19/09/2025
𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤.
This trip has been one of the best. 9 Days in Southern California with Hawaii stopover ❤️
The border process was quick and efficient, with paperwork unchanged. Please note that starting at the end of this month, the ESTA fee will increase from USD 21 to USD 40. You can do this now - accomodation is optional to update. Entry visa is valid for 2 years!
𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝐻𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑖 before flying to Long Beach (small airport) compared to LAX in California, was a great plan—it really helped ease the transition into the opposite time zone too.
𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝
Both California and Hawaii have incredibly diverse populations, and that really shows in the food. We enjoyed what’s often called modern fusion cuisine—blending Asian, Pacific Islander, Latin, and American flavors into fresh, creative dishes. Anaheim stood out as an unexpected foodie gem. The city has a buzzing culinary scene with trendy Mexican restaurants serving modern takes on classic street food, vibrant craft breweries (20 in Anaheim) with laid-back tasting rooms, and even hotels boasting in-house chefs who create fresh & traditional menus using local ingredients. (Some hotels have their own garden - California freshness)
𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫
Summer arrives a bit later in California. Most days were sunny with temperatures around 22-29°C. The warm weather made it perfect for exploring, dining outdoors, and soaking up that laid-back California vibe.
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠
September through the first week of October turned out to be an ideal time for Aussies to visit, since it's low season. Of course, weather patterns seem unpredictable everywhere these days. We were fortunate to have perfect weather for the entire trip. Hurricane Kieko passed close to Hawaii but veered out to sea, leaving us with nothing more than a refreshing breeze. Just as I left LA, a storm was forming off the Mexican coast and brought rain the next day. Honestly, it all came down to a bit of luck with the weather—so I always pack expecting a bit of everything.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐔𝐃 𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐒𝐃 exchange mainly affected dining out at restaurants, but there are plenty of ways to save—happy hours are everywhere, and sharing small plates is a great way to enjoy the food without breaking the bank.
𝑇𝑎𝑥 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 work differently here, so you need to budget for an additional 20-24% on top of the listed prices. Have a few $1 bills to tip hotel cleaner, porter if using but everything else added to card bill
𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, even walked alone for 20-30 minutes without running into any dodgy teens (definitely not like the ones back home in Glenorchy or Moonah—my own suburbs! 😩 haha). I was mostly in Anaheim, California, a state with a population of nearly 40 million and home to one of the happiest places on earth. It’s such a contrast to how things are in Australia, where it sometimes feels like youths can get away with pretty much whatever they want.
𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝—𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 🐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐲.
Now, Disneyland has the most incredible fireworks show you’ll ever experience, 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 because it was that magical ✨. There’s so much more to see and do in Southern California. I loved Huntington Beach and exploring the City of Angels, Los Angeles.
𝐈’𝐦 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬—𝐢𝐭’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤, 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝!
