Happy New Year! I hope 2025 brings you lots of adventure and cheap airfare.
If you have any trips you need help with this year, I would love to work together. I have so much knowledge of Los Angeles, Italy, Montreal, Chicago, Riviera Maya, and Barcelona swimming around in my head, and I can’t write fast enough to get it out. If any of those places are on your 2025 bucket list, contact me--or really any place on your bucket list. I am here for you.
Speaking of Barcelona, I have a new curated guide available in my shop. (Read to the end)
In my last newsletter, I discussed my plan to theme my newsletters according to my 2024 travels.
Today, I am bringing you along as I ate my way up the Pacific Coast from San Diego to Los Angeles in January 2024--Part 1. This led to a lot of memorable and delicious experiences. It's a perfect weekened trip for my Southern California subscribers.
Food Tour Itinerary
This itinerary is a journey of food at many different price points. If you aren't familiar with my three Bs, see this post on Instagram. (Follow me there, too, if you'd like.)
Heritage Brewery & BBQ sample plate
Day one
Stop one: Balboa Park’sJapanese Garden to get some inner peace before jumping into traffic.
Stop two: Alesmith—San Diego has over 150 craft breweries. On the way up to Oceanside, we hit Alesmith to try a sample of their wintery stouts and sours.
Stop three: Heritage Beer & BBQ—Affiliated with Heritage BBQ, this larger location in Oceanside has a taproom and less worry about selling out.
Stop four: Jeune et Jolie—Our first time visiting the new restaurant from the chef of now-closed Auburn. Jeune et Jolie is a modern French bistro that uses fresh local ingredients. It is a perfect date spot. (Michelin one star)
Where we stayed the night
We stayed one night at the Mission Pacific Beach Resort in Oceanside. It is a beautiful hotel with stunning panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. It has four restaurants, including a pie shop in the house featured in Top Gun.
They are a partner hotel of Fora. Book it with me, to get perks like daily breakfast for two.
This is the sunset from the rooftop bar of the hotel.
Winter sunsets in California are the best.
Travel Tips from a Traveler
Theme: Be spontaneous
Curated Barcelona
Barcelona is a city that I absolutely love. It is a place that inspired me to launch my guides for other cities. It has so much art, and its restaurants are constantly on the list of best restaurants in the world.
This is the debut city for my Curated guides. If you are going this week, this month, this year, this is the guide you should have.
Use my subscriber discount code for 20% off. OOOBCN20
If you want to travel in 2025, the best thing you can do is set up a client profile with me. That way, if you want to make something happen now, I will have all your likes, dislikes, allergies, and other information I need to find the perfect location and book your trip.
It is Black Friday for cruises! Contact me before January 14th.
Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady
Virgin Voyages
I haven’t been too ready to take a cruise since I have hesitations about their sustainability. Whenever I bring this up with fellow advisors, they say I should look into Virgin, so I did.
This is what I like about them:
No buffets- food made and cooked to order, meaning less waste. There are 20+ restaurants with 24/7 options.
Sustainable—no single-use plastics
Everything is included—No additional costs to get into premium restaurants, fitness classes are included, and essential beverages are included in the price. (Water, soft drinks, drip coffee, and tea) Plus, with all-in pricing, you don’t have to worry about how much you should tip. (Tips are included)
Overnight stays--This one is my favorite! No more trying to see expansive cities like Barcelona between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
What others like about them: They are exclusively adult. No one under 18 is allowed.
The Deal: 80% off the second sailor and $300 bar tab credit.
Kristen Fung is a travel curator who merges her love of art, food, and hidden gems around the world. Subscribe to Out of Office Curated, a newsletter with travel inspiration, itineraries, tips, and deals.
