Salt & Wind Travel

Salt & Wind Travel Travel Company For Food Lovers | By and | https://travel.saltandwind Online or IRL, we're here to help you taste the world!

Salt & Wind is a food travel lifestyle company created by food-travel expert, Aida Mollenkamp. The company includes the editorial website, saltandwind.com, as well as the boutique travel company, Salt & Wind Travel — travel.saltandwind.com.

05/27/2026

Most people visit Ojai and miss this completely.

sits just beyond the main drag, tucked into a working olive orchard. And their Ojai Pixie expression is genuinely unlike anything else we've tasted in California.

Infused olive oils tend to be an afterthought... low-quality oil, artificial flavor, forgettable. This one is the opposite. It tastes like tangerine and great olive oil at the same time. Drizzle it on fish, on a salad, or honestly on a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Drive in, do a tasting, bring a bottle home.

Drop your Ojai questions below and we'll point you in the right direction!

05/22/2026

We've had clients wander Florence for 45 minutes at 7:30pm, hungry and increasingly furious at each other, because every good restaurant was full.

Don't be them!

You don't need every meal pre-planned. Spontaneous lunches, a random aperitivo stop... that's part of it.

But in Italy and France during high season, the places worth going to are booked. The tiny trattoria everyone loves. The six-table bistro in Paris with the perfect steak frites. Those aren't walk-in situations.

Two or three anchor dinners per destination, reserved in advance. That's all it takes to go from hangry and stressed to exactly where you wanted to be.

We book these for our clients as part of every trip we plan. Link in bio to start planning yours.

05/20/2026

We say "tour" and we watch people flinch. Forty strangers. A headset. A guide with a flag. We get it.

That's not what we do.

Our partners are vetted... not just well-reviewed, actually vetted. They know how to read a traveler. Want to pause for an exceptional coffee? Detour to watch a craftsperson at work? End somewhere locals actually go? That's not a disruption to the plan. That is the plan.

Real flexibility. No generic itinerary. Just a day that was designed for you.

That's how we work. Link in bio to start the conversation →

05/04/2026

California wine country planning doesn't have to feel impossible.

We've spent years matching travelers to the right corner of wine country, and it almost never starts with a destination. It starts with a question.

What kind of wine traveler are you?

→ The sustainability seeker who wants to understand the terroir.
→ The view chaser who wants showstopping scenery.
→ The small production devotee who lights up over wines that never make it to retail.

Keller Estate on the Petaluma Gap is one of our go-to examples... biodynamic, family-owned, jaw-dropping bay views, tiny production. One place, every type covered!

Tell us which traveler you are and we'll point you somewhere worth the trip. 🍷

📷 +

05/03/2026

Italy's train system is one of the great joys of slow travel through the country. But there are a few things we always share with our clients.

High-speed trains (Frecciarossa and Italo) connect the major cities fast and comfortably. Book them in advance... prices climb as your travel date gets closer.

Regional trains are the opposite. No reservation needed. Just buy and go. Perfect for slower, more spontaneous days.

The thing most people miss... regional tickets must be validated before you board. Find the yellow or green machine on the platform and stamp it. Skipping this step can mean a fine, even on a valid ticket.

Also worth knowing: Trenitalia and Italo are separate companies running the same routes. Always check both for the best fare.

Save this for your Italy travel planning and drop any questions below!

04/29/2026

Three California road trips. Which is for you?

We ask two things. Ocean or mountains. Activity or atmosphere.

Big Sur and Monterey is for the person who wants coastal drama and fog-wrapped mornings. Give it four days minimum, rushing it defeats the point.

Joshua Tree paired with Palm Springs is desert stillness meets mid-century architecture and a solid pool scene.

Tahoe to Yosemite rewards slow travelers. Yosemite deserves three days. Most people give it one.

Link in bio to start planning yours →

04/27/2026

Taking the Paris Metro underground when you could be walking above it? Non!

The Metro is genuinely brilliant — fast, cheap, easy. But Paris rewards people who move through it on foot. Here's how we think about it:

🚶 1–3 stops → walk, always
🚇 Crossing the city → Metro, no question
🚆 Versailles or the airport → RER or Metro, sorted
🎟️ Big day out → grab a Navigo Pass and go

For route planning, the IDF app does all the heavy lifting. Metro, bus, and RER in one place.

Save this for your Paris trip and drop your questions below!

04/24/2026

"Is everything going to be closed?" We hear this every summer about August in Italy.

The real answer is more nuanced than the warnings suggest.

Yes, Ferragosto (August 15th) is a genuine national pause. Small restaurants, local shops, neighborhood gems... many close for one to two weeks. Italians take their summer holidays seriously, and the whole country shifts around it.

But the impact depends entirely on where you're going.

Cities like Rome and Florence actually get quieter. Fewer locals means less competition for tables and a slower pace that suits the heat.

The coasts are a different story. Amalfi, Cinque Terre, Sardinia. These are at peak capacity in August. Open, yes. Calm, no.

Our advice: call ahead, stay flexible, and seriously consider arriving in early September. Same warmth, far fewer crowds, and prices that make sense.

Link in bio for Italy planning help →

04/23/2026

One receipt. Every state park in Big Sur.

Keep your first day-use receipt when you enter any California state park and it acts as a day pass for the rest — Pfeiffer Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer Burns, Andrew Molera, Point Lobos.

Hit three or four parks in a day (very doable on this stretch of highway) and you've just saved $20–$30. That's a solid lunch in Carmel.

04/20/2026

Notre Dame is free to enter, but the details matter.

Here's what we tell every traveler before their Paris trip:

→ Free timed reservations are in seriously high demand right now. Book as early as possible to lock in your entry window.
→ No reservation? You can still wait in line, just plan to go first thing in the morning or toward the end of the day when the queue is more manageable. During peak season, that wait can be significant.
→ Going to Mass? You don't need a reservation at all. There's a separate entrance line for Mass attendees.
→ The archaeological crypt is a completely separate experience with its own entrance and its own tickets. A Notre Dame reservation does not include it — plan accordingly.
→ We work with guides who know how to navigate all of this for you, including managing entry logistics on the ground.

A little planning now means avoiding a two-hour queue when you could be eating a crêpe instead.

→ Link in bio for more Paris planning tips.

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Po Box 3569
Mammoth Lakes, CA
93546

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