The Life of a Travel Influencer Based in San Francisco & Los Angeles
There’s something about October that gives me, ‘Happy New Year’ vibes. It feels like a rebirth, an invitation to activate the best version of yourself. I know as a collective we all feel the same way towards October. It’s such an exciting month. The leaves start changing, the seasonal menus start appearing, mornings become quieter, and nights come sooner. Nights out at a rooftop bar turn into cozy nights in with your fur baby in your lap and hot cocoa on one hand. Life gets slower, but at the same time it doesn’t quite feel like it’s slow. My life as a travel influencer is nothing short of booked, busy, and on the go. However I still make time for the small moments, whether it’s sitting by the ocean (which I’m so grateful to live just a few blocks away from), journaling first thing in the morning, and even just driving from LA to SF (a weekly ritual I’ve welcomed into my life) with the music off or listening a self care podcast. October is my best month, and I look forward to it every year.
October was a busy, busy month for me and I’m excited to share with you how the month went, what I discovered, what I learned, where I went, and more.
September 30 | Half Moon Bay Journaling + Goal Setting for October
I spent the last day of September goal setting and planning for the new month ahead! This is a monthly tradition that I never skip. It’s truly imperative to me to sit down, get grounded, rethink my goals and strategies, and just think about my life on the long term perspective. This is soooo so important to me. The phone’s on DND, no music, pure silence, and just me and my future. My full time job is both being a travel influencer and founder of a travel and hospitality marketing agency, but my goals exceed far beyond these two roles I play in my life. I’m always thinking about my long term goals such as owning a boutique hotel one day, becoming a Marin County mom, and eventually owning a small hotel group.
There’s nothing I love more than me time, and the fact that I only live just 30 minutes away from Half Moon Bay. Being by the ocean is both peaceful as it is inspiring, and it’s important for me to take time alone, especially when thinking about my future and the person that I’m aspiring to be.
I’m huge on manifestation, visualization, meditation, and journaling, so this is definitely my favorite way of performing self care.
October 1 | Talking About Short Term Rental Acquisitions + Yummy Lunch at Flour & Water
I won’t spill all the beans, but lately there has been a lot of talk of short term rental acquisitions, investment properties, and negotiating deals. My boyfriend and I spent the first day of October taking a walk by the ocean, hanging out at a local beach cafe, then quickly getting ready to meet with his friends from college. Our discussion was nothing short of exciting! So many great things to come!
October 5 | Fred Segal Grand Opening at the Marin Country Mart
I was invited to the Fred Segal Grand Opening Party at Marin Country Mart! I was so excited about this, as I’ve been such a huge fan of FS since I was a little girl. The event was so fun, and I was able to just enjoy the interior of the store, check out their pieces (ummm.. hello GANNI!), and (heavily) indulge in their h’ordeuvres.
Marin Country Mart is just everything. It reminds me so much of Malibu Country Mart, and they have some of the same stores. I can’t wait to be a Marin County mom and have that as my place to hang out with the girl friends and take my kids shopping. For now, I’ll just cross the bridge and go there as many times as I can!
October 6 | The Importance of Having Genuine Friendships as a Female
My best friend from college came to visit me! Lilah and I go way back and it was so nice showing her around my neighborhood as well as have some girl time at the beach. TBH it was my first time ever touching the ocean water and sand! I only live a few blocks away from it, but it’s always too cold to even do that so I never bothered until now. She brought the sunshine from Austin with her, and it was probably the hottest day of the year in SF that day.
It’s so important to have solid friendships in adulthood, especially as a woman. To be honest since moving to San Francisco, I haven’t really made many friends, and I’ve been missing having all the things that come with girl friendship. From shopping, to talking about our lives, trends, beauty, all the things. I missed it and I was so happy to have my bff visit. She’s the first friend to visit me here in the city, and that really meant a lot to me. I love Lilah so much and our friendship has blossomed so much since meeting at our Business 101 class in Chico State all those years ago. Can’t wait to see her again!
October 7 | Flour & Branch, aka my favorite client
I spent a wonderful Saturday at Flour & Branch, AKA my favorite client! I handle their socials and content. I absolutely love working at their space, creating content for them, and of course having a cup (or three) of one of their yummy lattes. My favorite so far has been the pumpkin dulce de leche, an ode to fall!
October 8 | Sézane Shopping Spree
I finally had a Sunday to myself for the first time in a while so I went for a drive around the city, saw a little bit of the planes flying up in the air (it was Fleet Week), and treated myself to some new Sézane pieces and some cupcakes! Oh my goodness, Sift really blew me away. Their cupcakes are absolutely delicious. My boyfriend and I ate all 6 in less than 24 hours. Insanity.
I have to say, I think Fillmore is one of my favorite places in SF by far! I love all the cute cafes and boutiques and the energy that surrounds this street.
October 10 | Frankenstein’s Cocktail Lab by SF Bucketlisters
I was invited to Frankenstein’s Mad Scientist Cocktail Lab Media Night and brought my boyfriend along! To be honest I wasn’t too big of a fan, but the Ube cocktail was yummy and it was nice to see familiar faces again. 🙂
My honest thoughts: the decor was a bit cheap, service was terrible, and the execution of the event could have been better! It was kinda giving middle school dance vibes.
As a travel influencer, something that I really value is my brand’s image and its longevity. After the event, I learned that saying yes to every opportunity that comes to my inbox isn’t always a good idea. The event didn’t align with my brand and its aesthetic, and it’s something I opted out of sharing with my audience on my socials.
October 11 | Driving Down to LA, Seeing Myself on Kenny Flowers’ Website, Living My LA Lifestyle Briefly
I drove down to LA for a quick trip and stayed at my best friend Anthony’s. He lives in the most aesthetically pleasing loft in the Arts District. It was so nice to be back in LA for a short while. I go to LA almost every week so it won’t be long until I’m back!
BTW – Obsessed with the slingback heels I got from Sézane. I wore them almost everyday this month!
October 12 | Sip & Stretch Event Hosted by The Simple Grape
I was invited to the Sip & Stretch Event hosted by The Simple Grape! It was so much fun and I was able to meet a lot of new friends as well as catch up with a girlfriend, whom I haven’t seen since I was in Nashville!
October 14 | Celebrating My Boyfriend’s Cousins’ Birthdays
I love Ejay’s little cousins! They’re the cutest, and I love just talking to them. They’re in their first year of highschool and it’s so refreshing to hear their perspectives on their experiences and what activities they’re engaging in. I also love seeing all their beauty products and seeing what are all the trendy things to do at their age. They turned 15 and we took them to go eat delicious dim sum then Valley Fair for some shopping. My boyfriend treated them to a few pieces from Kendra Scott, which I think is the new Pandora.
Can’t lie, they definitely influenced me to get the Saie Beauty blush and Drunk Elephant liquid blush!
October 17 | Photoshoot at St. Helena
One of the things I love about being a travel influencer is the ability to partake in new experiences in different hotels worldwide. It’s something I’m so grateful for, but something I worked so hard to get to. Another new passion of mine is modeling!
I’ve noticed that I’ve been getting invited out to modeling projects lately, and I’m not complaining. I was invited by Lux Wedding and Alicia Parks Photography for a photoshoot out in St. Helena. I loved the venue that we shot at. Apparently the father of the bride built the entire venue for her. My mouth just DROPPED hearing that. I can’t believe he transported the world’s biggest amethyst piece to the venue as well, just for her. So so so incredible. I was actually the first model to ever be shot at the venue, which was an honor. I had about 10 photographers photograph me for the day in this gorgeous black gown.
The day was absolutely perfect and made me fall in love with St. Helena even more!
October 18 | Chill Day at Home
Being a travel influencer has me leaving the house almost every single day. It makes me appreciate the little moments at home. While most days at home are comprised of doing admin work in my cozy sweats and cat in my lap, some days like this day included eating breakfast at a new spot called Lucho’s (best chilaquiles ever), cooking some sun-dried tomato pasta from scratch, and going out for a walk next to the ocean with my cat in the stroller. I found myself waking up at 3 so I could get a head start on work for the day and to get ahead before the next assignment.
Ideally I would love someone to help out with By Nica Lina work, so that’s something I’m open to adding to my life come 2024.
October 19 | Hair Appointment at Population Salon + Vintage Shopping at the Haight
This is something I look forward to every month: seeing Frida Flores at Population Salon! I’ve been going to her since I first moved to San Francisco and she’s always killed it with my hair. For this month’s appointment, I just had her get rid of excess weight on my hair and make it more choppy/messy!
Afterwards, my boyfriend and I went to go do some vintage shopping at Haight Ashbury. We went to Chameleon Vintage, which is actually owned by his friend from college! We got some new Japanese vintage pieces, including a Hysteric Glamour cargo dress. It fits me perfectly and is so badass.
October 20 | Wearing Both Hats as a Founder of a Marketing Agency & Travel Influencer
This was a busy, busy day for me. In the morning, I went to my clients’ establishments all over San Francisco, helping them create content and build their social media strategies. By the time the afternoon came, I went home, picked up my boyfriend and our luggages, and drove straight to the LUMA Hotel in Mission Bay. I’ve had this silk, crystal embellished dress from Fleur du Mal just collecting dust this entire year, and now was the time to finally bring it out!
Once we were settled in our hotel room, we went upstairs to Cavaña, a Mexican rooftop bar. I loved seeing the Día de los Muertos decorations all over the bar! The food was ridiculously good; I’m still dreaming about the fish tacos. Their cocktails were also amazing, so wonderfully made. After our mini date at Cavaña, it was time to go watch the Golden State Warriors Preseason Game at the Chase Center! The overall experience was a 10/10, as it was my first time watching a Warriors game, but also the fact that it was inside a SUITE just made it so much better. Also, just had to mention, I LOVED that the restrooms on that floor had lots of tampons + pads for the girlies!
The night was so memorable and made me so grateful for the career I have as not only a travel influencer but also the founder of She’s Out of Town!
October 21 | Checking Into the Signia by Hilton in San Jose
After checking out of the LUMA Hotel in San Francisco, it was time to check into the Signia by Hilton in San Jose! This was one of those weekends as a travel influencer where I was booked with 3 hotels back to back. I was personally invited by the property to come and celebrate Día de los Muertos, create content, and share my experience at the property. Needless to say, I had such a wonderful time.
Growing up in Chino Hills and Fontana within the Inland Empire, I was always surrounded by vibrant Mexican and Latin communities. I remember celebrating Día de los Muertos with my classmates – decorating our classroom, indulging in Mexican candies, and listening to Mexican music as we completed our classwork. Embracing Mexican heritage is something I truly cherish, and with my Filipino background, you could say our cultures share many commonalities. I felt like I was making my inner child so happy celebrating Día de los Muertos at the property! It was such a memorable night.
Not to mention the lobby is actually so stunning. I could see myself working there, hanging out there with friends, and just sitting there. It’s a great property and I’ll definitely be coming back again soon.
October 23 | Checking in to Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito
The last staycation of the weekend was at Cavallo Point in Sausalito. Oh. My. Stars. This property was just everything. We stayed at one of the contemporary suites, which gives you a straight shot view of the Golden Gate Bridge. There was something nostalgic about the contemporary suite. The interior reminded me of the early 2000’s (the contemporary suites were added in about 15 years ago) but had timeless pieces that made for such a comfortable and aesthetic stay. It was so comfortable and luxe.
We had dinner at Farley’s, and every meal was just so so delicious. I especially loved the butternut squash risotto – that was the winner of the night!
Overall I was just again, feeling so grateful for the opportunity and experience at Cavallo Point.
October 24 | Exploring Mill Valley with Cavallo Point’s Lexus Vehicles
I spent the entire morning indulging in the amenities that Cavallo Point has for its guests. We started the day off with some morning yoga inside the chapel (they have morning yoga every single day for hotel guests, which is very impressive!!!), worked at the hotel room for a little bit, and quickly got ready to rent out one of the luxury vehicles that they have on property.
I rented out the RC F for a couple of hours and we took it to Mill Valley. Again, daydreaming of becoming a Marin County mom! We worked at Equator Coffee and had lunch at Hook Fish Co before returning the vehicle and coming back home.
October 27 | Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Patch
My boyfriend and I went to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Patch. I wanted to go to the Pumpkin Festival on the 14th & 15th, but I was honestly so tired! I’m happy we made the time to visit. We didn’t come home with a pumpkin, but he did cut me a bunch of sunflowers! I love looking at the vases full of sunflowers in both the kitchen and living room. It’s so funny because exactly a year ago (to the DATE) we were in Half Moon Bay together. It was the time he took me home to San Francisco to show me his home city and HMB was a place I really wanted to visit. We had such a memorable night that night. It’s so funny a year later we live just up the highway about 30 minutes north and we can go here at any time we want.
I would love to visit Half Moon Bay more, it’s such a serene spot. Honestly an ideal place to live.
For dinner we ate at Sam’s, a place well known for its chowder and yummy seafood platters. We indulged in some lobster rolls and a yummy bowl of clam chowder!
October 28 | A Staycation at the Park James in Menlo Park & Hanging Out with Surf Mesa
One of my favorite hotels in the Bay Area is the Park James in Menlo Park. This boutique hotel is just stunning, and it’s the perfect home away from home. Everything from the interior design, their on-site restaurant Oak & Violet, the rooms, and the GM (who I just love!), is amazing. I genuinely want to be there more and would love to create content for the property. It’d be a dream to have them as a client for She’s Out of Town and create content for them as well as be a part of their growth.
*Adds that to manifestation list for November*
My boyfriend’s cousin is a tour manager for Surf Mesa, and there was a show happening at the Shoreline Ampitheater, so we were able to see not only Surf Mesa but a couple of DJ’s as well. It was a really fun and memorable (but cold as frick) night!
And that’s a glimpse into the life of a travel influencer!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and thank you for supporting me because without Y O U, I wouldn’t be able to even call myself a travel influencer let alone live my life and work with hotels I absolutely love and adore. If you’d love to become a travel influencer as well, shoot me an email and let’s talk! I’m more than happy to coach you <3
