Frequently Asked Question: Do you have any Los Angeles trip planning tips?
I think what baffles people most is how to go about planning their trip to Los Angeles. I feel like the question usually starts in spurts … “There is so much to do. I don’t know what to do. What should I do? My brain hurts. Help!” The lost at sea photo above is very apropos. It is so easy to be overwhelmed by all that there is to do here. I hope this blog helps you cut through the noise and doesn’t add to your stress. Here are my Los Angeles trip-planning tips.
Table of Contents
Los Angeles trip planning tip one: Your first question should be, what drew you to pick Los Angeles in the first place?
Is it the beach? Do you hope to see celebrities? Are you obsessed with Midcentury Modern? Are you a music lover who wants to visit the birthplace of the California Sound? Is it all of these things? I hope to give you recommendations to do as many of these things as you’d like. Once you have that down…
Los Angeles trip planning tip two: The next question to tackle is where should you stay?
Pick an area to sleep in that is central to your interests. If you are interested in hitting all of those touristy spots like Hollywood and Universal Studios, there are plenty of hotels and rentals in Hollywood and Los Feliz. If Hollywood is where you will spend most of your time, staying at the beach is a bad idea. You will end up not enjoying your trip because so little of it will be spent enjoying the places you want to see and so much in the car.
The same applies if you dream of a beach vacation. Staying in Downtown Los Angeles because it is cheaper will prevent you from enjoying all that sun time.
Note: Los Angeles distances don’t seem far from one another in miles/kilometers; with traffic, these distances are in fact, great. See my blog post about traffic.
Los Angeles trip planning tip three: Figure out how much is reasonable to plan in a day.
I wouldn’t rush and try to hit everything your first time in L.A., nor any city you want to travel to in your lifetime. The advice I would like to give you is to consider every neighborhood in Los Angeles worthy of its own mini-day trip. Doing Hollywood and Santa Monica in one day is a bad idea; don’t do it. (Again, traffic.) There is a lot to see in both of these neighborhoods. In my neighborhood guides, I hope I give you enough reasons to stay in one part of the city that appeals to visitors and locals alike.
Distance + traffic + time = mood
Once, a family friend asked if one could take a taxi from Disney to Hollywood. My answer technically was Yes, but it would be really expensive. Disney is not in Los Angeles; it is in Anaheim, a city forty minutes south of Hollywood. It is forty minutes without traffic. With traffic, add another hour.
What seems close on paper is actually pretty torturous. Picture yourself crawling past downtown at 15 miles per hour, where three major highways intersect, to narrow surface streets with tons of stoplights. You should rethink the idea of doing Disney and making it to Hollywood for a weeknight happy hour on the same day. You should definitely not ask your friend in Pasadena to meet you in Hollywood on a Wednesday night when you are staying in Anaheim.
Also, traffic makes people crabby. Why spend your vacation in a really bad mood?
These are curated Los Angeles neighborhood guides that are great for research or on-the-go exploring. Each guide has information about tourist sites and the spots only locals know. There are suggestions for things to do, my favorite places to eat, and more.
Something you should know: I encourage you to explore Los Angeles like a local. Nothing in my posts is off-limits to you. Even the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall places. If it sounds good to you, go.
Let me do the planning for you.
I have a few options to take the Los Angeles trip planning off your plate. I know this city well and recommend places to eat, the best places to dance, free museums, and other random ideas all the time. Here are some instances of me downloading my brain.
Planning on a budget
I have some travel games and self-guide itineraries that you can use to explore Los Angeles and beyond.
Something more customized
The above options are a little more general. If you come to town for a special occasion and/or want more hand-picked recommendations, I would love to work with you.
I have planned anniversaries, neighborhood explorations for recently relocated Angelenos, team-building, and more.
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Comments (3)
DeShena@extravagantlybroke.
July 31, 2019 at 6:37 am
Oh wow, a blog all about what to do in Los Angelos! I’ve never been but it is definitely on my list of places to visit. Seems like this blog will be a great resource for planning my trip.
ulainla
August 1, 2019 at 11:54 am
Anything I can do to help. I love this city and want others to love it too.
Los Angeles Itinerary for Parents: Saturday in Sawtelle Japantown – This Ugly Beautiful City
June 10, 2021 at 5:45 pm
[…] I find that building in that chill day, where you stay local, and regroup is helpful when planning your Los Angeles itinerary for parents. Although my parent’s visit this time was not as jam-packed, there were vacations when we were busier than we should have been. These visits really helped me to develop my blog and pages like this one. […]