My First Kia Press Trip Experience #TheNewKia #KiaFamily

My First Kia Press Trip Experience

Two weeks ago I was in San Diego for the first time with Kia Motors of America. It was my very first press trip with a car company, and I was beyond excited, but I was also very nervous. The flight out was pretty cool, I ended up with a seat with no one in the middle seat. It was cloudy and chilly the entire time we were in San Diego, but fun was on the agenda.

Disclosure: Kia invited me to a blogger event to learn about their eco-dynamic line of cars. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Our hotel for the event was the Hard Rock San Diego. I walked in the there was a special check in table for Kia Influencers in the lobby area. Someone grabbed my bag immediately while I was checking in with the Kia Team. I got all the details about the event and found out a bit about the events of the day. I headed up to my room and I was floored. Check out my mini room tour below.

Isn’t it simply amazing? I just loved this room. It was so spacious and roomy, and the best part is the Hard Rock added curtains so I could section off the room when it was time to sleep at night. I felt like a complete rock star.

The Hospitality Suite Was Rocking

The Hospitality Suite was always stocked with lots to eat and plenty of cool things to do. I loved that Kia went above and beyond to accommodate those with food allergies. I’m allergic to onions, and I never had to guess what I could or couldn’t eat. Each dish had a label for not only my onion allergy, but gluten, dairy, and if you needed something specific the Kia Team was always on hand to help.

Although I’m not crafty I spent some time in the craft room trying to decorate a guitar with my blogger buddy Jay and another blogger. They did a much better job that I did of course. LOL.

Got Changed for a Night Out on the Town

After hanging out in the hospitality suite, I changed and headed to the lobby to get ready for dinner that night. While in the lobby we socialized and met a few of the other influencers attending the event.

Sneak Peek at the Stinger

The brand new 2018 Kia Stinger was sitting in the lobby for people to admire during the event. It’s such an amazing car. I can’t wait to learn more about this beauty. According to insiders, this baby can reach speeds of up to 167 mph.

Night One in San Diego

The night started with a very funny ride in a Pedicab to the restaurant for dinner that night. We were in the heart of the Gaslamp district, and our meal for the night was a special tasting curated by one of the Kia reps John.

Special drinks were featured on the menu that was specific to certain time periods. I tried three of the five drink specials and a glass of local wine.

A Taste of San Diego

I tried a few of the options for dinner, my favorite was the Greek Salad. Who knew roasted tomatoes tasted so good. I even went back for seconds. The big winner at my booth for the night though were the fries. They were simply delicious. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel in another pedicab and spent a few hours in the hospitality suite just relaxing and chatting with other bloggers.

Day Two Ride & Drive

Day two we were up early for breakfast then a Kia Brand Immersion presentation. After learning about the Kia brand and three cars from the eco-dynamic line, we headed out for a ride around San Diego.

Free Krispy Kreme

There was talk about free donuts leading up to the event and our first stop on the list of places that Kia recommended was Kia. We walked in and was told to order anything we wanted. I tried a new donut on the menu and of course a regular glazed donut. It was delicious.

Lunch at Tin Fish

Lunch was delicious but I was still full from breakfast and donuts that I didn’t get to really enjoy much of my lunch that day. It was however very delicious.

Closing Night

Karokee was the reason why I was so scared for this event. I thought I would be teriffed to participate. I didn’t want to feel left out and was hoping there was no pressure. The final photo sums up how I felt the whole night. I sang so many amazing songs from that seat. I danced, and waved my hands in the air. I had loads of fun. I even backed Jay up on the stage for “I Love Rock & Roll”. It was nothing I thought it would be and I wish all events has killer Karokee with a live band. It was so much fun and a great way for everyone to get know each other. Sadly it was on the last night, but so much fun.

Goodbye San Diego

The last day arrived and it was time to say good-bye to San Diego. I headed to breakfast with Jay and we ran into Afropolitan Mom, so we joined her for breakfast before getting on the shuttle and heading to the airport.

I had a blast at #TheNewKia event. Everyone was amazing. It was great meeting and hanging out with influencers on all kinds of platforms. It was easily one of my favorite press trips of all time, and I can’t wait to party with my new Kia family again.