head a trip

Get out of your head and into someone else’s.

is a new party game by Cards Against Humanity about getting inside your friends' heads while they answer ridiculous questions.

Each round, a Question Card

gets paired with a random Head Card .

One person secretly picks an answer from the Head’s point of view.

Everyone else talks about it and then votes for which answer got picked.

After everyone votes, the secret answer is revealed .

If anyone got it right, the Head card is defeated .

But everyone who got it wrong loses their voting chip.

You each start with 3.

Your goal is to defeat 7 Heads before everyone’s chips are gone.

Cards Against Humanity’s  Head Trip is a new cooperative party game about getting inside your friends’ heads while they answer fucked-up questions from ridiculous perspectives.

• Infinitely replayable  with hundreds of bizarre, raunchy cards.
• Fancy components  including a big colorful board and thick wooden chips.
• Easy to learn  and under an hour to play.
• Great for any size group  from 3 to 10 or more.
• Not Cards Against Humanity  but written and designed by the same horrible people.
• Rated 17+  for wanton profanity and hilarious sexual content.

How to Play

Head trip is easy to learn..

Or would you prefer to watch a cool video ?

Rules Video

What is head trip.

Head Trip is a new cooperative party game about getting inside your friends’ heads while they answer fucked-up questions from ridiculous perspectives. It’s Cards Against Humanity’s first new game since “Cards Against Humanity.”

Our comedy scientists have computed that Head Trip is at least 86% as fun as Cards Against Humanity.

How do I play?

It’s easy. Each round, one person secretly answers a multiple-choice question from the perspective of a “Head” card, like “You are God.” Then, everyone else has to figure out which answer that person thought God would pick. You can learn the full rules here .

Can you show me an example of a round?

Sure. First, your friend might read this Question out loud:

What's the best part about pooing?

• A) The privacy.
• B) The feeling of the poo coming out.
• C) The sound of that first plop.
• D) Flushing the toilet and watching the poo leave your life forever.

And then this Head:

• You are Santa Claus.

Your friend secretly decides how Santa would answer this intimate question. Then the rest of you discuss whether your friend thinks Santa’s favorite part about pooing is the privacy, the plop, or the feeling of squeezing all those chocolate chip cookies out of his jolly butthole— ho ho ho! Everyone then individually votes for A, B, C, or D. Get it right and you keep your voting chip. Otherwise, you lose it (you start with 3). There are a few more details, but that’s the gist.

So, what’s Santa’s favorite part about pooing?

Santa Claus loves dropping presents down tubes. Therefore, the answer is D.

How do I win the game?

Head Trip is a cooperative party game—you work together, and you win or lose as a team. Your group wins by getting through seven Heads before everyone runs out of voting chips. So every time someone loses a chip, it hurts the whole team. That’s why it’s good to really talk things through—not just what you think Santa Claus thinks, but what you all think your friend thinks Santa would think! Whoa man, what a HEAD TRIP!

You’re saying I don’t get to beat my friends?

Oh, don’t worry, you still get to beat your friends. If you do the best job voting for the right answers, you’ll have the biggest stack of chips, which makes you the best person.

What about the vibe? What’s it like?

Imagine eating warm tuna sandwiches at a golf course with your aunt while nursing a massive hangover, and you have urgent diarrhea but the bathroom is broken. The experience of playing Head Trip is the exact opposite of that.

I don’t like how Cards Against Humanity is littered with disgusting sex acts and godless liberal propaganda. Did you make these same mistakes with Head Trip?

Where can i buy head trip.

Head Trip is available everywhere fine cooperative party games are sold: the CAH Store , Target , Amazon , your local indie game store , the trunk of the car of a guy who calls himself "Laser Jeremy," etc.

Do you ship outside the US?

Yes. Head Trip is available for global shipping from the CAH Store . Please note that orders to the UK and EU will ship in early November.

Why are the cards so tall and colorful?

In a world where Cards Against Humanity ruined party games by turning everything into a monochrome Swiss modern snoozefest, Head Trip stands out from the crowd with its daring use of “colors” and “shapes.”

Hey, there’s a misprint on my ABCD tokens. 

Yeah, turns out our fancy wooden chip printer messed up the tokens in a handful of the very first games we made. Email us at [email protected] for a free set of replacement tokens.

Can I play Head Trip with my kids?

Head Trip is rated 17+ for wanton profanity and hilarious sexual content. However, we respect your right as a parent to psychologically damage your children.

Should I do drugs while playing Head Trip?

You should do drugs regardless of whether you’re playing Head Trip.

Anything else I should know?

Dolphins have names and fuck each other’s blowholes . Isn’t that nice?

Head Trip is Cards Against Humanity’s first new party game since “Cards Against Humanity.”

• Get inside your friends’ heads while they answer ridiculous questions from random perspectives.
• Just as weird and fucked-up as Cards Against Humanity.
• Simple rules that are both cooperative and competitive at the same time.
• Hundreds of bizarre questions and perspectives for infinite replayability.

You should check out:

Cards against humanity: family edition.

A whole new game for kids and adults to play together.

300 scorching new cards to set your deck ON FIRE!

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• a mentally exhilarating or productive experience, as one in which a person's intellect or imagination seems to expand.

Discover More

Word history and origins.

Origin of head trip 1

Example Sentences

This 2001 head-trip from the inimitable David Lynch bears some similarities to Black Swan.

Block Club Chicago

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Cards Against Humanity Debuts First New Game In Over A Decade: Head Trip

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CHICAGO — With the recent launch of Head Trip, the Chicago-based design crew behind adult party game Cards Against Humanity, which debuted almost 13 years ago, still just wants to have fun.

A group card game for adults 17 and above, Head Trip, like its predecessor, isn’t afraid to push buttons. It’s risqué, offensive, politically incorrect and downright raunchy. (Cards Against Humanity’s tagline, “A party game for horrible people,” speaks volumes.)

Inspired by the conversations generated by playing Cards Against Humanity, the creators wanted to dig deeper and create a game where the asking and answering of “what were you thinking” is the core game loop. Head Trip wants to get inside players’ heads while they answer off-the-wall multiple-choice questions from other people’s perspectives.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cards Against Humanity (@cardsagainsthumanity)

Inside the 8-inch-square Head Trip box, players will find a round game board, four tokens marked A through D, instructions and chips illustrated with a colorful eye on both sides.

Then there are the cards. The 135 Head Cards range from the innocuous (“You are me from 20 years in the future,” “You are Abraham Lincoln”) to the risqué (“You are the biggest slut at the hospice care facility,” “You are a big walking doo doo”) while the 125 Question Cards, unsurprisingly, include many sex and bodily function-themed questions and answers (from “Does size matter?” to “What is the meaning of life?”).

Each round, a multiple-choice question gets paired with a random Head card. One player secretly answers the question from the Head’s point of view (“The Tripper”). Everyone else works together to figure out which answer got picked.

Along the way, players rotate being The Tripper, chips are gained and lost, and spirited debates ensue.

With a desire to challenge themselves with longer-form writing and create a game that was more interactive than Cards Against Humanity but still funny and easy to play, the team started putting pen to paper back in 2017.

To get the concept of Head Trip started — and really with any of their projects — they said they began with doing something that made them laugh.

“One day, basically just for fun, we wrote a bunch of ridiculous multiple-choice questions that kind of parodied standardized tests and personality surveys. Weird little questions that followed the A/B/C/D format but constantly subverted both themselves and the reader,” said David Pinsof, Cards Against Humanity co-founder. “We had so much fun writing these dumb questions that we knew we had to build something around them and share them with our fans.”

From day one, the game’s main idea was the debate that would take place between players when attempting to answer the questions. To make sure they were on the right track, they conducted playtests across the country analyzing the answers and quantifying the users’ enjoyment of playing the game.

“We eventually discovered the perfect mechanism for delivering both comedy and strategy: the multiple-choice question,” Pinsof said. “It took over six years, dozens of iterations and thousands of playtests to finally arrive at an experience we felt was worthy of the Cards Against Humanity name.”

Financed by a Kickstarter campaign that started in December 2010 and raised more than $15,000 in a month, Cards Against Humanity with its Mad Libs-style format has since launched a number of expansions, including family-friendly versions.

Additionally, since 2013, the creators have crafted annual promotional pranks in conjunction with Black Friday that mirror the wacky Cards Against Humanity spirit.

Of the eight Highland Park High School alumni originally behind Cards Against Humanity, seven remain: Pinsof, Josh Dillon, Daniel Dranove, Eli Halpern, Ben Hantoot, David Munk and Eliot Weinstein.

“We went into Head Trip knowing that even hitting 25 percent of Cards Against Humanity’s success would be a huge accomplishment,” Pinsof said, adding that they never expected the game to be so popular. “We hope people walk away from playing Head Trip with cheeks that hurt from laughing, a brain that’s been pushed to its breaking point, and a deeper understanding of how weird their friends are.”

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Cards Against Humanity Just Released Its First New Party Game in Over a Decade

All new, still offensive.

By Smart Shopping Team | Oct 28, 2023

You can quickly find out who your more uptight friends are when playing Cards Against Humanity , the card-based party game that traffics in puerile humor. Now, the company is releasing its first full follow-up game, which promises to be just as provocative—or, in the words of the brand, “just as weird and f-cked up” as its predecessor.

Head Trip ( $35 ) tasks players with drawing both a question and “Head” card. One player has to try and provide an answer to the question from the perspective of the Head, and then other players try to guess which of the four answers have been selected.

The Head can be anyone from Abraham Lincoln to Santa Claus to America’s first astronaut-turned-porn star-turned-president (seriously, that last one is a real card). Questions range from the meaning of life to the best part about pooing. It’s up to you to decide what Santa Claus might think about that.

“ Cards Against Humanity rewards players who know what the judge likes—whether it’s the silliest card or the darkest or the most shocking,” the company noted in a statement. “ Head Trip builds on that idea by rewarding groups that work together to really get inside someone’s head.”

Cards Against Humanity began in 2011 as a deck-based game in which players fill in phrases Mad Libs -style. It became a runaway hit, with more than 500,000 copies sold in its first two years despite the company making it available for people to print out online for free.

Naturally, the game is recommended for players 17 and up. Like Cards Against Humanity , this new one can also be played with a small group of three, or with 10 or more participants. You can find Head Trip for $35 on Amazon today.

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Head Trip Review

We review Head Trip, a party game published by the makers of Cards Against Humanity. Head Trip is a cooperative party game that will have you trying to guess the answers of the head.

After more than a decade and millions and millions of dollars made, the company has come up with a new game idea. Will this be their next cash cow? Head Trip is a cooperative party game for 3 to 10 players that takes about 30 minutes to play.

Gameplay Overview:

In Head Trip, players are working cooperatively to defeat 7 Heads. The gameplay is dead simple. During set up, 7 Heads are randomly selected and placed face down on the table. Heads are simply a character that players need to embody while answering ridiculous questions. For example, “You are a pothead robot.”

Each round, one player plays as the Tripper and draws a question card. Question cards offer a multiple choice question.The Tripper must answer the question as if they are the current Head. This is done in secret. After that, all other players can discuss and then must individually vote on which answer they believe the Tripper chose. After all players have voted, the Tripper’s answer is revealed and scored. If even one other player voted for the correct answer, the Head is defeated, and players move onto the next Head. If all players voted incorrectly, the next Tripper must use the same Head with a new question and the current Tripper loses one of their chips. If all players voted correctly, a bonus chip is awarded to one of the players. Once 7 Heads have been defeated, the players have won the game. However, if players all run out of chips, they lose the game.

Game Experience

The humor in this game definitely brought back memories to my first five or so plays of Cards Against Humanity. The Heads cards range from relatively simple like, “You are Kanye West” to absolutely ridiculous like, “You are a man who has ordered way too many pancakes but is too proud to admit his mistake.” The questions and especially the multiple choice answers run the same range. There are even more nuanced ones, but I’m too lazy to type them out. I’d rather use my finger muscles on the previous sentence and this one elaborating on it. You probably already know if this is your type of humor or not. While they have toned down the offensive content (blatant racism, misogyny, etc…), the spirit is still to get a reaction out of people. There is also still very crude humor, so this is not a family game (unless you have a family like mine).

The gameplay is simple but still engaging and entertaining. The team discussions can get very heated over the silliest topics. Believe it or not, hilarity ensues. On top of that, there’s a bit of gambling and hedging-your-bets strategy to be had. Sometimes, the team will be confident enough to all vote the same and try to get that sweet sweet bonus chip. Other times, the risk is too great. Of course, there is, occasionally, the temptation on both sides to just choose the funniest answer. There will be a meta that develops over a single game, especially if you play multiple times with the same people.

Look, it’s not smart and deep like So Clover may be at times, but you do need to think and discuss to actually do well. The challenge of winning comes from both core disagreements/different thought processes, as well as some combos just being downright arbitrary. Still, the balance is there for a semi-challenging co-op experience. After all, the last head must be defeated with a unanimous vote. As long as you can laugh at the prompts, you will be engaged throughout. My win rate is about 50-50, which is a nice balance. We have been absolutely wiped out while playing too loose and casually and have also had some very close wins. There are variants to make it more challenging, which I would like to dig through in the future.

This is clearly an attempt to capitalize on the cooperative party game craze, but not at all a lazy one. This isn’t the same formula, rehashed with crude jokes inserted. Head Trip will not live up to the likes of Just One, So Clover, or Wavelength in that it cannot be enjoyed by every group. However, with the right group (you know the one), it’s going to provide a lot of entertainment. The discussions it creates are reminiscent of those co-op titans; they are just a bit more absurd in nature. You will be forced to think of scenarios you never would have otherwise. There are some Head/Question combos that are dumb, but that’s not true most of the time. Once you get through all of the cards (and there are a lot), the shimmer may start to wear off. Of course, the Head/Question combos will pretty much never repeat, but I will admit that sometimes the funniest part is just reading a card for the first time.

Final Thoughts:

After agreeing to this review copy, I regretted it for a bit. I never tried to pull Head Trip out with my regular game group as I would have been embarrassed if it didn’t go over well. However, with my casual gaming friends and even my family, it was a hit. I don’t regret my time with it, and I plan to put it into semi-regular rotation, but will be picky about the audience. This feels a bit more like a Jackbox game than some of those other co-op party games. For me, those can provide an awesome time with the right people. I know this will tarnish my reputation as a game reviewer, and that’s okay.

Final Score: 3.5 Stars – An engaging and entertaining co-op party game for those with a crude sense of humor.

Misses: • The humor is very particular and sometimes offensive. • Since the humor is baked into the cards, the replay value is a bit limited. • Some card combos are so arbitrary that it becomes all luck for a round.

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The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness Hardcover – December 4, 2007

• Print length 400 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Random House
• Publication date December 4, 2007
• Dimensions 7.35 x 1.16 x 9.28 inches
• ISBN-10 1400064848
• ISBN-13 978-1400064847
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

From publishers weekly, about the author, from the washington post.

Copyright 2007, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House; F First Edition (December 4, 2007)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1400064848
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1400064847
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.66 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.35 x 1.16 x 9.28 inches
• #389 in Scientific Experiments & Projects
• #1,961 in Popular Neuropsychology
• #7,024 in Medical General Psychology

About the author

Jeff warren.

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• 1.1 Alternative forms
• 1.2.1 Synonyms
• 1.3 References

English [ edit ]

Alternative forms [ edit ], noun [ edit ].

head trip ( plural head trips )

• 2009 July 10, Martin Fletcher, " Beware Invisible Cows, By Andy Martin " (book review), The Independent (UK) (retrieved 23 Aug 2014) : Not that Martin is a sun-bleached hippie philosopher, but his book is a head-trip as well as a hugely entertaining travel adventure along the eccentric orbits of cosmological research.
• 1994 March 6, William Grimes , “ Thing: Sleight Of Eye ”, in New York Times , retrieved 23 August 2014 : Part picture book, part head trip . "Magic Eye" presents 22 color images called "single-image random-dot stereograms." When looked at in a certain way, they spring mind-bending surprises on the viewer.
• 2007 , Richard Corliss , “ DVD and Conquer: 2001: A Space Odyssey ”, in Time , retrieved 23 August 2014 : An essay on man's destiny, the film was for some of its late-60s viewers a light show, a head trip , needing no earthbound explanations.
• 2000 June 17, James C. McKinley , “ Baseball: Amateurs Say Easy Throws Can Be the Hardest ”, in New York Times , retrieved 23 August 2014 : "I think the pressure of being center stage has a lot to do with it. . . . He's got the talent. He's just got to shake off this head trip ."
• ( informal ) An ego trip .

Synonyms [ edit ]

• ( disorienting, exciting experience ) : mindbender , mindblower
• ( distracted or unnerved state of mind ) : self-doubt

References [ edit ]

• “ head trip ”, in OneLook Dictionary Search .

• English lemmas
• English nouns
• English countable nouns
• English multiword terms
• English informal terms
• English terms with quotations

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How to plan your dream vacation

Sometimes you crave a vacation — but actually taking one feels out of reach. Maybe you're struggling to find the time or save up the money. Or maybe you just can't seem to launch those plans out of the group chat. Overcome that planning inertia and take the big trip of your dreams. Here's where to start your search, organize your logistics and enjoy yourself.

MARIELLE SEGARRA, HOST:

You're listening to LIFE KIT...

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SEGARRA: ...From NPR.

Hey, everybody. It's Marielle. You remember the early part of the pandemic when the days of isolation stretched into months? At night, I would lay on the floor of my apartment with my eyes closed and listen to guided meditations, to try to take myself to a happier place. One time the prompt was something like, picture yourself doing something that brings you great joy. The first thing that popped into my head was an image of me wandering the cobblestone streets of some small European village, probably in France. The sun was shining, and every step I took was a feast for the eyes. Medieval houses, colorful flowers resting in vases on outdoor tables, patisseries with gorgeous pastries in the window, just waiting to be eaten.

I didn't realize until that moment just how much I missed traveling and how badly I wanted to look at something outside of my four walls or the blocks of my neighborhood. The next year, I took a three-week trip to the U.K. and France, and I ate those pastries and wandered until my feet hurt and filled a hole that had been growing inside of me.

Big trips can do that. Lale Arikoglu knows what I'm talking about. She's the articles director at Conde Nast Traveler.

LALE ARIKOGLU: On a really basic level, I think it's just being able to have a break from the crush of regular life, whether that's work or childcare or school, wherever it may be, you know, the opportunity to just take yourself out of your routine and be somewhere else and get to immerse yourself in that place to me is, like, the main draw of it.

SEGARRA: Now, when we talk about a big trip, that could mean different things depending on your travel style and your budget. You know, it might be a long road trip or an extended stay at a cottage in the woods or a multi-city tour on another continent. But it's typically something you save up for and plan months in advance. Lale has a big trip coming up. She's going to Peru.

ARIKOGLU: I've been waiting to do it for a long time. The reason to go there is for a friend's wedding. And now I'm building a trip around it, and it's going to be about ten days long with multi-stops, you know, having to choose multiple places to stay. And logistically, you know, it's actually taking some thought and some planning. One of the things that we're going to do when we're there is hike Machu Picchu. There's a group of us going. And Machu Picchu - it's a dream to see and experience.

SEGARRA: Now, it's easy to get bogged down in trip planning. And it might stop you from booking the thing entirely, but Lale says, do it. It's worth it.

On this episode of LIFE KIT, Lale shares her best tips on planning the big trip of your dreams. We'll talk about where to start your search, what logistical questions you should ask yourself and how to actually relax and enjoy yourself once you're there.

SEGARRA: Let's say I do want to take a big trip, right? I'm feeling that itch to travel, but...

ARIKOGLU: Right.

SEGARRA: ...I don't have a destination in mind yet or a duration. I'm really starting from scratch. Where does the planning start?

ARIKOGLU: When you start the planning, you've really got to think what you want to get out of the trip. You know, If you really just want to decompress and relax and rest, then you probably don't want to do some like multi-stop European city trip, right? You probably don't want to hike Machu Picchu. Perhaps it is that you're incredibly bored of your surroundings, and you need adventure and you need excitement. And therefore, you're going to be thinking of some really different destinations. It might be that you're traveling alone for the first time. You've decided to do a solo trip. You know, where is a place that might feel comfortable for you as a solo traveler, but still feels like it's taking you out of your comfort zone? So I think it's sitting with yourself and thinking, OK, what is, like, the goal here? That's takeaway one. Ask yourself what do you want to get from this? Set the mission of your trip.

It feels like another really important detail at the beginning is budget, right? Like, how much money do you realistically want to spend on this trip or can you afford to spend?

ARIKOGLU: And, you know, that's going to look different for everyone. If we're talking big trips, rarely are they spontaneous, right? You're planning for a long time. So that also allows you to save and finance for it. No, there's lots of great savings apps that can just, you know, that take a little bit of money out of your paycheck every few weeks, and you can kind of start, like, a travel fund that way. I think that's quite a nice way to do it. But I think, you know, you can do a big trip on a budget. It doesn't have to be, I think, a lavish, international trip. I mean, you know, we're going into spring and summer, there are so many incredible national parks to see, there are so many amazing, very diverse, different cities. There's, like, so much on your doorstep, so I think you can really argue, you don't have to cross continents to have a big trip. And so if that feels a more affordable way to get away for a couple of weeks, then, you know, look in your backyard.

SEGARRA: Right. I wonder, too, like, part of budget, besides money, is also time. Like, how much vacation time do you have? Do you have any tips for people who don't have that much vacation time?

ARIKOGLU: So I think if you look at the calendar and you look at where the holiday weekends fall, There are some tricks to being able to kind of, like, turn your limited number of vacation days into - kind of you can stretch it out if you bookend it with a holiday weekend or something like that. But on the flip side, it's also most expensive time to travel, right? There is an argument for choosing shoulder season, so that's not traveling to a destination when it's at its peak. And this is great for your own personal experience, but it's also in terms of helping that destination deal with overtourism, overcrowding. If we're talking about Europe, for example, the summers are getting hotter. So avoiding those really intense, hot, summer seasons can actually be really advantageous for your own travel plans.

SEGARRA: Yeah. That seems like maybe the next thing to consider as you're planning a big trip before you start looking at destinations is what time of year are you looking to travel?

ARIKOGLU: Definitely. And that's more of a luxury for some people because If you're having to navigate school holidays, then you're a little bit more limited. But again, it's sort of when you're thinking about carving out those goals and what you want to get out of the trip. Maybe it's the seasonality that's really important. Maybe it's all you want is hot weather and a beach. You know, if you're planning some summer travel, you could totally flip things on its head and go experience winter somewhere. I went to Patagonia when it was entering into their fall in Chile, and it was a really magnificent time to be there, and it was when New York City was going into spring. It felt like upside-down land to be choosing to do that, and it was so wonderful. It was great.

SEGARRA: Yeah. I think there's a lot of room for creativity there. And also, as you said, like, it opens up more possibilities if you consider going places during the shoulder season.

ARIKOGLU: And you get to be in a place and actually be in the place with the people who live there. One thing in August, if you go to Europe, everyone who lives there has, you know, gone off somewhere else on vacation to escape the heat and the tourists, and so, you know, you're in Rome with just all the other tourists and none of the Romans.

SEGARRA: All right, so takeaway two. Before you land on a destination, think about your constraints. What time of year do you plan to travel? For how long? What budget are you working with? If you're short on time, you can make use of holidays or pick a destination closer to home. If you're short on money, think creatively. You know, maybe you do a road trip through some parks or cities nearby.

SEGARRA: It seems like another thing to consider here is, how much do you like crowds? Because for me, it kind of ruins a trip or an experience if everywhere I go is super crowded. I get very overwhelmed by that and overstimulated.

ARIKOGLU: And it's also, you know, who are the crowds? Because there's been times when I've gone somewhere and I've gone and done the same bucket list site that everyone else is, and you're sort of standing there and you're thinking, What am I actually here for? Well, what is the purpose of this? What am I getting out of it? What am I giving to this destination other than just being another member of the crowd?

SEGARRA: Yeah. I think that's an important question, right? 'Cause, like, we have been talking about what are you looking to get out of it, for the most part. But there's another side to this - right? - and it's what am I giving? And also, what am I taking? Like, am I taking too much from this place?

ARIKOGLU: I think about that a lot. When you're planning, be really thoughtful about where you're spending your money. When you're choosing a hotel, is it a hotel that is locally owned? What restaurants are you booking? Where are you shopping? Where are you buying your souvenirs? You know, I think there's lots of ways to be really thoughtful about, you know, how you spend your money, and that can go into your budgeting, as well.

SEGARRA: I know there are certain places that at a certain time, at least, they said, please, tourists, like, please stop coming or stop coming during this time.

ARIKOGLU: Yeah. When a destination says that, I mean, it's something to be taken so seriously because they're usually destinations that have an infrastructure or an economy that really relies on tourism. So things have to have gotten pretty bad for a destination to say, take a beat, not right now, and listen to that, and, you know, the place will be better for it when you do go see it.

SEGARRA: I picture it as if you were, like, going to - going over, like, a friend's house uninvited, or, like, if they were like, please, today's not good. Like, our whole family's sick, like, we're all throwing up, and then you were still banging on the door, like, hey, what are you doing? Can I come stay over?

ARIKOGLU: I think that is a perfect analogy. Perfect. And no one wants to be that person.

SEGARRA: No.

ARIKOGLU: I'd hate to be that person.

SEGARRA: That'd be weird behavior.

ARIKOGLU: Yeah.

SEGARRA: Takeaway three, travel responsibly. Research the places you're interested in, and make sure they want tourists at the time you're looking to visit. When you're booking, consider putting your money toward the local economy rather than international chains. Also, learn about whatever destination you choose. Be open to the cultural practices and languages there. And be a respectful visitor.

Anything else that people would want to figure out before they start narrowing down or looking at destinations?

ARIKOGLU: I think it's also thinking about who you want to travel with. Someone can be your best friend, but they can be your worst roommate. I think travel's kind of the same, so kind of finding someone to travel with or a group of people to travel with who you're aligned with in the planning stage, rather than when you get there and then you suddenly discover you all want to do different things. So I think communicating right off the back what you all want out of the trip and what you're excited about and also being really honest with each other about finances.

If you're on a group trip, I mean, it's like splitting the bill, but a thousand times worse. And so I think if you can kind of, like, set some parameters at the start and be really honest about what you feel comfortable spending money on because inevitably, there is going to be some people on the trip who want to spend more money on some things than others.

SEGARRA: Yeah. And it seems like that conversation, there should be some form of that before you book anything.

ARIKOGLU: Yes, 100%. And, you know, I think even if you don't feel comfortable doing it, speaking up if something just feels too expensive.

SEGARRA: All right. So takeaway four, figure out who you're traveling with. You might prefer to travel alone, or if you're going with friends, partners, or family, just make sure you're on the same page about what you want from the trip - the pace, the activities and how much money you can spend.

SEGARRA: OK. So it sounds like we've given people a lot of things to consider before they choose a destination. Once they've done this soul searching, how can they start to find destinations that fit those desires and limitations?

ARIKOGLU: For me, part of the fun of travel planning is doing the research, whether it is a trusted travel publication or reading some books you love or going on to - you know, there's, like, a ton of just, like, online communities of people who love swapping travel tips and actually, I think, can be really helpful.

SEGARRA: Yeah. I think it can be helpful maybe to in the brainstorming stage to just, like, not go in too deep but just make a list of places that seem exciting to you and that might fit your parameters. Like, I have a Google Doc, and it's just, like, places that I would be really excited to go.

SEGARRA: When you are considering a destination, how helpful is social media - is - like, seeing where your friends are going or where influencers are going? Is it a good idea to follow those trends?

ARIKOGLU: I think it can be useful in picking things you want to do once you're there, particularly if it's, like, based around, like, big events or openings. You know, we have our best places to go list that runs every year. It could be, like, new train routes, new hiking routes, new museums that have opened, things that are happening in destinations centered around an anniversary. So, you know, kind of consulting those sorts of lists and rounds up as well can be very helpful. But I think, you know, going back to what we were talking about in terms of over tourism or overcrowding - you know, on social media, you will see people at the same spots time and time again. And they're usually spots where just around the corner, there's also something equally beautiful to see.

SEGARRA: Yeah. Like, I remember when Santorini was really popular. And it's like, whew - like, if you could actually see what was going on behind that photo, like, you would hate being there because it's so - it's just way too many people...

ARIKOGLU: Right. Right.

SEGARRA: ...All lining up to take a picture in - against that beautiful backdrop.

ARIKOGLU: Exactly. And, you know, it's Santorini. It's all beautiful. It's all amazing.

SEGARRA: OK. So takeaway five is to choose a destination. And cast a wide net when you're brainstorming 'cause you never know what's going to catch your eye. Also, Lale says, do your best to think outside of the current travel trends. Though you can use them for inspiration.

So once you've got a destination in mind, how can you start to sketch out the details of the trip? And I guess I should say, how much detail do you really need to figure out?

ARIKOGLU: So I was going to say, don't overschedule yourself, and don't overbook yourself. I think I've been guilty of doing that before, and then you realize that you have no downtime. It might seem like you're being really efficient, but you need a little bit of spontaneity on your trip. Don't overschedule. If there are a few key things you really want to do that you feel you will be crushed if you don't get to do it, then book it. Make sure that's arranged all in advance. So maybe it's finding one thing on each day of your trip. That's what you center your day around and you can frame your itinerary around that, but I wouldn't overschedule.

SEGARRA: Yeah. And then I think when you look at these things potentially sketched out on different days, then you say like, you know, that seems too busy. What's the most important to me here? Like, which of these activities do I want to book ahead?

ARIKOGLU: Right. You know, if you're suddenly realizing - you're like, I am cramming a lot in if I try to go to these three places, then choosing which one to let go.

SEGARRA: Yeah. 'Cause that's always a consideration, too. Like, if you're flying somewhere far, you might think, well, I'm already going to Poland, should I also do Germany?

SEGARRA: There's that impulse, you know? Or I'm going to Poland, so I want to see all of Poland. But that can make for a very frenetic kind of trip.

ARIKOGLU: And you wouldn't tell someone who was visiting America to be like, well, you've come all the way to America, so if you're going to New York, then you also need to go to New Orleans.

SEGARRA: Right, right. Exactly. That's Takeaway 6 - keep your schedule light and malleable. Lally recommends picking only one activity to do for each day of your trip and then building a flexible itinerary around those.

You know, it occurs to me that another element of a big trip when I'm going into them - I know that something's going to go awry during it.

ARIKOGLU: Always (laughter).

SEGARRA: Yeah.

SEGARRA: I remember being in Barcelona when I was in college. I went by myself for, like, a week. And I speak Spanish, but it wasn't fluent at the time. And I just got - I just missed being able to easily say what I wanted to say, and I went into, like, a Wendy's or something because I just wanted something kind of American. And I got some chicken nuggets. I couldn't think how to say nuggets in Spanish. Like, I was like, is that even a word, like, in Spanish, or did they just say nuggets? And I just broke and started speaking in English because I was trying to only speak Spanish. And I was like, I give up. Like, can I get some chicken nuggets, please?

ARIKOGLU: The true American in you comes out screaming at chicken nuggets in a foreign McDonald's.

SEGARRA: Yeah, yeah, give me my nuggies.

ARIKOGLU: (Laughter).

SEGARRA: Yeah, I just - like, sometimes you just need to go roll up into a ball and eat your chicken nuggies and be by yourself for a minute and then come back out, you know?

ARIKOGLU: Yeah. I mean, like, travel so much of the time is sort of, like, infantilizing because you're so powerless. But it's, like, the same in an airport. You're just sort of powerless at a certain extent when things go wrong. And I think my approach to it - to sort of very taxing and challenging air travel schedules, with connections and potential miss flights and lost luggage and all the things that come with that - is to sort of just give myself up to the airport gods, and just as soon as I'm, like, through TSA, just be like, what will be will be. I'll get there eventually and just, like, I'm powerless. And that's been, like, for me, quite liberating. And it also means that I'm not the person screaming at some poor gate agent when things go wrong.

SEGARRA: Yeah, it's a moment of - it's actually an opportunity for mindfulness. Like, I think that could even be helpful going into a big trip, to tell yourself, like, something is going to go wrong. Yeah, just keep that in mind.

ARIKOGLU: Oh, my God, so much of travel is about being tired and hungry.

SEGARRA: We're really selling this.

ARIKOGLU: I know.

SEGARRA: (Laughter).

ARIKOGLU: I'm like, my whole job is to travel. It's great.

SEGARRA: Isn't it terrible? Yeah.

SEGARRA: I try to remind myself, like - what is the point? - like, go back to those goals. What is the point of this? It's to have a good experience, to meet those needs, to give myself what I've been craving.

ARIKOGLU: Exactly. And I don't know. This sounds a little cheesy and a little trite, but anyone who gets to travel is really lucky. Ultimately, it's a real privilege that you get to do it. And it's such a freedom and it's such a special thing.Don't make it stressful.

SEGARRA: That's our final takeaway. Something on your trip is bound to go wrong. So once you're there, sit back and try to surrender. After all, traveling in the first place is a treat.

SEGARRA: OK, jet-setters, time for a recap. First, figure out what you want from this vacation. Decide your budget and time constraints. Commit to traveling ethically. Make sure you're aligned with the people you're traveling with. When you choose a destination, cast a wide net and have fun with the research. Don't overschedule yourself, and once you're there, relax and roll with the punches. For more LIFE KIT, check out our other episodes. We've got one on how to find cheap flights and another on how to pack your suitcase like a pro. You can find those at np.org/lifekit. And if you love LIFE KIT and you just cannot get enough, subscribe to our newsletter at np.org/lifekitnewsletter. Also, we love hearing from you, so if you have episode ideas or feedback you want to share, e-mail us at [email protected].

This episode of LIFE KIT was produced by Margaret Cirino. Our visuals editor is Beck Harlan and our digital editor is Malaka Gharib. Meghan Keane is our supervising editor and Beth Donovan is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andee Tagle, Clare Marie Schneider and Sylvie Douglis. Engineering support comes from Robert Rodriguez. I'm Marielle Segarra. Thanks for listening.

Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

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Feeling landlocked? Head for five breezy beach bars near Tallahassee

April is when Tallahassee minds turn to the coast. In 45 minutes you can arrive at a sandy spot. When the sun gets too hot, head for a nearby beach bar.

Here's a quick rundown of five of our closest and favorite watering holes near the water.

Dine with a view: Take a coastal dining tour of 14 favorite waterfront restaurants near Tallahassee

Alligator Point Tiki Hut

1648 Alligator Dr., Panacea; 850-570-7797; facebook.com

After a morning at Bald Point State Park, this seaside grill and bar is a welcome haven as the only watering hole on the Point. Perched next to Alligator Point Marina, where sailboats and fishing boats come and go, the Tiki Hut opens in spring and is hopping all summer until it closes in October. The casual eatery specializes in seafood baskets, burgers, wings and sandwiches. There’s live music and new bar stools. Hours are noon-10 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. The kitchen closes at 8 p.m. and live music is featured on Saturdays.

Angelo's Seafood Restaurant

5 Mashes Sands Road, Panacea; 850-984-5168; open Wednesday-Sunday all year;  angelospanacea.com

Perched on pilings at the edge of Ochlockonee Bay in Panacea, Angelo's has weathered its share of storms. Built and rebuilt, with a major update after Hurricane Dennis in 2005, Angelo's has been serving fresh seafood with a Greek flair since 1945. Sit on the breezy deck with a cold beer or a margarita and watch the water ripple, it's all part of the Panhandle's Forgotten Coast charm. If you are feeling adventurous, you can try the Panacea Pain Killer, a concoction with two kinds of rum or try the Angelo's Bloody Mary. The menu is loaded with winners, including broiled heads-on shrimp, Angelo's oysters, whole char broiled snapper, grouper fingers and more.

Blue Parrot

68 W. Gorrie Dr., St. George Island; 850-927-2987;  blueparrotsgi.com

Tallahassee residents are just 80 miles away from a beachy paradise. You can walk up to the breezy Blue Parrot from the beach, rinse your feet off on the boardwalk and order a margarita from the deck with a front-row view of the Gulf. Specialty drinks include an Island Girl (coconut run, pineapple juice, OJ, served on the rocks with lemon lime soda), St. George Island Breeze (citrus juices with cherry infused vodka on the rocks) or brave The Sand Blaster. It features mango, blackberry, lime and rum and comes with its own danger warning and 151 floater. "I've been Sandblasted" T-shirts are also available.

Order a dozen raw oysters or smoked yellowfin tuna dip and enjoy the salt air. Beachy fare includes conch fritters, shrimp baskets, seafood and fish platters, burgers, and the ever popular grouper sandwich. The restaurant is the host of the annual St. George Island Mullet Toss in June.

Tallahassee restaurant: 'Long time coming': Earley's Kitchen set to reopen South Monroe location

107 Mississippi Ave., Panacea; open 5-9 p.m. Wed-Thurs and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri - Sun​;  trident850.com

The Poseidon theme is fitting at Trident, a sea-to-table restaurant that opened in 2023 on Dickerson Bay in Panacea. Brothers Jesse and Tyler Rice, who own the farm-to-table Backwoods Crossing in Tallahassee, wanted to return to their coastal roots with a vision to showcase southern ingredients in interesting ways.

With a spectacular view of the marshy bay, the restaurants dishes up a splashy brunch with menu items like Seafood Heaven and Indecisive, Hungover, & Starving. Saturday happy hour features $3 Bloody Marys. The Rocks menu features tempting cocktails including the Shore Bird, featuring dark rum, campari, pineapple, peach puree, lime and agave. Selections from the main Rations menu include Crab Stuffed Grouper and Dirty Gator Rice.

Riverside Cafe

69 Riverside Dr, St. Marks, 850-925-5668;  facebook.com/ontheriverstmarks

Watching the boaters glide by on the sparkling St. Marks River as you enjoy a beer or cocktail is the height of Riverside Cafe's coastal charm. The birds may swoop by and sometimes they invite themselves for dinner, but notice the sign: “Please do not feed the birds from inside the restaurant.” Still, it’s part of the relaxed atmosphere, along with the menu including a blackened grouper sandwich, seafood, chicken and burgers. The Riverside has a giant tiki style thatched roof and bands playing on the weekends.

An Oklahoma tourist says he faces 12 years in prison in the Caribbean after he mistakenly left 4 bullets from a hunting trip in his carry-on duffel bag

• Ryan Watson was on vacation when he was charged with illegally carrying ammo into Turks and Caicos.
• He and his wife, Valerie, say the four bullets in their duffel bag were unknowingly left there from a hunting trip.
• Watson now faces 12 years in prison, alongside several US tourists charged for similar offenses.

An Oklahoma man traveling with his wife in the Caribbean territory of Turks and Caicos faces 12 years in prison after four rounds of ammunition were found in his luggage.

Ryan and Valerie Watson arrived in Turks and Caicos earlier this month to celebrate his 40th birthday with several other couples, their families said in a GoFundMe. NBC Boston reported that the Watsons arrived on April 7.

But the pair, who have two young children, were arrested in the self-governed British territory after airport security found the four bullets in their carry-on duffel bag.

Their families' GoFundMe said the ammo had been left in the bag unintentionally, and was from a prior deer hunting trip.

"They were hunting ammunition rounds that I use for white-tailed deer, and I recognized them, and I thought: 'Oh, what a mistake.' I had no idea that they were in there," Ryan Watson told NBC News.

Valerie Watson was released from the charges on Tuesday and flew back to Oklahoma to reunite with her children.

But her husband remains in Turks and Caicos, and was granted $15,000 bail the day after by the local supreme court, according to a police statement.

He now faces 12 years in prison, which is the minimum custodial sentence for bringing firearms or ammunition into Turks and Caicos.

Ryan Watson must stay on the islands and report twice a week to a local police station while waiting for his hearing, which is set for June 7.

Meanwhile, his family is trying to raise $300,000 for his legal fees and housing in the Caribbean.

"Isolated from their family, friends, and children, they face mounting legal fees, living expenses, and the overwhelming stress of their situation," their GoFundMe reads. "The emotional and financial toll is immense, and they are at risk of losing everything."

Related stories

"We were trying to pack board shorts and flip flops," Valerie Watson told CBS News . "Packing ammunition was not at all our intent."

The Watsons did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider through their GoFundMe.

Eight US tourists prosecuted since February

It is illegal to bring firearms or ammunition into Turks and Caicos, and penalties apply regardless of the offender's status or country of origin, according to the local attorney general's chambers.

Several tourists caught under this law were previously let off with just a fine, while at least one was given a prison sentence under the minimum limit.

But in February, a court of appeal ordered that all offenders be given at least the minimum sentence of 12 years in prison.

At least eight tourists from the US have since been prosecuted under this rule, per the attorney general's chambers.

Another American tourist, 31-year-old Tyler Wenrich , was charged on Tuesday with possessing ammunition after he arrived in Turks and Caicos on a cruise ship, according to local police.

"While going through a security checkpoint, it was discovered Mr Wenrich allegedly had ammunition in his possession," a police statement said.

Amid the recent spate of tourist arrests, the US State Department published a September advisory warning US citizens that it wouldn't be able to secure their release if they brought firearms and ammo into Turks and Caicos.

"We strongly encourage you to carefully check your luggage for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing for TCI," the advisory said.

The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

Tourism is a key revenue for Turks and Caicos, and in 2019 provided about $787 million, or 65% of the island's GDP, to the territory, per a 2023 report by the Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce.

The Caribbean archipelago is a popular port of call for US cruise ships, and this year has seen a 127% jump in tourist arrivals — the largest increase in the world — compared to 2019, the United Nations World Tourism Organization said in February.

Watch: VIDEO: Matthew McConaughey makes an emotional plea for more gun control

• Main content

Rochester students head to Washington, D.C. for transformative career exploration trip

Rochester, N.Y. — Forty local students are embarking on a transformational trip to the nation's capital.

Go Beyond Rochester is empowering the students to meet their future head-on by meeting with educators and business leaders as they explore career opportunities.

“Very excited to go to Washington, D.C. because it will be my first time,” said UPrep student Kenji Ashford. “Going on this trip, it just tells me how I want my future to go, something I think I can do for a long time and be able to retire.”

While in D.C., the students will get to visit the National Mall and historic sites and even attend an MLB game.

OU notepad: Sooners head out for final road trip

NORMAN — Oklahoma got back on track last week with a series sweep over Houston.

Now, the Sooners have to build on that as they look towards the postseason.

The Sooners head out to UCF this weekend for their final road trip of the season. The Knights (26-18, 10-11) have been solid in their first season in the Big 12, sitting at No. 5 in the conference standings while boasting an offense and defense that both rank in the top five.

Patty Gasso 's squad is likely to be tested, but the OU head coach knows this is when her team needs to be playing at their best.

"UCF is a very good team," Gasso said. "They’ve got very good pitching. Their numbers are very like any other team in the Big 12, like some of the top four teams. They have a good offense. They’ve got a good running game. They’ve got good defense and they have a lot of pitchers that can do a lot of different things. So this is going to be a huge challenge for the Sooners and I’m trusting we’re going to be ready for it."

Here's an overview of UCF and a couple other notes for the Sooners:

UCF overview

Record: 26-18, 10-11 Big 12

Series schedule: 5 p.m. Friday (ESPN+), 1 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+), 10 a.m. Sunday (ESPNU)

Offense: 4.3 runs per game in conference play (6th in Big 12)

ERA: 2.97 in conference play (4th in Big 12)

Takeaway: The Knights were riding high before last weekend's series at Baylor. It was a major defensive battle in Waco — the Knights held the Bears to just four total runs across three games. The problem? The Knights scored just one run.

It was a rare offensive struggle for a UCF team that scored 29 runs the previous weekend against Houston.

"They’ve got power and speed, a few slappers," Gasso said. "They played Baylor and scored one run in three games, which is unlike them. They can put up big numbers. Our pitching staff is going to have to be really good. Going to have to keep their playmakers off the base paths. They’re going to bow up."

Runs have been a bit hard to come by for the Knights in conference play, as only four players are batting above .297% in conference play. But the pitching staff has been solid. Sarah Willis has been very productive in conference play, posting an ERA of 2.49 in 56.1 innings pitched.

Kierston Deal is... dealing

The sophomore has found a real groove in the circle. In her last two outings, she's allowed just two hits and no runs while striking out 14 batters in 13 innings. Over has last 11 starts, she's recorded 10 wins while posting an .42 ERA to go with four complete shutouts.

Deal is now ranked in the top five nationally in ERA (1.01 ) this season. That's the type of pitching the Sooners need behind Kelly Maxwell if they hope to make another national championship run.

"I think she used the work intent," Gasso said when asked by OU Insider. "'What is my intent on the mound?' And she has really grown into this and matured into this. She’s had two fabulous outings. You can see her body language, confidence, and it really doesn’t get shaken. And that is the right time for that pitcher to be firing on all cylinders.

Look for Deal to keep it up against UCF.

Capitalizing on base runners

The Sooners' offense continues to score runs, and they still rank second in scoring offense.

However, capitalizing on base runners has been a big focus in recent weeks. It was a struggle in the Texas and BYU series, and it propped up again last weekend against Houston. The Sooners still outscored Houston 23-2, but they left 30 base runners stranded over the course of the weekend.

That'll be something to watch against UCF.

"Offensively, we’re scoring runs and doing enough to win," Gasso said after Sunday's win. "But we’re leaving runners in scoring position. We’re really trying to get that fixed."

Los Angeles Dodgers | Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ready for trip to…

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Los angeles dodgers | dodgers’ shohei ohtani ready for trip to toronto – this time, after false reports that he was signing with the blue jays last winter, ohtani will head to toronto this weekend off to a hot start with the dodgers.

WASHINGTON — Shohei Ohtani will be on a plane to Toronto on Thursday – and this time it really isn’t a drill.

“I was just following the news,” Ohtani said through his interpreter when he was reminded of the drama last December when media reports had him signing with the Toronto Blue Jays, prompting a surge in flight-tracker web site traffic as a private jet made its way from Orange County to Toronto.

“I knew I wasn’t on that flight. So I was curious too.”

Ohtani acknowledged that he did indeed consider the Blue Jays as a landing spot during his free agency last winter. He will make it there this weekend for a series with the Dodgers, stirring thoughts among Toronto fans about what might have been.

“In regards to the offseason, I was as surprised as any fans, in terms of the news that was going around,” Ohtani said. “But I did meet with the Blue Jays organization. And the impression that I got was it was a really, really great organization. The fans are really good. The city, too. So I’m really looking forward to going to Toronto.”

Ohtani’s first 26 games in Dodger blue – not Jays blue – have been a soaring success. After going 2 for 5 with a pair of doubles in Wednesday’s game against the Washington Nationals, Ohtani leads the majors in hits (39), batting average (.371), slugging percentage (.695), OPS (1.128), doubles (14) and total bases (73).

In his last at-bat Tuesday night, Ohtani hit a home run that left his bat at 118.7 mph – the hardest-hit ball in the majors this season and the hardest hit by any Dodgers player since Statcast began tracking exit velocity in 2015. In his first at-bat Wednesday, he followed it with a double to the center field wall that left his bat at 115.6 mph. He put five balls in play Wednesday — three doubles. All had exit velocities over 95 mph, adding to his MLB-leading total of ‘hard-hit’ balls (any ball with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher) — 55.

“With Shohei it’s not just the slug, it’s how hard he consistently hits the baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I can’t imagine a player hitting it that often that hard consistently. That’s what’s remarkable to me. … Everything he hits, it seems like it’s 110 (mph) off the bat – versus left, versus right. From where he was a year ago to be where he is right now is truly remarkable.”

Roberts is referring to the major elbow surgery that Ohtani had last fall and how quickly he has returned to full strength as a hitter. For his part, Ohtani is not surprised.

“My rehab on the throwing side is ongoing, but my rehab for hitting has been done for a while,” said Ohtani, whose throwing at this point is limited to 50 to 60 throws from about 40 feet every other day. “So it’s really about being able to maintain the intensity and just being prepared for the game.”

After his first elbow surgery when he couldn’t pitch in 2019 and only threw 1⅔ innings in 2020, Ohtani’s hitting suffered. He batted .259 with a .793 OPS with only 25 home runs in 150 games over those two seasons.

He said that had more to do with the knee surgery he had in September 2019. Now, he said he can fully focus on being as productive as possible as a hitter.

“I have more time in general, so there’s benefit to that,” he said of just being a one-way player for now. “But at the same time … I am preparing the same way I’ve been preparing, in a sense. That hasn’t changed. But it’s been much easier to be able to maintain my conditioning without having to put a lot of effort into the pitching side.”

All of Ohtani’s success over the past month has come in the shadow of the scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara . Since his March 25 extended statement , Ohtani has kept his comments on the situation brief.

“The investigation is currently still going on, so I can’t really say much about that,” he said Wednesday. “But it made me really realize how supportive my teammates, the organization, the staff have been towards me. It’s just allowed me to really reflect on how grateful I am to be surrounded by them.”

GRATEROL DOWN

Roberts said right-hander Brusdar Graterol has once again stopped his throwing program due to “a sore arm.” Graterol started the season on the injured list with shoulder inflammation and was moved to the 60-day IL so he is not eligible to return until mid-May. But Roberts indicated Graterol is not even playing catch and there is no certainty about when he will resume throwing.

“Right now, he’s just in the mode of laying low,” Roberts said. “I don’t know when he’s going to pick up a ball. It’s going to be a long program.”

MOON STRUCK

Talking about Blake Treinen’s rough outing in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Roberts described pitching at altitude in Albuquerque as “pitching on the moon.”

Treinen retired just one of the four batters he faced. Walker Buehler took his turn in the challenging atmosphere Wednesday and gave up five runs (three earned) on seven hits (including two home runs) and two walks. He threw 86 pitches but only made it through four innings in his fifth rehab start (fourth with OKC).

Dodgers (RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 1-1, 4.50 ERA) at Nationals (LHP Mackenzie Gore, 2-1, 3.60 ERA), Thursday, 1:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market), 570 AM

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Los Angeles Dodgers | Shohei Ohtani hits ‘absurd’ 450-foot home run as Dodgers beat Nationals

Pair these L.A. road trips with a hike and a lunch

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In April 2020 — only a month or so into the COVID-19 pandemic — my wife and I were running out of things to do. The novelty of Zoom calls with friends was wearing off. We’d watched lots of movies and TV. We were itching to get out of our apartment, but with the virus still raging, we couldn’t risk being around other people. Then we had an idea: Why not go for a drive?

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For our first trip, we drove the length of Little Tujunga Canyon Road in the Angeles National Forest. After that, we were hooked. In the ensuing months, we crisscrossed the Santa Monica Mountains and made trips into Los Padres National Forest and beyond.

My wife bought me a California road atlas, and it became part of our scenic drive ritual: We’d consult its pages for inspiration, looking for two-lane roads and state highways that squiggled through mountain ranges or meandered through deserts. After returning home, I’d highlight our route. Four years after our first drive, the atlas is full of highlights documenting our travels — and there’s still a lifetime’s worth of backroads we haven’t covered yet.

No matter where we go, each drive gives me a deeper appreciation for the incredible range of landscapes in Southern California. And these journeys have led to many rewarding discoveries, from out-of-the-way diners to new trailheads for hiking and biking.

If you’re tired of visiting the same places, it’s time to hit the road. These two trips — all within a three-hour drive of the city — will get you started.

Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument This route traverses winding mountain roads through Los Padres and spits you out near the southern entrance to Carrizo Plain — a vast preserve of native grassland and a hotspot for wildflowers (at least on some years ) and birdwatching . From Interstate 5, take Exit 205 and head west on Frazier Mountain Park Road. This two-lane road changes names several times as it ascends into the San Emigdio Mountains, passing forested slopes and epic canyon views along the way.

After about 42 miles, you’ll meet California 166. Take a right here and then a left on Soda Lake Road to enter Carrizo Plain National Monument. Drive northwest for 35 miles to the parking lot for the Soda Lake Trail, a short boardwalk that gets you up close to the park’s salt-crusted lake. If you plan ahead, you can also book a guided tour of Painted Rock, a sandstone outcrop with Native American rock art.

Hungry? Head back the way you came, take a right on California 166, and drive west 15 miles to the Cuyama Buckhorn , a renovated ’50s motel, restaurant and bar. The eatery’s Santa Maria-style tri-tip is superb, and if you grab a room, you can turn this scenic drive into a full weekend escape .

Volcan Mountain and Julian This route will take you to Julian , a mountain town famous for its apple orchards and delicious pies. From Interstate 15, take Exit 58 for California 79. Take a right on Pechanga Parkway and head south. The road becomes Pala Temecula Road and emerges into a wide canyon with mountains towering on either side. Take a left at Pala Mission Road and continue east on California 76, which hugs the San Luis Rey River before ascending more than 1,000 feet up a chaparral-covered ridgeline.

After some hairpin turns, the road levels off and skirts Lake Henshaw, a picturesque reservoir. Take a right on California 79, and after 10 miles, take a left on Wynola Road. Follow that road for about 3.5 miles, then take a left on Farmer Road to arrive at Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve. Stretch your legs on the Five Oaks Trail , a 1.2-mile path that ascends the western flank of Volcan Mountain and offers sweeping views of the orchards below.

With your appetite revved up, head south on Farmer Road into Julian and make a stop at the Julian Pie Co . Grab a well-deserved slice of apple pie and some apple cider and rest your feet at a picnic table while you chow down.

3 things to do

1. Race plankton in Manhattan Beach In celebration of Earth Day, the Roundhouse Aquarium will hold a day full of educational activities inside and outside its facilities. Highlights include dolphin spotting, a fish feeding, crafts, games, a “shark shack” and, yes, plankton racing. The festivities kick off at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and go until 4 p.m. The event is free, but be sure to register ahead of time at roundhouseaquarium.org .

2. Go gardening in San Pedro Give back to the land by planting native species, removing weeds, mulching and watering the White Point Nature Preserve’s garden with the folks at Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. You’ll also have the chance to enter a raffle and take a guided nature walk. As a bonus, refreshments will be provided by Starbucks to keep you cool and hydrated. The three-hour event begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. All volunteers under age 16 should be accompanied by an adult, and all volunteers under age 18 must have a parent or guardian sign a waiver at the event. Register at pvplc.com .

3. Stretch your legs on Venice Boulevard CicLAvia is back. And this time it’s shutting down a 5.75-mile stretch of Venice Boulevard that connects Palms, Mar Vista and Venice Beach for walkers, joggers, bikers, roller skaters, unicyclers, penny-farthings, pogo sticks — anything as long as it’s completely powered by humans. There will be three local hubs along the route where you’ll be able to partake in family-friendly activities, pump air into your bike’s tires, refill your water bottle and use the restroom. Be sure to reference CicLAvia’s digital map so you can scope out the local businesses you’d like to visit along the way. It all takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information about the event and the area it covers, visit ciclavia.org .

The must-read

The Klamath River in Northern California has turned brown and muddy, but that’s a good thing. As Times writer Ian James reports , it’s a side effect of the largest dam removal project in history, which aims to restore the river to its natural state. Four dams are being removed along the Klamath, and the river is passing freely through tunnels in three of them, draining reservoirs and churning up an estimated 2.3 million tons of sediment that had settled along the bottom of those man-made lakes. Although the turbid water might look ugly, restoration advocates and tribal leaders see it as a sign of healing. The muck is passing out of the Klamath, and new life — everything from salmon heading upstream to native plant seedlings along the riverbanks — will soon take its place.

Happy adventuring,

Want to try birding but don’t have binoculars? Head to the Audubon Center in Ernest E. Debs Regional Park. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and you can borrow a free pair of binoculars (as well as a birding guide, backpack and other gear) to help you spot the 140 species of birds that call the park home.

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild . And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here .

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Michael Charboneau is a freelance writer covering gear and the outdoors, and he’s writing The Wild newsletter for a few months. He has written for a variety of publications, including Men’s Journal, Runner’s World and InsideHook, and he lives in West L.A. When he’s not writing, he can be found running, hiking and biking around Los Angeles and its mountains.

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