I have never been one to plan out my trips ahead of time, especially for an entire year. Usually, all my travels happen last minute, out of nowhere and are unexpected, which is what I’ve learned to love. With 2020 being 2020, I didn’t really want to make a “bucket list” for 2021, but I figured I could make a travel wishlist as my way of putting out optimistic vibes for the new year.
My fiance, Alex, and I recently moved to California from NYC. We love New York, but we felt limited to what we could explore outside of the city without a car. Now that we have a car again the adventures are endless! We don’t plan on going anywhere internationally, but domestically there are so many places in our backyard we are excited to check out.
Table of Contents
Napa Valley
I wouldn’t consider myself a wine connoisseur, but I do enjoy the occasional Chardonnay. Napa Valley has been on my to do list for a long time now, but never made an effort to actually check the area until now. I’m hoping our current conditions end some time this year, because I would love to have a girls weekend here with some of my best friends.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
I first visited the park back in 2017 for a day trip. It was fun, and absolutely stunning, but I didn’t get to check out a lot of the things I wanted to see. Now that we live in LA we are only about 4 hours away, which is perfect for a weekend getaway.
One of my favorite things to do is to show my loved ones the world. I absolutely love, love, love introducing my family and friends to the places I’ve been to. It’s a way I show love and honestly it could be considered my love language. My fiance has never been so I’m so excited to show him General Sherman!
Joshua Tree National Park
I don’t necessarily have a goal to explore all the national parks in the country, but if I’m near one why not go check it out, right? At about 2 hours away we intend to make this another weekend getaway to check out the stars without the city lights.
Palm Springs
Palm Springs is about two hours from LA. Not really sure what to expect with Palm Springs, but I’ll take any excuse to get out of the routine and go exploring!
San Francisco
I’ve been to San Francisco a couple times in the past, and every trip was unique in its own way. There’s always something you miss when you go to the city so this time around I plan to finally ride a trolley!
Also, I’m a huge fan of the movie Princess Diaries so I thought why not check out the school Princess Mia attended? I know, I know, why would I do this? But what can I say? I love me a classic movie. At about 6 hours from LA I’ll definitely make this more of a 4-day weekend getaway.
Ojai
Now, prior to moving here I didn’t know much about Ojai, but then I heard the town has a beautiful outdoor bookstore that I must check out! Also, for my movie fans, this is the place where Easy A was filmed so you best believe I’ll be on the look out for some scenery shots. At about an hour and a half I think this would make a great place for a day trip.
Mammoth Lake
Mammoth is fairly new to me, and again, I only became familiar with the name after I moved to California. It’s about 5-6 hours from LA and it’s known for Mammoth Mountain, a great place to snowboard and hike.
Santa Barbara
I’ve heard Santa Barbara is absolutely beautiful. At about an hour and a half this would be a perfect excuse to get out of the city for the day. I love day trips, because they make up for a perfect adventure date, as I like to call them, with my fiance.
Solvang
I’ve had a few of my few friends recommend Solvang to me. I had never heard of it until I moved to LA, but apparently it’s like a small version of the Netherlands! And I love the Netherlands, so why not check it out? I think this would make for a great day trip since it’s only about 2 hours away.
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe! I see myself visiting this place quite often in the near future. I’ve seen a few gorgeous pictures of the lake’s water and it’s so crystal clear I have to go see it to believe it. Plus, I’ve also heard it’s a great place to go skiing and snowboarding during the winter times. Unfortunately, it is about 7 and a half hours from where I reside, hence the multiple trips. I at least want to make my way here once during the summer.
Big Bear Lake
A few years back I had a friend of mine tell me about the SoCal challenge where you visit the beach, dessert and snow all in one day. Since Big Bear Lake is only about 2 hours from the city I’m making this part of my challenge! Plus, I have this dream to one day own a cabin, sounds like I’ll be window shopping for some in the area.
Death Valley National Park
I’m getting so excited the more I keep talking about our potential trips. I’m now starting to realize how much there really is to explore! With Death Valley only being about a 3 and a half hour drive from LA how could I not check it out. For this trip I definitely may want to make it into a 4-day trip to make sure I see it all. Death Valley is a trip I am highly anticipating on my 2021 travel wishlist.
Putting the 2021 Travel Wishlist into full swing
Throughout the years I’ve learned to optimize my three day weekends and PTO (Paid-Time-Off), which I think is an important skill everyone must have. And if you’re not sure how to do this not to worry below I have created a table of all the dates, and potential PTO needed to optimize for weekend getaways or long vacations. So far this year we’ve been to Big Sur and Yosemite over the long weekends. To check out the itineraries for these trips make sure to check out my travel guides.
| Holidays | Date | PTO Needed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Years | 1/1 | 1 | 4-Day Weekend |
| MLK | 1/18 | 1 | 4-Day Weekend |
| President’s Day | 2/15 | 1 | 4-Day Weekend |
| Memorial Day | 5/31 | 1 | 4-Day Weekend |
| Independence Day | 7/5 | 1 | 4-Day Weekend |
| Labor Day | 9/6 | 1 | 4-Day Weekend |
| Thanksgiving | 11/25 | 1 | 4-Day Weekend |
| Christmas | 12/24 | 5 | Get the last week of the year off |
| Total | 8 | 12 | |
As you can see most of these destinations are great ideas for weekend getaways and/or day trips. I love day trips, because it’s a great way to get out of the same old routine and do something new and exciting.
As I mentioned in the beginning I rarely ever plan out my trips, but I’m hoping by creating my 2021 travel wishlist I can have something to look forward to, which I’m sure a lot can relate. Stay tuned for my upcoming adventures as I explore my new neighborhood and give you the insider info you need to make these your next travel destinations.
Want more inspiration? Check out my 2022 Travel Wish list!
