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The Best Self-Guided Craft Beer Bar Crawl (on Bikes!) in Los Angeles

Self-Guided Craft Beer & Bikes on the Strand Bar Crawl in South Bay, Los Angeles
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A self-guided craft beer bike tour in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach. Drink locally brewed craft beer on the Strand in South Bay, Los Angeles, California!

The South Bay is our favorite part of Los Angeles. The South Bay in Los Angeles is home to several cute little beach towns, such as Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach, as well as the beautiful high bluffs of Palos Verdes. It’s where we always stay when we’re in Los Angeles. It’s conveniently close to LAX, and removed from the crazy Los Angeles traffic hell. What’s more, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach are all connected by a wonderful bike and walking path along the beach known as The Strand. Walking along The Strand, you’ll find everything you’ve ever wanted out of your Los Angeles beach experience: tan, fit people playing volleyball; long haired dudes surfing sick waves; chill bros whizzing by on rollerblades carrying Starbucks. It’s classic Los Angeles. Not only are these towns home to great beaches, good surf, plenty of sunshine, and delicious food, they also have a variety of local craft breweries and tap houses! So we figured, what’s the best way to visit beach towns? By bike, of course! And thus, The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl was born.

     The self-guided tour we’ve laid out below makes a great day long date for two (or like, your entire group of friends). It takes you to 8 bars and breweries in 3 towns: Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach. And the best part? The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl can be done for as low as $100, including bike rental and so much beer! Oh and did I mention you’ll sample at least 29 beers? You might want to split a couple of those growlers.

Hey, we’ve created a super handy FREE downloadable Google Map & PDF for the South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl. It’ll make this whole drinking beer and biking thing a lot easier, trust us. Enter your email address below to have the map delivered straight to your inbox.

Planning a trip to Los Angeles? Here are some of our favorite spots just a few hours north of LA along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway.

Without further ado, we present to you our Los Angeles Craft Beer & Bikes Self-Guided Bar Crawl. 

The Strand bike and walking path in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles, California.

The Strand bike and walking path in Redondo Beach, California. Photo Credit: “Redondo Beach – 038” (CC BY 2.0) by SupportPDX

Redondo Beach, California

     The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl  – SBCB&BBC for short (okay maybe the name doesn’t work as an acronym) – starts in one of the larger South Bay beach towns, Redondo Beach, located just north of Palos Verdes.

Here are some random facts about Redondo Beach that I found on Wikipedia just now:

  • Lia’s Dad grew up in Redondo Beach. Which isn’t really that interesting, but it does give us sort of half local’s cred, because Lia’s been coming here for her entire life to visit family. Also, her dad still knows the location of every Starbucks and surf shop in town. Yes, my father-in-law grew up surfing, too. We’re all California stereotypes here.
  • Redondo Beach was home to the filming of the classic television series, Baywatch.
  • Fox’s The O.C. (which everyone knows is way better than Baywatch) was seen filming at Redondo Union High School, Redondo Beach Pier, and local parks.
  • The area of Redondo Beach that starts in Palos Verdes is known as “RAT” (Right After Torrance) Beach. Cute.
  • Redondo Beach was described “The Gem Of The Continent” in the Los Angeles Daily Herald in 1887. Aww, that’s sweet.

Chill vibes. Anyway, all you really need to know is that there’s a sweet pier, some docks, and a bunch of great places to drink craft beer.

South Bay Beaches in Los Angeles on The Strand

South Bay is our favorite part of Los Angeles. Great vibes, good surf, plenty of sunshine, and tons of craft beer! Photo Credit: “Los Angeles – USA” (CC BY 2.0) by -marika bortolami-

Where to Start the South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl

Before we can start the South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl, you’ll need to park your car and rent a bike – both in Redondo Beach. We recommend starting early, like around lunchtime. 

     Look for parking in Redondo Beach near the bike rental spot that we recommend, Perry’s Cafe and Beach Rentals*. Conveniently, you can also get a delicious brunch at Perry’s before you rent your bikes! Check out the breakfast menu and the bike rental prices. (If you’re rad and have your own bike, just skip to step 2 and park nearby.) After a hearty brunch (the better to help you soak up all the craft beer you’re about to drink), rent your bike (better make it an all-day or 24 hour rental, just in case) and begin the half-mile jaunt to the first stop on The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl.

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     *Important Note: Perry’s is only open during the high season, which starts in May. If you’re visiting South Bay in the off-season, we recommend renting at Marina Bike Rentals instead, and skipping the first stop – it’s a bit too far. Instead, your first stop will be at King Harbor Brewing, below.*

The South Bay craft beer & bikes bar crawl on the Strand in Hermosa, Manhattan, and Redondo beaches in Los Angeles.

Don’t get excited. This is 2 flights. Also, friendly advice: don’t start the day off with 2 flights.

The Redondo Beach Brewing Company

     Your first stop for beer is the Redondo Beach Brewing Company. While the name might be a slight misnomer (they don’t actually brew their own beer here), the Redondo Beach Brewing Company has an impressive beer list with about 40 taps, most of which are from Los Angeles or nearby. The vast selection ranges from sours, to Belgians, to porters and stouts. A flight of 4 beers at the Redondo Beach Brewing Company costs $11.

Our favorite Los Angeles area (and nearby) craft beers at the Redondo Beach Brewing Company were:

  • Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin Ale from Boonville, CA
  • Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout from Vista, CA
  • Modern Times Black House Nitro Coffee Stout from San Diego, CA

     Once you’ve finished your first flight, hop on your bikes and head to the next spot. As The Strand becomes the harbor, you’ll be met with dozens of boats to the left and a parking garage on your right. Lock your bike up in the rack and head down a set of well marked stairs to the docks, where you’ll find your next two stops.

King Harbor Brewing Company, a Los Angeles area brewery on The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl

King Harbor Brewing Company, a Los Angeles area brewery on The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl

King Harbor Brewing in Redondo Beach

     Your second stop on the South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl is King Harbor Brewing, whose in-house brewed list of craft beers is packed with hits. Your first thought might be “This place is small. They brew here!?” Well, not here, exactly. This is the tasting room. The actual brewery is located about two miles away. But don’t worry about the specifics. Just focus on the beer. There are 16 locally brewed craft beers available on tap. The flights here are “Choose Your Own Adventure” and the price is scaled depending on the beer. You can pull off a flight here for $12 and up.

     One of the most popular craft brews from King Harbor Brewing is the Coconut IPA. I think I should confess something: I’m not that into IPAs. I know. I can already feel my friends in the Bay Area disowning me. Look, they’re usually too floral, too bitter, and lack real complexity outside of the hops of choice.  Bearing that in mind, I LOVED the Coconut IPA from King. It has a toasted coconut taste, with the floral quality of IPA, and a lighter body. It’s the perfect beach beer.

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Our other favorite locally brewed craft beers from King Harbor Brewing were:

  • Darkness Before Dawn: A very dark, full-bodied creamy stout.
  • Blackberry Before Dawn: A very dark, full-bodied creamy stout made with blackberries, which add a slight tartness.
Naja's Place, a Los Angeles area brewery on The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl in Redondo Beach, California

Naja’s Place has gnarly taps and surfboards on the ceiling. Rad, dude!

Naja’s Place in Redondo Beach

     A grueling 1 minute walk down the Redondo Beach  boardwalk puts you at Naja’s Place, where you’ll see the most beer in one place on The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl. They have a stunning 88 beers on tap here, and all of them are from California! Given the decor (or lack of), intimidatingly long menu, and super knowledgeable bartenders, it’s clear this place is all about the beer. Fair warning: this place gets packed on the weekends and evenings.

     Naja’s Place does not have flights. Beer prices range from $7 to $9 a pint for most beers, and $8-$10 for specialties. After much discussion with the helpful bartender, I decided on the Stoutella from Knee Deep Brewing. The name says it all: a Nutella Stout! If you ordered the Peanut Butter Stout at Redondo Beach Brewing Company, expect something similar, but with a chocolate and hazelnut finish. My mouth is watering just remembering it.

     When you’ve finished your beer, hop back on your back and continue down the strand towards Hermosa Beach.

The Hermosa Beach Pier boardwalk in South Bay, Los Angeles, just off the Strand.

The Hermosa Beach Pier boardwalk on a foggy yet beautiful day.

Hermosa Beach, California

Hermosa Beach is an adorable little beach town. The Hermosa Beach Pier is the main spot in town, and nearby you’ll find loads of excellent places to eat, drink, and shop. One weird quirk that I’ve never understood is that all of the street signs are in a sort of Lord of the Rings font, which is super adorable.

Here are some other sweet truth bombs about Hermosa Beach:

  • A very long time ago, Hermosa Beach was a lot of farmland and barley, with herds of sheep and the occasional horse roaming about. Picture a sheep on the beach. How cute is that?
  • The very first Hermosa Beach pier was built in 1904 out of, presumably, driftwood and dental floss. It quickly washed away and was replaced in 1913 with a much more robust version.
  • Hermosa Beach has an average of 325 days of sunshine a year, and the rest of them are all misty, gray, and foggy. We can attest that it’s still really pretty, even in the fog.
  • There is a Surf Hostel on the Hermosa Beach Pier! Check it out!

Gnarly facts, bro. Your first stop in Hermosa Beach is a little bit before the pier and just off the Strand.

Surfer statue in Hermosa Beach Pier on the Strand, South Bay, Los Angeles, California

Just a mad chill surfer bro statue in Hermosa Beach, California. Hang ten, dudes.

Hot’s Kitchen in Hermosa Beach

     It might be a little off the pier, but even locals agree: Hot’s Kitchen has the biggest beer selection in Hermosa Beach. Taps range from local selections to ubiquitous domestic beers and even some imports. You’ll find beer flights available, plus daily $4 craft beer “Dank Deals” (that’s what they’re actually called. You’re in Los Angeles, remember?).

Here are a couple locally brewed South Bay craft beer recommendations:

After Hot’s Kitchen, ride your bike to the Hermosa Beach pier and lock it. You’re hoofing it for a little while.

Street signs in Hermosa Beach, California

Check out these quirky street signs! All of the street signs in Hermosa Beach have this incredibly cute little Lord of the Rings style font. Which I love because I’m a giant nerd.

Abigaile’s in Hermosa Beach

     A block or two up from the Hermosa Beach Pier is Abigaile’s. Part craft brewery, part fine dining, part… punk rock? Totally, dude. It might sound like an identity crisis, but this place owns it. They serve up craft beers brewed in house (you’ll see the actual brewery equipment behind the bar!), locally brewed beer selections from around Los Angeles and California, and incredible food like bone marrow, chicken and waffles, and goat cheese brussel sprouts. You know, the kind of stuff that make our foodie, hipster ears perk up.

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     On weekends the place is packed with brunch goers, but by the time you arrive, they should have died down. Grab a seat at the bar to make it easier, and order a beer flight. This is a good place to grab some snacks as well (but save dinner for the next spot). Lia really likes the sausage stuffed fried olives. I, on the other hand, think olives are best served in the trash, so it’s your call.

Beer flight at Hook & Plow in Hermosa Beach, California, on the Strand in South Bay.

Everything is better when served on a California shaped wood slab. Especially locally brewed craft beer at Hook & Plow in Hermosa Beach, California.

Hook & Plow in Hermosa Beach

     Located a couple blocks up Pier Avenue, this place seems to have been made for us. The decor is all wood, succulents, and Mason jars (we’re stereotypes, and I’m not even mad about it). Another pointless reason we love this place? Their flights are served on California shaped wood boards. We have the same one at home, because everyone in California is obsessed with California. You can buy your very ownCalifornia wood board on Amazon too! Anyway, their flights are $12, and you’ll find some excellent selections. These were our faves:

  • Blood Orange Amber Ale from The Dudes in Torrance, CA. Tastes like an orange creamsicle.
  • The Patsy Coconut Rye Stout from Barley Forge Brewing Company in Costa Mesa, CA. A light bodied stout that tasted like coconut cream.

If you’re getting hungry for dinner, this is the spot. The food is on the pricier side, but it’s worth every penny. If you can, arrive around happy hour (3-6PM on weekdays). Our food recommendations (I’m not going to lie. We ate here like 8 times):

  • Seafood Chowder: It has bacon in it and it’s amazing.
  • Furikake House Fries: Truffle oil, seaweed flakes, parmesan, and incredible house made ketchup and mustard.
  • 30H pulled pork sandwich: braised with craft beer, of course.
  • Flat iron steak: with fingerling potatoes and smoky grilled piquillo peppers
  • Pear and burrata salad: with truffle oil and hazelnuts. Add scallops, too.

Save dessert for another spot. Chill, bro – we totes gotcha covered. Fersh.

Clock tower in Hermosa Beach, California, on the Strand in South Bay.

These gorgeous old clocks on the pier, as well as beachy street art, add charm and character to quirky little Hermosa Beach, California.

     Now is a good time to take a little breather and walk down the pier (and look for the resident dolphins). If it’s around sundown, definitely find a spot on the beach to relax and watch the sun set. Hermosa Beach’s sunsets are breathtaking, and no trip to California is complete without watching an ocean sunset. If you’re lucky, some mad chill surfer dude with a ukelele will be serving up chill vibes nearby. (That’s not like, a joke. That’s realistic. One time I went surfing in Hermosa and as I walked back across the beach, a surfer bro with a guitar gave me the hang 10 and asked if it was “crunchy” out there. It was totes crunchy that day, actually.)

After your romantic moment of California happiness (peace and love, brother!), hop back on those bikes and continue up the Strand towards Manhattan Beach.

Manhattan Beach Pier by demxx, on Flickr
Photo Credit: “Manhattan Beach Pier” (CC BY 2.0) by demxx

Manhattan Beach, California

Redondo Beach has its docks and marina charm; Hermosa Beach has chill, grungy surfer vibes; Manhattan Beach is, by comparison, posh. It shares the same love of beach volleyball and surfing as its neighbor beach towns along the Strand, but it’s decidedly more upper crust. Its hilly downtown can be explored from the starting point of the gorgeous Manhattan Beach Pier.

Here are some useless facts about Manhattan Beach that probably won’t be relevant to you at all:

  • Their school districts are REALLY good. There’s like 8 different school rankings on their Wikipedia page.
  • Speaking of their schools, Hannah Montana’s school was actually on location here in Manhattan Beach. You’ll catch views of the Manhattan Beach Pier in the show’s intro, too.
  • Some other notable TV shows and movies filmed in Manhattan Beach: Starsky & Hutch, Tequila Sunrise, Veronica Mars, Jerry Maguire, Point Break, Against All Odds, and the video for White Walls by Macklemore. And a bunch more.
  • The Beach Boys used to hang out and surf in Manhattan Beach, and they mention it in Surfin’ USA.

Totes chill, dudes. Chyea! Anyway, park your bike at the pier and hike up the hill to the next stop.

Cali Creamin vanilla cream ale at Brewco in Manhattan Beach, South Bay, Los Angeles California

This is the Cali Creamin’ nitro vanilla cream ale. Its incredibly foamy head tastes like Butterbeer. SO good!

Brewco in Manattan Beach

The penultimate stop on the tour is a tap house and sports bar with a rotating So-Cal craft beer menu. When we visited, they offered 2 pre-set beer flights. If you’ve had your fill of California craft beers (bummer, dude) Brewco has a great selection of Belgian beers. But in the spirit of keeping it local, these were our fave craft brewed California beers:

  • The Nothing Imperial Stout from Smog City Brewing in Torrance, CA. Aged on raw cacao nibs. Dark and bitter. Just like my heart. What? I’m totes JK, dudes.
  • Cali Creamin’ Nitro Cream Ale from Mother Earth Brew Co. in Vista, CA. This delicious vanilla cream ale has a frothy, creamy vanilla head that reminded me of Butterbeer (like, at Harry Potter world in Universal Studios. You know. The good stuff.) It was definitely one of our absolute favorites of the day.

Down your beers and hit the street one last time for the very last stop on our craft beer bar crawl!

Simmzy's beer flight in Manhattan Beach, South Bay, Los Angeles, California.

The beer flight at Simmzy’s is served on a tiny surfboard, because of course it is. I love you, South Bay!

Simmzy’s in Manhattan Beach

Our very last stop on The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl is Simmzy’s, which is a totally chill sports bar with, of course, a fantastic selection of locally brewed craft beers. There are 24 drafts on tap. These were our faves:

  • Mocha Machine Porter by Beachwood BBQ from Long Beach, CA. Smells like coffee, tastes like coffee.
  • Gypsy Tart Brown Sour by Bruery Terreux from Anaheim, CA. Flanders-style brown ale; tart, sour, dark and syrupy.

You did it, bro! Celebrate your success by drunkenly inhaling a stuffed Apple Caramel Doughnut from Simmzy’s. Or, if you need a pick-me-up, stop by Manhattan Beach Creamery for a cupcake and a Cold Brew Nitro Float (that’s coffee with an ice cream float, not beer).

The apple caramel stuffed donut from Simmzy's in Manhattan Beach, California, in South Bay, Los Angeles.

The apple stuffed doughnut covered with salted caramel, chopped pistachios, and vanilla ice cream from Simmzy’s is incredible after a long day of drinking a ton of craft beer. Or like, anytime.

The South Bay Craft Beer & Bikes Bar Crawl: Locations

Here’s a handy list of all the places along the Strand that you’ll be visiting on this self-guided craft beer bar crawl. But to make it even easier, we’ve compiled the entire post into a handy dandy FREE printable map with directions (and a Google Map, in case you’re more of a digital dude).  I know, we’re the best, right? Sign up to below to have the map delivered straight to your inbox.

  • Hook & Plow: 425 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach CA | Open 11 AM-10 PM daily
  • Brewco: 124 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA | Closes at 11pm
  • Simmzy’s: 229 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA | Closes at 11pm
  • Manhattan Beach Creamery: 1120 Manhattan Beach Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA | Closes at 10, 11 on weekends

Looking for even more amazing South Bay craft beer breweries? Local expert Craft Beer Guy has a comprehensive list of South Bay breweries! If you’d like to spend more time in Los Angeles, here’s a quick guide to Fun Things to Do in Los Angeles on Back Street Nomads, or the most Instagrammable places in LA, the home of Instagrammable things (and people!) on My Suitcase Journeys. Oh, and if you’re still hungry, check out some of the best tacos in LA on Bacon is Magic.

Planning a trip to Los Angeles? Here are some of our favorite spots just a few hours north of LA along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway.

Hey, we’d love to hear how your bar crawl turns out. Tell us all of your ridiculous bar crawl stories in the comments below!

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A self-guided craft beer bike tour on the Strand in South Bay, Los Angeles! Drink locally brewed craft beer in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach.

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Comments

  1. Vrithi Pushkar says: March 18, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    I love Craft beer. I need to do this when in California. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. kellybarcus says: March 26, 2017 at 4:49 am

    The Strand is one of our favorite places to ride our beach cruisers. And love the idea of making your own pub or food crawl. We did that once in SF where we rented bikes and rode from chocolate shop to chocolate shop! It was so much fun!

    Reply
    • Lia says: March 27, 2017 at 5:53 pm

      That’s an awesome idea! Although the hills in SF make biking a much more challenging task. The Strand is quite a bit easier for a novice bike rider like me!

      Reply
  3. Eloise - MyFavouriteEscapes.com says: March 26, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    I’d love to visit California one day. And now that I’ve read your article about all the craft beers, I’m even more interested!!!!! 😉

    Reply
    • Lia says: March 27, 2017 at 5:52 pm

      We’re only slightly biased, but California is the best place in the entire world and you should definitely come visit 🙂

      Reply
  4. Dhaval Parmar says: March 27, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    This is an incredible and comprehensive list! Totally bookmarking this for the next time we visit there!

    Reply
  5. Luke Marlin | Backstreet Nomad says: April 3, 2017 at 8:09 am

    This is such a great guide, I just wish I had read it before I was in CA last December!

    Reply
  6. Lloyd Brown says: April 13, 2017 at 7:17 pm

    Thanks for the mention; cheers!

    The Craft Beer Guy 😉

    Reply
  7. Dan Clinton says: July 27, 2017 at 1:31 pm

    This looks awesome.
    The link for map isn’t working, any idea why?

    Reply
    • Lia says: July 28, 2017 at 4:48 pm

      You’re totally right, thanks for calling that to my attention! I removed the links. Instead, please use the forms to get your downloadable map. It’ll be sent right to your inbox!

      Reply

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ABOUT

Meet Lia & Jeremy

Recent Posts

  • I've gained 40lbs since I started travel blogging, 2.5 years ago. I'm closer to weighing 250lbs than I am to 200lbs. Most of my clothes from before our year-long honeymoon are now too small for me. The kicker is that before we left, I was SO sure we'd lose weight on the trip and return as svelte, ab-tastic versions of ourselves that I got rid of most of my bigger sized clothes, which probably would have fit me today 😄 . But here's the thing: even though I don't love not being able to wear most of my clothes, I don't feel bad about it - or about myself. This extra 40lbs is definitely not welcome to stay forever, but I don't look in the mirror and dislike what I see. I look in the mirror like "DAYUM girl you look fine AF! FLAWLESS, slayyyyyy!" (Yes: my internal monologue is every drunk white girl in a club bathroom.) . See, this extra 40 lbs came from all the amazing, delicious things I've enjoyed all over the world. It's 40 lbs of croissants and cheese in France, beer and chocolate in Belgium, pasta in Italy, tacos in Mexico, schnitzel in Austria, dumplings and goulash in the Czech Republic, eierpunsch and bratwurst in Germany, smørrebrød and gløgg in Denmark, gallo pinto in Costa Rica, arepas in Colombia, and nasi goreng in Indonesia. This is 40 lbs of things I enjoyed with the person I love. This is good, happy travel weight. . If you asked me 10 years ago whether "fat" was a bad word, I would've said yes, because I was still struggling with an eating disorder. I hadn't yet learned to love myself and embrace my body, flaws and imperfections and all. Today, I know that there's nothing wrong with fatness. I'm fat, and it's fine. I'm fat, and I'm happy. I'm fat, and I'm gorgeous and confident and living my best life. I'm fat, and I love going to the gym. I'm fat, and I love lifting and working out because I like feeling strong and healthy. All of these things coexist, and they're all an expression of my self love. . Have you ever picked up a few extra pounds of travel weight? What awesome foods and experiences contributed to that weight? Do you think you can make your peace with those extra pounds (even if you don't want them to stay forever)? Drop me a comment!
  • Every year around this time, we crave snow like CRAZY. ❄️You'd think that living in California would make us ultra-sensitive to cold, but actually, living in year-round 65 degree weather has only deepened our appreciation for that heavenly white powder. Er, I'm talking about snow, you guys, stay with me here. It's 2018, not 1985 ☃️ . Luckily, we don't have to travel too far to frolic around in the snow: we can drive 3 hours to the east and visit Lake Tahoe or Yosemite, two of the most beautiful places on earth at any time of the year which are particularly magical in the winter. Or, we can hop on a plane: 2 hours away are the Wasatch Mountains in Utah or the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest (because snow is always better when it's on a mountain). This photo may look a bit like it was taken in Germany, but actually, it's Leavenworth: a charming little Bavarian-themed town nestled in the mountains about 2 hours away from Seattle, Washington. . But weekend trips can only do so much to sustain our craving for the cold, so we also take a long trip over New Year which doubles as my birthday trip (January 7th, hayyy). While some folks travel to somewhere warm and sunny during the winter months, we've made it a habit to seek snow and holiday cheer. For the past few years, we've fled to Europe to stuff our faces with Christmas Market treats and mulled wine 🥨 This year, we're escaping to Canada to explore Montreal and Quebec City and hit the slopes in Banff. (Also to stuff our faces with poutine.) It just might be the coldest trip we've taken yet, so we're loading up on down jackets and wool sweaters and hoping for the best! . Do you seek out warm weather or crave snow this time of the year? Are you taking a holiday trip? Tell us about it in the comments!.#leavenworth #leavenworthwa #exploreleavenworth #visitleavenworth #bavarianvillage #washingtonstate#explorewashstate #cascadeloop #DameTraveler #wearetravelgirls #sheisnotlost #GirlsWhoTravel #girlslovetravel #sheexplores #WomenWhoExplore #radgirlslife #thetravelwomen #girlsvsglobe #femaletravelbloggers #girlsjustwannatravel #ladiesgoneglobal
  • Instagram makes our lives look a little too perfect. It makes it look like we're forever traveling. Like I'm always wearing makeup, and my hair always looks halfway decent. Like Jeremy and I are forever gazing at one another with a mushy look in our eyes (that bit is semi accurate - we do make googly eyes at each other, like, a freakish amount). On Instagram, you only see the highlights, like last year in Prague when we rung in the New Year with Trdelnik and dumplings. But don't buy it: our lives aren't picture perfect. It's just that nobody wants to see us laying around on the couch covered in drool and crumbs, wearing stained sweatpants and watching our 8th episode of Marriage Bootcamp in a row (I just love trashy reality TV so, so much). But even if you can't see it on our feed, we hope our reality is reflected in our writing - both here and on our blog. We don't want you to look at our lives and think we're perfect. We want you to read our writing and think "oh my god, how are these two insanely clumsy, disaster prone humans even still alive?! And how are they STILL so bad at traveling?!?" Whether you're judging us for our constant mistakes or crying tears of camaraderie (we see you, fellow disaster prone travelers), we want you to know that we are just two very, very flawed people, who like, do cool stuff in cool places sometimes, but also make a zillion mistakes while we're doing it. We recorded a Podcast with World Nomads telling the story of some of our favorite disaster stories from our year-long honeymoon, like the time I was rescued off a waterfall, the time we tried to hike the Inca Trail and had to turn around and hike back, the time we got a BMW stuck in a medieval castle, the time my grandfather faked his own death, and the time I had to delay our flight home so I could get a shot in the butt on the very last day of our disastrous honeymoon. If you can make it through the amount of times I say "like" in the first minute, we think you'll enjoy it ;) The link is in our bio! Are you as disaster prone as we are? Does your Instagram feed Instagram makes our lives like your real life or like the best version of your life? Drop us a comment below!
  • Jeremy didn't grow up traveling. When we first met, he'd never left time zone where he was born. He'd always wanted to travel, but it felt impossibly far out of the realm of reality. But when I told him about about my wild plan to quit my job and take a year long backpacking trip, over drinks in a loud bar on date #2, I casually added "you can come too, if you want." He grinned and said "okay!" Little did he know that my crazy dream was a stone cold plan... . In the 2.5 years before our trip came to fruition, as we scrimped and saved and settled and merged our lives together, Jeremy began to blossom. He found his passion and calling. He went from working in a coffee shop to teaching high school here in Oakland. He evolved from a flailing 20-something to a dedicated, caring teacher helping guide underserved youth through some of the most crucial and challenging moments of their young lives. . When it came time to quit his new job to take our year-long honeymoon, he was excited about our adventure, but heartbroken to leave his kids. Over the next year, as we explored the world in all its wonder, my mind would go to storytelling and blogging - but Jeremy's would go to teaching. I would stay up late in our hostel dorm room typing up blog posts on my laptop, and Jeremy would be on the bunk bed above me, typing up lesson plans. . Seeing the world ignited my passion to help the readers of my blog travel; it ignited Jeremy's passion to help his kids learn & grow. I got to witness travel transform my partner, and it was one of the greatest joys of my life. Now, we get to share that joy with his kids. . FLYTE, the Foundation for Learning and Youth Travel Education, is sending 20 of Jeremy's amazing students with him to Colombia this summer - a dream come true! We are THRILLED - but we need your help. Starting today, #GivingTuesday, my goal is to raise $1,000 to cover food & flights for one student. Donating even just $10 will help empower Jeremy's kids and change their lives forever. Can you help us? Head to the link in my bio!.Have you ever experienced the transformative nature of travel? How did your first trip abroad change your life? Tell us about it in the comments!
  • Copenhagen was the very first stop on the European leg of our year-long honeymoon - meant to soothe our frazzled nerves after the Machu Picchu Disaster (tl;dr: we couldn't hike the Inca Trail and we lost out on $1600 bucks, and yes, we're STILL salty about it). But Copenhagen was the exact opposite of Peru, and it was exactly what we needed. Our plane touched down in early December and we immediately fell in love with the entire city. . We loved the winding cobblestone streets. We loved the snow and cold, which were a welcome change after 4 months of sunny South America. We loved the fancy coffee and the stick-to-your-ribs holiday food and the Hans Christian Anderson references and the way some words sounded kind of like English, but garbled. We loved that everyone spoke English, so we were never fully lost or completely confused (another welcome respite after 4 months of half-baked Spanish practice). We loved that everyone rode their bikes everywhere, although we kept getting honked at for being in the way (whoops). We loved Tivoli Gardens, the amusement park in the middle of the city. We loved the weirdness of Christiania, the anarchist commune that coexists in the middle of the city. We loved the fairytale castles. We loved the hygge. But most of all, we loved the Christmas Markets. Ohhhhh, the Christmas Markets! . This is the famous Nyhavn Canal in Copenhagen: a harbor and shipyard flanked by colorful pastel townhouses covered in rows and rows of little windows. During the winter, Nyhavn is home to a Christmas Market - just like pretty much every other street in Copenhagen. Yep, it's magical. (Psst: our Copenhagen Travel Guide is on the blog). Scroll to the right to see Parliament, a castle, and Tivoli Gardens! . Now that it's officially Christmas Time, I can finally start flooding your feed with wintery photos from previous trips. Which means I get to relive each of those experiences! And we all know that's the real reason why we all use Instagram, right? ... Right?? . Do you travel over the holidays? Tell me about your favorite Christmas trip! Where did you go? What did you love about it? Drop us a comment below!
  • Well, folks, it's time. We've got a set of super dorky matching Christmas PJs, we sang a bunch of carols with our family, and the non-profit Christmas Tree lots are out under the highways here in Oakland, which can only mean one thing: THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! 🎄🎀🎁🎉 . We're going to get a tree this week and decorate it, but first, we have to actually buy real decorations. For the past 4 years - since we first started buying Christmas trees together each year - we've just been decorating with like, lights and random bits of stuff? Like random pieces of things that we saved, or found lying around, or picked up for cheap at our favorite used craft supplies store. Most of which definitely aren't ornaments. Or decorations at all. . I'm kind of being generous, actually: for 2 years, our tree topper was an old Maker's Mark wax seal (the logic: it's red. Wtf, us?). For the next 2 years, we just stuck a Santa Hat on top and called it a day. . Why didn't we just suck it up and go to a store and buy real Christmas Decorations? IDK, it seemed frivolous and we wanted to spend that money on travel instead of stuff. So we had a trash tree. For years. This is what happens when you get too addicted to travel, people! Anyway, we've finally straightened out our priorities and realized that seasonal decorations make us really, really happy, which is worth spending our money on - especially since we don't actually get seasons here otherwise. . In addition to our tree, each year we travel to find Christmas for 2 weeks during Jeremy's holiday break. Last year we visited Hallstatt, Austria, pictured here - a Christmas fairytale village! This year, we're heading to one of the coldest, snowiest places we could think of: Canada! 🇨🇦 . We'll also be attempting to make home renditions of some of our favorite Christmas foods and drinks from around the world which remind us of Christmas travels from previous years, like Eierpunsch and Feuerzangenbowle and Gløgg. OK, I guess we're mostly attempting to make drinks from abroad... 🍵 . Do you have a Christmas tradition that marks the coming of the holidays every year? Drop us a comment below!
  • Happy Thanksgiving for anyone celebrating! We're spending today stuffing our faces, feeling guilty about celebrating such a flawed holiday, soaking up all the nostalgia of holiday traditions that keeps us celebrating every year even though we know better, and gushing about all the things we're grateful for. Here are some of the things we're feeling grateful for today: . 💝 We're grateful for our marriage. We both have big, stupid crushes on each other and every day we wake up thrilled to be able to spend our whole lives together. We're disgustingly in love and it's super gross, unless you're us, in which case it's awesome. . 💝 We're grateful that we both get to spend our days doing what we love. It's so rare to actually LOVE your job, and we both genuinely wake up excited to go to work because we're equally passionate about what we do. That's pretty freakin' amazing. . 💝 We're grateful that we're able to live in the Bay Area. Being able to afford to stay here is no small feat, and it's is kind of a crazy place to be at times, but we love where we live. . 💝 We're grateful for our community: our amazing friends and family who love us, support us, and celebrate our success right alongside us. . 💝 We're grateful for our online community: yep, that's all y'all! Our friends spread all over the world, our readers, social followers, and subscribers... you all support us every day. You send us messages telling us how we've helped you. You email us compliments and comments that make us smile and give us that warm fuzzy feeling. We have a whole folder in our email tagged "nice things from readers" and honestly, sometimes those emails get me through frustrating days. You all, our readers, help us to do what we love, live where we live, and continue to explore the world together. We love all of you so much! . Now that we've gushed all over the place, how about you? What are you feeling grateful for today, big or small? Drop us a comment below!
  • Hi, we’re Lia and Jeremy, and we’re coffee snobs. Everyone: Hi, Lia and Jeremy. . Our coffee snobbery didn’t happen overnight. We each worked for YEARS to hone our ability to say things like “Hmmmm, I’m getting strawberry jam with vanilla on the finish” un-ironically while we sip our single origin pour-overs and twiddle our collective mustaches. Oh yeah. We’re BIG ol’ douches. Jeremy was actually a barista when we met, which also explains why we got married so quickly. . We are hashtag blessed here at home in the Bay Area to have no shortage of incredible coffee shops. Between Oakland and San Francisco, every few blocks there's a specialty coffee shop serving up light roasted deliciousness. . When we’re fortunate enough to travel to a place with great coffee – like Lima or Copenhagen or all of Colombia – we’re in HEAVEN. Our two favorite things combined. Life is good. All is right with the world. Heaven is a place in earth. . But sometimes … every once in a while … we go somewhere that does not have good coffee. *shiver* Oooooh, the struggle is so real you guys, I can hear you crying with empathy all the way from here. Wait, is that …laughter?! . Here’s the thing: when you’re a coffee snob, nothing starts your day off worse than having to drink that awful cheap coffee swill that tastes like bitter lighter fluid. Ugh. No. I'd rather forgo my caffeine fix than drink bitter, gross coffee. That's the level of douchery I'm at, people. . Thankfully, I've developed a few coping mechanisms that enable me to drink excellent coffee no matter where I am in the world. And I wrote up a whole post about it! So if you've got a coffee snob who loves to travel in your life (my kindred spirit!) click on through to the link in my bio and boom, Christmas Shopping done. (Or like, send it to them so they can send it along to whoever will actually be buying them stuff this year). You'll also find links to some of my fave travel gear, conveniently pictured here 🧥👖👢 . Are you a coffee snob? If not, what are you a snob about? Come onnnn, everyone's got something. Fess up in the comments! This is a judgement-free zone ;)

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