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In January 2007 a friend and I took a small road trip through Southern California. If I went again, I'd do some things differently.

Route 66 by Hannah Swithinbank

Driving between the Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree we spun along old Route 66 for a blast. In about 10kms this was the only route sign we saw, so having driven over it, we did a u-turn and drove back, pulling over to take some photos.

1. Hire a 4x4. Bad for the environment, perhaps, but at the same time - what's the point of trying to save it the rest of the time, if you can't see some of the most spectacular areas when you're out on the road. I might have taken our car down the road to Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, despite the 4x4 only warning signs, but my friend wasn't having any of it.

2. Take your time - especially if you're wanting to take photos. Figure out what time of day will be best for the light, and work out when you want to be there. The morning is good for Golden Canyon and Titus Canyon, the afternoon probably better for Mosaic Canyon. Late afternoon to sunset are *the* times for Zabriskie Point and the Mesquite sand dunes. Sunset in the Mojave is also something special - the silhouettes of the Joshua trees against the last light of day standing out on the horizon.

3. Take more layers. Or, alternatively, don't go in January! There was snow in Joshua Tree National Park when we were there. Apparently it was a cold snap, even for that time of year, but I multiple layers and a good hat are a good plan for winter trips. That said - winter's a good time of year to go. The parks are less busy, and accomodation a little cheaper, and the scenery's still astonishing.

4. Of course, going in winter makes it hard to go for option number - camping! Unless, of course, you have a motorhome. Camping means you can spend more time in the remoter areas of the parks (such as Hole in the Wall in the Mojave National Preserve) and see sunrises and sunsets without leaving bed.

5. Spend longer in the Mojave National Preserve. We were limited for time and only passed through, spending a night in the gorgeous little Hotel Nipton B&B on the edge of the park, but I would have loved to have spent more time. For instance, we didn't get to clamber amongst the Kelso Dunes or hear the sand sing.

6. Find some friends who climb. Josha Tree National Park has some awesome rock climbing opportunities, and it looks like a lot of fun. I don't have the know-how, so I'd have to find someone (friend, or organised group) to take me.

7. Get away from the car. Partially because we were pushed for time, and partially because my travelling companion wasn't a great walker, we didn't get away from the car and out into the parks as much as I would have liked. Joshua Tree, in particular, has some great trails.

8. Fill up on gas when you have the chance, especially when you have the chance to do so outside the parks, which will make it cheaper. We didn't think to do this, which meant we wasted a chunk of a morning driving backwards to fill up before heading into the Mojave. Baker, CA may have a very tall thermometer and the Mad Greek restaurant, but it's not as good a place to spend your time as the Mojave National Preserve. Fact.

9. Set your camera to take photos at the highest possible resolution. I didn't, in order to save space on my memory card (unncessarily, it turned out), and now all my photos are too small to upload with this piece! More importantly, they're too small to really blow up and hang on the wall as a memento, or print out in a photobook of the trip.

10. Don't cuddle the Cholla cactus. Ok, I didn't do that, there were big signs saying not too, with horror stories about how impossible it is to get the spines out of your skin. They make look wonderful, they may be called 'teddy bear' cacti, but that doesn't mean you should touch them.