“On the road again. I just can’t wait to get on the road again.” Willie Nelson begins any road trip I have these days, even if it is just between my home in Los Angeles and visiting friends in Northern California. He expresses pretty perfectly the feeling of freedom I get when I leave the…
Editor’s note: as a lifetime Californian, I’ve been to Big Sur, but I’m ashamed to say I haven’t driven it in well over a decade. Monterey, however, I’ve visited more often, and loved every moment. Here, Sam shares his thoughts on a first trip to these amazing places, and some stunning photos from the experience.…
Editor’s note: love of travel comes from somewhere, and mine is partially due to my mom. After being my biggest cheerleader and most regular reader here at The Royal Tour, I’m thrilled to be able to share her first article with you now. The links will take you to articles I have written about some…
Driving Interstate 10 between Los Angeles and Phoenix is boring, to say the least. I joke that all I have to do is point the car east and put it in cruise control, then fall asleep in the back seat. While that’s both an obvious joke (please don’t do such a thing) and not quite…
I am beyond excited for this trip. I have lived in California basically my entire life. During those forty years, I have seen the overwhelming majority of the state. But next week, I get to spend some time exploring a part of the state I’ve never before been able to visit: gold country. At the…
Editor’s note: what a wonderful story of bonding with a newborn through travel! Sam’s adventures may be changing, but I have no doubt that his stories, while a bit different, will be just as inspiring to all of us. For more of Sam’s incredible writing, click here to visit his index page. As everyone knows,…
I hope you are all enjoying my stories from Northern Arizona. While those will continue for the next few weeks - I love when a trip gives me so many things to write - it is time for my next trip. I have spent a TON of time in Northern California, but relatively little along…
It’s been almost fourteen months since I returned from Spain, leaving that trip three weeks early because there were *gasp* more than 100 daily cases of this new coronavirus there. I figured I’d ride it out back in Los Angeles, returning to travel by summer at the latest. Little did I know I’d spend the…
Palm Springs is hot in July. Very hot. Wearing my mask, I grab a double-double and a vanilla shake from California's most iconic burger chain, In N Out, and start up a winding road into the mountains. This road, California Highway 74 and turning into California Highway 243, is known as the Palms to Pines…
With international travel seeming to largely be out of the picture, at least for the near future, but summer and fall vacation plans upon us, let's talk about how to take a basically free road trip - or to plan one for next year. Road trips are one of my favorite ways to travel. There…