Heading West

One of my most favorite things to do is travel and I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel quite a bit this year. In April I went on a cruise with my girlfriends to the Bahamas and had more fun than should be legal,  last month I ventured to the Florida Keys. Though each vacation was a blast, I'm sad to say that neither of them was spent with Paul.

Well, that's all about to change! I am so excited to share that, my handsome husband of mine and I will be heading West next week to spend eight days traveling the California Coast. I have an exciting trip planned for the two of us as we hit up Sonoma, San Francisco, Monterey and Carmel.

  I am so excited, I can hardly breath.

Because I'm obsessive compulsive a planner, I have made a spreadsheet of what I'd like to do each day of our trip. I've been researching for months and months and have narrowed down the major details of our trip and scored great deals in some wonderful hotels and B&B's. With only 2-3 days in each place, I don't want to waste my time trying to figure things out. Though nothing is written in stone, I feel more comfortable vacationing with an agenda in mind.

The thing about me and traveling, which drives the hubs a bit nuts, is that I always say I don't want to travel 'like a tourist.' When I go somewhere, I want to experience it. I want to do what the locals do, eat where they eat, and really get the idea of what the place is all about. I want to find those 'hidden gems' that a city has to offer. Call me a snob, but under no circumstance will you ever find me in a chain restaurant, Planet Hollywood, Hardrock Cafe, or TGI Fridays when I am vacationing. The only exception to this rule is The Rainforest Cafe- who doesn't love a thunderstorm every 15 minutes and a talking Willow Tree? This girl sure does!

Vegas 2008 Rainforest Cafe

Needless to say, I cannot wait to head West for a week full of food, wine, scenery, and fun with a guy I'm pretty fond of. I will be sure to have lots of pics and posts to share of our adventure!

I know that am a little, ok a lot, nuts when it comes to planning a trip so I'm curious about others. What is your vacation style? Do you prefer to plan ahead or play it by ear? Go the tourist route or take the road less traveled? Anyone have any tips on California- I want to hear it all!