Intro
There are things everyone regrets doing on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Usually wasting money or time are the things we most regret. I’m here to help you plan your best trip to Arizona, by telling you some of the things my husband and I regretted on our trip.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links’. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.
Don’t Go Without a Plan
My husband and I went without a plan, in fact, we do this just about every trip. Learn from our mistakes and make an itinerary. About half of the places we wanted to go to required reservations weeks in advance. For example, Havasupai falls along with several other hiking trails require a permit purchase (I will talk about Havasupi later). For some of those permits, you have to purchase weeks and sometimes months in advance. So we missed out on some pretty amazing hiking trails. on the other hand, we were able to get last-minute (a few days ahead of time) reservations for a train ride at Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel, and for tours at the Antelope Canyons.
Don’t Go On the Train to the Grand Canyon
I say this because it was a 2-hour ride there and a 2-hour ride back. They kept it pretty entertaining and had a show that played out a storyline. There were bandits with horses and people “robbing” the train every now and again. But it simply wasn’t enough to hold my attention the entire ride. We could have made it with our rental car to the canyon in just 30 min, and had more time to explore. Although, If you don’t have a car this may be a good way to go.
Don’t Miss out on Sedona
This is one of those places you don't want to miss. We almost skipped out until I read something on Pinterest saying it was a "must-see". I'm so glad we went. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever laid eyes on. I wish we had more than one day there. You can find just about any adventure from kayaking to climbing. They also have awesome shopping experiences such as the Uptown Mall and many other areas.
Don't Expect too Much out of the Dining Experience
We were not impressed with the restaurants in Arizona. The staff always seemed like they didn't want us there, the restaurants were super dirty, or the service was extremely slow. Maybe that's because we went to well-known restaurants like Chilis or Denys.
I regret not going to privately owned places such as MartAnne's Burrito Place. A part of any vacation is discovering new dishes that give you an awesome cultural experience. The one restaurant we did like was The Arizona Steak house on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The restaurant had beautiful views of the Canyon, which makes you anxious to start exploring.
We come from North Carolina where the sanitation score HAS to be posted in every restaurant, and not seeing that made us nervous. North Carolina is also the strictest when it comes to food sanitation, so maybe we were just being picky.
Don't go to Havasupai Falls
You actually should be going here sometime in your life, but don't expect to get in any time soon. They are closed to all tourists since Covid started. On their website, they mention they may not be open until 2021.
You can keep an eye on when reservations open through this website, Havasupaireservations. Also, keep in mind that reservations are HARD to get! They go on sale starting February 1st, but sell out within the first few minutes. I've read about people asking off of work and getting up super early just to get them. Permits to hike also cost anywhere between $100 and $150 per night per person with a 3-night maximum stay ( this all depends on when you go and how many people you go with).
Don't Forget to Pack Necessary Items
Like with any trip we take, we don't do the appropriate research before we go. We end up forgetting to pack necessary things and end up having to purchase them on our trip. We were not prepared for the strange climate and weather changes.
We arrived in the desert, Phoenix Arizona, which was dry and HOT. I was expecting everywhere to be hot like Phoenix, but when we got to flagstaff we ended up purchasing long pants and jackets because it was about 60 degrees and rainy. Flagstaff was cold the whole time we visited, but when we ventured out into the prairie land or the desert it was scorching hot.
We also came across rocky terrain on some of the hiking trails in Sedona, but we didn't have appropriate footwear. We kept sliding around on the rocks, and were unable to complete some of the more strenuous hikes.
Don't Forget the Snacks/ Cooler
This has been a lifesaver for when the hangry monster comes out and there is nothing around to eat. Arizona will have you driving miles and miles in the desert just to get to the next scenic point. While out exploring there aren't always options as far as restaurants go. It's best to pack some snacks, drinks, and a decent cooler.
Personally we love the Lifetime coolers, they are similar to Yetis but without the huge price tags.
Also check out the ones below, they are easier to pack on a flight or in your vehicle (depending on where you are from).
Don't Go on an Empty Tank of Gas
If you rented a car, make sure you fill up before you venture out into an unknown area. Sometimes we ran into signs that would warn us there were no gas stations for so many miles, but other times there were no warnings. It's so important to plan your trips for this reason. You don't want to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere with no signal.
The most important take-away from this post is to always plan your trip. Better results come from a well thought out plan. Let me know in the comments how some of your trips have failed, and what you did to have a better trip the next time.
