Marcie Taylor

Tag: travel

  • Travel Tuesday: California Dreaming

    When you find yourself stuck at home with a foot of snow blocking the driveway, and a restless toddler in tow, it’s easy to find yourself California dreamin’ .  There’s something about California, and it’s more than just the weather, it is an attitude, more laid-back than its East Coast counterparts. It is the people, it is — a state of mind.

    Five years ago, my family decided to move from New Jersey to Southern California, and we’ve never looked back since – adapting easily to the Mediterranean climate and the chill attitude. My boys and I have been, in a word, California-fied!

    Since moving to SoCal, we’ve hosted visiting family members from the East Coast and overseas. Between playing host to out-of-towners and writing about “staycations,”  I sometimes feel I have become an ambassador for California tourism.

    ***

    Last summer, I attended the Discover IE Toursim Summit at the Ontario Improv. Discover IE is the marketing campaign of the Inland Empire Tourism Council (IETC). It was a very interesting summit that provided insights on tourism not just for the Inland Empire but for California as a whole. It was also the first breakfast meeting that I had experienced that was hosted by a stand-up comedian. His name was Darren Carpenter and I tell ya, he kept us in stitches at 7:30 AM. Presentations were made by Lynn Carpenter, vice president of marketing of Visit California and Joel Greene, founder & host  of Curiosity Quest & IE Explorer TV.

    Steve Pontell, CEO and president of National Community Renaissance moderated a panel that included  Gillian Zucker, president of the Auto Club Speedway, Rick Shoup, president and CEO of Big Bear Lake Resort Association, Kimberly Adams, president & CEO of Temecula Valley Conventions and Visitors Bureau, and  Sharon Estep, Marketing Director of the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

    The travel and tourism industry is of vital importance to the California economy.

    Just take a look at these facts:

    “Total direct travel spending in California = $102.3 billion in 2011 (7.6 percent increase from 2010 spending)

    Travel spending in California = 893,000 jobs, with earnings of $30.4 billion.

    Travel spending generated the greatest number of jobs in arts, entertainment and recreation (221,000 jobs), and accommodations and food service (523,000 jobs).

    Travel spending in 2011 generated $2.3 billion in local taxes and $4.0 billion in state taxes.”

    Source: California Travel Impacts by County 2011, by Dean Runyan Associates, April 2012

    But the facts only back up the reality that Californians and transplants like me and Rob Lowe (!)  already know.  Check out this tourism video created by Visit California featuring the actor, the official “unofficial” California tour guide.

    http://youtu.be/Oq-gpHLZRLc

    LIKE Visit California on Facebook. Order a copy of your free visitor’s guide and watch more of Rob Lowe’s travel videos at www.visitcalifornia.com. Follow Discover IE on Facebook.

  • Author Interview: Sonia Marsh wrote “Freeways to Flip-flops – A Family’s Year of Gutsy Living on a Tropical Island”

    Haven’t you ever wished to escape the daily grind and move to an island? Well, Sonia Marsh, a real OC housewife, and her family did just that. For one adventure-filled year, she and her family gave up their Orange County lifestyle in favor of island-living in exotic island on the north eastern coast of Central America, Belize (formerly British Honduras). Her debut memoir is called “Freeways to Flip Flops – A Family’s Year of Gutsy Living on a Tropical Island,” and it chronicles her family’s time living on the island.

    I featured an excerpt from my interview with the author on OC FAMILY, here is the full interview with Sonia Marsh.

    MARCIE: When you were in Belize, did you always want to write a book? Or were you thinking, “This would make a good book.”

    SONIA: I thought about keeping a journal before our family left for Belize. One friend encouraged me to write; she said it would make a great book one-day. When I e-mailed family and friends about our adventures and misadventures, they would say, “Wow Sonia, your life in Belize is so exciting compared to my daily routine in OC. Keep e-mailing me your stories.” When you move from a comfortable 5-bedroom house in OC, to a simple life in a hut with our 3 sons, ages 16, 13 and 10, you’re bound to have stories to share. Everything was so different, from our stinky well-water—a quick cure for taking long showers—to scorpions coming out the drain, to adapting to powdered milk instead of fresh. We had no TV or electronic gadgets, except for our computers, so our family spent time talking and growing closer to one another. My friends loved receiving our updates, so I kept writing every day.

    MARCIE: Reading your book, I could totally relate to you as a mother (of boys!). How did the Belize experience affect you as a mother?

    SONIA: I realized how much I worried about keeping my kids entertained in Orange County, especially during the long summer vacations. Everything costs so much, and since other moms were sending their kids to camps, Wild Rivers, theme parks, movies and eating out, in a way I felt like I was competing with them, trying to micro-manage my kids’ activities. I hated that feeling, and I also hated the way my kids and their friends took all of this for granted.

    When we moved to Belize, my kids had to find ways to entertain themselves. They would fish, swim, catch iguanas, get coconuts from the trees, and dig holes in the sand to look for water, since this was scarce.
    My kids learned so much from seeing kids happy with nothing more than a coconut to kick, rather than a soccer ball, or fishing with a wire and a hook, rather than a fishing rod. They also learned from kids in Belize, that education is a privilege, not a right. That made a huge difference in how they viewed their education.

    As a mom, I learned that we often try so hard to please our kids with “stuff” but that’s not what they really want. When we lived a more frugal life, we spent more time together cooking, listening and talking. I realized it’s not important to think that our job is to please our kids all the time.

    As a mom, I learned that each child is different, so each one learned something different from our year in Belize. My oldest learned that his family loved him enough to pull him away from a bad situation, but as a family unit, rather than send him away to school. He became less selfish and felt good about helping our caretaker’s four-year-old son learn English. He started bonding with his brothers.

    My middle son grew more assertive and independent, and my youngest son far more compassionate. When we returned to Orange County, he decided he didn’t fit in any longer and has enlisted in the Army.

    MARCIE: What’s next on your agenda?

    SONIA: My kids are grown now. One is an engineer, one in college, and the youngest enlisted and finished his AIT (Advanced Infantry Training.) I now feel it’s my time to grow. Writing, speaking, motivating others to take risks in life, is where I see my life going. I also have a strong desire to do several things:
    • Peace Corps work in Africa
    • Teach English in a third world country
    • Live on another island, perhaps off the coast of Panama for several months out of the year.

    My husband and I learned some important lessons from our year in Belize. Now we feel equipped to avoid the mistakes we made in attempting to start a business in Belize.

    You definitely have such a Gutsy Spirit, Sonia! You and your book are an inspiration. For now, Sonia’s next big adventure is launching and promoting her book “From Freeways to Flip Flops.”

    Listen to me, when I tell you, the book rock. Like all good memoirs, the book hooks you in. Check the book out yourself – it is available on Amazon or meet the author in person on August 30th.

  • Summer Staycation Roundup: St. Regis Monarch Beach

    Sometimes a 40 minute drive can take you a world away. And that’s what it’s like for me when I drive down to the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. Right now until December 31st, 2012, the 5-Star, AAA rated, Five-Diamond awarded hotel is offering what it calls a “Sunsational Savings’ Package.”  The offer is for a fourth night free when you stay at the resort for 3 nights.

    Reserve now for stays through December 30th, 2012 and receive the following:

    • Complimentary 4th Night
    • $100 food and beverage credit
    • Complimentary upgrade at check-in, subject to availability

    Reserve your stay online, call 866 716 8135, or contact your preferred travel professional. Please mention promotion code ZS4.

    Photo courtesy of St. Regis Monarch Beach

    *Complimentary night is applied at check out. Four night minimum stay is required.

    For daytime guests, there are dining establishments Stonehill Tavern for dinner or Motif Restaurant, where I hear they have an excellent Sunday Brunch. And then of course, there are the luxury spa and salon services at Spa Gaucin.

  • Endless Summer at the Pacific Edge Hotel in Laguna Beach

    Staycation is not my favorite word but it is definitely one of my favorite things to do. Fortunately we live in a place that’s conducive to “staycation-ing.” Living in Huntington Beach, one would think I’d opt for a non-beach getaway but I don’t. Instead, I jump at the chance to experience a beach town apart from my own in Orange County, California. You see, each beach city has its own vibe.

    Located midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, the Pacific Edge Hotel in Laguna Beach is the perfect weekend escape. The Joie De Vivre hotel group have done an excellent job transforming what used to be Vacationville into a chic boutique hotel.

    My family and I were greeted with such warmth as if we’d traveled further than 30 minutes down the road. There were personalized goody bags that awaited us in our rooms – how thoughtful! My bag, pictured in the collage above, was a vintage hemp bag from the Sawdust Art Festival, which was filled with goodies from Laguna Beach.  It was the perfect welcome present.  Marketing Manager Bree Vetere later told me that they try as much as they can to personalize each guest’s experience.

    Our retro-chic decorated room with a view of the ocean was amazing. With the hotel being right on the beach, it was not hard to enjoy a truly Endless Summer (and yes, it was the middle of winter!)

    I truly had fun at the Sunday Gospel Brunch at the Deck. In fact, more than fun, it was almost spiritual — not just because of the Gospel music but because there was something about being so close to the ocean, hearing each wave crash onto the beach, feeling the wind in my hair and the sun in my eyes … all the while eating a delicious repast of blueberry pancakes. It certainly took brunch up a notch.

    And speaking of taking things up a notch.  One MUST experience the Pacific Edge Hotel Surf Cabanas, which are basically like hotel rooms for the day. They are air-conditioned rooms with flat screen TVs and private baths and showers – kinda like a home base for a day of fun in the sun. You can also order food and drink from The Deck.

    With places like Pacific Edge Hotel in Laguna Beach, staycation might just become my new favorite word.