Road trip in California: Itinerary, budget & practical tips
For our 15-day road trip across California, we opted to rent a car and stay with local people (Airbnb room), booking as we went along. This approach offers total flexibility in terms of our itinerary, allowing for adjustments according to the weather and unforeseen circumstances on the road (in November, the weather changes quickly in the parks). However, accommodation can be a little more expensive if booked at the last minute.
We left during the first 15 days of November, and we were very lucky! The weather was very mild in California. However, at this time of year, some parks can experience their first snowfalls, resulting in road or site closures. We had to change our plans when Death Valley was closed due to flooding, and we were unprepared for the sub-zero temperatures at Mammoth Lake.
An essential tip to share at this point: be sure to check park websites regularly for possible road closures, especially outside the tourist season. This can help you avoid unpleasant surprises and guarantee a good travel experience.
Our 15-day itinerary in California
Days 1- 3: Monterrey & surrounding area along Highway 1
- Old Ficherman’s wharf
- Aquarium of Monterey
- Carmel by the sea
- Lobos state reserve
Days 4 – 5: Yosemite National Park
Days 6-7: Sequoia National Park
Days 8-11: Santa Barbara & surroundings along Highway 1
- Dume Point
- Santa Barbara
- Chanel Island National Park
- San Luis Obispo
Days 12- 15: San Francisco & surroundings
- Alcatraz
- Santa Cruz & the Steamer Lane surf spot
- Golden Gate park
Our 3-week itinerary in California
Days 1- 3: Monterrey & surrounding area along Highway 1
- Old Ficherman’s wharf
- Aquarium of Monterey
- Carmel by the sea
- Lobos state reserve
Days 4 -7: Santa Barbara & surrounding area along Highway 1
- Dume Point
- Santa Barbara
- Chanel Island National Park
- San Luis Obispo
Day 8: Los Angeles & Warner Bros studio
Days 9-10: Joshua Tree National Park
Days 11: Death Valley
Days 12-13 : Mammoth Lake
Days 14 – 15 : Yosemite National Park
Days 16-17 ; Sequoia National Park
Days 18- 21: San Francisco & surroundings
- Alcatraz
- Santa Cruz & the Steamer Lane surf spot
- Golden Gate park
Our best activities in California
In California, the choice of activities is vast, but our travels and passions are undeniably oriented towards the outdoors and the ocean. As a result, our adventures revolve around hiking, surfing and diving.
Hike in the parks
California is home to world-renowned parks. You can spend days and weeks exploring national parks like Yosemite and Sequoia, or the smaller but more numerous state parks.
If the idea of discovering several national parks appeals to you, opting for the $80 annual pass is a wise option, offering you access to all these natural treasures. Otherwise, expect to pay around $35 per park visited.
State parks, often smaller but just as charming to discover in a day, are available for around $10. There are many along your route, ready to reveal their natural secrets.
Surf along the famous Highway 1
The Californian coast, lined by the famous Highway 1, offers many exceptional surf spots between San Francisco and Los Angeles, with gems like Steamer Lane. This spot is best suited to experienced surfers, but you can find great waves suitable for longboarders or beginners a little lower down. When we arrived at Steamer Lane, a few surfers were getting ready for a competition! A real pleasure for us to watch them!
If you fancy the experience, you can rent a board for $20 for half a day. However, finding surf shops offering board rentals proved to be a real headache, especially those located close to the spots within walking distance. The boards we rented weren’t in great condition, but the waves were gentle. They were perfect for having fun in the water and left a memorable impression.
Dive in the Channel Islands National Park
We had the opportunity to explore Channel Islands Park by boat with the Island Packers, but this national park is also renowned for hosting some of the world’s most beautiful dive sites, so go for it!
One of the most popular experiences is diving with seals, a memorable encounter with the island’s many inhabitants. If you’re not afraid of fresh water, this is a highly recommended experience.
Our budget for a 15-day road trip in California
California may not be known as a cheap destination, but that didn’t deter us. Here are our main expenses on this road trip for two to California. In this article, we also share our impressions and tips for optimizing your budget.
Accommodation: Our biggest cost
Without a doubt, accommodation is our biggest expense. We deliberately limited our use of motels for the following reasons:
- poor value for money
- Often located along very noisy roads/train lines.
- Inability to cook. The idea of 15 days of meals in American restaurants was not realistic for us, as they are very expensive and not very well-balanced (forget the vegetables).
- Few opportunities to meet the locals. So we quickly opted for homestays, offering a unique opportunity to meet California locals.
On average, a room costs around €80 per night, but this range can vary considerably depending on location and time of year (tourist season or not, weekend or weekday…). Prices go up, especially near the sea or parks.
Car rental: the United States is the car king
If there’s one thing you can afford on a California road trip, it’s a rental car. Here, the car is indispensable, distances are long and public transport is underdeveloped. For a standard road car, we got 28€ a day.
Gasoline is also cheap, costing between $4.8 and $6.5 a gallon, which works out at between €1.20 and €1.62/l.
Insurance tip: Blue Mastercard and Visa cards generally cover damage to rental cars. However, it does not cover damage to a third party, which is usually covered by the rental company’s insurance. Check this point carefully, as it is not automatic in the USA.
Food & Restaurants
Food in California, and the USA in general, can be a challenge, especially if the idea of spending your vacation on fast food doesn’t appeal to you at all. So we limited our visits to restaurants, which can be very expensive for decent quality. Instead, we opted for home cooking.
In supermarkets offering products more similar to those we have in Europe, prices were often high, giving a “bobo” touch to the experience. For more economical options, opt for chains such as Walmart and grocery market.
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