California

California cities offer diverse landscapes and the type of vacation you choose will largely depend on the location of your destination. For instance, beaches offer year-round mild weather that's generally not too hot. But come the winter months, locations on the California Central Coast such as Surf Beach or the sand dunes north to Redwood Coast can get quite chilly, requiring warm jackets to cut the chill on the coldest of days. Extremely rare, you'll seldom see even a dusting of snow as the beaches don't typically get that cold. You can bring swimsuits or buy them on location. And for learning to surf, most rental shops in the beach cities rent wetsuits to go along with surfboards. The water temperatures range from low 50s to mid-70s at the warmest Southern California beaches during the months of July and August.

Popular vacations in the mountain resorts such as Tahoe, Big Bear, Yosemite and Mammoth are your best bet to enjoy snow vacations and getaways from November through March, especially. During the summers season from May to October, these destinations offer lake sports, fall foliage viewing, abundant fishing and great hikes through the woods and forests.

The California deserts are best visited in the winter (November through March) when the temperatures are mild and pleasant. The rest of the year the weather is warm or hot and dry and can be somewhat unpleasant to those who don't do heat” well. Palm Springs and Palm Desert resorts are vacation playgrounds of the rich and average folks, but in the summer you'll most often find yourself heading out at night to dine and party during the summer.