Travel Maddie Travel Maddie

Daybreaker LA: On a Boat

Daybreaker is a "morning movement that will start your day off unlike anything else." This Los Angeles to-do has been on my list since I read this article back in November. Wild party with dancing, food, some yoga, and no drinking? That's the definition of my kind of party.

I would say getting up at 5am to get to Marina del Rey and participate in a dance party on a boat before my regular work hours is definitely an abnormal start to my day. And huge kudos to the guy who dressed like a sun/sunflower. Hands down best costume of the Daybreaker experience.

CLICK THROUGH TO READ ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE...

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Maddie Maddie

Celebrating Independence Day

Land of the free, home of the brave: "AMERICA!" — said in a very loud, definitive tone, with a slight southern twang. Just cause.

That's how I say it anyways when fourth of July is rolling around. The festivities are slightly different every year, but I ended up doing what I did last year which was baseball game in the morning (the most American way as I'll explain further) and BBQ in the evening wrapping it all up watching firework shows from the beach.

READ ON FOR ALL THAT DAY-OF-AMERICA-CELEBRATION GREATNESS

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Travel Maddie Travel Maddie

Malibu Creek State Park: Rock Jumping

In addition to jumping off rocks, people also go rock climbing in this area as shown in this photo.

These warm days are reminding me of this Malibu Creek State Park adventure that felt like a much-needed girls getaway at the time, on a beautiful Saturday morning almost two years ago. Don't worry, the rock pool is still there, and so are the rocks we jumped off of. I would check the water levels though — I don't know if it's any different with the drought. If anything, this area is a great hiking choice.

I conquered some fears on this little excursion, and I still vividly remember the experience even today.

READ ON FOR THE JUMP...

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Travel Maddie Travel Maddie

Road trip: To Las Vegas and back again

Above is me. In probably my happiest captured form: open road, blue skies, friends, adventuring, and just being completely in love with where I am.

I love road trips. Maybe because I'm from LA and having a car symbolizes freedom a bit more than in other cities. There really is something freeing to me about being able to take your car and go to some place new. Even more so than flying. Sometimes flying doesn't feel as far away — it feels more about the destination: you're in one place, and then all of a sudden you're in the next.

With a road trip, there's a journey. There are stops, there are things to look at, to observe. There are long hours, lots of snacks, and "are we there yet?" moments, but it's all part of this random journey. You know that eventually you'll get to your destination, but might as well be flexible, take the time to explore and have fun along the way.

And the road trip I'm highlighting today is one of many that I've taken from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and back.

Our stops included:

and back

READ ON FOR ALL THE RANDOM DETAILS...

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Travel Maddie Travel Maddie

Rise Festival 2014

Go. Experience this event.

Tickets go on sale today at 9am Pacific time for the Rise Festival. I went last October with some friends, and it was truly the most magical — and then one of the most challenging — experiences of my life. But let's focus on the magical. They've implemented changes this year, and they moved locations from the Jean Roach Dry Lake Bed to the Moapa River Reservation, which sounds more promising. They are also hosting it in Pheonix if you can't make it to Nevada.

Find out more about the event and buy your tickets here. Seriously, this is an event you would not want to miss if you have the opportunity to go.

READ ON to get my personal experience of the event, and to see photos, and a video. Also, look out this week for the road trip there and back. I mean, might as well make the journey fun too, right?

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