California with $200 or less

Now there is something you should know about this trip. It was not to be an extravagant vacation, but rather, a first time adventure. Have you ever traveled with only what you can cary in a backpack? No hotel. No car. No real plans. Just a plane ticket and cash (limited cash. I am talking California with $200 or less and the flight was $150)

It was around 2am when I bought my ticket to California. I hadn't planned to go with anyone and I did not have a reason to buy it other than the fact that I wanted to. Luckily, a few days before the trip, my friend Lauren decided to tag along. 

Day one: was spent flying to California, visiting the beach and scouting out a camping spot. We took the public bus from San Jose out to Santa Cruz and met friends all along the way. It is always so pleasing to find how many good people there are in this world.

Our lovely Uber driver Ashley was the one to take us out to our desired camping location. PANTHER BEACH, one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. Although I don't recommend camping there. We didn't know until afterwards that it is illegal to camp because it is a state park. Oops. I promise we left no trace. 

To my fellow Cali photographers. The sunrise light here was unlike ANYTHING ELSE.

Day Two: Felton. WOW. What a perfect little town for backpackers. We ended up here thanks to the suggestion of our second Uber driver. The highway views on this route were absolutely breathtaking. We passed pines, redwoods, wineries and miles of beautiful untouched land. We started off our time here by getting the most divine home cooked breakfast from a the cafe, Rocky's. 

With very full tummies two sweet girls offered to give us a lift to a nearby hike in the "Redwood ruins". 

I was so impressed with the kindness of every person I met in Felton. It was such a charming place :)

There are also two redwood parks located there, for those of you who might consider visiting in the future.

 Day Three: Finally a beach day. Out to Capitola we went. This place is tourist heaven. Cute shops, colorful houses and a beautiful beach. Lauren and I just relaxed and soaked in the sun for our last full day in beautiful California.

Night three was the most interesting of them all. We were too lazy to find a new place to camp so we decided to "camp out" at the airport. Everything went very smoothly until around 6am we were rudely awakened by airport security treating us like homeless women and demanding proof that we were flying that same morning. Confused, I handed him my boarding pass and told him we would clean up our stuff and sit in the chairs like normal human beings. hahaha what a funny way to wake up. 

Day Four: This adventure came to an end!

Lauren and I accomplished our goal with pride! We enjoyed a lovely 3 days in California seeing the beach, hiking the mountains and meeting amazing people with $200 or less. We prepared backpacking food ahead of time and only ate out sparingly, walked and Ubered EVERYWHERE and slept in the very tent that we carried on our backs (except the airport floor, that doesn't count...but it was free!;) )

My Backpacking essentials (besides the actual necessities):

• Black Leggings - they function as pjs, pants, pillow etc ;)
• Long soft socks
• Gopro
• Wipes
• Tevas

If you haven't ever bought an unplanned plane ticket and traveled with only what you could carry in a backpack, take those spontaneous steps and DO IT!

Also, if you have any questions about what to pack in a backpack or what food to bring, send me an email and I would be happy to help! 

xoxo

Morgan