This post was sponsored by Zipcar.
All opinions and photographs are my own.
Paul and I just returned from our California trip on Saturday and I am already reminiscing. It was so much fun checking a few spots off our bucket list!
Bookmarks: Napa Valley, Bodega Bay, Santa Rosa, and San Francisco
A full blog post and travel guide on Napa Valley (the focus of our trip) is coming very soon. Today I wanted to jump on and talk about why Zipcar was and is always the best choice for when you are vacationing; especially somewhere scenic.
Reserving a Zipcar is super easy, to begin with. You can sign up on their site and once you are approved you will receive a Zipcar key in the mail. The card is universal so you can use it for any of the trips you decide to reserve now and in the future.
I did not realize how the card worked at first and was so much happier when I realized how quick and easy it made the process. Even simpler? You can lock and unlock the car with the Zipcar app once you’ve checked in. There were so many times I used this to my advantage.
Having never formally rented a car in my life, Zipcar made the most sense. I didn’t have to wait in long lines at the airport to check in and pick up my keys. There is so much value in knowing what vehicle you are driving and exactly where to pick it up before you go.
Nicole, our Subaru Crosstrek, was waiting for us to pack her up and take her for a spin! We head right on over after our flight, loaded the trunk with luggage, and jumped in for the ride to wine country. We went straight from San Francisco to St. Helena seamlessly.
I drove the entire time we were in Napa and Sonoma because I was tasting like a true Sommelier (aka sipping and pouring) and because I really love being behind the wheel. Driving on those open roads is a very fun and quite breathtaking experience.
The major perk to having a car when you visit anywhere new is the ease of stopping and snapping, two things I do a lot of. When you are on vacation and have to rely on public transportation or ride-sharing (i.e. Uber or Lyft) you do not get the full experience. Having a Zipcar meant we could stop where we wanted to, make extra trips, change plans, and have the peace-of-mind that we could see and do whatever we wanted.
If you are travelling to somewhere like Napa or Sonoma then having a car makes transporting all of that extra luggage (aka the wine you will be drinking) much simpler. Imagine having to overload your driver or the local bus with both your personal luggage and cases of wine?! For us, having a trunk where we could keep things was key.
Another fabulous reason to have a car while you are travelling is for outfit changes, extra snacks, and road storage when you know you won’t be returning to your room for a while. Paul and I both kept an extra pair of shoes and layers in the car for if and when we needed a switch. Because of our hosted visits and the blog, I kept a full bag of extra looks in the backseat!
It’s safe to say Nicole was full of our belongings from #Day1
Join Zipcar FREE now through September for a 30-day trial membership + use code biancablogs25 for $25 in driving credit. Once the time has passed, you will only be charged $7 per month which I find to be very affordable and worth it.
