Fear the unknown (but go anyway)

Every time I go anywhere, and I mention it to extended family or friends, I'm confronted with fear.

Fear of a travel emergency happening to me.

Fear I'll be abducted, tortured, and killed.

(At least I'm assuming this is the reason for all the questions)

And fear (when traveling) is a good thing. 

Fear can keep you safe.

But it can also hold you back.

Don't be afraid to try something new, just because you're a little uncomfortable.

Eat the street food.

Visit rural areas.

Carry cash on you for shopping.

Talk to the locals.

 Take public transportation.
Stay in the part of town off the beaten path.
Take the road less traveled by.

Get a feel for the area you're going to by diving in and trying everything.

But be smart too.

We fear the above, and our families and friends fear for us, because the above are unknown.

If I eat the street food, will I get food poisoning?

What if I get stuck somewhere and can't get home?

What if I get robbed?

Yes, these things can happen and do happen.

You know what else happens?

We discover the best corn we've ever had.

And we fall in love with people and a city.

And the best part? We save money by doing it this way.
Versus falling into tourist traps and putting out the big bucks to build up a false sense of security.
(because you can still get food poisoning from a $200 meal)

Combat this fear by enlisting a friend whose also afraid.
Be brave together.
Embrace the culture & the experience recklessly.
Combat FOMO by doing it all.

If you were looking for someone to tell you it's okay, go ahead and do it. 
This is it.
You can do it.




xoxo

How to backpack in luxury

You may or may not know this about me, but I'm not really the outdoorsy type.

I mean.

I love adventure.

And traveling.

And experiencing the outdoors.

But I'm not one to rough it.

My idea of roughing it usually includes access to running water.

Hello, San Blas Islands

But I mean, if I have to live in paradise for a few days without, oh darn.

On that note though, I mentioned previously that I'm allotted one personal item for this trip.

After much deliberation with my travel PIC, Stas, we agreed it made sense to share a checked bag for liquids we wanted to bring.

(sharing body wash, sunscreen, etc)

But, we've primarily designated that for liquids and possible souvenirs

So anyways, I'm back to how to pack for 10 days in a backpack.

Here's my easy guide for packing.

One. Know the purpose of your trip

Are you planning on going scuba diving? Downhill skiing? Hiking? City wandering? Exploring the night life? Sleeping? etc. The better prepared you are for activities pre-flight, the easier the trip will be! And the easier to pack!

For this trip, we're primarily enjoying the tropical climate and praying it doesn't rain (so, swimming), and getting to know the city (so, walking). Which means I need lightweight clothing, good walking shoes, and probably more than one swimsuit.

I ended up buying these in the light grey/blue option.

Two. Know what you can't live without

Mascara? Your teddy bear? Snapple? Slippers knit by your grandma? Your kindle? Medicine?

Whatever it is, bring it. You don't want to be miserable for any period of time without it. 

For me this is mascara, medicine, and something to do on the plane. I can't read on the plane, as I get that motion sick, but I can watch movies and listen to music, so forgetting my headphones would be a nightmare.

I have ones one step down from these, and they're incredible.

Three. Check the weather. Then check again. And recheck.

Are you going during prime blizzard season? Are you going to the alps or the equator? Will it rain? Is there even a chance of rain?

For me, I'm going to Panama during the rainy season. Okay, so close to the equator and probable rain. So light clothing and rain gear. I can "wear" a rain coat onto the plane to save space and double as a blanket for the occasionally freezing airplanes. I could also stick an umbrella into my backpack's cup holder. Try to wear the heaviest items that you want to bring on to the plane to save luggage space. So, for me, that'll be jeans, a sweatshirt, a dress tucked into my jeans (just kidding... probably), and a shirt. 

Four. Roll, roll, roll your clothes

Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

I think every travel guide in the history of guides has mentioned that rolling your clothes is the easiest way to save space. And roll tightly. 

If you really want to see a pro at work, check this guy out.

what.

Five. Get crafty

Can you lift a ton? Use space bags to reduce the size of your carry on, but just be prepared to get a workout in.

Do you get cold in airports? Maybe wear three pairs of pants to the airport and double up on socks.

Pack jewelry and sunglasses either on your body (sorry security) or in your shoes.

And hey, there's no shame in wearing a mismatched outfit through security if it's everything bulky you're bringing. It's okay to be that person. The non-revs will hate you, but oh well.

Six. Know your accommodations

Are you staying in a 5-star hotel with towels and pillows? Are you pitching a tent? Are you couch surfing?

For us, we're traveling through different hostels. Really not too sure if they have towels or pillows for us. Since I know we're spending a lot of time at the beach, I'm going to bring a beach towel. This will double as a bath towel in a pinch. I'll be using the extra storage we bought via the checked bag to store this.

If you're really unsure of your accommodations, stash a pillow case in your bag. You can fill dirty (or clean) clothes in here to create a pillow and double as a laundry bag. (although, if you're hiking all day and they're smelly, maybe don't do that).

So these are the tips I'm going to be using. 

Maybe they'll work? Maybe they won't.

My schedule for the week has me packing Tuesday night & finishing Thursday (because you know, TRIPLE CHECKING THE WEATHER)

So, I'll let ya know how it goes :)

xoxo

Flying in Style

So.

I’m traveling to Panama on one of those budget airlines that makes a 5hr direct flight into like… minimum 24hrs of traveling, but hey, it was cheap.

What it also means is that anything over a personal item requires some extra dough to get in on board.

 Now that I’m no longer flying non-rev, I have to think about these things…

like extra luggage.

I also realized while prepping, that I don’t have a “personal item” to really bring with me…

So, I came up with some options to purchase.

here.

there.

I kind of feel like if it’s strapped to me, they can’t tell me it’s a non-personal item.

Maybe that’s backwards logic, butttt whateva.

near.

 Ideally, I want something stylish that looks like I’m a super cool globe trotter. But, it also needs to have quite a bit of space (while still being a “personal item”) and having lots of pockets would be excellent for stashing items.
So like, this is super cute.

this.

But not really practical…

I'm also loving these:

Ooh leather

Herschel - obsessed!

sakroots.

Up next. How to pack for 10 days in a bag this size.

(hahahaha)

Which bag would you take on a "personal item only" trip?

xoxo

On the Road Again

Well.

I realize that I left off in the middle of a story and never got back around to finishing it.

My apologies for being the worst.

Things that have happened in my hiatus:

• Made it back to the states in one piece
• Cried over the sight of a bagel
• I mean like, bawled. In an airport. In front of people. Over a bagel.
• Was reunited with this guy:

• Moved back to New Orleans

(cat)



• GRADUATED COLLEGE
• Moved back to Wisconsin in what was the longest solo road trip without reason

So what's coming up in the next 6 months then?

Panama. Seattle. Alaska. Canada. Atlanta. London? Paris?

Oh.. yeah... and working on filling in the blanks from the last year.

whoops.

xoxo