A smiling woman with long, wavy red hair and glasses, wearing a black top, against a light background.

Natasha Kayes

Natasha Kayes is a Southern California native and Only In Your State writer who grew up on the West Coast and has never lost her passion for it — even after years living in Southeast Asia. Based in SoCal, she covers local destinations with a traveler's instinct for hidden gems and authentic, off-the-beaten-path experiences, always with a camera nearby. Her years of global travel give her a uniquely calibrated appreciation for what makes the places she writes about genuinely special.