy, gaslights Americans every morning with fresh bullshit and the year isn’t even over yet. That said, I know I’m not the only one stashing some celebratory champagne in my fridge. If you know, you know… Starting with replacing my whole air conditioning unit – on my roof – to fixing the stackable washing machine (and hiring men from Taskrabbit to move…
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Marriott Irvine Spectrum Offers Restful, Upscale Hotel to Explore Orange County, California
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler I’ve been a Marriott Bonvoy member since I was a teenager. Starting at Penn State University at 17 years old because my birthday is in September, it’s been a no brainer to rack up points with a brand I can rely on for this extra picky back – and now neck. So I don’t have to stress out over is the bed good? Will I be in more pain? Those issues don’t exist when booking with Marriott. I already know and that’s what keeps me coming back. So when Destination Irvine reached out, it was easy breezy and my first press trip…
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Explore Copenhagen, Denmark without leaving the USA in Solvang, California
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler Welcome to Danish Disneyland aka Solvang, California! According to our spooky tour guide, Casey, from The Haunt Ghost Tours, that is what Michael Jackson allegedly called it. MJ’s Neverland Ranch (now Sycamore Valley Ranch) is located about 12 miles North of Solvang in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Allegedly, the king of pop even lived in self-imposed solitude at the ranch, sometimes visiting the town of Los Olivos and also Solvang. Casey said the reason there is a Subway and Domino’s but no other major corporate food chain stores is town is because those two were his favorites and…
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How Mobile Office Vans Are Powering the New Era of Remote Travel
The workplace as we know it is dead. Not metaphorically speaking – it’s literally transforming before our eyes. In 2019, roughly 9 million Americans worked from home, but by 2024, that number has nearly quadrupled to 35 million people working remotely. What started as a pandemic necessity has evolved into something much bigger: a complete reimagining of where and how we work. But here’s where it gets interesting. While most remote workers settled into home offices and coffee shops, a growing tribe of professionals discovered they could take their office anywhere – literally anywhere – with mobile office vans. This isn’t just about working from pretty places anymore; it’s about…
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Escape to a Private Island in San Diego, California at Loews Coronado
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler Before someone jumps down my throat, Loews Coronado Bay Resort is a peaceful waterfront escape, surrounded by breathtaking waterfront vistas on its own peninsula. According to the Oxford dictionary, a peninsula is a “piece of land almost surrounded by water or projecting out into a body of water” which fits the bill perfectly as it has its own palm tree lined road – and road signs leading to the lobby. But it might as well be an island as it totally feels that way with no water taxi needed! Situated directly across from scenic and idyllic San Deigo, California, it is the ultimate luxury…
