To quell the sometimes debilitating pre-trip anxiety, I’ve learned to do a final check: wallet, phone, passport if necessary. This mantra ensures I have the necessities to travel, and reminds me anything else can be borrowed or purchased if needed. 

But beyond making sure that I don’t forget items I require to be comfortable in my time away from home, there are some basic actions that can prove helpful in this pre-travel checklist.  

On my recent trip to the east coast, I found that some travel planning tasks I did, some I thought I did, and some I neglected to do altogether. 

A little bit of time and effort now can be a huge help in the moment:  

• Confirm operating hours for museums, historical sites and attractions
  • Many museums close Monday and Tuesdays- shift your travel dates if possible to align with open hours.
• Confirm ticket availability, or pre-purchase tickets before your visit
  • Many attractions sell out or have timed tickets- save yourself the headache and click around the attraction website to ensure ability to visit when desired 

• If you have flexibility with your booking, check for regional and national holidays, or large events that might be taking place during your visit.
  • Imagine forgetting that the World Cup was going on in the city you were visiting, or that it was Bolivian Independence Day? It can happen. 
• Purchase train tickets or fare for short flights as soon as possible for better pricing.
  • Pre-planning can save hundreds of dollars on train and airfare- this is easily overlooked when the distance traveled is short. 
• Research your lodging and amenities
  • The last thing you want is to find out your hotel has a pool or hot tub and you didn’t pack a suit, or the attached gym has a full on reformer pilates studio and you didn’t bring appropriate clothes. 
  • Resort Fees often include free bike rental or shuttle services.  Know what’s included so you can take full advantage of offerings.
• Renting a car? Do your homework on the rental company
  • Turns out not all car rental companies allow spouses as free additional drivers.  Factor this in during price comparisons. 
  • Elite status (included with some credit cards) may grant free additional drivers as well as other perks. 
  • Tolls vs. EZ Pass: A quick route-check before picking up your car can help you decide if you should opt to pay daily to activate the EZ pass.  
• Check lounge access and confirm updated lounge pass membership.
  • Make sure you have physical cards or updated digital memberships saved to your phone.
  • Confirm lounge hours and accessibility- Many lounge networks are beginning to curb access to certain members or require lounge passes to enter, or require passing through airport security between terminals.
• Know your rights regarding travel delays and cancellations.
  • Airlines are legally required to offer a refund, or at times food vouchers and accommodations for certain cancellation types. 
  • Travel Insurance coverage, whether purchased or included with booking with certain credit cards, can offset costs accrued during delays and cancellations. Know what is included with your coverage.

Minimizing the last minute surprises and hidden costs can be an invaluable way of smoothing the path to any trip away from home.  While I am all for building resilience and working through hard things, a little pre-travel planning can be the difference between stressful travel and something that actually feels like a break.

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The post Taking a Trip? The Things I Forgot So You Don’t Have To appeared first on Carry On Better.

My dream was to eventually shift out of my current career and make a life from writing. I fully recognize the improbability of this — but more on that later.

I thought I was being mindful and realistic. I had done my research — blogging courses, top podcasts by acclaimed bloggers, learning from the people doing the work I so wished to do.

So I’ve been writing regularly. Much of it just snippets of thoughts, some more well-formed essays, and lots of reviews of hotels, restaurants, and regular schmegular travel content fare.

Nothing especially poignant or inspiring, but things that were interesting to me but general enough that it felt safe and inherently had a conclusion.

From the very beginning, I had a section on my website about Mental Wealth. There, I would publish my more reflective pieces — the kinds of essays about topics that rattle around my brain constantly. I am an ever-curious person, questioning everything and inspired by the world around me.

Several months ago, I realized that I’ve been hiding behind my hotel reviews and credit card suggestions. While I won’t stop writing such articles if there is something important I want to share, investing too much time in these was taking away from the stuff I really wanted to write about.

I wasn’t giving credence to the essays because I didn’t know their place in the world. My self-inflicted timeline, set to be profitable albeit several years out, was putting silent but meaningful pressure on myself to be palatable, informational, and ultimately, super blah.

I didn’t exist fully in this writing — there wasn’t room for me, and I was playing it safe by sticking to addresses, prices and maps.

Stemming from an unsteady childhood and an adulthood bred from required self-dependence, I’ve kept my head down and worked — and that diligence has now afforded me the ability to push forward despite dips in income, and ultimately the audacity to finally lean into my urge to write.

A few months ago, I experienced an embarrassingly obvious realization. I have been, for almost a decade, working as a photostylist. I love colors, textures, light, and working with apparel in ways that make them interesting.

What if, instead of trying to make writing support my life financially, I just quietly continued to write while pushing my paid work more in the direction of the parts I love?

This was a lightning rod of an idea. I think I may have literally stopped in my tracks when I came to this thought.

It felt as if an archer’s bow was suddenly unstrung, that perilous tension released, and I was freed to write without consequence or pressure for it to mean anything, be anything to anyone. Not even me.

In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert writes: “I never wanted to burden my writing with the responsibility of paying for my life.”

Once I recognized that nudging my professional career in a direction that felt more aligned was possible, it opened up my future of writing in a way I hadn’t realized had been fenced in.

I’ve been searching for permission to create for creation’s sake — and I’ve found it. Rick Rubin, Julia Cameron, and Elizabeth Gilbert have all reassured me that the invisible pull I feel to return to writing should not be ignored, and most important of all, my writing doesn’t have to be anything.

I don’t need to share it if I don’t want to. It doesn’t have to change the world. It doesn’t have to be respected, or even liked.

But to engage with that pull, to nurture the act and massage the child-like creativity and courage to create — that is what makes life interesting.

It’s a constant challenge to push through my self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy. But it’s a humbling reminder that no one is paying attention to me, and if airing my curiosity is what I feel like doing, then so be it. I’m not making anyone engage with it, and it’s wholly cathartic to me in ways I forgot about.

The ideas tumbling around in my brain need release to keep the flow of everything going, and it’s a regular practice to remind myself that they don’t require being cataclysmic or earth-shattering.

They can just be.

The post Sometimes It Can Just Be appeared first on Carry On Better.

As I parked out front and made my way through the giant bamboo gates, I literally had to stop — I was so stunned by the thoughtfully curated grounds. Giant palms fanned out exquisitely while ferns and cacti of all kinds took their places among the beige gravel. Tall palms swayed overhead, and I peeked into a palapa whose sole intent seemed to be offering a quiet place for someone to simply be. The property has several spots like this scattered throughout, each one an invitation to slow down.

The Studio

The practice space is one of the largest I’ve ever practiced in — I’d estimate you could fit 30-40 people with plenty of space between mats. Large windows line two sides of the studio looking out onto the serene landscape, and a large concrete deck extends off the side with sliding doors overlooking the property. Wood floors, giant windows, and high ceilings make this yoga studio in Todos Santos an genuinely uplifting space to practice. With just 3 of us in class that Sunday morning, it felt downright luxurious.

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Classes and Pricing

Cuatro Vientos is open every day of the week with a wide variety of classes including several modalities of yoga, dance, meditation, qigong, HIIT, and breathwork — making it one of the most well-rounded wellness offerings in Todos Santos. Classes begin as early as 7:30am and run all day into the early evening. Most yoga classes are 90 minutes, with some 60-minute, 75-minute, and 2-hour workshops and ecstatic dance sessions also on the schedule.

Most classes run 200-250 pesos, with some longer workshops at 300 pesos and others on a suggested donation basis. There is no need or ability to reserve a spot — fees are paid in cash directly to the instructor. Most classes are taught in English or bilingually, with only a handful in Spanish only. Their online schedule will have all of this information, including language.

Mats and props are included with the price of class. The prop closet is well stocked — colorful Mexican blankets and foam mats neatly stacked and folded, straps and bands in baskets on shelves, bolsters of various sizes, and blocks for additional support. Eco-friendly spray cleaner and towels are on hand to keep everything sanitized.

The Class

Dominique taught the Vinyasa class I attended that morning, and I was humbled by her technique and wisdom. We began with stretching and setting an intention, and what stood out immediately was her observation that we often simply go through the motions of our days — even yoga — instead of really dropping into the practice.

Dominique’s class forced me to slow down and move with focus. Without momentum, the slower pace challenged my body and required all of my attention as I moved through the poses. I left sweaty but exhilarated. As we said our farewells I thanked her for pulling me out of merely going through the motions — her words made me realize that’s often exactly what I’m doing when I practice early before work. She is the kind of teacher who stays with you.

Their online schedule doesn’t specify experience level for each class, but Dominique — like most intuitive instructors — tailored the class to the three of us. She consistently offered alternatives, urging us to push ourselves but always to scale back if something felt painful or wrong. An absolute beginner might find some drop-in yoga classes challenging, but a skilled instructor can typically work with any level, and Dominique did exactly that.

Getting There

Cuatro Vientos is in north Todos Santos, so if you’re staying in the central historic district I’d recommend driving. There is a walkway along Calle Topete, but depending on how overgrown the foliage is, it can put you closer to the road traffic than you’d prefer.

A Note on History

Cuatro Vientos has been open since 2015 and is the primary dedicated yoga studio in Todos Santos. While nearby hotels and wellness centers offer drop-in classes or yoga retreats, there is no other standalone yoga studio in the area — making this a genuine anchor of the Todos Santos wellness community.

La Esquina — Cafe Across the Way

The owners of Cuatro Vientos also run La Esquina, a cafe and event space just outside the studio gates. I didn’t get the chance to stop in — it had closed by the time my class finished — but it’s a popular spot for coffee, breakfast, and lunch, and regularly hosts concerts, DJ nights, and pop-up events. Worth factoring into your morning if the timing works. They are open 8am to 1pm every day (check). 

The Verdict

I was genuinely impressed with Cuatro Vientos and would love to try several more of their classes on a longer stay in Todos Santos. I respected Dominique and her teaching style deeply — she inspired me to push myself mentally and physically, and I know I’m working hard when my mind can’t wander and I’m fully in my practice. She got me there. If wellness travel is any part of your Todos Santos itinerary, this yoga studio in Baja California Sur is absolutely worth your morning.

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The post Cuatro Vientos | Yoga Studio in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur appeared first on Carry On Better.

On a quieter morning, I peeked at the minimal menu placed in the window, peering into the Japanese style minimalism inside.

The cookies were $9. Nine. Dollars. I’m sure anyone looking out the glass storefront would have seen the visible shock on my face, and may have hear me reflexively yelp ‘What???!’ involuntarily.

I had seen enough. I walked on.

I pass the shop regularly, and I can only imagine I might be shaking my head imperceptively each time I pass it, completely in shock that so many people go in.

My husband is a cookie monster. Correction- he is a sugar monster. He’s an absolute slut for sweet treats and while he can appreciate artisanal delicacies, he will enjoy a box of grocery store cookies all the same.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were enjoying a day off together and found ourselves in the neighborhood of my Barre studio. As much as I dreaded it, I knew that he would be beside himself at the fancy cookie store, so I led him in the direction.

He was completely non-plussed by the price. When I mentioned the cookies were $9, he was waiting for more explanation as to why this was a bad thing.

We couldn’t be more different in this way- I read every menu starting with the price and he rarely makes it that far on the menu.

At first I wasn’t going to get a cookie at all. Adding another $9 to the bill for a cookie sounded insane since I already wanted to try a Matcha. Their operation looked super legit and I’m a sucker for Matcha and I was intrigued by the options they offered.

But I did it. I added a cookie, and nibbled at my Yuzu Pinenut cookie between sips of my iced Matcha, and had to concede that, well, the quality was pretty damn amazing.

Since our visit there, I’ve popped into the shop to grab a few cookies to go.

What surprised me was how hard it felt to enter the first time, and how easy it felt to go again once I’d already done it once.

Once I’d broken through that initial barrier in my mind, it was astonishingly easy to repeat it.

Now, when it comes to shelling out almost $10 for a cookie, this is not the kind of thing where I want it to be easy and regular. But I’m also noticing the type of ease with repetition in other areas in my life, and those are things that I am interested in doing again and again, and hopefully improving with time.

Doing little things regularly that push past my comfort zone have, over time, been tremendously rewarding. 

Posting my first story on my blog, terrified it was poorly written or cringe (it probably is, but who cares?). 

Trying my hand with Instagram, sharing travels and promoting stories. It’s anxiety inducing AF. It started out taking way too long, but it’s getting faster and I’m giving less fucks.

And then a few weeks ago, I began a Substack, where I’m bringing over my favorite essays from my blog to hopefully reach a larger audience.

Every first time felt terrifying and paralyzing.

And then each time thereafter, a little bit easier.  

I still think a $9 cookie is outrageous.  But it’s a damn good cookie made with love and quality ingredients.  

And honestly, it’s a fair price as a reminder to keep pushing through discomfort.

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The post What a $9 Cookie Taught Me About Doing Hard Things appeared first on Carry On Better.

Careful market research has demonstrated that premium experiences for the elite generate staggering revenue- far more money to be made charging a sizable chunk to the few than garnering a bit more from the many.

Such expansions are no more obvious than in the travel sector, where disposable income is the difference between being able to travel and not.  Boutique hotels are increasingly offering club level access for premium clients at a premium price, and Airlines like American, United and Delta have been rolling out restructured planes with ever expanding Business and First class cabins and drastically cutting the number of coach seats.  

This will not only limit the number of cheaper fares available on each flight, but the cost of those remaining coach flights is likely to rise due to sheer availability. 

The fall of Spirit Airlines in early May in many ways was the physical representation of the losing battle of a population left behind.  The mere existence of the airline kept other airlines in check, offering rock bottom prices for bare bones travel- but nonetheless offered a service otherwise unavailable to a burgeoning population.  

To remain competitive, other airlines were forced to offer cheap seats on their own fleets to cash in on budget fliers.  The impact on competition was so pronounced that it was dubbed The Spirit Effect, a name it garnered during the 2023-2024 antitrust case where the Department of Justice blocked Jetblue from buying Spirit, precisely because of the importance Spirit’s prices had on the airfare market. The recent bankruptcy of the strangely beloved airline is seen as a tragic loss, an end of an era, and a turning point in keeping airfare competitive. 

But the gloves are off. Spirit is out. And airlines have been awaiting this moment when they no longer have to cater to those willing to buy the bargain seats at the back of the plane. 

While some might say it would be impossible to know the direct effects on airfare from the loss of Spirit airlines as sky high jet fuel prices from the war in Iran have been running in the background of the entire debacle, data tells a different story. In an article in Yahoo Finance, author Don Lair posits that if this were a fuel pass-through “you’d see uniform increases across the network. You don’t.” 

Fare comparisons within the first 48 hours after the bankruptcy show some fares jumped significantly. On specific routes Spirit dominated, fares leapt anywhere from 52% to 218% — a $39 Vegas-to-Dallas seat became $124 overnight.

What’s most troubling is that Spirit was, in effect, its own downfall.  Its rock-bottom fares gave people an opportunity to travel that otherwise couldn’t afford it, and the big carriers wanted a piece of that pie.  But the difference was that those other carriers could afford to do so exactly because they offered more premium seats with a higher price point.  

But then this story possibly unveils an uncomfortable truth: Can a wholly budget-centric business survive our capitalist economy?

This makes me reconsider, or reframe, my theory that the pendulum might be getting ready to swing in the other direction. While the top few percent will continue to live their out-of-touch lives and plan their escape to Mars or wherever, perhaps the next economic cohort beneath them will get lumped in with the rest of the economy, and organizations hoping to scoop up their business will begin to cater to a different tier of people.  

In the last few weeks, there have been several restructurings of mid-tier credit cards with increased values and benefits.  The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a perfect example of this- Their classic $95 annual fee card has always been a great deal, but the recent facelift elevated benefits without increasing the annual fee. 

At first glance, I thought this was a last gasp effort to salvage the damage of the clunky rollout of their premium travel card the Chase Sapphire Reserve last year that didn’t perform nearly as they had hoped. 

I now believe that what they have done with the mid-tier card is whip-smart strategy.  By upleveling their mid-tier card, Chase can scoop up clients that may no longer be interested in paying the premium rates of the top travel cards whose annual fees have climbed to almost a thousand dollars a year.  At $95 a year, these customers who have been paying $395 (Venture X) or more (Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve) would be more than happy to throw money out of pocket for some of the perks not included in the Chase Sapphire Preferred because the benefits are still really great.  

Spirit Airlines couldn’t survive because it never had premium options to offset the low cost. It’s a business model that frankly might not be possible in an economy where the divide between rich and poor is just too wide. 

The honest truth is that unless you’re in the top few percent, it’s just getting more difficult to be comfortable, let alone survive with any feeling of financial safety.  Even if it feels promising that companies might begin to offer budget-friendly options to make money, those options will still be more expensive than they used to be from a sheer supply and demand formula.  Not only that, the quality might be questionable- as the old adage goes ‘Beggars can’t be choosers’, and these days integrity seems to be far less important than cash or stock price. 

As much as I’d love to believe Chase is throwing us a bone, the crappy truth is that they’re looking to extract annual fees from whomever is still willing to pay, even if at a short-term loss on their end (yeah, the new perks are that good!).  And while $95 a year feels like a steal for people who were paying hundreds a year on their premium cards, there’s still a majority of the population for whom that is out of their budget now more than ever, and they are exactly the people who were thankful for an airline like Spirit.  

Spirit may have been the butt of endless jokes in its 34 years for its truly basic offerings, but countless passengers experienced their first flights because of the budget-friendly prices and offered opportunities for travel that otherwise would not have been possible.    

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The post The Fall of Spirit Airlines and the People Left Behind appeared first on Carry On Better.

The trailhead is a quick 20-minute drive from Todos Santos, making it one of the best day trips and outdoor activities available during a visit to Baja California Sur. It’s also dog friendly — just keep a close eye on them, as some of the drop-offs can be steep.

The Trail

The Punta Lobos hike is an out-and-back trail, running about 2.5 to 4 miles depending on the route you take, with anywhere from 1 to 3 hours of hiking time. You can tackle some steeper sections if you’re feeling ambitious, or keep it mellow and stay on the main trail — the elevation never gets too crazy.

As someone who is decidedly not outdoorsy, and married to someone even less so, we both genuinely loved the outing. This is a hike for everyone.

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Getting There

From Highway 19, take the exit for the San Cristobal Hotel and follow the long dusty road. It’s about a 10-minute drive from Todos Santos — or an hour from Cabo — but budget another 10 minutes on an unpaved road before you reach the trailhead. There are no parking fees or trail fees, and despite the popularity of the Punta Lobos hike everything is refreshingly informal, right down to the unmarked sugar mill ruins at the start.

For parking, there’s a lot near the San Cristobal Hotel — just read the signs and make sure you’re not in a guest-only area. You can wind further down to an informal parking area closer to the trail, though it looked fairly chaotic with cars in every direction when we visited.

You’ll Know You’ve Arrived

Look for the old sugar mill ruins, also known as Puerto Viejo — the Old Port. The name originates from its role as the main shipping port for Todos Santos in the late 1800s. It’s an atmospheric starting point for the hike, even if it isn’t officially marked.

When to Go

My husband, my sister-in-law’s partner, and I hiked on an overcast morning — and that was very much by design. We were glad we did, because just as we finished, the sun broke through the clouds and it got hot fast. This region sits close to the Tropic of Cancer, meaning the sunlight is nearly direct at certain times of year and the sunburn risk is real. Bring a hat, sunscreen, and water. There are no bathrooms on the trail, though in a pinch the hotel bar is nearby. I’d strongly recommend a morning start — though I can imagine a sunset from the top of this hike would be absolutely life-changing.

The Views and Wildlife

The views from the Punta Lobos hike are spectacular and were the main draw for me. I love a dry climate, and the cacti and rocky landscape are always a treat for this Pacific Northwesterner. The lookout over the water is stunning — my sister-in-law’s partner, Matt, brought binoculars and we took turns spotting sea lions far below on the rocks where the cliff met the water.

Keep your eye out for turkey vultures too. We spotted several lording over a trash pile near the trail — surprisingly majestic, and a genuinely great sight.

The Rattlesnake

A fellow hiker flagged us down to let us know there was a rattlesnake just off the path on the way back down. It was well hidden in some brush but was definitely watching everyone as they passed. Matt and I crept a few steps closer to take photos — at which point the snake shook its tail, delivering a polite but firm warning. We both raised our hands in surrender, chuckled, and backed away slowly. My husband, who is terrified of snakes, was waiting at a safe distance down the path and was very relieved to be putting more ground between himself and the snake by the second. A great story either way.

The San Cristobal Hotel

The San Cristobal Hotel at the trailhead looks absolutely stunning, and next time I’d like to stop in for a drink or a snack and check out the beach access. Bunkhouse is a boutique hotel chain based in Texas that has perfectly channeled the Baja vibe — and by all accounts is worth every peso of the price tag. Rates run anywhere from $400 to $800+ USD per night depending on the season.

The hotel has its own private beach area, La Playita, accessible to guests or day visitors who purchase a pass — but public beach access is also available for those just passing through.

For something more budget friendly but equally stunning, check out Hacienda Todos Los Santos. This boutique hacienda in the historic center of Todos Santos is an elegant stay worth checking out.

The Verdict

The Punta Lobos hike ended up being one of my favorite parts of this entire Baja Sur trip, and the proximity to Todos Santos makes it an easy yes for anyone in the area. Next time I might brave one of the longer routes and get closer to the cliffs and the water.

Until then, I’ll be content reliving the sea lions through borrowed binoculars.

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The post Punta Lobos Hike | One of the Best Things to Do in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur appeared first on Carry On Better.

While much of the world continues to cater to the premium crowd, Chase is swooping in for the savvy rest of us — the growing audience getting squeezed out of sky-high annual fee cards by the rising cost of, well, pretty much every damn thing.

I’ve appreciated the Chase Sapphire Preferred as an entry-level points card for years, but the major facelift it’s undergoing on and resetting June 15 will not only draw new applicants — it will retain cardholders who may have been flirting with the idea of letting this one go.

Guilty. I was gearing up to ditch it this year.

The Annual Fee Isn’t Changing — and That’s a Big Deal

First off, the annual fee is not changing. That’s right — in the shadow of almost every credit card raising fees to eye-watering levels (looking at you, Amex Platinum, and Chase’s own sibling, the Sapphire Reserve), the Preferred is holding steady at $95 a year.

What’s Getting Added

• 3x on gas and EV charging
• 3x on VRBO and Airbnb rentals
• $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
• $100 hotel credit through the Chase travel portal (up $50 from before)
• Enhanced travel protection — now includes emergency evacuation and transportation up to $100,000
• One year of Apple TV free (activate by December 31, 2026)

New upgrades like this are frankly unheard of at this price point — and my hunch is that these changes are partly an effort to offset the rocky rollout of the Chase Sapphire Reserve last year.

Already in Your Wallet

These additions stack on top of what was already there in the original:

• 3x on dining, including takeout and some delivery services
• 5x on Lyft rides
• 5x on travel booked through the Chase portal, including hotels, flights, cruises and rental cars
• 2x on all other travel purchases (direct airfare, hotels, transportation and trains)
• 3x on streaming services
• 3x on online grocery shopping
• Complimentary DashPass
• 5x on Peloton equipment

Free Authorized Users — Still One of the Best Kept Secrets

It’s worth pointing out that adding authorized users on the Chase Sapphire Preferred remains free of charge — and that’s increasingly rare. Capital One’s Venture X is one of the only other rewards cards that doesn’t charge for additional users. Premium cards like the Amex Platinum charge upwards of $175 per authorized user annually.

Adding a trusted partner or family member is a smart strategy: a faster way to accumulate points, increased ability to hit sign-up bonus spending thresholds, and a way to build or improve credit for the authorized user. They’ll have access to the enhanced earning categories and travel protections — but not the hotel credit, TSA/Global Entry credit, DashPass, or Apple TV benefit, which remain primary cardholder perks.

What’s Being Cut or Downgraded

It can’t be all sunshine and rainbows- the shortlist of what’s on the chopping block:

• The annual 10% anniversary points bonus program will end
• Chase Ultimate Rewards points will transfer to World of Hyatt at a 4:3 ratio instead of 1:1 — so 1,000 Chase points gets you 750 Hyatt points. An extra bummer on the heels of recent changes to Hyatt’s award tiers

While the downgrades are real, the additions and enhancements far outweigh them.

The Bottom Line

New and existing cardholders will have access to the enhanced benefits starting June 15.

Additionally, Chase just announced an elevated sign-up offer- 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months.

For a card with a $95 annual fee, free authorized users, and perks that add up to multiple hundreds of dollars in value, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best cards to add to your wallet right now.

I’ve personally redeemed my points for a 5-night stay at a stunning boutique hotel in San Pancho, Mexico, several car rentals, and upcoming trips to Philadelphia and Portugal — so I can vouch for how far these points go when used well.

If you know someone with a card in the Chase Sapphire family, ask them for a referral link — they can earn up to 15,000 bonus points for referring you, and the offer through a referral link is sometimes better than what’s advertised publicly.

Find more details on the referral process here, or sign up here.

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I was not at all quiet about my disappointment at the sheer lack of street tacos in Los Cerritos — I was indeed pretty salty about the whole affair. So when we rolled into Todos Santos in our rental van, I was vibrating in my seat as I eyed various food carts parked along the streets.

If you’re wondering where to eat tacos in Todos Santos, you’ve come to the right place — this town delivers.

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A quick caveat: since I was traveling with family on this one, I couldn’t do as much street taco exploration as I would have liked. I could only eat so much in a day, and not everyone in the group was on board with street food — so unfortunately I left plenty of al pastor on the proverbial table. Nonetheless, I did what I could with the time I had, and here is what I found, in descending order of subjective tastiness.

Alma de Pueblo

This quaint little spot is one of several eateries in Plaza Amigos, an open-air courtyard on Calle Benito Juarez between Calle Zaragoza and Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, across the street from Ristorante Tre Galline. Despite walking past it several times a day, I would have missed it completely had a man working there not been standing out front holding a menu with a trompo image on it. That single laminated photo changed everything.

They don’t serve alcohol, but were happy for us to bring back whatever we wanted — common at eateries throughout this trip.

The tacos arrive on a single chewy, thick blue corn tortilla. I ordered two al pastor and a chorizo for good measure, and was thrilled. All the other al pastor I’d tasted in Todos Santos had been heavy-handed with the cinnamon and skewed sweeter than I prefer, but not here. The pastor had excellent flavor and texture, accompanied by slices of grilled pineapple with lightly charred edges, finished with diced white onions, cilantro, diced tomatoes, and a heaping spoonful of guacamole.

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The chorizo was equally good — well-salted, which I always love. Others at the table raved about the flautas and enchiladas, and the limes were generous: fat, juicy halves served alongside.

Tacos run around 45 pesos (~$2.50 USD) — making Alma de Pueblo one of the better cheap eats in Todos Santos, Mexico, especially given the quality. Pricing like this is typical for the town, a reality I had to make peace with given Todos Santos’ popularity and the current state of the US dollar.

The service was spectacular, the server had a great sense of humor, and I was genuinely sad not to make it back for breakfast. Google lists them as open 8am to 9pm, closed Wednesdays — though I’d recommend confirming before making the trip.

Mi Rey

Mi Rey on Manuel Marquez de Leon was our very first stop after landing in Todos Santos, and it holds a special place in my heart for that reason alone — but the tacos earned their keep too. It’s a simple operation: one picnic table, just enough space for our family of five, and a server who quietly ran to the store to fetch cold Pacificos and Coronas when we ordered beer off a menu that didn’t carry it. True customer service.

The al pastor came on a single tortilla — apparently standard in Todos Santos — without pineapple, but the meat was flavorful, chewy, and salty in exactly the way I wanted. Topped with grilled onion, fresh diced white onion, and a thick layer of smashed avocado, with little plates of sliced cucumbers, quartered limes, and ramekins of salsa making their way around the table.

The shrimp tacos are also worth ordering — pico, smashed avocado, salsa, lime, and a slice of cucumber. Do it. And order the guacamole. The chips are out of this world.

Read the full Mi Rey review here.

Tacos El Poblano

Late one evening — after 9pm — a few of us ventured out for a casual bite and stumbled upon Tacos El Poblano. The unfinished concrete building has a large open kitchen, plastic and folding chairs, and a menu listed on the wall. No frills, no pretense.

The al pastor was heavy-handed with the cinnamon and skewed sweet — the meat itself was on the dry side, served on a single tortilla. Tacos ran 40 pesos each, in line with Todos Santos pricing. The platter of accoutrements that came alongside was perhaps the most exciting part of the meal — an overflowing dish full of radishes, limes, pico, salsas, and cucumbers.

For a late-night taco fix in Todos Santos, it’ll absolutely do the trick. Just don’t come here specifically for the al pastor.

Honorable Mention: Carnitas Tadeo

Look, I’m a bit of a slut when it comes to tacos, and Carnitas Tadeo was genuinely delicious despite not serving al pastor, so I have to give them a shout out. On Calle Degollado, one of the main roads into town (technically Carretera 19), Carnitas Tadeo is a clean and simple operation and worth the stop if you have a hankering for good carnitas in Todos Santos.

Each table had a big tub of their house made chili crisp- a surefire shortcut to my heart. I ordered two carnitas tacos, and although disappointed at their lack of al pastor, was genuinely impressed with the juiciness of the meat and the mouth feel of the tortillas.

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Final Thoughts on Tacos in Todos Santos

It’s been genuinely fun experiencing the same dish across different spots and seeing the flair each place brings to it. In Todos Santos, my main takeaways: smashed avocado or guacamole is a standard topping, and the warming spices tend to run heavier and sweeter here than other places I’ve toured.

Alma de Pueblo was the clear standout for the best al pastor tacos in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur — lighter on the spice, better on the char, and the kind of authentic Mexican street taco experience in Baja California Sur that makes the whole hunt worthwhile.

And don’t skip the shrimp tacos while you’re in Todos Santos. We are on the coast, for god’s sake. I’d point you straight to Mi Rey. Or, if you’re up for a little field trip, make the 10-minute drive to Los Cerritos and hit up La Tuna for their Tierra y Mar tacos.

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In January of 2008, I left the States with a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. My best friend and I had been planning an extensive trip around the globe and had been saving for years from our waitressing jobs at an iconic diner in NW Portland. Several months before our departure, she admitted she wasn’t in a place in her life to make the trip with me.

Alarmed and devastated, I shifted sights to my then-boyfriend who I thought might join me in her place. While at first there was interest, he soon admitted he wasn’t up for the trip either — he had a job that he loved and didn’t have the savings to support the adventure.

Canceling was not an option. I had been planning and talking about this trip for so long that it had become a core part of my identity. But despite my abject fear and hesitation, something inside me still urged me to go. In some ways I think I was relieved my boyfriend declined the offer to join.

We both knew this was my journey, my dream.

I was compelled by the belief the world had more to offer me, and I wanted to find whatever it was that was pulling me out of Portland.

My trip was indefinite — I had fantasies of meeting someone along my travels that would whisk me away to a new life in another country. I had hopes of taking a random job in a foreign land, making a home somewhere far from the Pacific Northwest. So while we were still in love and had been living together, with no intention of returning, it was only fair to break up before I left.

Armed with an iPod full of love songs he’d loaded up and a hand-written letter sealed in an envelope, we said our goodbyes to one another.

And so I left for my trip. Alone, and terrified out of my fucking mind.

It was 9 months before I came back to Portland.

In 2012, I left a 5 year relationship that had run its course (Yes, the same partner I left for my adventure). We lived together, had adopted a dog together, and I was enmeshed in his family’s life in ways that felt impossible to untangle. I was on the family phone plan and car insurance, I brunched with and took exercise classes with his mother regularly, and she routinely introduced me as her daughter-in-law. Although we were not yet engaged, eventual marriage was a given.

My boyfriend and I had grown apart and were in drastically different eras of our lives — I was barely keeping my head above water in grad school and he was working and making a music video for his friends’ band.

It’d been over a year since things were good, and efforts to repair or end the relationship were falling on deaf ears.

There was a fizzy black, sinking sensation in my chest when I accepted that this would be my life. It felt like someone had tied a knot at the end of a string and strung it through my chest, and I was getting pulled down and backwards through my own body. But instead of hitting the ground, I was freefalling into an infinite abyss inside myself, a black hole, but contained inside my own body, invisible to everyone else.

We would get married.

I would be miserable.

I wondered how things ended up this way. How had I ended up so powerless?

He didn’t want to break up, so he left me no choice.

I told him I was moving out, and blew up my life.

I was the girl that was never going to get married. I had fractured beliefs about love and trust and lacked the confidence in myself that I could love and lose, and survive that loss once I let someone in.

My mother’s marriage was more or less arranged — she was betrothed to my father, a doctor from a “good family.” By my mother’s account, she was never in love with him, and his philandering ways led her to leave him not once, but twice. They parted ways when I was three years old, officially divorced when I was 7, and my father never took interest in sharing custody of me.

He stopped paying child support the moment I turned 18.

“Never get married. Never have children” my mother once said to me while still in my youth. It felt more like a dirty secret, a folded up note she wished she could have passed to her younger self, not something said offhand to her own daughter.

In my 30’s, she asked if I’d have children. I repeated her very words back to her, and she had no recollection of what she had said to me.

Be careful what you say to your children.

Her warning had wormed into the recesses of my teenage mind and laid a sturdy foundation. They’d cast a long shadow, knee-capping my ability to love and trust another human.

I’ve spent decades trying to step out from that darkness.

Then I met my husband — online through OK Cupid, when internet dating was still pretty fringe and something to be feared. But we fell in love quickly. It was as if we had known each other forever, but at the same time filling a void in one another left open from crucial gaps in parenting.

We were engaged 4 months after we met. We got married weeks after our one year anniversary.

Letting someone in like this went against every instinct I had developed in my 31 years on this earth. My mother’s words lingered. My general mistrust of men permeated every facet of life. A four alarm fire raged inside me, my mind throwing red flags in every direction, desperately trying to get me to change course.

But something kept me there. I had my concerns — of course I did, as did my friends — but I somehow trusted I was doing the right thing.

Or at the very least, I had finally learned to trust myself that I would be able to survive the outcome if things went south.

None of these choices were easy or elegant. All of them were tumultuous in their own unique ways.

I spent the first 48 hours of my solo backpacking trip sobbing uncontrollably — on the plane clutching the letter, soggy from tears and listening to the iPod, or locked in my lodging in San Jose, paralyzed by what I had just embarked on. I had a happy home and boyfriend and wonderful friends in Portland — why did I feel the need to turn my life upside down?

When I left my 5 year relationship, I lost all of my friends in the aftermath. I’ll be the first to admit my departure was callous. We still continued to live together for several weeks after the breakup until my next apartment was ready and my happiness and relief from being free from the relationship was effusive. Some nights I didn’t come home.

I get why it was easy to hate me at that time. Our mutual friends sympathized with him who felt blindsided by the breakup, while I was beyond hurt that my friends — despite knowing how unhappy I was — saw me as the one doing all the wrong.

Early days of our marriage, some of the fights with my husband felt insurmountable. Two years in, we were still learning about each other — our habits and belief systems that differed gravely, and were things that would have been grounds for a breakup.

But we were already married.

What had I done?

While these experiences rattled my life in ways I never expected, what has resulted each time is a deepening trust in myself that I can do hard things.

I didn’t do these things bravely.

But I did them, eventually.

And while many parts were extremely unpleasant, I’m still here, and don’t regret any of the choices I made. I’d clean up the ways I executed some of them, but the outcomes would be the same.

I share this because my current fear is sharing my writing. Maybe it’s just a part of aging, but I can’t help but laugh that the thing striking fear and hesitation in my heart does not require flipping my life upside down, losing my friends or leaving the country, and yet it’s scaring the shit out of me.

For three years I paid for various domains and empty or half-cocked websites that sat unused. The urge to write simmered inconveniently in the background. Any time I read anything — a restaurant review, a novel, an op-ed, I felt myself bubble with envy and awe at the prose and deliciously descriptive words produced by the writer.

I can only imagine the look on my face when my mind wanders to the version of myself where I write full time. But my logical brain is an all-time MVP at smothering these petulant ideas, reminding me how unrealistic this life would be.

But then there she is, my child-self, tugging at my sleeve and begging me not to forget how much I love to write, have always loved to write. That it’s not too late, and I’m not too old, and just because there are so many talented writers in the world, it doesn’t mean I don’t get to try.

She has more kindness and patience for me than I do. I’m working diligently on letting her voice drown out my own — mine is doing me few favors lately.

I’ve been writing with regularity for the last year and a half. And yet, despite the enormous amount of time and energy dedicated to the writing, editing, struggling through website design and photography during travels, I remain pretty hush hush about my “personal project.”

I am terrified that my coworkers will discover my writing and giggle behind my back, or worse, find it sad and pathetic.

Turns out it’s actually the biggest fear holding me back.

I admit that I go so far as to hide my writing, if I’m being honest. People ask what I’m doing on my computer during my lunches and I say something elusive like, “taking care of business.” When I’m asked about my weekend, instead of admitting I was wading through the hell of redesigning my website, I just don’t mention it because I don’t want them to ask what my website is about.

But the reality is that my colleagues either don’t or won’t give two shits about what I’m doing, or will continue to be blissfully unaware of my writing.

And I’ll have no one to blame but myself if I don’t share my writing because I’m afraid that someone I share a workspace with might have a fleeting thought that my efforts are lame.

I can’t let other people have that much power over me. I am so infuriatingly aware that our world would be insufferable without variety and range — it’s what makes our lives worth living.

And yet here I am, stifling my own voice, insecure that there isn’t room for me.

But just like the younger versions of me, I can see myself on the other side of the fear. That me has found her voice and has been writing through her fear, letting it be a relatable part of her identity. Her self-doubt humanizes her, but she’s still moving forward with some level of confidence that she has something worth saying, that there is room in this world for her.

It’s not all going to be good. Not at all.

But, at least, statistically, it can’t all be bad?

Here’s hoping.

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