10 Jun 2019

Travel Diaries: Bethany Elstone in Los Angeles

LA is always a good idea. From the sprawling beaches to the creativity that spills out onto the vibrant streets, explore all the reasons why with Bethany Elstone, content creator and photographer, as she takes to the city with the sunny disposition in our latest Travel Diaries.

Tell us about your holiday destination…

This was my first trip to Los Angeles – it’s a city that I’ve always wanted to visit so I had a huge list of places to try and see during my time there! The whole atmosphere in LA is something that I fell in love with instantly. You have the most beautiful beaches within reach and in total contrast, you have the individuality of the city. One of my favourite places we went to in the city was Grand Central Market which is a hall filled with every cuisine you could think of. I loved bouncing from place to place and trying everything. But I think my ultimate spot was Venice Beach. It was exactly like in the films. The whole coast around Los Angeles is beyond beautiful and totally captures your heart. It’s one of those places where you can image memories being made that would stick for a lifetime.

Tell us about the pieces you’ve packed and how you’re wearing them…

The pieces I picked from Monsoon were ones of which I thought were super-versatile. I visited LA in May, so the evenings were still a little cold, meaning you needed a lightweight cover-up. I adored the jacket with the tortoiseshell buttons paired with the strong blue denim and the deep burgundy knitted top. For the beach, I totally fell for the polka dot-print bikini – it’s such a classic print and fit. You can wear it either off the shoulder (when you need to even out tan lines!) or as a halter neck.

What are your top three travel tips?

1. Explore the city for you. Don’t feel like you have to go and do the must-sees – there’s so much more than just the Hollywood sign. Do some digging beforehand and see what speaks to you and your interests so you can get the most out of the city.

2. Uber will be your best friend. Apparently, it’s not really a thing to walk to a lot of places in LA so make sure you’ve got Uber or Lyft downloaded and don’t be scared of getting pools because it really does cut down the price, especially if you’re going from the city to the beach.

3. Plan your outfits before you go. I truly believe there are two types of packers – the ones that actually plan day-by-day looks and the ones who throw in everything they like and hope there will be things that go together. I slot in to the latter and during every single trip, I regret not planning my clothes more when I go to get dressed and remember something I have at home that I should’ve bought with me!