5 Mistakes to Avoid when Traveling to San Diego
If you’re thinking about traveling, San Diego is a beautiful city with amazing weather, gorgeous beaches, a unique history, and many fascinating attractions. It’s a place where you can enjoy the ultimate vacation, no matter what your interests may be. But before you plan your itinerary and book your room at one of the hotels in San Diego, you’ll want to avoid these common San Diego travel mistakes.
1. Forgetting to Check Water Quality & Lifeguard Flags before Swimming
San Diego is known for its beaches, and they’re a wonderful place to spend the day. However, before you head out, it’s important to make sure it’s safe, especially after a storm. Even though the city experiences gorgeous weather year-round, it does get rain occasionally. And after that rainfall, there may be some stormwater runoff in the ocean for the next 72 hours or so. It can contain stuff you don’t want to swim in, such as sewage and pesticides. Make sure it’s safe to swim by checking out the San Diego County website to see what the water quality is at the beach you want to visit. You can also check for any closures or advisories.
Once you get to the beach, take a look at the flags placed there by the lifeguards. A blackball flag means no surfing, while a red flag means it’s not safe to swim. Checkered flags indicate there’s a boundary separating swimmers and surfers. You may also want to look into lifeguard schedules to ensure someone is there monitoring your safety while you’re at the beach.
2. Assuming You’ll Always Find a Parking Space
San Diego has so many great attractions, but finding a parking space at many of them can be a difficult task. One way to avoid that is to get there early, and this often means super early or as soon as the sun rises. If that’s not an option, consider taking an Uber or Lyft to your destination. You don’t want to pay outrageous parking fees or spend your entire day driving around looking for a place to park. The entire downtown San Diego area, Mission Beach, Belmont Park, and J Street (when the Padres are playing) are some of the most difficult places to find parking.
3. Bothering the La Jolla Seals
The seals at La Jolla Beach are a huge attraction in San Diego. While it’s okay to watch them and take pictures from a distance, don’t try to get too close. The seals bite, and during certain times of the year, the city puts barriers up so you can’t approach them. Stay on your side of the barriers.
4. Making Plans without Considering Traffic
Navigating traffic in San Diego can be just as difficult as parking. A trip that should take 20 minutes could end up taking two hours, especially after 3 p.m. and throughout rush hour. Make sure to plan your day in such a way that you don’t have to cross town too many times, and stay off the roads during rush hour if you can.
5. Expecting to See It All in One Trip
Finally, whether you’re visiting San Diego for a weekend or an entire week, don’t expect to see everything in one trip. There’s the San Diego Zoo, historical sites, the beaches, thousands of shops and restaurants, pro sports games, trolley tours, brewery tours, harbor cruises, museums, and so much more. Start with things you really want to do, and don’t rule out another trip in the near future.
With so much to enjoy in San Diego, you’ll want to stay for a while, so reserve your room today at Sunrise Inn San Diego. When they’re looking for comfortable, affordable hotels near downtown San Diego, visitors will be amazed by our unbeatable rates as well as our spacious rooms, stunning views of the harbor, and proximity to the most popular attractions in America’s Finest City. Call one of our friendly staff members today at (619) 223-5544 to make your reservation.