Spring is one of the best seasons to travel in because weather is warming up, tourism is low with most places being in a shoulder season meaning prices are usually cheaper than peak season! We do a lot of travel in May every year and have some great recommendations for the best places to visit in spring. Spring is that funny time of year depending on where you live one day it can be sunny in the 80s and the next it could be a snowstorm. Enjoy it while it lasts because summer is just around the corner.

One of our favorite things about traveling in spring is the wildflowers that pop up all over the trails and roadways. So it’s not only beautiful and parties are happening everywhere for spring break, but spring is a great time to travel to save a few bucks in shoulder season.

We know airline tickets can be high right now, so we have twelve of the best places to travel in spring within the United States and threw in one destination just over the southern border into Mexico.

Best Places to Visit in Spring in the US

1. Savannah, GA
2. Las Vegas, NV 
3. Seattle, WA
4. Washington DC
5. Grand Teton & Yellowstone, WY
6. Sedona, AZ
7. New Orleans, Louisiana 
8. Palm Springs 
9. Yosemite, Central CA
10. Austin, TX 
11. Breckenridge, CO 
12. Big Sur, CA
13. Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, MX

If you do head to Grand Teton and Yellowstone, be sure to check out our 7 Day Grand Teton and Yellowstone Itinerary available for download on our site to make your trip planning easier!

Best Places to Visit in Spring – Episode Transcript

1 (41s):
Welcome to this week’s episode of the Travel Squad podcast. Today, we are bringing you 13 of the best places in the U S to visit in spring.

2 (1m 6s):
Unlike winter and summer beach towns are not the place to visit in the spring. If you want that sunny, beautiful skies, warm weather, beaches are not. It. It gets cloudy. June gloom, may gray avoided at all costs.

3 (1m 23s):
Well, I love how you say winner, but I want to clarify when it’s winter here in the us, you can always escape to places to get that little bit of warmth, right? But you are very correct in the thought process that spring lends itself to certain places and beach weather definitely is not it. And we’ve even touched upon this before being here in San Diego, where we say like spring sometimes is not the best to come because we always have that overcast layer and you’re going to go to the beach. It’s going to be cold, right? So in this episode, we are giving you 12 awesome places in the U S to visit and spring. We’ve done episodes like this before in the past where we’ve talked about the best winter or summer, and here we are trying to round out all the seasons.

3 (2m 4s):
Maybe fall’s coming up here pretty soon. But spring today,

2 (2m 7s):
Spring is actually one of my favorite seasons because winter’s cold. It’s dreary. It’s long, not here in San Diego, but you know, everywhere else it is. And so when spring comes, the time changes, we get more daylight. People get to have this like pep in their step, this energy of the season. And you know, summer’s coming spring is here. There’s flowers. It’s a good time.

3 (2m 29s):
It’s like the rebirth of the world in a sense, right? It’s kind of dormant during the winter, comes back to life during spring and before it gets exceptionally hot in the summer. We know this I’ve said it a million times before I hate the heat spring and fall are my favorite seasons. I love winter too in winter aspects, but to be in it 24 7, it’s a bit much. And it can, we’re very fortunate here in San Diego for that aspect. So I’m super excited about this episode right here to give you guys the inside tips and our recommendations on the best spring locations in the U S

2 (3m 1s):
Before we reveal the destinations, you know, we got to start with the tip

3 (3m 6s):
Tips. Always. First,

2 (3m 8s):
First tip that I have is to pack for hot and cold because although the sun’s coming out and it’s going to be warm during the day, it can get cool really quick in the nighttime.

1 (3m 18s):
And even sometimes in the mornings, like you may start off with a fleece or a jacket. And then as the day goes on, start to shed those layers, but you’re going to want those layers to have,

3 (3m 27s):
Right? And not all spring places are springy. Some places still have snow heads up. One of the locations for sure that we’re going to mention on here still has a little bit of snow for you. So you’re going to want to have that good balance of your clothing. That way you can accessorize for all temperatures.

2 (3m 45s):
Brittany’s number one, tip, download offline maps.

1 (3m 48s):
You can never go wrong with that.

2 (3m 50s):
Doesn’t matter where you’re going or what you’re doing. Download offline maps.

1 (3m 54s):
Like I feel like I still need it here in California. Sometimes depending on where I’m going,

2 (3m 59s):
I was just on a trip in Idaho and Montana. And we were driving through windy roads in the mountains and we lost service and we did not have offline

1 (4m 9s):
Maps. I’m really disappointed in you

2 (4m 10s):
For the, I wasn’t doing the planning on this one, but you know, it was kind of a straight from

3 (4m 14s):
I’m a little disappointed because I know when you went on your birthday trip, also Kim to Tennessee and smoky mountain national park, you did mention on a previous episode also that you lost service and didn’t download it. So you’re preaching it, but not practicing it. But usually mom here, Brittany is the one to download that

2 (4m 32s):
That’s right. So make sure at least one person in your group has it. And if not use this as an opportunity to test your navigation skills,

1 (4m 42s):
Another tip for you is to bring allergy medication. You know, flowers are blooming and spring. And so there’s a whole bunch of pollen out. And so you may have some allergies. You don’t want to spend your trip, sneezing, coughing, having runny eyes. Red-eyes anything like that. So pack your allergy medication.

3 (4m 60s):
And that’s a really good tip segue into our final tip, which is kind of look for seasonal spring events, such as flower field blooms right here in San Diego. Now not technically San Diego, a little bit north of San Diego and Carlsbad. We’re famous for the tulip fields that they have out there.

2 (5m 16s):
They’re not two lifts there they’re flowers. I don’t know what kind but

3 (5m 20s):
No,

2 (5m 20s):
I don’t think they have to, but I I’ve never been. So I can’t really say for sure, but that is something I’ve always wanted to do. So we always say, explore your own backyard right? This year, I am making a point to go.

3 (5m 32s):
I heard on the radio very recently that they’re about to start. So that’s the good news is they are here. So look for places and destinations like that. And one of the destinations we have on here, they have a particular blossom season that we’re going to talk about as one of the main reasons why you should go also. So awesome tip.

1 (5m 49s):
So jumping right into our list, destination, number one is Savannah, Georgia. And we actually have this on our list, but we’ve actually never been there. We’re going there in about a month and a half. We’re going to be there May 14th and 15th. And the reason why we booked the trip during that time is because we heard it’s a perfect time to visit Savannah Georgia.

2 (6m 9s):
It’s also a spooky time to visit because when we go, Brittany has booked us a ghost tour

1 (6m 16s):
Levels. We said five to seven. Jamal was said, scary level.

2 (6m 21s):
Jamal was trying to go too scary, but we’re going like mid,

3 (6m 24s):
Well, we’ll see which one you ladies ended up picking, and we’re just going to rock it and go with it. But you know, it’s a little difficult for us to put a destination on here that we haven’t been to yet, but based off of all our research and everything that we’ve read and seen, like I’m super excited for this trip. So I know it’s going to definitely be good. There’s so many things that you could do in Savannah, Georgia. They have the beautiful plantations, the big trees that I don’t want to say. They’re like the, the weeping Willow trees, but they have the big long paths and things like that. That goes towards the historic towns. This is going to be primetime and it’s in Georgia. This part of the us during summer hot and humid, you’re beaten it.

3 (7m 6s):
And that’s why it’s another great time to go in spring.

2 (7m 9s):
And another thing that we’re going to do there is a walking tour to experience all of the sites to see. So you really want to do that when the weather’s good. It’s not too hot, not too cold, and you can really enjoy it.

3 (7m 20s):
Yeah. And one of the biggest draws is the city market. It’s like four blocks of open air shopping, dining art and everything like that spring, just so conducive for things like that.

1 (7m 30s):
And so when I was doing my research for Savannah Georgia, there wasn’t a lot of hotels in the downtown area that I could really find. And so we actually ended up booking in Airbnb so that we are very walkable to all of the locations we want to visit.

2 (7m 45s):
I’m excited to report back on this particular trip because we have a very special guest joining us on this one.

3 (7m 52s):
Yes, we do. So Zayna, as you know, former squad member, my sister is unfortunately no longer part of the squad. Although from time to time, we still do make trips and adventures with her. However, my other sister Nashua is joining us on this squad trip. So

1 (8m 10s):
Just been dying to get in honesty.

3 (8m 12s):
Yeah. So a special guest Nashua joining us on the trip. I don’t know if she’ll be here to record the episode with us, but I can tell you this. She’s excited. We’re excited, Savannah.

2 (8m 23s):
It’s going to be fun. We actually had a listener. One of you guys wrote us recently and asked if we were taking squad apps. Cause they wanted to go on a trip with us. And the answer is yes. If you want to go on a trip, hit us up.

3 (8m 35s):
We’ll give you an interview checklist. And if you pass it, believe me, we’re open to squad members, a honorary squad members, I should say. And then testing honorary potentially permanent, who knows,

2 (8m 45s):
Who knows. We can just be one big old squad out there,

1 (8m 49s):
But I’m super excited for Savannah Georgia because the one we haven’t been there yet, we’ve heard a lot about it. It’s supposed to be very beautiful, very historic, a little bit of spookiness to it too. And I hear really good Southern cuisine.

2 (9m 2s):
Ooh, red beans

1 (9m 4s):
For that. My gosh. And because we haven’t taken that trip yet, please be sure to subscribe so that you know, when this future episode launches, because you know, for sure we’re going to release an episode on our time in the south

3 (9m 16s):
Destination, number two, an American classic Los Vegas, Nevada, since city, the capital of the world, how can you go wrong?

2 (9m 25s):
You can’t go wrong, especially in spring. And why are we recommending spring pool parties? Pool party season begins in March, baby.

3 (9m 34s):
I don’t know. You know what Kim, over 30. I don’t know if she’s full party age.

2 (9m 39s):
Normally I bought a ticket to splash house this year.

3 (9m 42s):
I did hear that. I didn’t hear that, but you missed it. The last two years, one of them was a COVID year. The other year something was going on in 2021. So I know you got splash house, but I, I got a hankering and a good feeling that this year after splash house, you might say,

2 (9m 55s):
I will never, I will never be done with pool parties.

1 (9m 59s):
She’s going to get her splash tattoo this year

3 (10m 2s):
Point being pool parties. But there’s so many other things to do in Las Vegas. But since we’re talking about the pool parties, I guess that’s conducive to the weather. And that’s another reason why we’re mentioning Las Vegas and spring. I’ve said this in many episodes before people don’t realize it deserts in the winter, get freezing. I’ve been in Las Vegas where it’s actually snowed. There’s been icicles hanging from the Caesar palace fountains. It’s cold. And in summer it’s definitely hot. So spring is that good balance. You’re going to get a good bit of warmth, but it’s not going to be the overbearing summer heat. And you want to enjoy it. During that time,

2 (10m 41s):
I have two side tangents about Vegas in the summer one, I went with my friend Chelsea, we got out of the car and she’s like, why do they have the heater on in the valet? It was literally the heat of summer. Wasn’t the heater

3 (10m 55s):
She was drinking already at to make a steak. It wasn’t

2 (10m 57s):
Really that drunk.

3 (10m 60s):
And then,

2 (11m 1s):
And then opposite of that, I was there in June, once at a pool party and it was windy and cold. We were like shivering in the pool.

1 (11m 8s):
Really?

3 (11m 9s):
I think that’s an abnormal. Yeah. Yeah. He doesn’t happen.

1 (11m 12s):
Typically in the spring time, highs are in the seventies, eighties, perfect amount of heat to lay out and enjoy, but not super hot where you’re just like sweating all over the place.

2 (11m 22s):
It’s also good. Cause there is hiking and outdoor stuff to do around there. So if you want to do that, springtime is perfect for it.

1 (11m 28s):
That is very true. Red rock canyon is only a 30 minute drive from downtown Las Vegas. And it has some really good hikes.

3 (11m 34s):
Well, not to mention that shopping the malls, the fine dining, the buffets. We’re just going to say the buffet, but I won’t lie when we’re in Vegas, usually for Brittany. And I don’t want to say to, to find a dining, but definitely fine dining near there. That’s what we like to splurge on. Kim’s the pool parties, Brittany and I is the dining aspect

2 (11m 54s):
Of what was that name of the fine dining Boothbay we tried to go to,

3 (11m 59s):
We tried to go to the Bach and all buffet at Caesar’s palace.

2 (12m 3s):
So squad tip Make a reservation. If you want to go there

3 (12m 9s):
With COVID now they had reservations. I don’t know if they’re going to keep that, but yeah, definitely looking to making reservations that definitely doesn’t hurt. That’s one of the most crowded ones and supposedly ranked one of the best, if not the best in terms of the quality of food that they use at that buffet.

1 (12m 26s):
Yeah. So we tried to make a reservation the same day that we wanted to go to the Bacchanal. We were on a wait list. We were number 100 on the wait list.

2 (12m 35s):
We never made

1 (12m 36s):
It, never made it. We ended up going to Scarpetta,

2 (12m 38s):
Which was really good. They have a secret menu, by the way,

3 (12m 41s):
Just got to ask for it. Like Kim did can be in the picky eater. They made something special for her and it was actually delicious. Maybe one of the best things they brought to the table that night, not going to lie.

1 (12m 50s):
They do have use of the Bellagio fountains. So it’s a really nice place to eat. I’ve also eaten at some other great places like Gordon Ramsay steak, Joel Rubicon’s restaurant, those

2 (13m 0s):
Potatoes. Oh,

3 (13m 2s):
That’s what I make my famous mashed potatoes after Kim is the Juul rubish on potatoes. Mind,

1 (13m 8s):
Kim, have you done any of the, the shows, the entertainment and

2 (13m 12s):
I’ve done some entertainment. Yeah.

3 (13m 18s):
I’ve

2 (13m 18s):
Been to the mail. Hustlers Got a private left-hand side.

3 (13m 23s):
There you go. But beyond what we know you can do there so much comedy shows, Cirque de Solei up your alley, Kim Chippendales and magic Mike shows, but all sorts of things, even family entertainment for that matter too. So I mean, Vegas is just a great place to go and we really do mention spring because it’s not giving you the extremes of summer and winter for it. And it’s a great, great time to go and enjoy all that Las Vegas is famous for.

1 (13m 51s):
We actually have an episode on Vegas it’s episode 35. So go back and listen to that.

2 (13m 56s):
Number three best place to visit in spring is Seattle Washington, because this is wild flower season. All that rain that Washington and Seattle gets comes to pay off in the spring time. We have,

1 (14m 9s):
I visited Mount Rainier national park, which was right outside of Seattle. And we went in fall and there was still a wildflower. So I can’t imagine how beautiful and lush it would be in the spring season.

2 (14m 22s):
The one time we’re actually, I’ve been there a couple of times, but one time I really went as a tourist to Seattle in August. It was so damn hot to be walking around the city, waiting in the line for the space needle in the heat. So the spring would be perfect because it’s definitely still going to rain on you, no matter when you go, but at least when you are walking around the city, because it’s a very walkable city, you won’t be like sweating. Like I was.

3 (14m 46s):
Yeah. And speaking of the weather, Kim, and again, that’s a lot of the reasons why we’re listing these places is because they’re perfect. Weather-wise in the spring now, normally in the summer, Seattle actually has really good weather, but with the crazy weather patterns that we’ve been having lately and those crazy extreme heat waves, you’re definitely gonna want to go and spring so that you can avoid those because it’s usually temperate weather in Seattle and you want to experience it with that. And it just seems so abnormal because even in the city, you go a little bit outside the outskirts, just everything is so green. And then when you feel that heat with it, it just doesn’t make it feel like a conducive environment. And spring is the perfect time to, and you definitely don’t want that winter rain. I mean, it always rains up there, but this is a good kind of shoulder season to avoid that.

1 (15m 30s):
And in spring that’s when all of the snow starts to Mel and there’s so much runoff, the waterfalls are going to be amazing in the Pacific Northwest. I love the Pacific Northwest. So it’d be a really good time to visit some really nice waterfalls in and around Seattle.

3 (15m 45s):
And weather-wise the side, let’s talk about some of the Seattle highlights, we’ve all been there. What did we love about what some of the must do’s lady

1 (15m 53s):
Pike, place market, definitely going to see all of the fresh fish, the crafts, the goodies, and then it’s like right on the pier as well. So love that.

2 (16m 2s):
I think it’s like, obviously if you’re there, you have to do it. It’s so iconic to me. I was like, man, it’s okay. I loved the space needle though. The views from up there, the glass bottom, I thoroughly enjoyed that

1 (16m 15s):
And it rotates a bit too. Yeah. I hear that in spring. It’s the best time to go. Whale-watching in Seattle because more than 20,000 gray whales migrate along the west coast every single year,

2 (16m 28s):
I need to redeem myself because the one time I went whale-watching here in San Diego, saw zero whales,

3 (16m 34s):
Zero Wales. Well, I know you have family up in Alaska. I’ve been trying to get us to go to Alaska, to the national parks camp. Did you go whale watching an Alaska

2 (16m 42s):
Negative

3 (16m 43s):
Negative? I’m sure we would for sure. See them when we were there, but definitely with a number 20,000 strong in the spring, you have to go do the whale-watching in Seattle. On top of the other main highlights that we just mentioned, Seattle is a great hub. Brittany touched upon it earlier, Mount Rainier national park there’s Skaget valley, which is one hour north for their tulip festival that they have Olympic national park. You could drop down into Portland, go to another state, go a little bit north and go to another country and go into Canada and Vancouver. So Seattle creates a great hub to do lots of things and great time again weather-wise and an all American city. For sure.

1 (17m 20s):
I bet Olympic would be so beautiful in spring because everything’s so green and lush. And I bet they’re still that like basely are a fog and kind of that eeriness to Olympics. So I think that would be awesome to visit

2 (17m 33s):
Highly recommend Olympic national park if you’re there. And if you have four hours to drive there and back make a point to go to it. We did an episode back on episode number 68, where we re re reviewed Olympic and Mount Rainier. And it was a good one. If you can hit both of those on that trip, do it.

3 (17m 51s):
And that’s what I said in that episode, you know, we had gone in September and it was a little bit more warm and I do think in spring, and I said that to you, Kim, because you had been, that was your second time. And I said, I wanted that kind of like mist and fog. That’s supposed to be in here. And he said, if you’re here earlier in the year, you’re going to get that.

2 (18m 10s):
Well, I went in August, but I think maybe I went earlier in the morning or the day, I don’t know, check the fog weather before you head up

3 (18m 19s):
Either way springtime, highly likely you’re going to hit it. That’s for sure.

1 (18m 22s):
So number four on our list is Washington DC. And we specifically recommend that you visit Washington DC in spring because of the national cherry blossom festival.

3 (18m 33s):
Yes. So they have the festival as during certain times of year. Obviously, you know, it always changes when they blossom, but it’s usually around end of March to mid April and Washington DC and all their Riverwalk area and everything just so beautiful with the colors with the cherry blossoms. You know, when we were there in may, Brittany, we were clearly too late and had missed it. And I said, I do want to go back to go see cherry blossom, season Washington, DC, famous for it.

1 (19m 2s):
Also in may, they have a festival called passport DC. It’s a free month long festival in may. And the first two Saturdays are entirely devoted to empathy, open houses. Like how cool would that be to go into an open house dedicated to the embassies?

3 (19m 17s):
I mean, that would obviously be super cool. It’s Washington DC. It’s the capital of the United States, the diplomacy that takes place over there. And to just go in and see the open embassies, that’s really unique. And until you put that on the show notes, and we did that review, I had no clue that that was even a thing. You know, I thought you had to be like a foreign dignitary or somebody in politics to go into those embassies.

1 (19m 38s):
It has so much to offer food, dance, music, performances, fashion, and then, you know, in spring, it’s a great time to visit the Smithsonian’s the air and space. Museum’s amazing. And so is the museum of natural history.

2 (19m 52s):
Let me ask you though, since I’ve never been to DC, is there anything to do besides museums and diplomatic excursions?

1 (20m 1s):
It’s a big foodie hub. Ooh,

3 (20m 4s):
Lots of Michelin starred restaurants in the DC area. When we were there, we tried to go, we were actually in DC. What was it, Brittany on a Monday, if I remember, and the restaurants were closed on those days, and that was a little bit unfortunate on that, but it is a very big foodie hub, but if you’re not wanting to go to the museums in particular, which the museums there I’m sure are exceptional. We were there during COVID times and they were closed again, very unfortunate. So another reason for us to go back, but you could see the landmarks. Maybe you might consider that to be kind of museumy, but the Lincoln Memorial, the reflection pools, all the war memorials from world war II, Korea, et cetera, Washington monument us Capitol the white house.

3 (20m 46s):
So you can really see that. And just everything that you’ve always seen on TV, if you’ve never been there now you’re seeing it in person. And it just has this kind of like unique feeling, let alone the fact that it’s the U S and you know, to an extent like this is kind of really where things that control the world take place in a way it’s kind of eerie, but yet. Cool.

1 (21m 3s):
Yeah. So we did a quick day trip, like Jamal said to DC last may it’s episode 100. If you want to go back and check it out,

3 (21m 10s):
And I’m going to say real quick before we move on, we’ve mentioned spring because of the weather. I mean, that’s the general theme, pretty much kind of for all of these, but it gets hot, humid and muggy in the summer. So go in the spring. Otherwise you’re going to be miserable and in winter, you’re gonna freeze your ass off. And there’s crazy snow storms in that area too. So perfect time.

2 (21m 29s):
You want to know what I’m thinking right now? Yeah.

3 (21m 32s):
Hit me with a Kim. I’m excited. You have this look on your face. I know the squaddies can’t see it, but I see it. I’m intrigued.

2 (21m 37s):
There are so many places in, especially in the Eastern us that are really humid, hot and muggy. Like what are these people wearing

1 (21m 48s):
Clothes so that they don’t get swamp ass that’s for sure.

2 (21m 50s):
Yet, if you go back to our Miami episode, make very clear, do not wear tan shorts.

3 (21m 56s):
You evaded it though. Kim, we had a whole conversation about it. You evaded, you evaded it, but yeah, more than likely, you know, you’ve probably not yet.

2 (22m 4s):
What are they wearing?

3 (22m 5s):
I just think about all the people that work in DC that have to wear suits during the summer. It’s probably disgusting.

2 (22m 10s):
Definitely not 10 suits.

3 (22m 12s):
Definitely not,

2 (22m 13s):
But there’s a lot of swamp ass over there.

3 (22m 16s):
That’s why they say drain the swamp over that.

1 (22m 20s):
Well, Kim, you really hit us with that question.

2 (22m 23s):
Number five on our list is not a hot and humid place. It is Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks in Wyoming.

3 (22m 31s):
Yes. So we have two episodes on this episode, 56, 57. I do believe these were some of our more recent replays that we put on to for you guys, because it is coming close to spring on. Now pretty much is spring and perfect time to go. The weather is great. You have that snow melt and that fall, all the wildlife is coming out. So you have the good, nice spring, warm weather, still kind of chilly, but not too cold. And yet the backdrop of the snow, but not too much snow either.

1 (23m 3s):
We actually went in late may, early June, perfect time to visit. Like I remember when we were hiking up to hidden falls, the waterfall was just gushing and flowing and there was still snow on the ground even. And I talked to my dad who actually went to Grand Teton in Yellowstone this past summer. And he went later in the season and he said, there really wasn’t much of a good waterfall. And I, it was just a completely different experience than what we had. So it was like, oh, okay, well then, you know, spring is the best time to visit for sure.

2 (23m 33s):
Let’s say the only bad thing about visiting during this time is that you’ll probably be taking on and off your light sweater because it’s, it’s not hot and it’s not cold, but it’s just in that middle part where you’re going to want it. Oh

3 (23m 45s):
Yeah. And then you start moving and then it gets warm and then you stop and then it gets cold or a little gust of wind. Yeah. So, I mean, that’s more the big inconvenience, but all the pros that come from going at this time, I definitely do think outweigh that. Like Brittany said, scenery wise for the waterfalls and they’re just gushing. Wildlife is abundant and they’re coming out from

2 (24m 5s):
Yeah,

3 (24m 6s):
Of course. But they’re all just now thriving in spring, whereas they were sheltering in the winter. So they’re out and about. You’re going to see a lot more wildlife,

2 (24m 14s):
Winter wise. You can’t even come here. There will be so much snow. A lot of the trails will be closed. So it’s completely off limits summer. You’re going to hit the families, the vacationers, the foreigners, it’s going to be very crowded. Spring is the perfect time to go.

1 (24m 28s):
Yeah. You may want to pack some crampons though, because there were a few hikes that we went on where snow is still on the ground. And we could have probably used the crampons for a bit.

2 (24m 37s):
Okay. I need to address the crampons. So I said, I was in Idaho and Montana last weekend and I purchased some for this trip because there was going to be snow. And I was with my two friends. And at one point I said, I’m really glad we had the crampons. Cause we really needed them. And they’re like, crampons, did you just make up that word? Because they call them ice cleats.

1 (24m 60s):
Oh.

2 (24m 60s):
And they never heard the word crampon before. And I was like, I didn’t just make that up. It’s not like a variation of tampon. I just made up, I had to show them the Google listing that it’s referenced in that way,

3 (25m 13s):
Ice cleats, you know, that makes a lot of sense. But that sounds like the lazy way to say it. Like they don’t know the word, which clearly they did

2 (25m 20s):
All of those things. I

3 (25m 21s):
Know, I believe it, but I’ve just never heard it. But it’s almost one of those things that like, where I see on Buzzfeed, it’s like, we can tell where you live based on what you call these things that they’re like fireflies or lightning bugs or whatever the hell they’re called. Yeah. So I wonder if it’s one of those

2 (25m 37s):
From San Diego. So I’ve

3 (25m 39s):
Never heard of ice cleats,

1 (25m 40s):
Micro spikes to change.

2 (25m 42s):
Well, I’ve never heard him called chains, but they look like chains for your feet jeans for your feet. So anyway, crampons ice cleats, those are all the same thing. If whatever term you use.

3 (25m 51s):
Yes. But let’s talk a little bit about Yellowstone and Grand Teton at Yellowstone. You’re going to see the famous geological formations of all the hot Springs, geysers. It’s so amazing out there. One of the most unique things that you can really see, I mean, you’re going to see wildlife and you’re going to see crazy geological formations that you’ve probably never, ever seen before in your life.

2 (26m 14s):
Some really impressive shit out there.

3 (26m 15s):
Yes. And then Grand Teton. We’ve said it many times before. I’m going to say it again because I really loved it. I think it’s one of the most scenic national parks that I’ve ever been to beauty wise. Like if you want to feel kind of like a little bit, like you’re in Europe, I felt like this was the place in terms of the way the mountains looked, the narrows that were actually there and how they were so full of color. And it’s just like when you see Europe and the Alps, like I got that vibe out here. So it’s really, really cool.

1 (26m 40s):
And Grand Teton is known for hiking, boating, fishing, and horseback riding

2 (26m 45s):
And Jackson, Wyoming is the town closest to this national park. And it’s super fun.

3 (26m 50s):
I really enjoyed it. It’s small. It’s quaint. It’s rustic. I feel like I’m in the wild, wild west, but not too wild at the same time that I don’t have those modern company,

2 (26m 58s):
Very family friendly and really good barbecue.

3 (27m 2s):
Barbecue. You wouldn’t think barbecue out there, but it was good. Big hole. I’m going to say it again. No, we started talking about the fourth hole. Seven four, oh man.

1 (27m 11s):
Big hole. Yeah. That, you know, that trip really sparked my love for barbecue. And I had been on a mission to try barbecue pretty much everywhere else.

3 (27m 21s):
And that’s why we put number one on there. Savannah, can’t wait to have the barbecue out there too. Just going to flash back to that.

1 (27m 27s):
Hey travelers, let’s take a quick detour to talk all about our traveler itineraries that we’ve created just for you. We now have six different trip itineraries one week in Kauai

2 (27m 38s):
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3 (27m 40s):
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1 (27m 43s):
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3 (27m 49s):
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2 (27m 55s):
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1 (28m 16s):
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3 (28m 29s):
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1 (28m 41s):
So number six on our list is one of my favorite places to visit Sedona. Arizona. Spring is a perfect time of visit because the days are warm, but the nights and the mornings are still very cool,

2 (28m 52s):
Extremely cold. I was actually there in March for a yoga festival and did a sunrise yoga session and it was so fucking cold. I had to stop halfway through and go inside.

3 (29m 3s):
Well, and that’s why there’s the good tip that we mentioned earlier pack for both right Kim, because Sedona is one of those places. I mean, it’s hot, it’s a desert yet during the winter. And here we are straddling that line during the day. It’s not going to be too hot. It’s going to be very nice, very comfortable, but you get to those evenings and mornings and you got that chill factor, but it definitely balances out because there’s a lot of beautiful scenery and hikes out there. So perfect time to do the hiking in the mornings, early evenings and kind of even beat that mild heat and warmth that they do have there that’s a donut is just so, so beautiful. And we just keep finding ourselves, always wanting to go back. I

2 (29m 40s):
Want to go back really? Do

3 (29m 42s):
We need to do it as a squad trip because we haven’t even done it as a squad trip yet. I

2 (29m 46s):
Know w we need to make this happen. I

3 (29m 48s):
Think it would be a good one. Well, I was going to say spring.

1 (29m 51s):
Yeah. You know, we have found $45 flights to Phoenix and then driven for there, but also from coming from San Diego, it’s an eight hour drive to Sedona. So it’s actually not too bad if you break it up, like leaving on a Friday night, driving to Phoenix and then doing the rest of the drive Saturday morning, it makes it for an easy weekend or trip.

3 (30m 10s):
We actually have a full episode on Sedona episode 73, where we give a lot of good details, talking all about it. However we have since gone back since releasing that episode. So we do have more information on it too. So it’s very complete. But I also want to say to an extent, not as much information as we do have now on it, but very good episode to go back and listen to, but let’s talk about a little bit of the highlights that Sedona has to offer.

1 (30m 34s):
Well, so Dona is known for its healing properties and all of the vortexes that are in the whole entire town, like around the town. And so it’s a great place to hiking cause you can get to the center of some of these vortexes

3 (30m 46s):
Ladies believe in that yuppie stuff I do too, actually. And you know, when you’re there, it’s one of those things that you hear about it. And if you’re not into that, you’d really don’t believe it. And then you’re there and you just have that sense of calm and relaxation that just really takes over you. And I do believe it. So there’s several places where they have the vortexes or vorticies. Is that how you would say it plural Four to sigh. And we’re going to have to look in a Webster’s dictionary and get back to you on the plural of vortex, but there are lots of them out there. And then we even did bell rock one time. That was a one on our most recent trip, a very fun hike that is also a vortex, but Sedona has that balance of desert and forest, like, and the beautiful colors of the red rocks that they do have out there.

3 (31m 32s):
Like I’ve never seen red rocks, like I’ve seen in Sedona, Arizona, it like one of the most beautiful desert landscapes. You know, we always talk about Zion national park and how it’s kind of like foresty and red rock Sedona is another good match. That’s kind of similar to that, but a little bit more flat and less mountainous, but they do have those like table mesas and those crazy rock formations that just really pop in the city.

1 (31m 55s):
One of my favorite hikes to do in Sedona is to devil’s bridge. It’s super scenic. I actually did it on my birthday one year. And it’s a must you at sunrise because as the sun is coming up at golden hour, it just illuminates all of the red rocks and it just becomes this beautiful orange, red glow.

2 (32m 12s):
It would be a great place to go out and meditate or do a little tied cheeky or yoga. When I was there, I did a little yoga session out in the rocks. We did a hike and then a little session there and it was straight up magical, highly recommend.

3 (32m 27s):
I definitely do believe it. Like I said, like, you really get that sense of calm and relaxation when you’re there. Like you really feel that difference. And I do want to say, so everybody is well aware. Sedona is a very expensive city, like really expensive to stay in and even food is expensive. So unless you’re eating like at a McDonald’s or like, and I don’t even want to use the word mom and pop, but like maybe like a quick like takeout restaurant or something like that, or,

2 (32m 52s):
Or go to like, I would say the best thing that we’ve done before too, is go to a, a grocery store and get food and make it like you’re on vacation. You’re obviously gonna want to eat out. And so if you are going to take this trip, just kind of know, Hey, this might be a little bit more of a splurge trip if you’re trying to do it cheap. I think the Airbnb grocery store way is probably the best. Yeah.

3 (33m 13s):
Yeah. And that’s what I was saying. The only few places to get cheap food, if you really want to, or those kinds of things that I just described otherwise. Well, I know. And that’s why I said like, not even like a true mom and pop, but like, let’s just say like a Mexican taco Maria or something like that, you know, you could find them that like still at decent prices, but even like anything that’s actually like true, sit down. You’re looking at anywhere between 20 to $35 a plate on the low end of things. You know, they have lots of restaurants out there that are like $50 plate plus places.

2 (33m 42s):
And they do try to make their food healthier. Like it goes with the healing vibe of the town. A lot of their food is geared more in that direction, which is, you know, it makes it a little bit more worth paying more. But again, if you’re budgeting for this trip, keep that in mind.

3 (33m 55s):
Two things I want to touch on before we leave. One of them is bear mountain. One of the hikes that we did more recently, it is a burner. You gain 2000 feet in elevation and 2.5 miles, but it definitely gives you amazing, amazing views. And the last thing that I have, I don’t know about you ladies, but pretty, what was that place that we wanted to go that didn’t get to go to the, it has the natural like rock slides. I

1 (34m 19s):
Think it’s called slide park actually.

3 (34m 21s):
Yeah. So I think they have a state park out there and you all right, Brittany slide park. And basically they have little, like, I don’t want to call them full-blown rivers, but creeks and streams. And they’re really, really smooth. And so you can actually slide down them naturally and go in there. And we were going to do that that one day, but we had that unfortunate thing happened. It was hot during the day. And then by the time we got there, after our hike in the evening, it was a little too cold to get in. So if you’re going to do it during spring, definitely do it during the day because that morning, and even it’ll be a little too cold.

1 (34m 53s):
Yeah. We’ve gone several times now. And I still have a list of hikes that I want to do or things I want to do in Sedona. So we’re going to go back squad trip. We’ll let you know how it is.

3 (35m 2s):
Lucky. Number seven on our list, new Orleans, Louisiana, or should we say Nolens, New

2 (35m 9s):
Orleans,

3 (35m 9s):
Nolens. How do you say it? Kim

2 (35m 12s):
New

3 (35m 12s):
Orleans, New Orleans. I like that.

2 (35m 14s):
It is a fun place to go. And you do want to go in spring. We’ve been mentioning weather a lot. This is one of those places in the summer where it is swamp ass central. And in the winter I went November for my birthday. It was so fucking cold,

3 (35m 29s):
Brittany. And I went in December one time cold, this shit, man, cold as shit. And minus the weather side, which is very important. Because again, this is in that part of the world where we’re taught or not part of the world, part of the U S where we’re talking about hot humid. And it definitely is. But one of the main reasons why you would want to go is depending on the year, because it always happens and starts on fat Tuesday. So if it happens to be in March, we’re talking Mardi Gras time who doesn’t want to go to new Orleans for Mardi Gras,

2 (35m 59s):
I would love to. I really would. I still have it in me. Do

1 (36m 3s):
You?

3 (36m 3s):
I think Kim can bust out that inner under 30 for Mardi Gras pool parties. I don’t know. Mardi Gras. Yeah.

2 (36m 11s):
Yes, I can do all of the above. And you know, even if you don’t hit Mardi Gras, it is only a certain timeframe within spring. It’s still really fun there. If you go down Frenchman street in New Orleans, then you’re going to hit up jazz after jazz, after jazz at every bar and restaurant that you go on this street. It’s so fun. Obviously you have bourbon street, which is just a, a spring break ranger all night long every night. And that’s fun too. You definitely have to experience that when you’re there,

1 (36m 39s):
Get those big ass beers,

2 (36m 41s):
Go into a strip club,

1 (36m 44s):
Strawberry daiquiris.

3 (36m 45s):
If DMS for the story about the strip club experience, Brittany New Orleans one time. I mean, that was, it was quite interesting, but you know what? New Orleans is famous for the French quarter. That’s where bourbon street is party central, like you said, but the history that goes along with it, the jazz, the food for that matter, but spring, good time to go. And April, they have the French quarter festival in April and may. There’s the new Orleans jazz and heritage festival in may, specifically just the wine and food festival. So lots of good events that they have going on during springtime

1 (37m 23s):
Jambalaya or gumbo guys

2 (37m 25s):
Come bow.

3 (37m 26s):
That is tough. I think that answer depends on my mood that day, but I will probably go with gumbo.

1 (37m 35s):
I would say same gumbo,

2 (37m 36s):
Gumbo. Yeah, but you know what? Forget both of those. I’m talking fried chicken and red beans and rice.

3 (37m 41s):
Ooh, that’s some good Southern food. I’m going to throw this out there. Please. Don’t be haters on us. We had turtle soup when we’re out there bomb.

1 (37m 48s):
It was really good.

2 (37m 50s):
There’s a place called coops in the bourbon street area. French quarter, go there. Best fried chicken, best red beans and rice. Best Cajun pasta. It’s so good.

1 (38m 1s):
love me. Some Cajun food.

2 (38m 3s):
Number eight on our list is one of my favorite places to visit. And it’s right here in California and that is Palm Springs. Love this place. Love the pool parties.

1 (38m 13s):
Of course you,

3 (38m 14s):
Is this where they have splash it? Yeah, we’re on the same page, Brittany.

2 (38m 18s):
They do have splash house here in June and August. So not in the spring. Spring is a really good time to visit though. Palm Springs gets really hot in the summer. We’re talking like over a hundred degrees every day,

3 (38m 28s):
Disgustingly hot, like even up above one 10,

2 (38m 31s):
Which is why you want to be in the pool.

3 (38m 34s):
Why you want to go on spring. Avoid that.

2 (38m 35s):
Exactly. So even in spring though, you’re hitting like eighties, nineties, sometimes it’s perfect weather for laying by the pool. There’s also some really cool hiking out there in like Palm tree canyon.

3 (38m 45s):
You know what that weather that you described in spring, it gives you that early summer weather without having to really wait for summer, but not having the extreme of it too. So if anyone’s trying to really escape it and kind of get that warmth, this is a good place to go. And it’s not excessive at that time either.

1 (39m 1s):
I always think of golf courses. When I think of Palm Springs,

2 (39m 3s):
I was just going to say, I would not describe Palm Springs as a party place. Although you can party there. It’s very much relaxation. There’s golf courses. There’s a ton of spas. It’s got a really retro vibe, really. Like, I don’t know. It has a different vibe. They have a whole like rodeo drive kind of place.

3 (39m 23s):
I was going to say, I don’t remember what episode we talked about it on, but I did mention why Palm Springs is famous. It was really kind of like a desert Oasis place that the rich Hollywood elite would escape Los Angeles in that area to go do. And so a lot of what it is now is because of its history of that as kind of the escape. So it does cater to a lot of high end people, but you don’t necessarily have to be high end affluent to actually go there and enjoy it. You still can, but that’s where those vibes that you’re talking about. Kim come from

2 (39m 56s):
The ACE hotels. Really cool. Solaro hotels. Really cool. They have one that’s rebranded recently to Margaritaville. It’s a good place. They have a lot of really cute hotels to stay

3 (40m 6s):
At. And you’re all about those staycations too. Aren’t you cute? Yeah.

2 (40m 9s):
Those are fun. Palm Springs is the perfect place for that and their whole downtown region. They have good restaurants, a little bit of shopping. So it’s a great weekend getaway for the spring.

1 (40m 18s):
Well, we’re staying in California for number nine. We are going north though to you, somebody in central California, and you have somebody in spring is the perfect time to visit. I’ve mentioned waterfall so many times before in this episode, but this is another place where the waterfalls are just gushing in spring.

3 (40m 37s):
Kind of the same reason here, why we mentioned grand Tetons and Yellowstone, you know, you get in that fresh snow melt. You’re going to see the waterfalls and the natural beauty at their prime and Primo before all that snow melt runs off. But Yosemite is honestly, and I don’t say this as a biased opinion as a California, it is one of the crown jewels of the national park system. And you’re just going to enjoy it all here in the spring, coming to life, still that snow, the waterfalls, all the natural beauty, the wildlife, an amazing, amazing time.

1 (41m 8s):
And in spring, not a lot of people are visiting. So you get a lot smaller crowds and it’s not as expensive for a lodging than it is in the summer season. Some of my favorite waterfalls in Yosemite are Nevada and Bernal falls. And then of course the iconic Yosemite falls, we are actually headed to Yosemite in a month. She visited in spring and our plan is to hike to the top of Yosemite falls.

2 (41m 31s):
The last time that I went to Yosemite was in March and some of the trails were still closed for snow. And I did see a bear. It ran right by me. Oh yeah, it was spooky. So just keep that in mind, if you’re going in spring, there could still be things closed with the waterfalls are going to be killer.

3 (41m 47s):
I was going to say early March, probably for sure. But once you start getting into April and may, definitely not, but then you definitely don’t want, I don’t want to say you don’t want to go in June, July and stuff. Cause it’s still very nice, but those waterfalls aren’t going to be as powerful at that time. So maybe not March, but April, may solid times for Yosemite. Speaking of Yosemite, when are we going to do half dome ladies? We got to get our permits

2 (42m 9s):
To do that. I don’t want to do it.

1 (42m 11s):
I was going to say, I think Kim is out on the half dome situation.

3 (42m 15s):
I know she’s out on or not angel falls. April’s landing. Yeah, I know she’s out on that, but half dome

2 (42m 22s):
I’ve decided against it. Okay.

3 (42m 25s):
All right, Brittany, when are we going?

1 (42m 26s):
We got to apply to the lottery.

3 (42m 28s):
I know I’m disappointed in you though. Kim, just going

2 (42m 29s):
To try to go to have a super high falls.

1 (42m 32s):
Yes. I would like to do that to

2 (42m 35s):
Yes, I would. That would be a great spring one. Also.

1 (42m 38s):
It would be, we’ll have to have an episode on that once we go there.

3 (42m 41s):
So for number 10, we’re going to move you out of California. I know Kim’s going to be more excited to talk about this one. She’s trying to make it her home here pretty soon. Austin, Texas. Hey Haas.

2 (42m 53s):
Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the fun. Yes, Austin, Texas is looking to be my new hometown possibly this year, but we’ll see. And there’s a ton of fun stuff to do. It gets really hot in the summer, but you know what? We’re from Sacramento. It’s not that big of a deal.

3 (43m 10s):
We’ve gotten acclimated to San Diego. It’ll be a little bit of adjustment for him. I’m just throwing that out there. But yes,

2 (43m 15s):
There are several fun places to go out at night, Rainey street, sixth street, those are all really cool places. Very unique. The neighborhoods are all very different. There’s the boardwalk at lady bird lake. You guys did a bunch of like water activities when you guys went right.

1 (43m 30s):
Well, we did do the boardwalk at lady bird lake. And I can say that it has really great views of downtown Austin from it. Yeah.

2 (43m 37s):
Yes. There’s also Congress bridge, which when I went there, we stayed right next to it. If you go from downtown to south Congress, it’ll put you right where the bats come out every single night. And that’s something you have to see when you’re there.

3 (43m 49s):
You definitely have to see it when you’re there. It’s very unique on top of that. Even if you don’t want to stand on the bridge, they have night tours where you could go out on kayaks and paddle boards and be under the bridge as they actually fly out. So it’s a nightly event and thing that they have, they’re very unique, very fun. But you mentioned this Kim about like water activities that we did. We didn’t do anything on the wall. I should say the river. It’s called lady bird lake. I don’t know why they call it that as part of the Colorado river. Yeah, I guess. So they just want to be different and unique out there, but they have lots of natural like swimming and watering hole areas. We definitely did that. So spring is a good time to go. Obviously summer, you’re going to enjoy it because it’s like exceptionally hot and it’s a great way to cool down, but it’s also very nice to have it be warm, but not too hot and not be burning up either too.

3 (44m 38s):
And just experiencing it.

1 (44m 40s):
You know what else is bigger in Texas

2 (44m 42s):
And barbecue?

1 (44m 43s):
The

2 (44m 43s):
Drugs bugs are bigger. Yeah, everything’s bigger.

1 (44m 46s):
But the barbecue game in Austin, it’s crazy. You could literally wait one and a half, two hours easily in line for one of those famous barbecue places.

3 (44m 57s):
If you’re going to wait, I recommend Terry. Black’s just throwing that out there.

2 (45m 0s):
I don’t understand about that is why do they make you wait in a line? Why don’t they just take your number or make you grab a number?

1 (45m 8s):
Probably just because when you see a line forming, then you’re intrigued to go there. And so if everyone was dispersed, maybe it doesn’t have that big of an intrigue. I don’t know.

3 (45m 17s):
I don’t know the reason for it, but a to Brittany’s point, you know, there’s a place here in San Diego called carnitas snack shack and there is no sign yet. The t-shirts that the workers where say the line is the sign. So maybe that is what theme they are going with for the barbecue. But at the same time, barbecue game, strong Austin, Texas, cool, unique all American city in that sense. And definitely don’t want to be there during the summer spring time.

2 (45m 45s):
Well, I’m looking to move there this summer so

3 (45m 48s):
You can report back and let us know how you’re handling that.

1 (45m 51s):
There’s a lot of beautiful murals throughout the city. There’s like 80 plus. And there’s some really cool ones too. Okay.

2 (45m 57s):
It’s a super artsy town. It’s a weird artsy, different kind of place. It’s, it’s really cool.

3 (46m 3s):
It’s a unique Texas

2 (46m 4s):
City and a lot of music too everywhere. Now we’re going to take you from the heat of Austin, to the chill of Breckenridge, Colorado for number 11, best place to visit in the spring. This is probably one of the most different cities on our list here, because there definitely will be snow, especially in early spring, but that’s what you’re going there for. And we’re going here this March. We have tried once before and failed

1 (46m 31s):
Because of a snow storm that was coming in,

2 (46m 33s):
But we’re doing it again.

1 (46m 35s):
And right now the weather’s looking all right. I don’t think we’re going to get stuck in the snow, but Breckinridge is known as a ski resort town, but it does have activities year round. And we really want to try cross country skiing for the first time.

2 (46m 50s):
Oh yeah. We’re going to be out there. Just

3 (46m 53s):
Getting it all done. I’m really excited about this. I mean, you know, everyone’s heard of Aspen Vail, maybe even as of late, like tell you ride, but Ridge is up there with those ones. So if you’ve heard of those Breckenridge is on that list also. So this is a quintessential kind of mountain town that’s geared around, you know, snow and winter activities. And here we are in spring. So there still will be snow, but you can also partake in those spring activities. Enjoy the mountains, enjoy hiking trails. You know, not all of them are going to be completely covered in snow still. And you’re just going to have that fun of mountain town vibe. And it’s almost in a sense like straddling the season, but giving you that last little bit of winter also while you’re here, before you go into the long summer,

1 (47m 39s):
Breckenridge was actually previously a mining town. Did you guys know that?

3 (47m 44s):
I did not know that, but

1 (47m 45s):
I hear they have a really cute downtown area with lots of shops and galleries and restaurants. So I can’t wait to check that out

2 (47m 51s):
On the restaurant front. Absolutely. I am getting referrals from my coworker. Who’s there this weekend, tons of good dinner places. We are going to be eating good oppress ski.

3 (48m 3s):
I’m excited about it. So Breckenridge here at number 11 is almost like number one, we are going, we have it planned, but based off of all our research and people we know that have been there, we feel confident and putting it on the list here for you guys.

1 (48m 16s):
There’s also a number of hot Springs around the Breckinridge area.

3 (48m 21s):
Is this why we’re going? It was Kim’s decision from,

2 (48m 25s):
We were supposed to hit it up that one time that it got canceled. So yeah, we have to redo it.

3 (48m 29s):
Well, you didn’t even want to cancel on it. Can we tell you that it was going to be bad? And then Southwest finally had to cancel our flights day

2 (48m 36s):
Up. I said, If we get stuck, if our flights get canceled, we can just go to the hot Springs. That was a good solution. Maybe

3 (48m 44s):
It’s not going to happen this time though, here, but rounding out the list. Number 12, bringing you back to California. Big Sur.

1 (48m 53s):
Ooh, I love Big Sur. Do you guys remember when we went on that road trip to go to Big Sur and you couldn’t go to big

3 (48m 57s):
Sur yeah. The Big Sur topics or road trip to

2 (48m 60s):
It was field trips in a row here,

3 (49m 4s):
But we have all done Big Sur since then. So this is on the list with, for sure recommendations.

1 (49m 10s):
Big Sur has the longest and most scenic stretch of undeveloped coastline in the contiguous United States. So beautiful. Those cliffs that are just dangling above the ocean are so breathtaking. The water is crystal blue, crystal clear, really good waterfalls. And for us along the coast definitely make this a good road trip.

3 (49m 34s):
Not only that, I mean the wildlife that you’re going to see, we passed an area on the stretch of Big Sur that’s famous for elephant seals and they come land there and give birth and you can see the babies and the pops. And I’m not going to lie to you, unfortunately, that doesn’t take place during spring here when we’re recommending to go. But at the same time, it’s going to be a good weather. You don’t have to worry about those winter storms that are going to cause mudslides potentially and close down the scenic highway one that happens a lot during the winter. Not going to happen to you and ruin your trip here in the spring. And you’re just going to get that unique California coast vibe that we are famous for. The highway. One is famous for a reason and Big Sur, is it?

1 (50m 16s):
Yeah. Getting to CIMIC wave falls in person was absolutely amazing. It’s a waterfall that flows directly into the ocean at high tide. Do you guys know what that’s called the term for it? It’s called

3 (50m 28s):
The tide falls

1 (50m 28s):
Tide fall. Yeah, so we actually didn’t see it at high tide. And so the water was flowing onto the beach and the sand, but during high tide, it flows directly into the ocean. We also stopped at Bixby Creek bridge. One of the most iconic photo spots in all of California, one of the most photographed bridges in California as well. And for good reason, too, you have the rolling mountains in the background and then the beach and the ocean coming up under the bridge. It’s beautiful

3 (50m 57s):
This year and 2022, it is 90 years old, that bridge.

2 (51m 2s):
I thought it’d be older

3 (51m 3s):
Now just 90. It’s going to be a hundred here pretty soon. That’s for sure.

2 (51m 7s):
I think Mick way falls and Bigsby Creek bridge are two of the pictures that you’ll see most when people talk about the iconic highway one road trip, they’re just beautiful and they’re pretty close together, actually.

3 (51m 20s):
Yeah, definitely not too far off. And the beautiful redwoods that they have along the coast. So, I mean, you have the beautiful ocean sea cliffs, and then you just go inland. And now you have these like majestic forest at Redwood areas. It’s so serene.

1 (51m 32s):
And I was doing research. You know, a lot of people go in the summer, but I was reading that summer, actually, isn’t one of the best times to visit because there’s that summer haze. And so it’s not as clear out. So just keep that in mind, spring winter, those skies are bright blue and clear.

2 (51m 48s):
Number 13, we’re going to pull a fast one on you because we said, we’re bringing you 13 of the best places in the United States to visit in spring. And this one here, we’re going across the border to via de Guadalupe.

3 (52m 1s):
So number 13. So there was 12, this one’s a bonus since we’re going international. So bonus number 13 here for you guys,

2 (52m 8s):
We included it because it’s literally a two hour drive from San Diego. So it’s actually closer to us here. Then a lot of other places in the United States are

3 (52m 17s):
Absolutely.

1 (52m 18s):
We have a whole episode on Vita Guadalupe, that’s episode 77, but spring is a perfect time to visit because in the summer it’s a valley and it gets super hot, super humid in the winter. It can be pretty rainy. So spring is some of the best time to visit and it’s known for wine tasting.

3 (52m 34s):
I was about to say, I know we’ve mentioned it on other episodes. We have episode 77, but did we say yet why we’re recommending Vita Guadalupe? And you just add Brittany, this is Mexico’s wine region. This is their Napa. It is so close to the U S border that you are going to have an amazing, amazing time out here. The vineyards, the wineries, they have gore may food out here. This is a foodie region of Mexico, all types. So really, really amazing things to do out in via Guadalupe. I can’t stress it enough. We go as often as we can. Okay.

2 (53m 8s):
It’s also really relaxing because when you go out there, it’s more rural. It’s definitely away from like hustle and bustle. So it kinda like forces you to chill. And you’re just like in this wide open vineyard drinking wine, Uber doesn’t really exist out there. So, you know, you can get a ride in, but you can’t really get a ride. And it’s nice. It’s an escape away. It’s really nice.

1 (53m 29s):
Yeah. You know, Kim, you found something great. You found the Airbnb experience where the literally pick you up from your hotel, take you to like three different wineries. You get wine tastings and tours at each one, and then they will drive you back. And it was literally about a hundred dollars a person well worth the money, because it includes all of the wine tastings, all of the wines that you try. So highly recommend that if you’re going for your first time, we’ve gone back several times since and visited different wineries. And so if you’re comfortable doing that, highly would recommend that to we’re recording this episode a little early, but in two weeks, Jamal and I are going back to via Guadalupe and we’re staying in one of those, a bubble hotels, and it has its own private hot tub on the vineyard.

1 (54m 12s):
And I’m super excited.

2 (54m 14s):
So tell everybody listening what a bubble hotel is.

1 (54m 18s):
So a bubble hotel is kind of like a larger tent, more like a glamping situation.

3 (54m 24s):
I would say it’s almost like an inflatable room.

1 (54m 26s):
Yeah. Like an inflatable

2 (54m 27s):
Of kind of like Iglow S

1 (54m 29s):
Yeah. And I want to say parts of it are clear. And so you can look up at like the night sky and things,

2 (54m 36s):
Climate controlled,

1 (54m 37s):
But they’re very, they are climate control

3 (54m 39s):
Restrooms in there.

1 (54m 40s):
Ours does have a restroom. It does have a queen size bed. So pretty excited for that.

2 (54m 46s):
That’s really fun. And I know some of them are on the vineyard is yours on the vineyard as well

1 (54m 50s):
On the vineyard.

2 (54m 50s):
You’ll get a great experience.

1 (54m 52s):
And so it’s going to be perfect because, you know, with the hot tub, it’s going to be warm during the day, but in the morning or at night can be a little chilly. We’re gonna be able to hop into the hot tub, drink a glass of wine and just relax.

3 (55m 4s):
Last, I’m talking about a bottle,

2 (55m 6s):
A bottle. I’m talking about a case that’s going to be really fun. Any of these places will be really fun to visit in spring. And they’re all close enough that COVID or no, COVID, you can make it happen. And we encourage you to get out there this spring, bloom like a flower and take a trip. So we are finally at my favorite part of the episode, which is cool west John’s of the week. Our first question we have coming in here, what are some good, lesser known spring break destinations? We all know Cabo.

2 (55m 46s):
We all know Miami lesser known. So I have one actually of course I do right?

3 (55m 55s):
South

2 (55m 55s):
Padre island, Texas

1 (55m 57s):
Haven’t even heard of it.

2 (55m 58s):
Probably haven’t heard of it. But I have, when I used to do some writing and work for a travel company, we did a spring break feature. And south Padre island is a big college spring break place. And it’s right off of the Gulf right off of like the Houston area.

3 (56m 14s):
And it is by Galveston or something that

2 (56m 16s):
Beautiful white sand beach.

1 (56m 18s):
Oh, wow. Well, we’ll have to add it on our list and head out there next spring

2 (56m 22s):
Break, warm look

3 (56m 24s):
At Kim reppin, Texas. Like she’s already living in Texas over.

2 (56m 27s):
Yeah. Everything’s bigger there. Even the spring breaks. Now I know you guys are real big spring breakers. What do you recommend?

3 (56m 36s):
You don’t make him? I don’t know. That’s actually like a really, really good question. We mentioned several national parks. I would say that is our spring break things. You know, people are going to go to spring, break for the party, do the spring break and recharge yourself energy-wise and be one with the earth. That is my recommendation and hit up any one of these national parks that we just mentioned,

1 (56m 54s):
You know, another national park that we didn’t mention, but I would feel like it would be a good place to visit in spring is a big bend national park, which is actually in Texas.

3 (57m 2s):
Okay.

1 (57m 5s):
And it borders Mexico. And so you can actually, in non COVID times, you were actually able to cross the Rio Grande day and go into a village in Mexico, which was super cool with COVID. They actually kind of closed down that crossing area. So hopefully they’ll resume that. And so I can go to big bend national park and cross that off my bucket list.

2 (57m 24s):
Question number two, on our list. This one came in through Instagram. They said, can you tell me more about the Southwest companion pass?

1 (57m 32s):
Yeah. So Jamal and I actually had companion pass last year. And so you can earn it. And so you can earn it by flying 100 flights. So it’s a lot of flights and that being one way flight, or you have to earn a hundred and twenty-five thousand Southwest points. So you could do that by signing up for their credit card, earning the points from the flights, buying things that add up to your rapid rewards points, which is still a lot. Or you can be offered the card. They have offers quite often actually. And typically what you have to do is sign up for their credit card when they’re offering the companion pass. And then there’s usually like a minimum amount of money you have to spend within a certain set time period.

1 (58m 12s):
And if, to

2 (58m 12s):
Activate that feature,

1 (58m 14s):
To activate that feature. And then from there you’ll activate companion pass.

3 (58m 19s):
Yeah. I was going to say, you know, as Bernie mentioned earlier, we’re recording this episode a little bit earlier here from when this is going to air and you’re hearing it now at the time of this recording, Southwest is having the promotion. Any one of them, I was going to say any one of their Southwest credit cards. If you spend so much money, I think it’s like $3,000. Is it five now, $5,000 within the first three months, you’ll go ahead and get companion pass. So they put every so often as one of their signup offers with their credit card. And obviously you have to meet criteria, but otherwise beyond that, you have to earn it the way Brittany mentioned either with those flights or with points. And even if their credit card is not offering you companion pass, when you sign up, they offer you those bonus points for initial signup and those points count towards your companion pass level that you have to hit say it’s 125,000 points.

3 (59m 11s):
And if they’re offering you a hundred thousand points, well now you only need to get 25,000 more points and you’ve hit your 1 25, so lots of ways to do it. And it’s definitely going to save you a lot of money, Brittany and I rocked it last year. I mean, who does not want to fly two for one? What a deal.

2 (59m 27s):
Alright. Squatting is that is what we have for you this week. Thanks for tuning into our episode. Keep the adventures going with us by following us on Instagram and YouTube at Travel Squad Podcast, tag us in your adventures and send us in your questions of the week.

3 (59m 41s):
If you found the information on this episode to be useful, or if you thought we were just playing funny, please be sure to share it with a friend that would enjoy it too. And as always, please subscribe, rate and review our podcast and tune in every travel Tuesday for new episodes,

1 (59m 55s):
Stay tuned for next week’s episode, we have some more amazing adventures and tips in store for you

3 (59m 59s):
Bye squaddies.