Melissa Heckscher

Read the latest articles by Melissa Heckscher at Thrillist

Contributor

Los Angeles

Photo courtesy of OC Adventure Homes

Travel

Explore adventure guides and design a custom itinerary for the destination of your choice in and around the city.

Best Travel Guides, Cool Hotels and Interesting Events - Thrillist

We must’ve walked past the refrigerator of our Orange County Airbnb at least six times before we realized it was a secret doorway.

These Hyper-Themed Homes Are the Most Magical Places to Stay Near Disneyland

Nation

Illustration by Lille Allen for Thrillist

When 38-year-old father of two Austin Litteral entered an online giveaway promising a trip to space aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s New Shepard rocket, he never expected to actually win.

I Won a Trip to Space on Jeff Bezos's Rocket

Carolina K. Smith MD/Shutterstock

You’ve probably seen TSA-approved luggage locks at airport stores.

The Truth About the TSA Skeleton Key for Locked Luggage

Sorapop Udomsri/Shutterstock

The Newest Travel Trend? Flying 'Naked'

San Diego

Photo courtesy of Magical Adventure Balloon Rides

Lifestyle

Ask pilot Denni Barrett about the “Mile High Flights” he offers at his Temecula, California, hot air balloon company Magical Adventure Balloon Rides, and he’ll tell you: “What happens in the basket stays in the basket.”

The Wildest Way to Join the Mile High Club? In a Hot Air Balloon Over California

San Francisco

Photo by Charlie Anderson

One by one, cars pull into the deserted Central California Amtrak station parking lot where the road ends.

Melissa Heckscher

Latest Posts From Melissa

These Hyper-Themed Homes Are the Most Magical Places to Stay Near Disneyland

Find space beds, secret doors, and backyard playgrounds at these wild rental homes in Orange County

I Won a Trip to Space on Jeff Bezos's Rocket

Two years after entering a giveaway, Austin Litteral took off from the Amazon founder’s launch pad.

The Truth About the TSA Skeleton Key for Locked Luggage

TSA is going to unlock it, one way or another.

The Newest Travel Trend? Flying 'Naked'

Less stuff, less stress (but you still have to keep your clothes on).

The Wildest Way to Join the Mile High Club? In a Hot Air Balloon Over California

We chatted with the Temecula balloon company offering rides specifically for getting busy in a basket 5,280 feet up.

Space Enthusiasts Are Traveling Thousands of Miles to This Tiny California Town

Lompoc, California has suddenly become the center of rocket tourism in the US.