Episode 54: Exploring Muir Woods National Monument

In this episode, part two of our 12 Best Northern California Day Trips series, we journey to the awe-inspiring Muir Woods National Monument. Nestled just north of San Francisco, Muir Woods is a sanctuary of towering coastal redwoods, some of the tallest and oldest trees in the world. We delve into the history and significance of this ancient forest, a place of natural beauty preserved thanks to conservationist John Muir and early efforts to protect California’s wilderness. From the peaceful trails to the humbling sights of these 250-foot giants, Muir Woods offers a unique escape into nature that’s a must for any Bay Area itinerary.

Join us as we explore the best ways to experience Muir Woods, from easy walking paths to serene trails for all fitness levels. We discuss practical tips on how to plan your visit, including park entry information, ideal visiting times, best time of year to visit and more to help make the most of your day surrounded by these majestic trees. Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, photographer, or simply in need of a tranquil retreat, this episode will inspire and guide you in discovering one of Northern California’s most treasured destinations.

Be sure to check out our Destinations and California pages for even more information about visiting Northern California.

Episode 41: Skin Nourishment and Perfect Piña Coladas

In this episode of Pure Life Podcast, we kick things off with our “drink of the week” – the perfect piña colada cocktail. With summer always around the corner, beach vacations and tropical settings tend to dominate all thoughts. Regardless of what time of year it happens to be, it’s easy to bring the beach to us with a perfect piña colada cocktail. This satisfyingly refreshing recipe is sure to set the perfect tone for a relaxing shelter-in-place stay-cation! Be sure to check out our latest blog for step-by-step instructions!

Next, we start a discussion on some new nourishing skin care products we’ve been researching lately. With the current pause in travel, it’s a perfect time to do some much needed research and one of our focus areas has been skin care. With such a dizzying array of products to choose from, it’s hard to know what just works and what is all hype. We break down some recent all-natural skin care discoveries from Drunk Elephant, Ursa Major and CeraVe, giving an honest assessment of our top picks from these amazing brands. Find the perfect vacation spot to show off your newly replenished skin on our Destinations page. Enjoy!

Episode 40: Ultimate Mojito Recipe for a Perfect Virtual Happy Hour

Pura Vida and welcome to our latest podcast – Ultimate Mojito Virtual Happy Hour! With the hectic pace of modern day life, it’s always a good idea to celebrate hope and reconnecting with each other – with a delicious cocktail of course! So grab your glass and plenty of ice, because it’s time for a trip to our virtual happy hour!

This week, we kick off the happy hour with our “drink of the week” home-made cocktail. Our drink this week is the Mojito – a perfect spring and summer cocktail that goes down smooth and compliments just about any finger foods. We provide not only our own twist to create the Ultimate Mojito but also introduce a variety of our favorite snacks. From chips and salsa, big soft pretzels to spring rolls and more, our eclectic recommendations provide the perfect compliment to our refreshing and easy-to-make mojito, ensuring a delicious and enjoyable virtual happy hour.

And when it’s time to enjoy a mojito on the road, be sure to check out our Destinations page to find that perfect location to indulge. Cheers!

Episode 37: Top Online Safety Tips

In this episode of Pure Life Podcast, we take a pause for our travel topics and dive into keeping your private information secure with some important online safety tips while also discussing one of our featured drinks. This weeks feature is not a cocktail but one of my favorite bourbons: Basil Hayden’s. Basil Hayden’s is a light-bodied small-batch bourbon that goes down smoothly either neat or on the rocks (especially with Whiskey Ball ice cubes), and compliments any occasion. Cheers!

The episode continues by diving into some tips and guidance on how to remain safe while online. The last few years have been interesting and challenging to say the least. One rather interesting outcome of all this is we changed how we conduct our daily lives and are now spending more of our time online. With more of our activity being conducted online, we dive into some of latest online scams and threats and provide some much needed guidance on how to keep you and your loved ones safe while online.

Strap yourselves in as we explore some easy online safety tips. Be sure to check out our Destinations page for inspiration in planning your next trip with your new online skills. Enjoy!

Episode 36: Best Airline Reward Card Programs, Part 3

With so many challenging things going on all at once, we could all use a break from the news to focus on more enjoyable distractions. And one of our favorite distractions is doing research on traveling. So in this episode we continue our discussion on the best credit cards by diving into research we have been doing on airline rewards cards and programs .

Before discussing the best airline credit cards, we start off this episode with what we hope will be a favorite segment of the show: our featured cocktail. And to kick that segment off we break down a deliciously drinkable espresso martini! Refreshing, bold and packing a nice punch, an espresso martini goes great with any dinner or as a relaxing way to wind down an evening. The show continues with a discussion of some of the major airline credit card rewards programs that we have had experience with.

It’s never been a better time to research that next destination and to start racking up those rewards miles. And when you are ready to redeem those points, be sure to check out our Destinations page to narrow down your choices. Enjoy!

Episode 34: Best Credit Card Rewards Program, Part 2

In the last episode, we provided some tips on how to identify the best credit card rewards program for your travel needs. In this episode, we go a bit deeper and explore some of the cards we personally own that have worked well for us. Whether traveling domestically or internationally, there are some great programs to satisfy where ever your travels take you.

Now is the perfect time to start doing some research on how to maximize your next hotel stay. And credit card rewards programs are a great way to earn immediate status at some of the top hotels and properties across the globe. What’s more, they are offering even more incentives to entice new subscribers. Many of the credit cards we cover in this episode offer up to 3x’s rewards points towards stays, cash-back rewards for certain purchases as well as discounts for a variety of other amenities. We break it all down in this episode and share our favorite credit card travel rewards programs to help you maximize your points accumulation. And don’t forget to check our top Destinations when it’s time to redeem all those points. Enjoy!

Episode 33: Best Credit Card Rewards Programs: Part 1

Every day we see ads for various credit cards. Whether it’s Capital One, American Express, Chase, or Discover, they all offer attractive rewards programs geared toward travel. But that begs the question: which are the best credit card rewards programs for me?

Choosing the right travel rewards program can be time consuming, confusing and frustrating. In this episode – Best Credit Card Rewards Programs: Part 1 – we break down the questions you need to answer as well as share some tips to help guide you through the maze of choices to maximize your travel rewards. Don’t miss our next episode where we’ll provide additional guidance as well as uncover some of the “gotchya’s” to avoid that we learned along the way. After you settle on the best card for your travel needs, peruse our Destinations page to find the perfect spot to use all those points. Enjoy!