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I’m one-third of the way through my last semester of law school, and all I can think about is taking a vacation. It seems to me to be as good a time as any to tell you about our honeymoon!
We had a few considerations in choosing a destination. First, I only had a week to travel after the wedding, so we wanted to stay somewhere close to home/quick to get to—we didn’t want to spend our whole honeymoon just getting there and back. That cut most of the places we actually wanted to go out of the running (I was just dying to take a Mediterranean cruise!). Second, we didn’t want to spend tons of money, so that cut out anywhere we’d have had to fly to reach. Thus, the honeymoon road trip (to wine country!) was born.
(source)
We’ll be skipping the morning-after brunch to make the long slog up to Sonoma, where neither of us have ever been, and will spend a few days there before heading west and south back home via Santa Cruz (one of my favorite places) and Carmel.
What turned out to be really nifty was that the Spaniel-in-laws had taken a similar road trip for their honeymoon—we’ll actually be staying at the same place in Carmel that they stayed 35 years ago (and telling the owners that got us a pretty sweet deal on the suite!).
I’m pretty excited about our road trip, but of course I have reservations (and not just for the rooms! Oh!). I love sunny-beachy vacations, and we won’t get much of that by heading north in March! I also can be a pretty cranky travel companion (hey, at least I know my faults), and being on the move for most of our honeymoon—packing and unpacking, arguing about negotiating who gets to drive—was definitely not how I’d originally envisioned it. But we’ve already figured out the ground rules to keep us both happy: complaints about bathroom stops on the road are not allowed, the first person to get hungry decides when to eat, and all other disputes are to be resolved by playing Rock-Paper-Scissors ;). If that’s not a recipe for success, I don’t know what is.
Are you road tripping it for your honeymoon? Do you have any tips to keep the peace on long drives?
We drove a lot in Maui. It was best if I drove and we had good tunes
Our Honeymoon was a road trip of sorts… we flew to Vermont and then road tripped up through French Canada and back 
If we could get a cheap flight we were going to do the same road trip you’re going on because we LOVE that area I’m a little jealous our your honeymoon.
Ooh Spaniel, could you recommend somewhere to stay in Sonoma? We’re going to, albeit not before august.
That sounds sooooo cool! I’ve always wanted to take a couple of weeks to drive down the coast of California, Highway 1 I believe? We decided to wait on that trip until we have kids but I think yours sounds like a glorious honeymoon!
That is so awesome!! A wine country honeymoon sounds amazing!
that’s going to be wonderful. and by the way, one time i was in wine country in february and it was 80 degrees–so you never know!
@Andie: Music definitely helps. We also have to figure out who will control the radio. 
@Danish_Student: I haven’t been there yet so we kind of took a stab in the dark, but I will be back with reviews after the honeymoon for sure!
@Miss Trail Mix: Yep, Highway 1. You should do it without kids first! Very romantic scenery, and your kids might get carsick in the back!
@Miss Pug: Good point. I went to Napa in August the first time and it was over 100… not good wine-drinking weather! I didn’t realize it could get so hot in the winter, too!
I love road trips! I think the key is to make sure that both people get adequate sleep before getting in the car, that there is always caffeine and snacks within reach, and when you’re the passenger, don’t ignore the driver for too long at a time!
We were married at a winery in so cal and wanted to go to Napa for our honeymoon but time was an issue so we drove up the coast to Cambria/San Simeon (went to Hearst Castle), then headed over to Paso Robles wine country. We visited many a winery and had a blast. If you are able to stay in Cambria, which is beautiful, check out the Fog Catcher’s Inn….it is just wonderful.
Just north of santa cruz, there’s a B&B at a light house on the coast! They have a hot tub & everything - fantastic & romantic views It’s on Hwy 1 btween santa cruz & Hwy 84!
I think you’ll have fun. You should plan little fun stops on the way - my sister took a road trip and made a stop at the world’s largest rubber band ball and the world’s largest ketchup bottle. Funn little stops like that might make the driving part better.
2 years ago, we drove from Minnesota to San Francisco and back. Last summer we drove from Minnesota to Glacier National Park in Montana and back. Those were super long road trips, but they were so much fun. Your drive really isn’t that bad, you’ll love it!
You’re going to have so much fun in wine country! And it’s so awesome you’ll be staying at the same place they did 35 years ago!
That would NEVER work for me, lol….Mr. B knows how to beat me at RockPaperScissors every. time.
We were going to fake road trip from Las Vegas to Palm Springs, but we eliminated Vegas and now, well, no more road trip
Your trip sounds perfectly lovely though. Sounds like a great drive.
I love Sonoma! I got married there last May! Make sure to have a meal at El Dorado Kitchen they have the best truffle fries!!!
sonoma is sooooo romantic. the food, the wine, the weather (perfect for snuggling) just relaxes the soul. jealous for your honeymoon! PS, the last half semester of law school goes by so quickly, remember to enjoy it (because I’m imagining you’ll be pretty distracted now through the foreseeable future).
@Mrs. Mouse: I agree that all of those are key!
@Lisa: I love Cambria… we go there every year with his family.
@Mrs. Bear Cub: I had no idea!
@Miss Nachos: I’ll have to see if there are any obscure tourist stops on the way.
@RobinBananas: Haha, he already beat me at it when we were deciding whether to stop at Sonoma first or last!
@aliceinweddingland: Enjoy it? That’s a tall order for anything law school related.
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Mrs. Spaniel, Los Angeles Age and Occupation: 28, Law Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Psychologist Wedding Date: March 2010 Venue: Calamigos Ranch About Me: I'm a third-year law student trying to balance graduating with starting my career, keeping up a relationship, and, oh yeah, planning an Old World, multi-cultural, "mountain lodge" wedding for 180 guests! A South Asian Jewish girl getting ready to marry my handsome Catholic Dane, I'm hoping to blend our cultures in our wedding just a bit more gently than by providing samosas as appetizers and offering æbleskiver for dessert. (Although that would also be awesome.)
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