What is a San Diego helicopter tour like? — featuring Hudson and Emily
In this video: SAN DIEGO HELICOPTER TOUR + RANDOM LIMO RIDE 🚁 San Diego Travel Video | USA RV Trip Vlog 033
Hudson and Emily · 5 years ago
How much time should I budget for a full San Diego multi-attraction day?
The video covers a full day from morning limo pickup through late afternoon/evening activities. Budget at least 8–10 hours if you want to visit a zoo, marine park, historic ship, and take a helicopter tour. Starting early and arriving at major attractions near closing time helps compress your schedule.
What this video answers
How much time should I budget for a full San Diego multi-attraction day?
Is the San Diego Zoo worth the visit?
What is the best time of year to visit San Diego for these tours?
Do I need to pre-book helicopter tours in advance?
Overview of San Diego's Multi-Transport Adventure Tour
This video documents a full day of scenic San Diego transportation experiences, starting with an unexpected limo pickup from a Home Depot parking lot and progressing through three distinct modes of travel: limousine, trolley, and helicopter. Hudson and Emily visit major attractions including Mission Beach, Mount Soledad, La Jolla, the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, and Legoland California, showcasing how different transportation methods reveal the city's geography and landmarks from unique vantage points.
The experience suits travelers who want to see San Diego comprehensively without driving themselves, or anyone curious about combining multiple scenic tours in a single trip. Whether you're planning a special occasion, traveling with family, or simply want an efficient way to hit multiple bucket-list items in one day, this itinerary shows how layering experiences—limo service, public trolley tours, and aerial views—can create a memorable San Diego visit.
Key Moments
Key Highlights from the San Diego Experience
Mount Soledad viewpoint with a large cross overlooking the city and ocean
Mission Beach and La Jolla coastline viewed from both ground level and limo windows at sunset
San Diego Zoo's Skyfari cable car offering aerial views of animals including giant pandas and sea lions in a coastal sea cave exhibit
Helicopter ride providing bird's-eye views across San Diego's neighborhoods and attractions
USS Midway aircraft carrier tour, a decommissioned World War II vessel with active helicopter displays
Old Town San Diego trolley tour through the "birthplace of California" settlement area
What to Know Before Booking Your San Diego Multi-Transport Tour
Winter timing (December) offers 70-degree weather and shorter daylines—useful for visiting parks that close early (SeaWorld closed at 6 p.m. in this example)
Arriving near closing time can mean significantly shorter crowds; the video shows arriving at 4:40 p.m. to a park closing at 6 p.m. to skip long entrance lines
VIP or skip-the-line passes exist at some attractions but require advance booking if you want to avoid extended waits
Limo service can be arranged for group pickups; in this case, the group was picked up directly from their RV parking location
Helicopter tours require fair weather; the video shows clear skies but this is weather-dependent
Plan a full day (roughly dawn to early evening) to combine multiple transportation modes and see major sites
Frequently Asked Questions About San Diego's Scenic Tours
How much time should I budget for a full San Diego multi-attraction day?
The video covers a full day from morning limo pickup through late afternoon/evening activities. Budget at least 8–10 hours if you want to visit a zoo, marine park, historic ship, and take a helicopter tour. Starting early and arriving at major attractions near closing time helps compress your schedule.
Is the San Diego Zoo worth the visit?
The video highlights the Zoo's Skyfari aerial cable car system as a unique feature that lets you see animals from above and move efficiently across the sprawling grounds. Giant pandas, birds in an open observatory, and sea lions in a sea cave habitat are featured attractions that justify a visit for animal lovers.
What is the best time of year to visit San Diego for these tours?
Winter (November–February) offers mild weather (around 70 degrees Fahrenheit), fewer crowds, and shorter park hours that can work in your favor if you arrive late afternoon. This season is ideal for packing multiple activities into one day without extreme heat.
Do I need to pre-book helicopter tours in advance?
While the video does not detail booking specifics, helicopter tours typically fill up quickly, especially during peak seasons. Booking in advance is strongly recommended to secure your preferred time slot and ensure availability.
What should I wear for these activities?
The video shows guests in casual clothing, Starbucks in hand, moving between outdoor beach areas and enclosed attractions. Bring layers for temperature changes, comfortable walking shoes for zoo and park visits, and sunscreen. For the helicopter ride, secure loose items and wear clothing that won't blow around in wind near the aircraft.
This video is genuinely helpful for anyone planning a San Diego visit because it strings together four major attractions and three different transportation methods in one coherent itinerary, showing exactly what you'll see and how to move between sites efficiently. The mix of aerial views (Skyfari, helicopter), ground-level exploration (zoo walking, beaches), and quirky touches (limo from a parking lot, trolley history tour) gives you a realistic sense of pacing and variety.
What stands out most is how the video demonstrates that you don't need a car if you layer transportation strategically—limos, trolleys, cable cars, and aircraft become your sightseeing vehicles. The December timing and late-afternoon park arrival are practical lessons that many travelers overlook. If you're sketching out a San Diego itinerary and want to maximize experiences in minimal time, this video is worth watching and bookmarking.
Years on the front lines of helicopter tour coordination — not as a travel blogger, but as the person responsible for making every guest experience go right. Managed 2,000+ cruise guests weekly as Shore Excursions staff aboard the Pride of America in Hawaii
Personally coordinated with helicopter tour operators to confirm age, weight, and safety requirements.
San Diego started with a limo picking us up from our RV in the Home Depot parking lot haha such a random experience! But it was great because we got transportation to some of the best spots of San Diego such as Mission Beach, Mount Soledad, and La Jolla. We also tried two other types of transportation in San Diego - a trolley tour and a helicopter ride - and visited the San Diego Zoo, Sea World San Diego, and Legoland California.
RV Road Trip Across America | USA RV Trip Vlog 033 | California RV Trip - San Diego Travel Video | State #17/50
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Hi, we’re Hudson & Emily! We’ve been married since 2012 and love Jesus & travel. Our favorite quote is "Think of the stories you want to tell someday, then go out and live them." Our freshman year of college, we decided we’d someday love to travel to the 50 states of America. 7 years later, we bought and renovated an old RV and took off on our trip! 🚌 We're now based in Mexico and are excited to be sharing some memories from our travels!
Can’t thank you enough for watching our videos and subscribing to our channel! We’d love to get to know you and connect with you more!
Video transcript for “SAN DIEGO HELICOPTER TOUR + RANDOM LIMO RIDE 🚁 San Diego Travel Video | USA RV Trip Vlog 033” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
[Music] [Music] oh so today we are going from our rv right there into a limo we have this whole
thing to ourselves we got the water we got the ice and we're going around san diego for the night bucket list item ride a limo check riding in the rv and we're going right
up to our first stop right in the rv heck no we ain't riding larvae riding in the limo there's the beach and our first stop is this big cross right here we're out here in san diego and we're riding in a limo
i'm trying to be funny anyway this is your first time videos i don't think really got the joker you're just really trying to be nice he was like it's a first san diego man water on this side water on that side it's a little windy but i just got my starbucks and we are headed back to the
limo this is mission beach in san diego there's no better way to see san diego then we have our driver in the limo and he's just driving us around to all the places that we want to see now we're hanging at the beach getting into starbucks and then we just hop back in and he takes us to the next spot
normally i'm fighting the streets either in our motorcycle or in our rv and now we don't even have to think about it have the music blaring and we're all set downtown san diego this here is the tallest building in all of san diego so you got your options you got bad boy
bail bonds and golden boy bail bonds which one would you rather go to bad boy this is our view from the pants high-end in la jolla and it is sunset and it is beautiful and hyde just accidentally locked us out of our room because he forgot the key so he's on to go get [Music]
lucky [Applause] [Music] san diego zoo everyone told us that out of all the zoos to go to you're always
here at san diego zoo and we are here now we're right in the sky ferrari so you can see the animals are above we're soaring we're flying [Music] wait you gotta go higher [Laughter]
i see him he's hungry hungry [Applause] [Applause] oh what exactly is going on it's because
giant pandas are solitary and territorial which means that they don't like to share and they don't play well with others doesn't i'm convinced there's a person and i cost him and that's what i would do i would sleep we're in the bird observatory and um loves birds they're just flying around they're just
chilling with us it's like we're in the exhibit with them we'd rather be in the exhibit with an elephant we're going into a sea cave from the land going down a cave inside a sea cave we're out here in a ck she's taking a nap little baby sea lions oh they're so cute
sunset in la jolla [Music] i'm gonna show you something new
you gotta know every day i got your back yeah you can come we're in old town san diego and about to go on the trolley tour this is called the birth place of california because this is where
they settled this is december we're like 70 degree weather right now [Music] so we're in san diego we're on the aircraft carrier uss midway that was used in world war ii and it's crazy i mean i know they're even way bigger now look at all these helicopters literally
it does not feel like we're floating on the water headed into legoland those right there are rvs made out of legos and lego world this is new york and legos we are in vegas you know we used to live around there oh yeah they got an rv right by it we just entered sea world san diego which is our
third sea world out of three sea worlds we did orlando san antonio and now san diego and when we entered the guy said have a whale of a day and we should have gotten vip so we can skip this really long line we could at least skip the walking this is the way to do it show up at 4 40
to in the winter in december to a park that closes at 6 00 p.m or not and really escape the lines really get [Music] got a private tour
[Music] keep on hoping cake by the ocean and we're going down the street that has shops that rivals rodeo drives eats coffee they ain't got that yoga's moga yoga smoker
[Music] baby [Music] i'm running out of time every day goes by so fast and every moment counts baby i don't wanna miss a thing
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