About Carrie T
Carrie got the travel bug in college and immediately set out for a long term career in the tourism industry. She’s lived and studied abroad in France and Mexico, and traveled extensively both domestically and internationally. As the West Coast Regional Manager for Smart Destinations, she is an expert on Southern California attractions. She splits her time between San Diego and Los Angeles, building travel products that help clients save both time and money. Outside of enjoying the California sunshine, her favorite hobby is giving travel advice to her friends and family!
Blog posts written by Carrie T
November 28th, 2007 by carrie t
Photo uploaded by
San Diego is a great spot to take a trip by RV. The is first class with wonderful amenities such as parks and a waterfront marina. On their site you can sometimes find last minute specials, particularly in the winter time (rates range from $18 - $50 a day). If you don’t want to tow a car behind your RV, you’ll find the car rental rates from Enterprise Rent a Car to be very low. Enterprise will also send someone to pick you up, so if you time it right, renting a car is a breeze.
From Chula Vista, you can easily access downtown San Diego, or even drive down to Baja, Mexico. The Chula Vista RV Resort also has community activities available for its guests. With such perfect weather year round, you’ll surely want to extend your stay in San Diego – many people will spend an entire season in our city!
Planning a trip to
San Diego?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go San Diego Card.
November 16th, 2007 by carrie t
Legoland, California
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Yet another reason to visit San Diego: is investing more than $20 million dollars in an expansion project for LEGOLAND ® California. The park will be adding a new adventure area called Land of Adventure (set to open March 2008), as well as a separate interactive Aquarium experience called . This will be the 29th SEA LIFE aquarium to open in the world, but the first in North America. SEA LIFE will be geared to children, providing interactive and educational experiences much like LEGOLAND ® California. The expansion project should be finished in the summer of 2008.
Planning a trip to
San Diego?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go San Diego Card.
November 13th, 2007 by carrie t
Pacific Beach
Photo by Carrie T.
Last week, voted to ban alcohol on many of their beaches for 18 months. This mainly affects Pacific Beach (P.B.), which is known for having a very lively beach atmosphere throughout the summer and the major holidays. The agreement for the ban came partly in response to dangerous fights that broke out over Labor Day weekend in P.B.
San Diegans have long been split on this issue. Many local businesspeople support the ban; they feel it will clean up the streets and encourage people to conduct themselves more responsibly in public. Families are typically supportive of the ban because they want to feel safe having their children on the beach. (more…)
Planning a trip to
San Diego?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go San Diego Card.
October 31st, 2007 by carrie t
If you’ve been to San Diego, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s “America’s most hospitable city” (in fact, readers of Conde Nast Traveler voted San Diego in their top 10 US cities!). The locals are great people, and the entire city has been united through the recent tragedy.
San Diegans have opened up their homes and their hearts for each other to accommodate the 900,000+ evacuees last week. There is no doubt that the city will recover quickly and become stronger than ever.
San Diego thrives from the tourism here so look for great travel specials over the next few months as San Diego rebuilds!
Planning a trip to
San Diego?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go San Diego Card.
October 26th, 2007 by carrie t
California sunset
Photo by Carrie Tayloe
As of yesterday, the wildfires are slowing down and many are already fully contained. There are still plenty of places to go in this area that have not been affected at all.
In San Diego, tourists can still go sightseeing throughout the waterfront, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla. The air quality can be poor at times so if you are planning to visit this weekend, you might want to plan to stay indoors for a decent amount of the time.
Throughout Southern California, the winds constantly shift throughout the day, but typically at worst there is haze and a very dry heat. The temperature has dropped considerably, and in addition the Santa Ana winds have died down, so things are already much better!
Many people have expressed an interest in volunteering to help. If you live close by, you can volunteer through the American Red Cross. If you are not local, your donations are greatly needed to help all of the people that are currently evacuated from their homes or lost their homes already.
However, the best way you can help us rebuild in Southern California is to come here for vacation! Look for travel specials online through Travelocity and other online operators. Remember that most of the beach areas in San Diego were not affected so once the smoke clears (by early next week), San Diego will be back in business. Don’t cancel your holiday plans to come and enjoy our beaches!
If you’re here in Socal, you’ll notice there are amazing sunrises and sunsets this week. This is due to the fact that the ash and smoke in the air scatters out the light from the sun and magnifies the hues. It’s quite beautiful and if you’re up close to the ocean you’ll see the waves sparkling with a rainbow of colors. Above is a photo taken from Manhattan Beach on Tuesday evening.
For updates on the fires San Diego, please check out www.SanDiego.org.
Planning a trip to
San Diego?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go San Diego Card.
October 12th, 2007 by carrie t
Monster in the Cruiser
Photo provided by Carrie Tayloe, Destination Manager
San Diego is a first class tourist destination for people, but did you know it’s also one of the best spots to bring your pets?
“” in Ocean Beach is the place to “see and be seen” for both dogs and their owners. When planning your travel arrangements, be sure to check out our local vacation rentals, where you can find a rental to suit you and your pet’s needs.
is a recommended site to research and book vacation rentals; just look for the paw icon on the listings to search for the properties that will accept your pet. Be sure to mention your pet and any special requirements when filling out the reservation requests. An insider’s tip is that you can also find last minute deals on vacation rentals on .
If you prefer staying downtown, the W Hotel in Little Italy is pet-friendly. You’ll have to pay a non-refundable cleaning fee and upgraded charge to have your pet stay in the room, but the staff will treat your furry friend like a V.I.P! Don’t miss PAW (“Pets Are Welcome”) Happy Hour at the W Hotel on the last Tuesday of every month! The W Hotel is located at 421 West B Street in Little Italy (619-398-3100). (more…)
Planning a trip to
San Diego?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go San Diego Card.
