Winter Break Roadtripping

The holidays are coming up, finals are ending which means the one phrase every student is stoked to hear: WINTER BREAK IS HERE!
If you're like me and spent every last dollar Leslie Knope'ing up your Christmas presents, but still have a heart full of wanderlust that must get you out of town, I've got the perfect idea for your month long time off...

A Road Trip!

Who doesn't love a good road trip? Gas is astonishingly cheap right now, you have time off, and your friends have time off as well. Fill a car up with your pals and pick a cool destination to drive off to.
Since I'm from the OC area, I have a list in my head of go-to places that aren't too far, but if you're reading from someplace else, research places to go to!

Here are my suggestions for those of you from California.

Not too far:

• Joshua Tree. Spending a nice quiet weekend camping with good friends sounds like an ideal trip to me. You can stargaze, explore, and appreciate the quietness. Just bring tons of blankets!
• Salvation Mountain. A hidden gem of California, Salvation Mountain is a beautiful walk-through giant art piece created by the late Leonard Knight. Make sure to take a camera with you for cool snaps.
• Palm Springs/Palm Desert. My friends and I fell in love with this area when we stayed there for Coachella. It's cute, quirky, and you can get some good shopping in as well.

Salvation Mountain. Photo by: Alexa Manese

Even Further:

• San Luis Obispo. Perfect small college town filled with cute shops and cafes.
• Big Sur National Park. It's a bit of a drive but there's nothing else in this world quite like it. I can't explain the beauty of it in words or photographs, it's just something you need to see and experience with your own eyes.

Big Sur, California. Photo by: Alexa Manese

Go the Distance:

• Pacific North West. I've always wanted to plan a road trip starting from Southern California going all the way up to Washington and making little stops along the way (Big Sur, San Francisco, Portland, and stopping in Seattle). This involves a little extra time but the experience would be way worth it.
• San Francisco. I'm a bit biased because SF is one of my favorite cities on the planet, but there really is so much to do. It's harder to be bored than to keep yourself busy there! Explore the pier, Lombard Street, and The Golden Gate Bridge. Good eats are a must in the city as well. Some recommendations: New England Lobster Co., Pizza Delfina, and any of their yummy food trucks.
• Mammoth Lakes. One of my best friends, Sadie (observatoryheart.com) is lucky enough to call this magnificent part of California her hometown, and from what I've seen in her photos, it looks like something out of a movie or a fairytale. "Looney Bean is my favorite coffee spot and Stellar Brew is another great coffee spot with freaking delicious treats like vegan donuts and carrot cake muffins with cream cheese frosting," Sadie advises. 
• ***TIP: Driving up there in the snow may be a bit difficult so make sure to do the trip in a reliable car/someone who has experience driving in the snow.

Mammoth Lakes, California. Photo by Sadie Federspiel (observatoryheart.com)

Are you going anywhere cool over break/think something should be added to this list that hasn't been? Leave a suggestion below!

xo, Alexa