The Four Biggest Mistakes Los Angeles Visitors Make And How To Avoid Them
Approximately 25 million tourists visit Los Angeles every year. And many come with visions of palm trees, beaches and seeing celebrities. While many visitors to Los Angeles find themselves excited to see the sights, once they arrive they are shocked at how overwhelming the city can be. The good news is that it does not have to be overwhelming if you plan ahead of time.
Los Angeles can either be a great place to visit, or can be a big disappointment. It all boils down to realistic expectations and preparation.
Before you book your trip, here are some practical solutions to four of the most common mistakes visitors to Los Angeles unwittingly make and how to avoid them.
Not knowing the area beforehand.
The sheer size of Los Angeles can be daunting. And people who come unprepared for it can be in for quite a shock. The best advice for a visitor to Los Angeles is get a good map of Los Angeles before your trip and get a general idea of the area of the city you will be staying in as well as you plan to see are from your hotel.
Staying in the wrong area
When tourists think of Los Angeles, they tend to think that it is much smaller than it actually is and that all the attractions are close by. The truth is that the big attractions that many tourists want to see are not in the city of Los Angeles itself. For example, the beaches, Disneyland, Universal Studios and Knott's Berry Farm – none are in Los Angeles, and in fact are 30 minutes to over one hour away. So the smartest thing for a tourist to do is to stay close to the attractions that they want to see. That way, they cut down on travel time and driving in LA traffic.
Trying to squeeze it all in one day
One mistake tourists make (especially those only staying a few days in Los Angeles) is trying to see every attraction in one day. Los Angeles is too spread out for that. The key to fitting in as many attractions as possible in one day is – do not even try. The best strategy is to limit yourself to one or two major attractions a day, because each can take several hours. And you'll need to give yourself plenty of travel time as well. And realize that you may not be able to see everything you want.
Expecting to see celebrities
Even though Los Angeles is the "Entertainment Capitol of the World," seeing celebrities is not an every day occurrence, so do not come with the expectation that you will see a celebrity as you're strolling down Hollywood Boulevard. Movies portray Hollywood as the city to see stars. In reality, the only time you'll see stars in Hollywood is in the wax museum or the day of a movie premiere or award show. There are plenty of places to see celebrities, but Hollywood is not one of them.
Having a great Los Angeles vacation is possible if you take time to plan out your trip before you arrive, give yourself plenty of time to see the sights, be realistically about what you may or may not be able to do and do not try to cram everything in a single day.
