Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from New Orleans to Santa Barbara. If you're planning a road trip to Santa Barbara, you can research locations to stop along the way. Make sure you check road conditions to double check the weather. Traveling with a dog or cat? Find pet-friendly stops. Camping along the way? Search for RV campgrounds. Find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions based on the most talked about places recommended by Trippy members.
10:00 am start in New Orleans
drive for about 2.5 hours
12:15 pm Lafayette
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 1:15 pm
drive for about 3 hours
4:27 pm Houston
stay overnight at Hotel ZaZa
leave the next day around 10:00 am
day 1 driving ≈ 5.5 hours
find more stops
10:00 am leave from Hotel ZaZa
drive for about 4 hours
1:50 pm Fredericksburg (Texas)
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 2:50 pm
drive for about 3.5 hours
6:27 pm Fort Stockton
stay overnight and leave the next day around 11:00 am
day 2 driving ≈ 7.5 hours
find more stops
11:00 am leave from Fort Stockton
drive for about 3.5 hours
2:18 pm El Paso
stay overnight and leave the next day around 11:00 am
day 3 driving ≈ 3.5 hours
find more stops
11:00 am leave from El Paso
drive for about 4.5 hours
3:30 pm Tucson
stay overnight and leave the next day around 9:00 am
day 4 driving ≈ 4.5 hours
find more stops
9:00 am leave from Tucson
drive for about 7.5 hours
4:41 pm Laguna Beach
stay for about 1.5 hours
and leave at 6:11 pm
drive for about 2.5 hours
8:50 pm arrive in Santa Barbara
stay at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara
day 5 driving ≈ 10.5 hours
find more stops
Lafayette (9 answers)
questions about Lafayette:
What's the best neighborhood in Lafayette for a first time visitor?
Houston (119 answers)
Houston Galleria (8 mentions)
Hermann Park (7 mentions)
Houston Museum of Natural Science (5 mentions)
Cavender's Boot City (4 mentions)
Miller Outdoor Theatre (4 mentions)
restaurants around Houston:
Uchi
Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse
Gatlin's BBQ
Hugo's
Goode Company Barbeque
hotels around Houston:
Hotel ZaZa
questions about Houston:
Best Mexican restaurants in town?
MD Anderson patient
Young Professional Neighborhood
Favorite places to eat in Houston?
What is your favorite restaurant in Houston?
Fredericksburg (Texas) (21 answers)
questions about Fredericksburg (Texas):
What's the best neighborhood in Fredericksburg (Texas) for a first time visitor?
Fort Stockton (5 answers)
El Paso (43 answers)
questions about El Paso:
Best free things to do in El Paso?
Must-see spots & fun things to do for 4 guys in their mid twenties?
El Paso, TX
Tucson (62 answers)
El Charro Cafe (2 mentions)
Ventana Canyon Trailhead (2 mentions)
questions about Tucson:
What to do in Tucson- staying near UofA
Best free things to do in Tucson?
Laguna Beach (60 answers)
Crystal Cove State Park (10 mentions)
Balboa Island (8 mentions)
Balboa Island (3 mentions)
Victoria Beach (3 mentions)
Dana Point Harbor (2 mentions)
restaurants around Laguna Beach:
Javier's Restaurant - Newport Beach
Las Brisas
Cafe Zoolu
The Beachcomber Cafe
Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa
questions about Laguna Beach:
Where to stay and non-surfing things to do in Laguna Beach
What is your favorite restaurant in Laguna Beach?
Are you going straight to a hotel, or looking for a vacation rental or Airbnb?
The best resource on neighborhoods, areas, and hotels is the Trippy page on where to stay in Santa Barbara.
If you're looking for a quick answer, you can check out Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, which was mentioned 15 times on Trippy.
Here are some more hotels people talk about:
Want to research more popular hotels in Santa Barbara? Click the blue button below.
Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food?
Trippy members suggest McConnell's Fine Ice Creams, which was mentioned 5 times.
Here are some more restaurants people talk about:
Want to research more popular restaurants in Santa Barbara? Click the blue button below.
This section could be endless, so rather than trying to suggest every local activity or attraction, we'll leave it open-ended.
These are some of the places people talk about on Trippy:
Of course, Trippy is the perfect place to ask questions because there's an entire community of travelers talking to each other and sharing tips and advice. Trippy is where you can get answers personalized for your tastes, budgets, trip dates & more!
For example, here are some questions people have asked about Santa Barbara. Click on any question to see answers from the community!
Veronica from San Francisco asked:
Favorite restaurants in Santa Barbara? (9 answers)
Kay from Vermont asked:
Bachelorette Weekend Getaway in Santa Barbara (6 answers)
Darren from Jersey City asked:
Best Beach in Santa Barbara? (5 answers)
Stephanie from Venice Beach asked:
24 hours in Santa Barbara, what do I have to see/eat/do? (5 answers)
Valerie from asked:
How far from santa barbara to palm springs and PS to Phoenix? (1 answer)
Click the button below to explore more questions and answers related to Santa Barbara.
Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation who wants the trip to end? It's okay, you can start planning your next trip!
Want to plan the trip back? Get the reverse directions for a Santa Barbara to New Orleans drive, or go to the main page to plan a new road trip.
You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving by calculating the distance from New Orleans to Santa Barbara. Or get a full New Orleans to Santa Barbara flight plan.
Don't forget about exploring your own hometown with a staycation. You can also find some cool day trips or get away for a weekend. Maybe try typing in a faraway location like London, Hong Kong, or Sydney, and get inspired for your dream trip around the world.
And if you know New Orleans well, please help your fellow travelers and answer their questions about New Orleans!