Santa Clarita is a great city, home to Six Flags and recently popularized by The Santa Clarita diet starring Drew Barrymore. For those living in Santa Clarita, however, summers away are just what the doctor ordered. The more you know on how to prepare for your trip away, however, the better and more fulfilling it will be – regardless of whether you’re going to another city in the state or across the Pacific. Follow these steps, and your next trip will be a trip of a lifetime:

1. Picking Your Destination

The first step, of course, is to pick your destination. Going to places simply because they are well known isn’t how you’ll find the best place, however. Knowing what you want from your trip is the key. If you want a beach holiday, it could be worthwhile to search for sandy, lesser-known beaches to beat the crowds of tourists. The same applies to islands. Doing more research can help you find your perfect getaway adventure and away from the tourist hotspots.

2. Social Media: How to Find Things to See and Do

Once you’ve picked your destination, your next instinct will likely be to search for top ten lists or to Google “Things to Do.”This, however, will only provide you a very superficial listing. If you want to know the truly great sites and venues, you will need to head over to social media. Local magazines make it their mission to cover all the latest news in their hometown, which can include a plethora of great activities that you would never find on a top-ten list.

The other way to find places to go to or things to do is on social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat, which both have a location features that will let you see the stories (and posts) of where you are going. This is how you will find the beautiful café’s, the greatest venues, and even exhibitions you would otherwise have never heard about before.

3. Building Your Itinerary

Building a must step-by-step itinerary is frustrating and only sets you up for disappointment. Instead, create a master list of the places you want to go to on your phone. This can easily be done on Google maps by either starring or otherwise saving the locations. Once you are there, you can choose as the day goes on, and create your itinerary on the go as you feel.

4. Go to an Event

Big events, however, cannot wait for you to get there, especially if tickets are likely to be sold out before you ever start packing for the trip. Going to a local event at your destination, however, can truly make the trip something special. That is why part of your planning procedure should involve visiting ticketsales.com. If there is an event that interests you, buy the ticket before it sells out.

The trip you build should be very personal to you and to your interests. If you don’t care about seeing a monument, but would love to go to the gardens, go for it. You don’t have to see all the items in a top-ten-list. Instead, make your own list,and you’ll be certain to have the perfect getaway adventure this summer.