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Read all about the agents' road trip highlights and learnings in 'Didn’t join the Race Across California fam trip? Here’s everything you missed'

Video transcript

Madeleine Barber, TTG Media:

"Hello from the Race Across California! Nine travel agent teams descended on the Golden State for eight days of self-drive adventure and learning. I've joined one of three teams from the UK and Ireland. We started out by exploring the bucket-list city of San Francisco before heading up to Sonoma to see what Wine Country has to offer. We then travelled down to Newport Beach for a true taste of luxury. And our final destination is San Diego, where all teams will converge for one grand finale. Let's bring you along for the ride and see what travel agents have learned on their self-drive itinerary."

Jude Parkinson, Audley Travel:

"What I really loved about the Fogcutters tour was our guide, Eric. He was so knowledgeable and really passionate about San Francisco, and also just being able to see that much of the city in such a short amount of time. I think the Fogcutters tour is a really great one to do in the morning. There are places that you really enjoyed. It's a nice way to be like, you know, I want to go back there and explore that certain part of the city. Opposite to Alcatraz, equally, the Hornblower going over on the ferry is such a magical experience, and also once you're in Alcatraz, you know, there's that mix of it being self-led, exploring the island, but also the audio tour, which is really accessible."

Joshua Salter, Journeyscape:

"What did I love about the wine tasting at St Francis? We were really looked after. We had a brief history of the winery itself. We were then given cards to explain sort of what wines went with certain foods, and we managed to get some wine as well to take away."

Jamie Hardindge, Quintessentially Travel:

"The duffy boat experience is, I think, a must-do. It's very relaxed, it's very casual. You can go house shopping if you've got a spare, you know, a few million, but it's actually a really relaxed vibe. Get the music going, it's up there as one of the most unique and exceptional experiences I've ever done."

Joshua Salter, Journeyscape:

"What did I love about the Moke jeep drive? They're really sexy. They come in, I think, 11 colours. They're really easy to drive, fully electric, so, you know, great for the environment, sustainable, which is perfect. We went over on the passenger ferry and took the car on. That was really, really easy. And then we went out to the beach, we saw Newport Beach. It was a really fab, fun day."

Eve Jetten, Kuoni:

"What I found really interesting about the Charles Schultz Museum was that it was very unexpected. It brought a lot of nostalgia back. It's a self-guided tour, so it's great because you can spend as much time or as little time as you want having a look around. It was very interactive. It's a really fun thing to do."

Joshua Salter, Journeyscape:

"The thing I think our clients would love about Pushpak Motors is that you get to see the real sort of behind-the-scenes, if you like, areas of Sonoma City and the Winelands. It's really accessible and suitable for all ages, I would say."

Jude Parkinson, Audley Travel:

"One of the hotels that we stayed in was The Jay in San Francisco, a really kind of lively hotel located more in the financial district, but it was an easy walk down to the pier and the kind of exploring, and the Chinatown surrounding areas. Our time in Sonoma Wine Country, obviously, we were staying at the Kenwood, which is such a fantastic boutique property. It has a very kind of exclusive feel, very private. The staff, again, fantastic. The kind of mix of amenities there was great – the pool, breakfast – but I think the main kind of unique selling point of the property was its proximity to some really fantastic wineries. Here in the amazing Orange County, we have Balboa Bay Resort. It's the only kind of harbour resort here, so I think that's really special."

Joshua Salter, Journeyscape:

"San Diego is so unique. I mean, you know, we're miles from the border of Mexico. It's a really lovely temperature. Everyone's been really friendly. I mean, we've done some amazing things, probably, you know, things that our clients would typically do. So, last night we went to Belmont Park, which was the funfair. There was a live DJ that was absolutely brilliant. It's like a big city, but it doesn't feel like a big city. And, I mean, as you can see, it's absolutely stunning."

Eve Jetten, Kuoni:

"California is a great road trip destination because it literally has something for everyone. You've got your city, your nature, your beaches. You can go off hiking in your cities. Whether you are a family with young kids or older kids, or you're a young couple or an older couple – it literally has something for everyone."

Jude Parkinson, Audley Travel:

"California is fantastic to self-drive. Here in Newport, it's such a great area to kind of base yourself for a road trip. You know, you can drive an hour, you're in Anaheim for Disney, and Los Angeles, or an hour down into San Diego. Santa Barbara is close by as well."

Joshua Salter, Journeyscape:

"The PCH, Pacific Coast Highway, is one of the most iconic drive roads in the world. Quite often we get asked, you know, which direction should we be travelling in? The easy answer to that is to go from north to south, and that's purely because of the side of the road that you're on. If you're coming from north to south, it means you're always on the right-hand side of the road. So, you're always close to the ocean."

Jamie Hardindge, Quintessentially Travel:

"You can start up north, you can ski, you can taste, you know, one of the most delicious wines you'll ever have, and then you can slowly come down and see these most beautiful cities. This being my first Californian road trip, I didn't know what to expect when I got here, and I've just been blown away."

Jude Parkinson, Audley Travel:

"Being able to drive just gives you so much more freedom. The weather is great here all year round, so there's nothing to complain about."