Donyell
Hankins, MSR Supervisor at Community Financial’s Canton Center Branch, recently
visited her son Jajuan in Fremont, California, and turned it into the road-trip
of a lifetime! We asked Donyell to share her travel experience with us and provide
a few vacationing tips that helped her on her journey …
Plan ahead.
One of the things that
made the trip to California so enjoyable was the fact that we were able to fit
so many different things into the trip. If you don’t have a solid plan ahead of
time, you might spend more time each day trying to figure out what to do. This
is precious time that could be spent driving to new destinations, and can add
unnecessary stress to your vacation. Do as much planning as possible ahead of
time, create a schedule and stick to it!
Google-Google-Google.
Right up there with
planning is the importance of checking online for reviews and discounts for
hotels, restaurants and other attractions in the cities you want to visit.
Looking at reviews can drastically cut down the overwhelming amount of options
when it comes to where you should dine and sleep. Long Beach, for example, had so many different
kinds of restaurants it was a wonder we were able to settle on one. The task of
deciding what place is worth the time can be made a lot easier with a simple
Google search!
It also helps to read
reviews about whether or not certain attractions are worth the cost. For
instance, we purchased “frontline passes” at Universal Hollywood in Los Angeles
for $150 per person. Although this
seemed expensive at first, being able to pop to the front of every line and
having time to see every attraction made the cost well worth it!
Get plenty of rest.
On the second day of our
trip, we drove along the coast line of the California Pacific Ocean (Route 1)
for 6 hours. The view was spectacular, with beautiful blue waters for miles,
blue skies overhead, and oak studded hills to maneuver. The long hours we spent
on the road reminded us of how essential a good night’s rest was before
beginning a drive.
Don’t be afraid to abandon the car.
Walking, biking, riding the
bus or train… Taking different kinds of transportation allows you to see each
city in a different way. For instance, the BART (train) takes you to downtown
San Francisco and allows you to look at the city without having to concentrate
on the hilly roads. There’s also the Starline Bus tour, which is a hop on, hop
off tour. Basically, if you see something you like, you can just hop off the
bus at any stop and hop right back on the next one! This tour took us to the
Golden Gate Bridge, China Town, Little Italy, Alcatraz, and through many other
areas. Even at $74 per person, it is a must-do if you want to take in all that San
Francisco has to offer!
Remember what’s important.
From start to finish,
this trip took us across California for 1056 miles. Each day was filled with relaxation,
fun and excitement. The views were breathtaking and the entertainment was great,
but the best thing about California was taking it all in with my son Jajuan. It
was our first trip with just the two of us, and he was sure to tell me how much
he appreciated that I had spent time planning our trip, which means more to a
mother than I can say.
Wherever your summer travels take you, we hope these
tips provide some inspiration when planning your next adventure!
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