Self Driving Tour of Central California’s Coast (Solo Travel)
Why Solo Travel?
To me, solo travel is the best way to get to know yourself and increase your confidence. I started off small, like doing day trips, taking myself out to dinner alone, and spending one night in places before meeting up with friends. This trip is my FIRST multi-day road trip I took alone- and boy, was it life changing!
A few helpful solo travel tips:
My Journey
I first spent the first half of the day in Ojai, a cute hippie granola-y town (if that may be used as an adjective), the afternoon grabbing Indian and relaxing in a park in Santa Barbara (my former hometown), then the next day went on an early morning hike in SB before getting lunch and strolling around Morro Bay. On day three, I visited Solvang in the morning, quite frankly before anyone else was awake, and got to experience the whole viking village to myself (and some kind locals).
From there, I visited the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach for a truly magical experience (butterflies and vikings, how ‘bout that? Only in California!). After a few hours there, I explored Morro Bay’s Museum of Natural History, a quaint building full of touch tanks (and innovative bits and bobbles) and fellow travelers awakening their childlike wonder. Then, I went back to downtown Morro Bay and walked the boardwalk again, heading into new shops and grabbing a midday latte as a pick me up. To be honest, I was killing time until I went up to San Luis Obispo, where I’d be meeting up with old friends to spend New Years and New Year’s Eve. I cannot recommend a better place to kill time besides Morro Bay- except maybe Los Olivos.
San Luis Obispo was nice enough, but so much was shut down due to the holiday. I cannot give it a good review, so I’ll skip it for now.
If you’re in Pismo Beach, don’t miss out on Old West Cinnamon Rolls! They open at 6:00, and their bakery is always going. I grabbed a cinnamony, cream cheesy bun, then trundled off to continue my road trip north to Monterey Bay.
Monterey Bay
Where to Stay: Monterey Bay Hostel. Cozy, private, not crazy expensive, great place to meet people but also have a private shower and bed.
Where to Eat: First Awakenings for breakfast (ask for their carnitas skillet but with hash browns instead of potatoes o’brien- you won’t be disappointed!)
Of course, when visiting this town, it’s hard to skip the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row. Here’s my advice: skip it. I know, I know, Monterey is famous for pretty much those two things. Its history is cool and fun to learn about especially in its connection to WWI and WWII, but the crowds were dreadful. If you’re anything like me, you’re allergic to large swaths of people getting all up in your personal space. Seriously, even in busy museums or popular venues, there’s usually a spot to chillax and people watch, or to just sit and and catch your breath. That was not the case here, and you pay $65 for the privilege (not to mention $10-20 in parking). If you happen to love this kind of concert-Disneyland crowded vibe but without the live music or roller coasters, hey, step right up to Monterey Bay!
I don’t mean to rag on it too much. I visited the Aquarium when I was a child with my family, and I had the best time ever. It was likely not as crowded as it is now, and seeing sea otters and huge fish and floor to ceiling windows into jellyfish tanks was incredible. However, on my drive up to the bay, I had already seen a bunch of otters up close, including a mother holding her baby (shout out Morro Bay!). Given the ticket price and crowds, I cannot recommend this place, sorry. But make your own decision, with your own research- I’m certainly not the be all end all of things.
That said, I still enjoyed Fisherman’s Wharf. The restaurant workers will sorta cat call you to go inside (very annoying, but maybe I’m just introverted and too gen z for this kind of behavior) and try to usher you in, but past the food places, the pier itself is really nice. It’s also connected to a great walking trail with lots of bikers and families pushing strollers. It all felt very safe.
I also would highly recommend stopping by the Butterfly House in Monterey! It’s just a super cute house, with people still living in it (and in the neighborhood around it), so it’s good to be polite with your parking. Something about it, I dunno. It inspires creativity just looking at it.
On my way back down, I went through Carmel-by-the-sea, which turned out to be way cuter than I thought it would be! It’s a nice town, and a very expensive area, which makes it fun to walk up and down the sloping neighborhoods and check out the cool homes. This town is, as the name implies, right on the beach, with crystal blue water and pretty waves. There are lots of art galleries, furniture and home goods stores, and upscale fashion shops. I would definitely come by again!
Finally, I drove through Los Olivos in the afternoon for some wine tasting. I’m from Temecula, so I know a good amount about wine, but this really blew me out of the water. The honey-colored oak leaves, white picket fence shops, cute gardens, and friendly people really drew me in. This is a town I would DEFINITELY revisit, and plan to this summer!
Conclusion
Have you thought about a solo trip? Fears getting in your way? I’d love to hear about it in the comments down below! I hope that my example can help assuage any worries of yours, solo female traveler or not. The central California coast is not one I was super familiar with before this trip- now, I cannot wait to come back! Some of these places I saw so much of that I cannot fit it all in this little post here- click around on the links on this page to see what more is in store from these tiny towns!
Overall, I would come back to any (not you, Monterey) of these towns on another trip. Solo trips are for sure going to be more common in my future, as this allowed me the chance to travel at my own pace, do what I wanna do. At one point, I was like, “Wow, I loved Morro Bay, I want to go back!” And myself responded, “Why not now?” Or “I could really go for some fancy wine tasting right about now.” And so I did. Sometimes, talking to yourself is where all the answers lie. Give it a try yourself, next time you’re thinking of going out! Cheers!
