Confirmations for flights and your San Diego lodge have each hit your inbox. That’s a reduction, for positive. Nonetheless, you continue to doubtless have some San Diego trip choices that should be made earlier than you depart.
The purpose of this publish is to handle what you want to take into consideration subsequent. It’s for individuals who come to us after they’ve booked flights or a lodge or each. I’ve quite a bit to say and this record relies on the questions that folks e mail in.
If You Don’t But Have Flights or Accommodations
1. Defend Your Journey
My mantra for 2025 is that everybody must verify their journey insurance coverage protection. This begins along with your bank cards. And when you have protection in your bank cards, be sure to make use of that bank card for related bookings.
Nonetheless, you’ll discover that bank card protection will be restricted and that you simply would possibly must complement it. You probably have a non-refundable flight or lodge reserving that you simply’d like to guard, the earlier you purchase journey insurance coverage after buying your journey, typically the cheaper it’s.
Whereas it appears pointless to buy journey insurance coverage when you have a versatile lodge cancelation, mom nature could produce other plans. We needed to get exceptions for lots of people who have been inside their cancelation home windows and a few huge lodges have been surprisingly tough to get this to occur.
- Hurricanes got here quick and livid and we needed to unwind lots of lodge stays within the Caribbean. Unhealthy climate can have a domino impact on the airways.
- This week in San Diego was extraordinarily foggy to the place planes have been diverted and couldn’t land. Resort stays have been impacted.
- You or your children would possibly get sick and grow to be unable to journey (this occurs quite a bit).
- Life occurs and you may’t journey.
2. Determine Out How You’ll Get Round San Diego
After arriving by automobile, practice, or airplane, contemplate whether or not you’ll depend on a rental automobile, black automobile companies, or rideshare apps. Individuals do all three, so which you select depends upon your itinerary and price range.
Most individuals hire automobiles. When factoring in price, keep in mind that most San Diego lodges cost for parking, which will be steep even at downtown price range lodges (road parking is nearly by no means another).
A number of locations provide free parking as a part of the resort payment (Bahia Resort Resort, La Jolla Seashore and Tennis Membership, and 4 Seasons Aviara come to thoughts) however count on to pay between $25-70/night time to park in a lodge.
About Public Transportation in San Diego
3. Plan Your Airport Switch
This ties into the above, in fact. Many lodges can organize airport transportation for you. A black automobile service or Uber Black can decide you up on the curb at San Diego airport.
Black automobile companies will often offer you a alternative. They will park and are available to fulfill you at baggage declare. Or, they will wait within the mobile phone parking zone. After you acquire your luggage, you’ll go to the curb and take a look at the inexperienced zone signal. Name and textual content them with the letter on the inexperienced zone signal.
Tip: When you’re flying American or Alaska like I do, the zones outdoors of your baggage declare are O or P.
4. Analysis What You’ll Placed on Your Itinerary
I’d first mock up a tentative to-do record. When you want concepts, now we have an enormous aggregation of issues to do in San Diego primarily based on price range, curiosity, and neighborhood that can assist you analysis.
Remember that our county is about 70 miles lengthy and a bit wider than that. There’s visitors typically so that you’ll need to attempt to lump actions into the a part of city you’ll be in reasonably than zig zag.
Don’t overschedule. Go away room to glide. We’re a relaxed city. You could not really feel like leaving the seaside.
The rationale why I say tentative is due to #5 under.
See additionally: High Household-Pleasant San Diego Actions
5. Determine Whether or not You’ll Purchase a Sightseeing Move or Particular person Tickets
There may be completely NO NEED to pay gate pricing at our main San Diego points of interest. You’ll must crunch some numbers to resolve whether or not to avoid wasting extra with a sightseeing go or low cost tickets to particular person parks.
I work with distributors round city to supply unique financial savings on tickets however I actually consider that the way you save depends upon what you need to do. There are three sightseeing passes to select from (for my part):
- Go Metropolis San Diego
- San Diego CityPass (solely is smart for those who’re going to LEGOLAND California and/or SeaWorld San Diego)
- Balboa Park Explorer Move (for the Balboa Park museums solely)
See additionally: Go Metropolis San Diego or San Diego CityPASS — Which to Select
When you do go together with a sightseeing go, this may increasingly alter your itinerary a bit of as a result of you could select to see included points of interest that you simply won’t have in any other case thought-about.
See additionally: Our Listing of San Diego Tickets and Reductions
6. Make Reservations
A handful of points of interest require timed tickets, like LEGOLAND California. When you bought tickets by means of us be sure to have a reservation. When you purchased by means of LEGOLAND, then you definately most likely have a date particular tickets.
The opposite reservations I’d make are for a few of our increased finish eating places like those with Michelin stars corresponding to Addison. Or, something that’s waterfront just like the Marine Room.
You’ll additionally want reservations for sightseeing excursions like whale watching or harbour cruises.
7. Plan For What You’ll Must Deliver
I’ve written a information about what to pack for San Diego. An important tip is all the time to pack layers and solar safety. You will get sunburned within the winter right here, belief me.
Life is usually lots of athlesiure except you propose to go clubbing or to a nicer restaurant.
8. Evaluation and Manage Your Journey Paperwork and Memberships
When you’re arriving from abroad, your passport must be legitimate for six months after your journey.
One other FAQ is about numerous journey applications you could or could not belong to that you simply would possibly want logins or playing cards to entry (that’s for those who’re not app savvy).
- Precedence Move: This will get you into the Aspire Lougne (all the time busy don’t plan on it) and Chase Sapphire Lounge
- CLEAR: We do have CLEAR in Terminal 2. I’m a member and like it. Nonetheless, Terminal 2 has two “wings” for lack of a greater approach to put it. CLEAR is positioned over the place you verify in for Delta. When you fly American or Alaska you could need to simply courageous TSA Precheck to keep away from an extended stroll to your gate.
- TSA Precheck: Sure, now we have it in all terminals.
- American Categorical Lounge Entry: Aspire Lounge
- American Airways Admirals Membership: Aspire Lounge
Aspire Lounge offers precedence to Admirals Membership members above AMEX so know that if it’s busy.
9. Obtain Useful Apps
Listed below are some apps that may assist make your keep simpler. Seek for them in your related app retailer.
- Uber or Lyft
- Waze: To search out out what the true visitors state of affairs is.
- Circuit: Some locations like Pacific Seashore, Downtown, Oceanside, Nationwide Metropolis, Carlsbad, Chula Vista, and Coronado run low price Circuit shuttles which might be actually nice.
- Pronto: It is a reloadable fare card for public transportation.
- San Diego Zoo and Safari Park each have apps
- SeaWorld San Diego
- LEGOLAND California
- Balboa Park
- Opentable for restaurant reservations
- Your lodge app: Hilton, Hyatt, 4 Seasons (that is the most effective app)
- SpotHero: Disclaimer that I haven’t personally used it however folks inform me it’s a good way to search out parking for occasions and busy days close to the seaside and downtown. I’ve downloaded it and may see why it’s helpful.
10. Double or Triple Verify Your Confirmations
I do get frantic emails from vacationers typically who booked the incorrect dates or didn’t understand their lodge was in Oceanside after they thought it was in downtown. Earlier than you go, double verify every part particularly the situation of the place you reserved relative to your itinerary.
Have questions? Let me know.
