I don't know about you guys, but I am one of the people who love adventure and I am very spontaneous. I can plan trip to Dubai within a week. Yep, that is me...day trips, I can plan literally the night before. How do I do that? I tell you my secret...Every time I crave local gateway, I go on Groupon.com and search for ideas and deals. Yes, that is right. Groupon has so many amazing deals and whether you are on budget or not, hey why not! It is there for us to use. 
So let me share with you about my trip to Catalina Island. My friend and I took "The Catalina Flyer" Deal from Newport Beach. It cost us only $35 per person round trip plus online fees I believe it was about $8. Little things you need to know before you get there, so please read carefully the fine print on your ticket. Now you will be little surprised, but the parking lot for the ferry cost $25 for a day, so if you okay paying this amount that is great, it is right across the Balboa Pier, easy access, no stress, no rush. But if you are on a budget and think like me, you can google "free parking" near balboa pier, get there one hour earlier, park your car, walk about 10 minutes along the pier and there you are. Stress Free with $25 in your pocket. The island its self is not big, you will have a plenty of time to explore. It is just 22 miles from the coast, it took about an hour to get there by the boat. Take extra sweater as it gets windy on the boat. Once you get there, the weather is much different that on the coast, much warmer. (check the weather before you go there). We went straight to rent golf cart, we paid $50 for an hour plus deposit $50. One hour is plenty enough if you just want to see the island in general. You will follow the map given to you by the agency, very easy to navigate. You will have a better idea what to look for the next time you come to visit. Note: they only accept cash, there is one ATM machine that u will see as soon as you get off the boat. The island has a very bad reception, so keep in mind you may not be able to call or use the internet. (prepare your trip accordingly, have screenshot of your map or things you wanna see while you are there). For some reason the battery was also drained like crazy, so make sure you take your portable charger with you. The food is great at reasonable prices. There is the famous Zipline, unfortunately we were not able to get on it due to covid19 restrictions, but we just walked around, had some drinks, enjoyed the sun, and met new people. The island has the Mediterranean vibe. You feel like in Greece or Turkey. Simply beautiful. If you camper and love camping, there are plenty of campsites, so I will be going there with my youngest son very soon. Hope you found my blog helpful, if you do go, please share your experience in comments below.. Have fun ;-)

Every time I hear or see on my social media that my friends coming to visit Southern California, I am excited yet it breaks my heart seeing that their only itinerary is to see Amusements Parks. There is so much to do and see for the entire family that you actually don't even have to spend too much money. So today I wanted to share with you the secret swing in San Diego, some of you probably never heard of. It is within walking distance from the famous La Jolla Cove which is an excellent spot to spend Sunday afternoon. Plenty of parking (free) off street, this place is San Diego's most desirable spot for swimming, diving and snorkeling. The water is calm and the cove is ecologically protected. There is also a world famous dive site. Not only you can spend a day on the beach, kayaking but you can take a nice, easy hike to a "Secret Swing" Highly suggest to have the right shoes if you choose to walk down to swing, it is very steep, you have to hold on to a robe in order to reach the swing. It is very adventures, fun and kind of scary haha. So how do you get there? Take the hiking/walking trail called The Coast Walk Trail in about .5 miles down the trail, you will come to a bridge. Just before you step on to the bridge on your left you will see path, that takes you to cliff side and ocean. Follow the path, again you will be holding onto robe, it is very muddy and slippery so be careful. I will be posting some video on youtube channel and Instagram so please follow me @travelwithjoanna 

West Street Beach is in a wide sandy cove south of Aliso Beach County Park in Laguna Beach, CA. It is located right in between Aliso Park beach and Thousand Steps beach. West Street Beach is the most popular gay beach in the Laguna area, keep in mind the beach is not strictly a gay beach but is also family friendly and is a great beach to go to that is not highly populated and can peacefully do as you please. There are volleyball courts at both ends of the beach. At the north end is Aliso Point where you’ll find some unique rock formations and great tide pools when the tide is out. Has a very easy access right from West street off Pacific High way. There is plenty of parking spots available along PCH (but it get crowded very quickly, I suggest to come early to get a parking spot). It has the warm vibe, family friendly, plenty of surfers. No bonfire, no restrooms, no food or drinks stands. The reason why I love the beach is because every time I go there, I spent couple of hours or the entire afternoon at the beach and than I pack my stuff, leave my beach chair in the car and go for a nice hike up the Valido trail where I can watch the incredible sunset. The trail is 1.1 mile(s) long, it is considered as difficult but I did see many families with their children hiking up the trail. It features some steep climbs but rewards hikers with a gift at the end - panoramic ocean views. The trail is accessible year round. You can bring your dog, leash must be on and you just got to watch out for rattle snakes, poison oaks. At some point you will see a trail fork ; Toovet and Aliso peak; you want to follow Aliso Peak trail. Once you reach the top, you will see the famous bench and some of the most stunning coastal views in Orange County.