Newport Beach

Pacific Coast Highway road trip tips

Exploring iconic Pacific Coast Highway 1 along California’s coast

There was a time in my early 20s when I’d plan a trip down to the most exact detail. Back then, I was relatively new to traveling—having discovered wanderlust after a stint abroad during college—and planning trip logistics, to me, was as fun as the actual vacation itself. But 16 years ago I married a man who is a bit more laid back about prepping for travel. He prefers serendipity to reading guidebooks. It’s rubbed off.

Santa Monica Pier

Soak up the sun in Santa Monica & Venice Los Angeles, California

This is the prototypical California beach moment: you’re in your shorts and flip-flops, standing on a street with palm trees and clear blue sky overhead. Scantily clad nubile young things zip past on Rollerblades. Nearby, gently breaking Pacific Ocean waves lap on to the glistening sandy shore. Across the street, a café overflows with tanned patrons, shaded by a canopy of bougainvillea. And you think: “It’s January!”