Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals Reveals The Biggest Mistakes Travelers Should Avoid

Depending on your interests, you can spend some or all of your time in Santa Barbara on the water, shore, or inland doing anything from learning to sail, shopping and dining, hiking stunning views, to crushing wine grapes. with the foots. Unfortunately, a lack of planning can often lead to wasted time, money, and opportunities.

So before you check into your vacation rental, check out our tips below. Avoiding these common mistakes travelers make can help you get the most out of your vacation.

Biggest Mistake to Avoid #1: Packing too much when you can travel light. We can’t say this enough, check the Santa Barbara weather forecast before you start packing. Many think that our climate is ideal: temperate and temperate. But while some visitors will feel comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt, others will prefer long pants and a sweater. Your best bet is the cape. Bring a handful of neutral pieces that you can mix and match. If you need to add something, there are plenty of places to buy.

Many rental properties offer free amenities for those traveling with young children, including portable playpens and high chairs. Some even carry a variety of outdoor supplies including beach gear and sports gear. Let your concierge or rental agent know in advance what you’ll need. Knowing that you don’t have to transport everything from home will help you travel lighter.

Biggest mistake to avoid #2: Succumbing to tourist traps. You’ll never see a New Yorker in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, or find an Angeleno taking a photo outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Likewise, there are tourist spots in Santa Barbara that locals avoid. Go there if you want. They can be fun. But if you want to see the real city, the places only natives know and frequent, ask the concierge at your hotel or vacation rental for help. He or she will show you the best food at the fairest prices, the freshest fish, the most original art, the latest in regional cuisine. The concierges are worth their weight in gold. They’ve got the inside scoop, from the best happy hours in town to unique ways to enjoy the local art scene, and they’re ready and waiting to create the perfect, personalized vacation for you.

Biggest Mistake to Avoid #3: Not doing your research. There’s nothing worse than coming home from vacation and someone asking you, “But of course you saw/saw XYZ.” What? Nobody told you! You would love to have done/seen that. If only you had known ahead of time.

There are many special things that are unique to the Santa Barbara area, and your hotel or vacation rental concierge will be happy to point you to a guide to the local area with insider travel tips. Before you leave for your vacation, you’ll also want to know what’s available and if it’s seasonal. If you want to see gray whale calves migrate north in the summer, you’ll be disappointed (they start heading north in February). Make it a priority to plan at least two hours of serious destination research online (those piano-playing cats on YouTube will still be there when you get home).

Some good places to start are the Santa Barbara Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Santa Barbara Visitors Guide.

Biggest Mistake to Avoid #4: Missing out on local events and unique community offerings. Sometimes feeling free and without frills is part of being on vacation. But if you’re a cheese lover, you don’t want to arrive at your destination only to discover that you just missed the international cheese festival.

Always check a couple of different community calendars to find out what special (or regular) events are scheduled. If you like the arts, check out an arts calendar. If you’re bringing the kids, check out a kid-friendly schedule. If you’re looking for the latest in family activities, check out the family events calendar or parenting magazine.

The three official city sites mentioned above in Tip #3 also have good event calendars.

Biggest Mistake to Avoid #5: Getting caught without a “Plan B.” As the Yiddish proverb says: “Man plans, God laughs.” Not everything always goes according to plan. An outdoor market might rain, or a concert might have sold out.

If you’ll be spending the day away from your vacation rental, make sure you have a list of alternative activities. If the Mission is closed for repairs, then perhaps the family historian will enjoy poking around an old cemetery or the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. If the children’s puppet show has been rescheduled, visit Kids World, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, or learn the location of the closest movie theater to your rental and if they are showing children’s movies.

Biggest mistake to avoid Tip #6: Missing out on spectacular sunsets. Santa Barbara has spectacular sunsets, but keep in mind that due to our unique geography, many of our beaches face south. One of the best places to watch the sunset is Butterfly Beach. On the other hand, you may prefer the private terrace of your vacation rental.

Before you check into your vacation home, you can do a little prep work to avoid common mistakes travelers make. A little planning can go a long way in creating and enjoying a memorable vacation. Anything is possible in Santa Barbara. Welcome!