We are soon launching our #WelcomeBacktoTravel campaign with our partners as many of our readers are itching to get out and begin planning travel and summer trips — all while being safe and adhering to local guidelines. We are seeing road trips as the easiest form of light travel, as it’s possibly safer to just hop in your car and explore your surrounding states, finally visiting those quieter cities in the area.

ID 87763173 © Jason Kolenda | Dreamstime.com

After speaking with so many of our destination partners, it got me thinking of my own road trip to some cities along California’s central coast I have not been to in years. I think it’s time to finally plan a good old-fashioned road trip and weekend getaway.

Paso Robles, California, settled sometime in the 1700s, has grown to be a major wine region and a great spot for wine tasting. It has an ambiance similar to Napa but less pretentious. Adelaide Vineyards and Winery sits atop a hillside, so the wines are at a 2,000-foot elevation. The pictures of the place look amazing; besides sipping wines at 30,000 feet on flights, I would like to experience this as well. Other well-known California labels like Justin and J. Lohr have beginnings here.

Just west of Paso Robles, Cambria sits on cliffs and jagged rocks, but its growing “downtown” has cute boutiques, California-style cuisine and seafood I am eager to try. Hearst Castle is just about 6 miles up Highway 1 but is currently not open for tours. Another spot I want to try is the historic Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, located on a rugged, windswept coastal point about 15 miles past Cambria. The lighthouse was first illuminated in 1875 to guide mariners along California’s coast.

I don’t have a date in mind, but as the weather reaches scorching here in Los Angeles in July and August, I might have to get moving!

— Carly Allen, executive vice president, associate publisher