Section 7 of 8
Trips and weekends
Camping, national parks, cheap flights home, and the best weekend escapes.
One of the best parts of living here is how much is within reach for a weekend: mountains, coast, wine country, and some of the finest national parks in the world.
Camping and parks
- Camping here is amazing. If you're into it, order a tent, a mattress, and basic gear (chair, headlamp) on Amazon.
- If you plan to visit a lot of national parks, buy a yearly pass. The price went up in 2026. It is tied to your name, so you always need to show your ID at the gate. Travelling as a group, you only need one pass per car, but the pass holder has to be in that car when you enter.
Weekend escapes
- Lake Tahoe: skiing in winter, the lake in summer.
- Napa and Sonoma: wine country.
- Big Sur: the coast.
Getting home to Belgium
- Sometimes flights are cheaper if you book through a VPN set to Belgium.
- Chase Travel has good deals now and then.
- Three convenient airports if you live in SF: San Jose, SFO, and Oakland.