This post is sponsored by Capital One. All of my opinions are my own.

There is truly nothing like taking a trip with someone special. When I think back on the trips that I have taken in the last few years, my favorite times have been spent traveling with my loved ones. Travel doesn’t always have to be an exotic trip, sometimes simple day or weekend getaways mean so much more. I tend to forget that I have so many places I can visit right here in my home state of California.

When I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I love to spend time with my family. One of the things we enjoy doing is taking a little day trip up the Pacific Coast Highway (Basically right in our backyard!!). The last couple months have been super busy for me, so last weekend was the perfect opportunity to unwind and spend some quality time with Alex.

We packed up the car with our go-to picnic basket, blanket and little dog, Lucy, and hit the road. We filled our tank and headed toward Malibu, where one of my favorite markets resides. There, we picked up some incredible sandwiches (Tuna for Alex, Turkey Ruben for me, and a little doggo biscuit for Lu).

After buying the essentials, using my Capital One Venture® card, we hopped back in the car and headed up the coast. One of our favorite places to hang out on a day off is the Leo Carrillo Dog Beach. It is the perfect spot to have a picnic, bathe in the sun and run around with Lucy. It refills my energy and resets me for the week to come.

I love that with the Capital One Venture® card I earn unlimited 2x miles on every purchase every day (like when I fill my gas, buy lunch for a picnic, and pay for parking), making it easy for us last min hop in the car and road trip the Pacific Coast Highway. Venture cardholders earn 10x miles on hotels booked via hotels.com/venture through Jan 2020, which is perfect ahead of the busy holiday travel season!

Another great thing about my Venture card is that it’s so flexible and easy when it comes to redeeming my miles. I can either “erase” any recent travel purchaseand book my trips without having to worry about blackout dates, or I cantransfer my miles to 15 airline partners (like JetBlue, Emirates and Singaporeairlines) and book aspirational travel like business or first class!

Being able to travel when and how I want, and to know my everyday purchases are helping me reach my travel goals makes it that much easier for me to get on with my life, but know that I am always getting a great return from my rewards credit card.