{"id":139042,"date":"2025-03-17T06:58:22","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T06:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/recipes\/category-a-b\/baking-category-a-b\/planning-for-a-californian-road-trip\/"},"modified":"2025-03-17T06:58:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T06:58:22","slug":"planning-for-a-californian-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=139042","title":{"rendered":"Planning for a Californian road trip"},"content":{"rendered":"


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13th January 2020<\/p>\n


\n \"California\"California <\/a><\/p>\n

Going on holiday at the start of the year is completely new to me and planning our Californian road-trip over Christmas was so much fun. Steve and I researched non-stop, swapped hotels and changed cars so much that at one point I was beginning to feel like we\u2019d never be able to finalise it all. But, we eventually we got our act together and made some firm decisions meaning we ended up with the\u00a0best\u00a0itinerary and plans firmly set. <\/p>\n

Where to start<\/h2>\n

Every time I go away I always start by taking tips and ideas of what to do from other travel bloggers. I get so much inspiration from other blogs because I find that real experiences and original photos are far more genuine than the standard trip advisor type reviews. So if you want to read some great posts about California, here are a few of my favourites: <\/p>\n

I also researched online and stalked location tags on Instagram\u2026not once did it feel stressful or like a chore. Planning a road trip around California was so much fun.<\/p>\n

Whilst I have been to California before, in 2014, I didn\u2019t get to do everything I\u2019d hoped to do. Coachella<\/a> took up so much time and whilst it was an experience I\u2019ll never forget, I knew this trip was going to be SO MUCH BETTER and I was keen to make lots of happy new memories. <\/p>\n

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\"California\"California<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

How
\nlong?<\/h2>\n

We had eight days altogether which is quite short for a road trip and it\u2019s clearly impossible to see ALL of California in that time, so we chose stops depending on what we both wanted to see and what we thought would be the most fun. I\u2019m not the kind of traveller who likes to whizz through cities and locations just for the sake of saying I\u2019ve been so aside from Vegas we stayed more than one day at most our stops.<\/p>\n

San Francisco didn\u2019t make it on our itinerary as I\u2019d like to spend more than a couple of days there, it looks incredible. It also gives us good reason to go back to California another time<\/p>\n

January is an incredibly budget-conscious time to visit which is hugely welcome after Christmas. Flights, hotels and car-hire were all cheaper than peak summer time. <\/p>\n

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\"Planning\"Planning<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Our route<\/h2>\n

San Diego (two nights) > Las Vegas (one night) > Route 66 (one night) > Newport Beach (two nights) > Los Angeles (two nights).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Planning for a Californian road trip is made far easier by the simple fact that there are so many options of things to do, California is huge! We marked out places to stop on the five-hour drive to Vegas and same for the four-hour drive back down Route 66. We also had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do when in LA\u2026Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Malibu etc.<\/p>\n

I knew that in San Diego I wanted to ride a bike up the beach, spot the seals at La Jolla, wander around the food markets, explore Balbao Park and watch the sunset whilst sat with some delicious food. I\u2019d also picked up that San Diego has the most beautiful weather all year round which guarantees you\u2019ll most likely have some nice sunny days no matter what time of year you visit.<\/p>\n

Go with the flow<\/h2>\n

Whilst I am a planner and like to have some idea of what we\u2019ll be doing I also like to wing it a bit so do allow for you route to change and try to not be so rigid with the plan you make. I received some tips and recommendations on this post<\/a> via Instagram which, after a quick search online, all looked like places we really shouldn\u2019t miss. I just didn\u2019t want to be dashing around not really being able to take it all in and enjoy it. <\/p>\n

Sometimes we\u2019re so keen to see and do as much as possible we forgot that living in the moment is equally just as important.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First
\nup, flights to LAX, California<\/h2>\n

Steve was out in America a week before for me for work so I flew out on my own and met him at LAX. Our flights (he flew in from Salt Lake City) landed within an hour of each other, which was really handy.<\/p>\n

I booked my flights in November last year (three months in advance) with Virgin Atlantic and managed to bag a Premium Economy seat for \u00a3380 return. I found this by searching on Skyscanner<\/a>* with a 3-day flexibility option from all London airports but I also spotted some Basic Economy flights on there with Delta at \u00a3220 return. There are so many good deals to be had on flights to California and if you can be a little flexible on dates and times then you\u2019ll definitely find a good one. <\/p>\n

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\"\"\/\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Also, don\u2019t forget you\u2019ll need an ESTA to visit the USA. Mine was still valid from my trip to New York<\/a> last February half-term but they usually cost \u00a315.<\/p>\n

Next
\nup, car hire<\/h2>\n

Now this is where you can get a real bargain but do be careful about booking with a reputable company. I\u2019m also against taking car hire with a company that wants to hold a \u00a32k deposit on your credit card, it\u2019s just unnecessary and sets off alarm bells for me. I\u2019ve driven in so many places now including our holiday to Sicily<\/a>, our road-trip around Andalusia<\/a>, Tuscany<\/a>, and Cyprus<\/a> and always on insist on taking the extra insurance. PS: if you decide to drive in Sicily or any other country with mad drivers, lots of hills and tight roads, get an automatic\u2026trust me! It\u2019s also pretty standard to drive an automatic in California. <\/p>\n

Anyway, the extra insurance for our California roadtrip cost us \u00a34.85 a day and whilst I know it feels like they\u2019re usually just trying to sell you something extra that you don\u2019t need, it\u2019s totally worth paying for.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always booked through Europcar<\/a>* or Opodo<\/a>* and found them be incredibly helpful, reliable and safe.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019d just needed something to get us from A-B and weren\u2019t that fussed about mod cons or total comfort I\u2019d go for a budget, small car option. But, as we we\u2019re on a road trip and would be spending quite a bit of time in the car we decided it was quite important to have something nice\u2026 something a bit more \u2018California\u2019. We managed to find a deal on a Mustang Convertible through Opodo for \u00a3282 all in! For comparison the cheapest car, a Ford SUV, was costing \u00a3152 for the full week.<\/p>\n

On
\nto the hotels\u2026<\/h2>\n

In San Diego we stayed at Abpopa Hillcrest<\/a> (press stay), a boutique hotel which is independently owned and situated just outside Balboa Park and close to lots of shops and restaurants. I actually came across the hotel on Instagram and fell in love with it\u2019s unique micro-loft style suites and bright rooms with huge windows and amazing views. As this was a gifted stay I\u2019m obliged to share a full review, that\u2019ll be coming soon! <\/p>\n

In Vegas there really was no question about the fact we needed to stay in an iconic casino hotel. One night at The Bellagio<\/a>* sorted that! I had no idea how I was going to feel about Vegas but I do think one night is plenty enough time to figure that one out! The Bellagio is super impressive but please note \u2013 do not buy a bottle of water from the mini-bar if you\u2019re not willing to pay $22 for the privilege! I didn\u2019t realise and was outraged for days after! I certainly savoured every mouthful \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n

Back down to the beautiful beaches<\/h2>\n

On the drive to Newport Beach we stopped off lots along Route 66 which also included staying in a tipi at the Wigwam hotel*<\/a> for one night. Another quirky stay I can\u2019t wait to show more of and will be doing a full review of our stay here too. <\/p>\n

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\"Planning\"Planning<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In Newport Beach we\u2019re stayed in a suite at the Bay Shores Peninsula<\/a>*. Nothing fancy here but the views and location appeared to be just what we were after! If you enjoy being close to the sea, taking beach walks and a having a little bit of downtime, here is where you need to stay. This hotel was probably one of the most friendliest hotels I\u2019ve ever stayed at. Freshly baked cookies greeted us on arrival, there\u2019s complimentary beach towels to use along with beach chairs and equipment. When we got home the owner had even sent us a cute little postcard! <\/p>\n

Our final hotel<\/h2>\n

And for our final two nights in LA we booked City Lights Apartment<\/a>* which has amazing reviews, is in a great part of Downtown LA and has two pools so we could go for a dip after a long day on our feet exploring this enormous city. <\/p>\n

Update:<\/span> I wrote this planning post before we went to California and I\u2019m updating it now that we\u2019re back. This apartment wasn\u2019t great, it was hugely exaggerated on photos and whilst it was clean and perfectly fine, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d book it again. I\u2019ve previously stayed at Mr C Beverley Hills<\/a>* and Sunset Marquis<\/a> and both were iconic, luxury and in hindsight I wish we\u2019d gone back to either of these. <\/p>\n

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What
\ndo you think?<\/h2>\n

Does our trip sound like something you\u2019d like to do? I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever had so much fun creating a travel itinerary and I can\u2019t wait to share more about what we did including writing some more about the places we stayed, the things we saw and all the gorgeous food we ate. <\/p>\n

If you go to California have an amazing time. If you\u2019ve been already and have any tips or recommendations share them below in the comments. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Did you find this post helpful? If so I\u2019d love you to share it for me.<\/p>\n

Pin and save this blog post for later\u2026<\/p>\n

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*This post contains affiliate links where I may earn a tiny bit of commission, at no extra cost to you, if you click through. I only ever include affiliate links for websites or products that I use myself and genuinely like. <\/em><\/p>\n

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