CALIFORNIA TRAVEL GUIDE
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KNOW BEFORE YOU GO TO CALIFORNIA
CALIFORNIA: DID YOU KNOW?
WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA
Welcome to California! Expert travel tips, guides, and itineraries, inspired from real adventures to help travelers over 50 plan their unforgettable journeys.
About California
California – “The Golden State”, is the 3rd largest state in the USA and home to 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the popular destinations: Redwood National Park and Yosemite National Park. Entered into the USA as the 31st state, California’s capital is Sacramento, and its largest city, is Los Angeles.
Other popular California destinations include Joshua Tree National Park, San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Catalina Island, San Diego, Disneyland, Sausalito, Muir Woods, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Lake Tahoe. Yes, there are a lot more.
California is known for its beaches, wine, entertainment and music industries, Apple, Google, Facebook, incredible weather, the gold rush of 1849, the end of Route 66, Haight Ashbury, the San Francisco Giants and 49er’s, the Beach Boys, the Mamas and the Papas, the Grateful Dead (there are too many bands to list), all Hollywood stars, the 5th largest economy in the world, the Getty Museum, the Golden Gate Bridge, more national parks and outdoor spaces, and a national leader in culture and environmental policy making California the best state in the USA. Yes, that’s my opinion.
Popular California Activities
California’s weather, mountains, lakes, rivers, expansive coastline, agriculture, wineries, museums and entertainment industries and venues offer some of the best hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, fishing, wildlife and marine life watching, surfing, boating, dining, wine tasting, and cultural, sporting and entertainment events in the USA year-round.
Best Wine Tasting Tours in California
California Holidays
In addition to U.S. holidays, California may observe additional state or local holidays. It may be a good idea to check what state or local holidays they celebrate to see if there are any public service, school, or other closures as this may impact your tourist itinerary, ability to obtain travel or other services, or it could mean more tourists and/or higher prices in your California destination.
Take a few moments to see if there are California holidays to better help you plan California travel.
Tipping in California
See tipping guidelines in my USA Travel Guide for tipping in California.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
U.S. states do not impose additional travel requirements, such as documentation and vaccinations, other than those imposed at the national level. See the USA Travel Guide for all USA travel requirements.
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
Electronic Requirements
All U.S. state electric outlets require a Type A (two prong) and/or Type B (three prong) adapter. See the USA Travel Guide for electrical requirements in the USA.
Cyber Security While Traveling
Having a virtual private network (VPN) service and portable WiFi is always a good idea to not just stay connected, but stay connected securely in your hotel and all public spaces, like airports, train stations, and restaurants.
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CITY GUIDES & ITINERARIES
Use my travel guides, itineraries, travel tips, day trip ideas, and recommended things to do in these top Californian destinations, all from my travel in California, to plan your best California travel.
San Francisco Guides and Itineraries
Best Things to Do in San Francisco
Best Day Trips from San Francisco
The more I travel in California, the more that gets added to this California Travel Guide. Until then, here are my recommended things to do in each following California destination.
Sonoma County
Best Things to Do in Sonoma County
Santa Barbara
Best Things to Do in Santa Barbara
Los Angeles
Best Things to Do in Los Angeles
Best Day Trips from Los Angeles
GETTING TO CALIFORNIA
It’s important to book the top three travel necessities early: flights, accommodations and ground transportation.
No California guide would be complete without the booking tools below. These, along with fun California things to do and ecotourism ideas, will allow you to realize your California trip.
Cheap Flights to California
With the ever-growing demand for airline tickets to California, flights book quicker these days. Find cheap flights to California now.
Don’t Wait to Book Your Flight to California
WHERE TO STAY
Second in importance to buying airline tickets to California is finding the best place to stay in California. Develop your California travel itinerary now and find the best California travel accommodations to knock one more travel planning item off your travel list.
Find the Best Travel Accommodations in California
GETTING AROUND CALIFORNIA
California has all forms of transportation, including Carpoolworld, Uber, Lyft, and other possible regional ridesharing services and apps (research in advance if they are in your destination area).
Of course, you can easily get a taxi or find a rental a car in California if it better suits your California travel itinerary.
Find the Best Deals on California Rental Cars
California also has regional buses and is part of the Amtrak train system.
WHAT TO DO IN CALIFORNIA
Here are some of the top things to do in California to book for your California travel.
Best California Food Tours and Activities
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL TIPS
There are ways to reduce your eco and carbon footprint through air travel, accommodations, tours, and activities in California. To help avoid greenwashing businesses, here are some eco-friendly or sustainable travel (also called responsible travel) tips and resources, you can use to book your travel.
Air Travel Tips
Skyscanner provides a ‘Greener flights’ filter highlighting flights that emit less CO2.
Purchase carbon offsets through your airline or through a third party, like MyClimate.org, Carbonfund.org, or terrapass. Carbon offsetting allows you to buy a certificate to reduce carbon emissions, a major contributor to climate change, which in turn contribute community projects across countries to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Ground Transportation
Try to avoid flying in California by taking a regional bus or the Amtrak train.
When booking a rideshare in California, select the Uber Green option, instead of a traditional rideshare, to support the use of electric cars and carpooling for cleaner transportation in California.
The best eco-friendly forms of ground transportation in California are public transportation, walking, or renting a bicycle or electric scooter.
Explore California Bike and Electric Scooter Rentals
Lime also has electric scooters to rent in California for fast and clean commuting in select cities.
Accommodation Tips
Look for California accommodations with the following self and third-party assessed certifications when you book:
Green Globe – Green Globe certifies hotels, resorts, conference centers, transportation, attractions, tour operators, and other tourism businesses globally on sustainable operations and management. Look for USA Green Global members.
Green Key Global is an internationally recognized environmental certification for the lodging and meetings industries, including hotels and hostels, campsites and holiday parks, restaurants and attractions in 65 countries. Search for Green Key awarded sites.
Living Building Challenge – if you want to stay in a true, sustainable building, find one certified by the Living Building Challenge. LBC’s certification directory shows all project types globally. Hopefully they will put in a filter soon to allow searching by hotels or hospitality type.
LEED Certified – the USGBC’s LEED Certified label on buildings, like many of the Marriott’s hotels, are those that have verifiably employed multiple and varying green building strategies to improve human and environmental health. Search the LEED directory for USA certifications.
Green Lodging Program – Audubon International has an environmental stewardship certification through third-party verification. Search its certified members directory.
GSTC Certified – the Global Sustainable Tourism Council provides global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, as well as international accreditation for sustainable tourism Certification Bodies. Booking sites that offer GSTC certified sustainable are bookdifferent, EcoHotels, and Transat.
Another way to find accommodations in California implementing eco-friendly or sustainable practices, certified or not, is to reserve a Booking.com Travel Sustainable accommodation. Booking.com started the Travel Sustainable program in 2022.
Find Your Travel Sustainable Stay in California
Eco-Friendly Things To Do
California has ecotourism ideas available to explore for your next vacation.
Search Green Global and Green Key awarded members for eco-friendly activity providers in California. Some may also have the GSTC Certified logo.
Top Eco Friendly Activities in California
Eco-Travel Products
There are more ways to do your part for the planet in your responsible travel, like bringing sustainable and eco-friendly products to protect California’s environment.
For more ideas on how to travel with the planet in mind, read my 10 Easy Eco-Travel Tips and view my suggested Eco Travel Resources to learn more.
CALIFORNIA SAFETY TIPS
Before You Go
Buy USA travel insurance and international medical insurance for your travel in California to protect yourself and cover for emergencies.
Safety in California
In addition to the travel safety tips in the USA Travel Guide, if you are planning on going hiking, backpacking, skiing, camping, swimming or doing any other activity that will take you into remote places, please ensure you research the local travel and weather advisories in advance and respect warnings not to travel.
Let people know where are you going, provide them your itinerary, and ensure you have safety and emergency measures provided for in your travel belongings.
In larger cities, like Los Angeles or San Francisco, do not be surprised to see an element of homelessness. Not all areas of homelessness are dangerous. They may be sketchy or may make you feel uncomfortable. Therefore, read up on the latest updates for safety, keep alert, and avoid walking in certain areas at night.
Fire Season Travel Tips
BUDGET TRAVEL TIPS
California Sales Tax
California levies a statewide sales tax and cities levy an additional, local sales tax. Where you vacation in California could increase your holiday budget. Reviewing California cities’ sales tax rates may help you prepare your California travel budget.
Best Time to Visit California
Depending on where you go and when you go will greatly impact how much your California trip will be. Off season (winter) anywhere should cost less than shoulder (spring and autumn) and high season (summer). But let’s face it – this is California and it can be expensive.
I suggest doing research and booking well in advance no matter where you go to cut down on travel costs.
Budget Accommodations
Staying in California hostels could save you a lot of money on accommodations in California, especially if you stay in a dorm-style room. Save more money by booking well in advance.
Many hostels also offer private rooms, which I choose from time to time. Private rooms in hostels could possibly be cheaper than hotels in California – it depends on where you stay and how far in advance you reserve.
Don’t overlook exploring hostels in California if you’re on a budget.
Reserve Your California Hostel
Best Time to Book Travel
California can be pricey depending on your California destination and time of travel. The sooner you book your reservations, the more you’re likely to save money and get the best flight, accommodation, and rental car choices and deals.
Ready to book California travel? Don’t miss out and find the best California travel deals. The best time to book travel is now. Bundling flight, hotel and/or transportation reservations may even save you more money when traveling California.
Book California Travel Early to Save Money
