As some of you guys may or may not know, I did a very last minute trip to California last month with some friends. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Oh, it must've been great, right?"
Yes, I can confirm it was a wonderful trip, but so many things can also go wrong when you do a last-minute trip.
Not convinced? Then let me tell you what I learned in those ten days:
1. Don't expect anything else to do in Anaheim besides Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and/or seeing the Anaheim Ducks or the LA Angels of Anaheim.
If you're really convinced you can do other stuff than this while you're in Anaheim, I'm going to have to give you a reality check: there isn't. I swear on my life!
2. Always contact your Airbnb host first before booking a place to stay.
My friends and I had this problem when booking a place to stay in Anaheim. The advertisement said Disneyland Resort was a five-minute walk from the place. But, guess what? It wasn't. Turns out it was an hour walk from our Airbnb. So don't waste your breath on booking an Airbnb while you're there and stay on Disney property or relatively near it.
3. LA is not as sunny as it seems.
We went to Santa Monica Pier and the beach during our stay, but it was freezing that day. Make sure to bring a sweatshirt in your bag/drawstring wherever you may go, because it's not a pleasant time if you're the one in your group shivering all day.
4. Giving up NY pizza and bagels for more than 10 days is a challenge.
Now I might be from NJ, but these are a staple in my diet. Funny enough, the other people in my group were from NY, and we were dying. So what was the first thing my boyfriend and I had when we came back to good ol' NYC? You got it: pizza!
5. Never give up on your dreams.
Y'all can thank my boyfriend for this one! It didn't occur to me until I was texting him the other night what he got out of it. I remember when I landed in LAX, I immediately opened my email inbox to find an email saying that I didn't get offered one of my dream careers, and it crushed me. Funny thing is, we were going to Disneyland the next day, and I was saying to him how I wasn't going to have a fun time while at the park. Nonetheless, I think the Disney Magic was the cure I needed to ebb my pain!
So let me know what you guys think! Have you ever ran into similar situations like this while planning or being in the middle of a trip? If not, that's totally OK, too!
However, if you do plan to go to California in the near future, keep this in mind. It'll save you a headache