Decide which missions you want to visit. The missions are open year-round and you can visit each one or limit your activity to a specific region of California. The three regions of California with missions include Southern California, Central California and Northern California. Each of these regions is unique. Southern California and Northern California are heavily populated, while the missions located along the central coastline lie in or near smaller cities with less congested traffic.
Choose the time you want to visit. Tourism in California is the highest in the summer and traffic, even locally, along Highway 1 can be stop-and-go for miles. The mornings along the coast in Southern California in the early summer are also foggy and in Central California, fog rolls in late afternoon, sometimes lasting all night long. Spring and fall offer moderate temperatures, while visiting in the winter, especially in Northern California, can be cold and wet, but the crowds and traffic are thinner.
Identify your lodging preferences. You can stay in hotels or motels during your trip or you can camp in California's many state campgrounds on the beach. It's a good idea to make reservations, whether you are camping or staying in hotels especially when traveling during the summer or during a holiday.
Map out your itinerary or write down the addresses if you navigate with a GPS system. Since California is a popular destination throughout the U.S., you might be able to find detailed street maps of California by region in your local bookstore. Bring the telephone numbers of the missions in case you get lost on your way.
