Advantages & Disadvantages of Traveling to Los Angeles
You think about traveling to Los Angeles?
Make sure to check out all the pros and cons of spending your vacation in Los Angeles first to avoid common mistakes in this regard.
Traveling To Los Angeles – Overview
| Living Costs | Living costs in Los Angeles are much higher than in many other places in the US and tourists have to spend lots of money on various occasions. |
| Accommodation Costs | Hotels are pretty expensive in the Los Angeles region and you should have a pretty big budget to be able to afford a decent place to stay. |
| Climate | Tourists in Los Angeles can enjoy hot and sunny summers and moderately cool winters so you can spend lots of time outdoors. |
| Safety | While Los Angeles has pretty high crime rates, the city is still pretty safe for tourists. |
| Landscape | Los Angeles is surrounded by beautiful nature and you can therefore make many nice day trips to national parks and nature reserves. |
| Entertainment | You can watch sports games, go to the opera, visit many interesting museums and will never run out of ideas regarding what to do as a tourist in Los Angeles. |
| Nightlife | More than enough great bars and clubs in the Los Angeles region where you can party until the early morning. |
| Public Transport & Walkability | While public transport is pretty decent near the city center, it gets worse in the suburbs and outskirts of L.A. and since distances are not as short as in many smaller cities, L.A. is not the most walkable city and you may therefore need a car to get around in an efficient manner as a tourist in Los Angeles. |
Advantages of Traveling to Los Angeles
- Los Angeles has great beaches
- Los Angeles is surrounded by beautiful nature
- You can watch prestigious sports events
- You can enjoy many museums in L.A.
- Los Angeles has great nightlife
- People are friendly in Los Angeles
- L.A. is a tolerant city
- Many leisure activities to choose from
- You may be able to see real celebrities
- You will never get bored in L.A.
- Los Angeles has a good reputation
Los Angeles has great beaches
One advantage of traveling to Los Angeles is that it has great beaches to offer.
In fact, it will not take you too long to get from downtown L.A. to famous beaches likes Venice beach and you can enjoy the nice and relaxing atmosphere while still having some entertainment from skateboarders, basketball players or bodybuilders while people living in Chicago or other cities that are not located at the coast don’t have this luxury.
Los Angeles is surrounded by beautiful nature
Los Angeles not only has beautiful beaches, but the city is also surrounded by astonishing nature.
It is not too far to the mountains and to national parks and you can therefore make nice day trips to enjoy your time in a relaxing but yet fascinating environment.
You can watch prestigious sports events
Another reason why you might want to travel to Los Angeles is that you can watch many prestigious sports events.
In fact, many famous teams play hockey, basketball, soccer and so and there will be a sports event for every taste for sure.
You can enjoy many museums in L.A.
Los Angeles is also well-known for its museums and its art scene in general and you will be able to spend your time watching fascinating exhibitions while you spend your vacation in this beautiful place.
Los Angeles has great nightlife
If you think your city has great nightlife, be prepared to take it to the next level.
There are many great bars and clubs in Los Angeles and you will have more than enough opportunities to party until the early morning.
People are friendly in Los Angeles
People in Los Angeles are great and many of them will help you out in case you have questions and need to ask for directions.
You will also be able to get in touch with locals soon and may be able to make many good friends.
L.A. is a tolerant city
People in LA are not only friendly, but they are also pretty tolerant.
Thus, there are many different cultures and foods present in Los Angeles and there will be something for every taste for sure.
Many leisure activities to choose from
Another benefit of spending your vacation in Los Angeles is that you have many leisure activities to choose from.
Not only can you relax at the beach, but you can also go skiing or hiking in the mountains nearby and you will therefore always have something to do.
You may be able to see real celebrities
Los Angeles is well-known for its celebrities and famous people.
With a little bit of luck and when you go to the right places, you may be able to see some of your idols and may even be able to get an autograph.
You will never get bored in L.A.
Since the city has so much to offer, you will never get bored in Los Angeles.
Instead, time will fly since there is so much to do and you will barely have time to do everything that should be on your bucket list.
Los Angeles has a good reputation
Los Angeles also has a pretty decent reputation all over the world.
Hence, if you tell people that you spend your vacation in Los Angeles, they will often be envious and secretly wish to change places with you.
Now that you know all the upsides to spending your vacation in Los Angeles, I also show you all the downsides that come along with it so that you can better decide whether you still want to travel to Los Angeles or rather want to spend your vacation in a different region instead.
Disadvantages of Traveling to Los Angeles
- Los Angeles is pretty crowded
- Air quality is quite poor in L.A.
- People are often in a rush
- Public transport is relatively bad
- High crime rates in L.A.
- Living costs are pretty high
- You will see lots of poverty
- You will see many homeless people
- You may get robbed
- It takes time to get around
Los Angeles is pretty crowded
One disadvantage of traveling to Los Angeles is that it is pretty crowded and if you rent a car, you will often get stuck in traffic jams and will lose lots of precious time which can be really annoying if you have ambitious plans to see as many things as possible during your holidays.
Air quality is quite poor in L.A.
Another reason why you might not want to spend your vacation in Los Angeles is since air quality is pretty poor and if you are sensitive to particle pollution or are even allergic to it, chances are that you will not get really happy in this place since you will have to deal with significant smog on a daily basis.
People are often in a rush
While people in L.A. are friendly, they are often also in a rush and may not have time to communicate with you or to get to know you closer.
Public transport is relatively bad
Another problem with traveling to Los Angeles is that public transport is rather poor and unreliable, especially if you don’t stay in downtown L.A. but rather stay in a suburb.
In such a case, it will often take you quite a long time to get around.
High crime rates in L.A.
Los Angeles is also known for its high crime rates and if you are easily scared, you might not want to spend your vacation in Los Angeles but rather go for a safer place like Virginia Beach instead.
Living costs are pretty high
Los Angeles also has pretty high living costs.
Not only hotels are pretty expensive, but you can also spend lots of money on drinks and other fun things during your vacation and you should make sure that you have the money to really enjoy your trip before deciding on traveling to Los Angeles.
You will see lots of poverty
Another downside to spending your vacation in L.A. is that you will also be confronted with high levels of inequality and lots of poverty since the gap between rich and poor people has greatly increased over the past years.
You will see many homeless people
Due to the increasing level of inequality, you will also see many homeless people sleeping in the streets and this can really ruin your vacation experience.
You may get robbed
You should also be aware of the fact that you might get robbed, especially at nighttime.
Thus, make sure to have a travel partner during those times so that you can protect each other as best as possible.
It takes time to get around
Since Los Angeles is such a big city and traffic is quite bad, it takes lots of time to get around and you may lose lots of precious time traveling from one place to the other.
Top 10 Traveling To Los Angeles Pros & Cons – Summary List
| Traveling to Los Angeles Pros | Traveling to Los Angeles Cons |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles is surrounded by nice nature | Los Angeles has high crime rates |
| You can relax on the beach | You may get robbed |
| You can watch prestigious sports events | Public transport is pretty poor in L.A. |
| Many leisure activities to choose from | You may get stuck in traffic |
| You can go skiing and hiking in L.A. | It takes time to get from A to B |
| People in Los Angeles are friendly | Air quality is pretty poor |
| You can get in touch with locals | Beaches become increasingly dirty |
| You can experience many different cultures | Increasing level of inequality |
| You can try different foods | Homelessness is a serious problem |
| L.A. is a globally-known city | Los Angeles is an expensive city |
Should You Spend Your Vacation in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is a great place to spend your vacation since there is so much to do in the city and it is also closely located to beautiful nature.
However, Los Angeles is also a pretty expensive city and you should make sure that you have enough money to spend on your vacation to be able to afford really nice things during your trip.
If you even consider moving to L.A. not only for vacation but permanently, you should also have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of living in Los Angeles.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/place/Los-Angeles-California
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/losangelescitycalifornia
About the author
This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.
My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.
Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.
In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.