Travel advice needed on Thanksgiving holiday ?
 

We arrive into Lax on Thanksgiving Day itself. Our plan is to pick up car rental and stay overnight near Redondo beach on the Thursday. We then intend to set off early on the Friday morning to drive to Palm Springs for 2 nights, returning on the Sunday to our next hotel in Burbank. Would you suggest that an early morning drive back on the Sunday is the best suggestion since I am aware that the Sunday traffic will be very busy?
TIA

Have you booked the Palm Springs lodging yet? It's a popular destination for a long weekend at that time of year... You might also face a 3-night minimum

Yes, leaving EARLY Sunday morning would be best, but you still may encounter heavy traffic heading back toward L.A. If rain happens to be in the forecast, good luck any time of the day. Not likely, but no promises.

Could you fly in/out of Palm Springs? Or do you have plans for the L.A. area?

Yes, we have already booked the hotel in Palm Springs and we do need to be back in LA on the Sunday, so driving is the better option. Do you think a 9am departure from Palm Springs would be best?

I couldn't say whether 9:00 is better than 10:00 or worse than 8:00. I just know I wouldn't start the drive in the afternoon. Turn on the tv in the morning (ABC, NBC, CBS) and watch for traffic reports. Or check current conditions at Google Maps. If reporters use the words "Sig Alert," it means one or more lanes will be closed for approximately 30 minutes or longer.

FWIW, I probably wouldn't want to make this round-trip drive for only two nights over a holiday weekend unless I had something significant to see/do there, like a wedding or other gathering of friends/family. But that's me. I'm a SoCal native, know the freeways, alternate routes, etc., and I hate driving on holiday weekends.

Do you think it would be better driving to Burbank on the Saturday early evening instead?

I would leave at 7 or 8:00am at the latest but you still may hit heavy traffic. Just know you may be adding an hour or maybe even 2 hours to your trip especially if there is rain or an accident - so plan accordingly and "enjoy" the journey!

I know a bit about the Burbank area too if you have any questions.

definitely aim to leave palm springs by 9am or even earlier on that sunday since return traffic back to la typically starts to crawl by 11am. that drive usually takes about two hours but holiday volume can easily double that if you wait until midday. once you hit the inland empire and the canyon passes you will be glad you beat the rush of everyone else heading home at the same time.

Better, in what way?

Shorter drive time - maybe - but at the cost of a night in PS.

Would a 4-hour drive be a real hardship* vs a 2-hour drive? If not, then just gas up, go, and accept that it will take as long as it takes. Stress is up to you. Stress is an optional response to pressure. You might have schedule pressure: needing to be in RB or an airport at a certain time, but otherwise you can ignore any pressure. Yes, stop/go slow traffic is not fun, could be frustrating, but it is safer than when cars are flying by at 80+ mph.

Driving to PS on Thursday might be good, but def would want to get/be out of LA area on Friday morning.

* I assume there are opportunities for bio-breaks on the way.

Thanks for all the advice, think it will be a Friday early AM drive to Palm Springs and then same again on the Sunday

Best route avoiding tolls
 

Hi, can anyone advise the best route avoiding tolls from Redondo Beach to Palm Springs early Friday morning and also the best return route to Burbank again avoiding tolls. Tia

In California, you only pay tolls if you choose to drive in toll lanes which exist on only a couple of freeways in the Greater L.A. area. The other lanes are toll-free. You will see a express/toll lane on a segment of the 91 Freeway between RB and PS. From PS to Burbank, take the route using the 210 Freeway, FYI: To drive in the toll lanes a FasTrak transponder is required as there are no toll booths. If you drive in a express/toll lane without a transponder, you will receive a citation in the mail. The toll penalty can't be predicted, but it could easily be $40 or more, and then there's an additional penalty for not having a transponder. .

On most freeways, you will see signs for "HOV" (high occupancy vehicle) lanes which will indicate how many passengers must be in the car to qualify. Usually 2, sometimes 3 people. There are entry/exit points, and you can't move in and out of HOV lanes in between these points.

Thanks 😊