Southern California Travel-Smart Trip Planner

From Big Sur to a trip across the border into Mexico, this guide highlights the southern half of the Golden State

With its beaches, deserts, mountains, and movie sets, Southern California offers a multitude of attractions for tourists and vacationers. Southern California Travel-Smart "TM" Trip Planner provides them with opinionated itinerary plans for creating the perfect trip.

Here are the essential planning tools for the independent-minded traveler who doesn't want to waste time or money on tired tourist traps. There are recommended sight-seeing attractions as well as food, lodging, and outdoor recreation suggestions for each of the 12 itineraries in the book. Also included are a full-color fold-out map inside the front cover, topographical planning maps to route a personalized itinerary, along with mileage information, a climate chart, and travel resources.

Ranging as far north as Big Sur and south into Tijuana, suggested itineraries include: the beaches of Malibu, Venice, and Santa Monica; desert routes in Death Valley and Joshua Tree; Anaheim, home of Disneyland; San Diego with a trip across the border into Mexico; and the lush inland areas of Southern California, including Pasadena. Outdoor lovers can explore Kings Canyon National Park, the Sierra Nevada, Palm Springs, and snow-capped Mt. Whitney. For the urban entertainment enthusiasts, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Universal City, and Burbank are thoroughly covered.