Why Road trips are Great for Self-care

Why Road trips are great for Self-care

Sometimes self-care means getting the heck out of town! Let me explain why road trips are great for self-care. Living in a city like Los Angeles has really great advantages as well as some downsides. The advantages include things like great restaurants and museums, the hiking trails, and the shopping, my goodness. The disadvantages usually include commotion, heavy traffic, high cost of living, and that never-ending feeling of urgency.

Even though I get some relief within nature during my walks and hikes, I felt the call to truly immerse in another place outside of LA for a while. To me, committing to a change of pace can be considered self-care, especially because it allows for a fresh perspective. Taking a road trip away from LA did just that.

California road tripping for 4 days was just awesome. My roommate Shanon and I took off mid-August and drove to another world…literally. Just 3-4 hours north of LA and life is different- smog-free skies, starry nights, sprawling vineyards, and the most gorgeous beaches. Our path was Paso Robles, Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay/Morro, RockShell Beach/Pismo Beach, Los Olivos and Santa Barbara.

Since we started our trip with a drive up to Paso Robles, we spent two gorgeous nights at Allegretto Vineyard Resort – an elegant homage to Italy’s Tuscany region. During the walk among the grounds, I found spots for meditation and quiet times. I would bring my AirPods and listen to guided meditation in the early mornings, because I knew the rest of my day would be filled with movement and less time for true quiet. There are individual fire pits spread among the property, a pool with spacious cabanas for napping and lounging, beautiful pieces of ancient art, a church on the property, and a sprawling vineyard at the property base where you can walk through for pleasure.

We visited 3 vineyards full of rolling vineyard hills, good food and service, and classic wines: Cass Winery, Parrish Family, and Eberle Vineyard. All were reservation-only for outdoor seating and all did a fabulous job of social distancing their tables, making sure their employees were masked, and ensuring the guests’ safety. We even got to do a 90 minute horseback riding experience with Central Coast Trail Rides through Class Winery. The ride through the vineyards really rooted my spiritual relationship with nature and animals. Trusting my life on one of the most powerful mammals on earth, a horse, was really a humbling and emotional moment. That’s one of my favorite parts of this whole road trip and why road trips are great for self-care. You can be find some incredibly inspiring adventures during your travels.

From Paso, we headed to the beach towns of Cambria and Cayucos for quick drive-through-like experiences. We walked around the little downtown of Cambria and stopped at a well-known dessert place praised for their sheep’s milk ice cream. I am not even an ice cream fan and this might’ve been the best ice cream I’ve ever had. The fact that it’s made from sheep’s milk is what sold me- little to no lactose means I can eat it without the worries of an upset stomach. From there we moved on to the little country western-ish beach town of Cayucos. There’s a famous cookie store there known all along the west coast called Brown Butter Cookie Company. With all the walking we’d done in the town before, I carried no shame at eating some cookies- none!

For a long time, I’ve had the itching to visit Morro Rock. Have you heard of it? Luckily, its proximity made it very easy to travel to from where Shanon and I had just come from. The actual town, Morro Bay, didn’t disappoint my expectations at all. It’s a sleepy little fisherman vibe and the locals were some of the friendliest we’d encountered. To finally see that big rock (that appears as if it’s rising out of the ocean) filled me with so much joy. It was a quiet moment of reflection for me- taking in the ocean scents, the sounds of the waves as we cruised through the water, just being grateful to be alive in that moment. It was electric which is how I often feel on open water.

Shanon and I took a tiki hut tour with a small group to see Morro Rock up close. The history of it is as follows: a 20 million year old inactive volcano. It shifts an inch every 100 years. It is believed to have originated in Tijuana and over millions of years has made its way to the central coast of California. The marine life around it was a sight to behold as well. Southern Sea Otters, which are near extinction, live in the bay as do a whole family of sea lions. Though foggy during the time we went, I could still take in the magnificence of Morro Rock and truly feel the power of Mother Nature. Take in this image- did you relax at the sight of it? Let it serve as a gentle reminder why road trips are great for self-care.

We enjoyed a fishy lunch afterward at the Dockside- a must-taste according to the locals. They were right! We enjoyed oysters and calamari and beer. It was the perfect way to slow down from all our driving earlier and to stop and smell the … fish? From there we went to our second hotel of the trip, Spy Glass Inn, situated above the rocky cliffs of an area known as Shell Beach. This beach was a few minutes from the better-known Pismo Beach, but Shell Beach has its own charms and felt very much like a private space only for the resorts strung along it.

To go from mountains and vineyards to the most gorgeous beaches all in the same trip is something that is so easy to do in a state like California. I insist that you try this at some point in your life. The terrain can change within an hour, sometimes less, and I thoroughly enjoy the variety. Spy Glass Inn was a perfect stop for the night- oceanfront, with a restaurant of the same name right next door. The front desk offered a s’mores kit for their lawn fire pits which we declined due to the sweet treats we had already indulged in earlier that day. We did take some time to sit outside on our patio though and watch the sun go down and then walk the pathway along our resort and others, down to the beach that night.

The next morning the roomie and I went down by the ocean and took in the sun, the quiet, and some meditation with only the ocean waves for smooth listening. We promptly got back to the hotel in time for check-out. I want to mention how thorough Spy Glass in their cover-care. There was no late check out option due to their sanitation process. While I would normally ask for a reconsideration on this, knowing that it’s for the safety of all guests that these rooms get the time that they need for cleanliness and disinfecting, I was happy to leave right at 11.

We drove to the main Pismo Beach area which had hordes of people out, many of whom were not wearing masks. We walked the area for a bit and kept it moving back down south. Los Olivos, which was an hour south, was extremely charming in its own right. Nestled east of the beaches and back among the mountains, it’s known for its wine tasting rooms and its olive oil production. I got myself some locally-made set of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and moved on to Santa Barbara.

We dined on a late lunch at The Boathouse at Hendry’s which is always a favorite of mine. If it weren’t for work the next day, we could’ve stayed another night I’m sure. Seeing is how life demands a that balance of work and play, we headed back to LA. I returned safely with a newfound appreciation of the outdoors and life at a slower pace. I am already researching my next trip. Are you now also?

So…why road trips are great for self-care:

• They get you out of your comfort zone and that can be a great experience. Riding horseback isn’t part of my daily life and at the same time, the feeling of accomplishment and kick-assery after the ride was just so awesome. Getting to do something extraordinary, periodically, changes your perspective on the life you’re used to living; there’s more gratitude and possibly less fear.
• A change of scenery is always a good idea. To immerse yourself in new people and new places can really be a source of relaxation depending on how you look at it. You can be whoever you want; no one knows you. You are truly free in moments like this and it can be exhilarating to strip down and be YOU without the expectations of others in your circle.
• Embracing a slower pace is self-care 101. Getting the heck out of dodge for a few days did wonders for my psyche. I could see the stars at night shining down on the vineyards of Paso Robles. I could hear the ocean waves as I slept during my night at Shell Beach. Walking through some of the small towns along the way where no one was in a rush or hurrying around was my favorite. Because the scene was so mild in these places, I responded to these environments by being mild as well. You learn to adapt to wherever you to travel to and match its pace with your own.

Happy Summer Break to you, dear reader. I hope you find what you’re looking for when you decide on your road trip too.

XOXO, Natasha