After averting our camper disaster, we focused on our next adventure: downtown San Diego. In this episode, we explore this dazzling city, finding great food and fun excursions while spending quality time with my daughter Sarah in the vibrant streets of Gaslight Quarter. But this adventure isn’t cheap – we also share how much this trip costs!

Our AirBnB

We were originally going to stay in a hotel, but I decided at the last minute to change things up and rent an AirBnB. The costs were similar, but the big difference was that we’d have our own separate bedrooms instead of having a common area for Gary, myself and my daughter Sarah to share.

And I’m so glad we did it! We ended up staying in the Gaslamp district, which seemed like a perfect place to be in the middle of the action while also being able to walk to many other areas (like the piers, Little Italy, etc.) as well as being close to bus routes for further excursions.

If you want to do something similar, do realize a few things:

• You’re in a party-style environment. There will be noises at all times of the night. Prepare for this if you’re a light sleeper (noise maker, ear plugs, etc.)
• Similarly, many of these AirBnbs are in old factory buildings which have very thin walls. So you will definitely hear your neighbors.
• Yes, there are homeless folks around. We had several who typically stayed near the door where we had to get into our building. These folks are people – just be courteous and you’ll generally get the same behavior back.

The Food!

We are not typically folks who eat out regularly, so this week was far from what we’re used to, but so glad we were able to try so many different items. I will say we tend to have more basic food – we’re not fancy food folks. We also enjoy a few mixed drinks (me) and beer (Gary) when going out.

I will say I’m obsessed with tacos. I love everything about tacos. And when we ended up finding The Waves Taco Club just down the street from us, I thought I was in heaven.

Their taco shells were cooked so that they had crispy cheese on the outer edge, which was fantastic! The first day we went, their tortilla chips were also phenomenal – the seasoning was perfect! We went later on with Sarah and the tacos and chips weren’t the same. Too bad there seemed to be some quality consistency issues. No alcohol here but good tacos.

But, I couldn’t get Gary to go to Tacos El Gordo, which was hopping pretty much EVERY night. I did shed a little tear leaving the AirBnB without going there…

We tried Italian food there (Nonna), Asian-ish (Harumama), phenomenal donuts at The Donut Bar, but we personally enjoyed the lower-key pubs that were scattered about. Grab a drink and a little something to eat and we were happy just people watching and relaxing.

Things To Do

There are so many things to do in San Diego that it’s hard to pick the right one.

Sunset Trolley Tour

We enjoyed the sunset trolley tour – it was worth driving around and seeing the area, including going over to Coronado Island. In hindsight, I wished we had done this earlier in our trip since it was a good way to get acclimated to an area.

San Diego Zoo

If you have kids, this is simply a must-see. For us, it was just ok. The park itself is well-maintained and there’s a lot to see. You can see why it’s one of the best in the US and possibly the world. But I guess it just isn’t our thing.

Better Than The Zoo? La Jolla Tide Pools

Instead of the zoo, I think we loved playing around at the La Jolla tidepools.

A heck of a lot cheaper (minus the Uber ride – we should’ve taken the bus) and more interactive. Sarah’s entire life was in the Midwest, so this was especially fun showing her around (with what little I know). So much fun!

Chill Time

One thing we did was to relax perhaps every other evening and did a simple Netflix and chill evening. Not everything had to be super-high energy. That’s part of why everything was so enjoyable – a mix of fun and relaxation.

Have you been to San Diego? What stuff did we miss?

Costs – $3043 for a week in downtown San Diego

As you would expect, things aren’t cheap anywhere and stuff is more expensive in California. Add in the fact that we’re in a large city that’s known for tourism, so you have to rack that budget up quite a bit. Here’s our breakdown:

• $1624 AirBnB
• $839 Food
• $360 Entertainment
  • $ 210 San Diego Zoo
  • $ 150 Trolley Tour
• $220 Transportation
  • $175 Uber
  • $45 Busses/Trains

Could we have visited and spent less? Absolutely. Our philosophy is that we’ll spend more extravagantly with family and friends and then keep costs down during our normal travels. It’s a balance that we’re still trying to figure out on the road.

Other Links

• 🛻⛺🛠 Truck Camper GEAR
• 🛻⛺🛠⬆️Truck Camper UPGRADES

Our Camping Locations

If you’re interested in seeing all of the places we’ve stayed, I’m keeping a (mostly) updated list on Google Maps by Month. Enjoy!