Meet Candice Waltrip | Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Candice Waltrip and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candice, why did you pursue a creative career?
I kinda fell into the creative world through my work when I was in college. While I was pursuing my degree in International Studies, I landed a full-time job at a local video production company. This was back in the early 2000s, so having access to Adobe products like Photoshop, After Effect, and Illustrator was rare unlike today where it’s more affordable and not just for business owners. When I got a taste of it, I couldn’t get enough and just kept learning more at work and attended a few Adobe workshops. I initially started working as a receptionist, but I fell in love with the production side so much that I eventually worked my way up to a video editor. There was no YouTube or Adobe Max during those times, so I learned a lot from my amazing co-workers. My sister was one of them and she taught me a ton and to this day guides me when it comes to creative work. Fast forward to today, I am no longer in video production; however, everything I learned many years ago is what I apply to my creative work for my travel blog.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I approached my sister to start a travel blog together, we had no idea where it would take us. I was living on the west coast in Los Angeles and she was living on the east coast in Tampa, Florida, so we weren’t quite sure how it was going to play out. Our initial goal was to just have fun with it. We were both already traveling on a regular basis, so we made it a point to travel together instead of separately. We also both already had a passion for photography and video, so documenting everything for our travel blog came naturally and we both really enjoyed it. Gradually, our passion started turning into progressive passive income so our hobby has evolved into a small business for us. We hit our first big challenge this year when the travel industry took a huge hit due to the pandemic. We were having one of our best years and had several collaborations lined up when we had to put everything on pause. We had no control over the situation and had to pivot our travel plans. In the end, it worked out to be one of the best experiences we had. We are both the type that does extensive research and planning for our travels, but this year we had to go with the flow (which was hard at first) and we learned that sometimes just letting go can take you to unexpected places.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are SO many things to do in LA that it’s hard to do everything I enjoy in a week, but here it goes. Eat Breakfast – Fresh baked Melon Pan (Melon Bread) in Little Tokyo. It tastes nothing like melons and the recipe doesn’t even call for melons. It’s basically a sweet bread covered in a thick layer of cookie crust on top that is super addicting. Whenever I visit Japan, I often get Melon Pan at the bakery, so it’s very nostalgic. Lunch – Amazing Vegan Ramen at Ramen Hood, which is located inside the Grand Central Market. It’s probably one of the best ramen I’ve had in Los Angeles and I just couldn’t believe it was 100% vegan. Dinner – A friend of mine recently told me about an 8-seat restaurant in Korea Town that serves the most amazing pizza. It’s a Michelin Star establishment and chef Gary Menes shares his menu via Instagram these days with limited quantities, so keeping an eye on his account is a must if you want a taste. Drink – Gracias Madre in West Hollywood serves the best Margaritas in town. The House Purista Margarita is smooth with a delicious hint of lime and the best part is the sweet citrus salted rim. Visit For hiking, I would take my friend to two completely different places. The famous Runyon Canyon Hike and the lesser-known Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park. They are completely different and both great hikes. I would spend a day driving my friend up to the Angeles National Forest where you can get the most amazing sunset views of the city. After the mountains, I would head back down towards the ocean and hop on a ferry to spend the weekend on Santa Catalina Island. For something a little more quiet and relaxing, I would suggest exploring the Venice Canals Walkway or The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Naturally, this shoutout goes to my sister, Crystal. I wouldn’t be in the creative field if it wasn’t for her. She’s had a passion for video editing since she was teenager and still does what she loves. I’m so grateful that she pushed me to go for the receptionist job that eventually opened so many doors for me both personally and professionally.

Website: https://www.thetravelpockets.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/travelpockets

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TravelPockets

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TRAVELPOCKETS

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thetravelpockets

Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/travelpockets/