Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Santa Barbara to New Orleans. If you're planning a road trip to New Orleans, 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.
9:00 am start in Santa Barbara
drive for about 2.5 hours
11:36 am Laguna Beach
eat at Javier's Restaurant - Newport Beach
stay for about 1.5 hours
and leave at 1:06 pm
drive for about 6 hours
7:01 pm Phoenix
stay overnight at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort
leave the next day around 10:00 am
day 1 driving ≈ 8.5 hours
find more stops
10:00 am leave from Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort
drive for about 6 hours
4:03 pm El Paso
stay overnight and leave the next day around 11:00 am
day 2 driving ≈ 6 hours
find more stops
11:00 am leave from El Paso
drive for about 3.5 hours
2:18 pm Fort Stockton
stay overnight and leave the next day around 10:00 am
day 3 driving ≈ 3.5 hours
find more stops
10:00 am leave from Fort Stockton
drive for about 3.5 hours
1:37 pm Fredericksburg (Texas)
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 2:37 pm
drive for about 4 hours
6:27 pm Houston
eat at Uchi
stay overnight at Hotel ZaZa
leave the next day around 10:00 am
day 4 driving ≈ 7.5 hours
find more stops
10:00 am leave from Hotel ZaZa
drive for about 3.5 hours
1:37 pm Lafayette
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 2:37 pm
drive for about 2.5 hours
4:52 pm arrive in New Orleans
stay at Hotel Monteleone
day 5 driving ≈ 6 hours
find more stops
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?
Phoenix (125 answers)
Piestewa Peak (3 mentions)
Dreamy Draw Recreation Area (2 mentions)
Phoenix Art Museum (2 mentions)
Bunky Boutique (2 mentions)
Frances (2 mentions)
restaurants around Phoenix:
Chelsea's Kitchen
SunUp Brewing Co
The Parlor Pizzeria
The Clever Koi
Crudo
hotels around Phoenix:
Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort
The Clarendon Hotel and Spa
questions about Phoenix:
What is your favorite restaurant in Phoenix?
Food and things to see in Phoenix and Tucson
Best restaurants in Phoenix?
Popular neighborhoods to stay in Phoenix?
Where are the best free things to do in Phoenix?
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
Fort Stockton (5 answers)
Fredericksburg (Texas) (21 answers)
questions about Fredericksburg (Texas):
What's the best neighborhood in Fredericksburg (Texas) 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?
Lafayette (9 answers)
questions about Lafayette:
What's the best neighborhood in Lafayette for a first time visitor?
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 New Orleans.
If you're looking for a quick answer, you can check out Hotel Monteleone, which was mentioned 11 times on Trippy.
Here are some more hotels people talk about:
Want to research more popular hotels in New Orleans? Click the blue button below.
Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food?
Trippy members suggest Café du Monde, which was mentioned 62 times.
Here are some more restaurants people talk about:
Want to research more popular restaurants in New Orleans? 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 New Orleans. Click on any question to see answers from the community!
Katie from Los Angeles asked:
What is your favorite restaurant in New Orleans? (20 answers)
Tom from Los Angeles asked:
Breakfast in New Orleans? (19 answers)
Drew from Ojai asked:
Where can I find the best jazz bars in New Orleans? (13 answers)
John from Omaha, Nebraska asked:
What are the must-try foods and restaurants in NOLA? (9 answers)
Bianca from Miami asked:
When is the best time to go to New Orleans? (9 answers)
Click the button below to explore more questions and answers related to New Orleans.
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 New Orleans to Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara to New Orleans. Or get a full Santa Barbara to New Orleans 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 Santa Barbara well, please help your fellow travelers and answer their questions about Santa Barbara!