15 Things I Learned on a Drive Across the Country

A little over three years ago, my dear friend Christie told me that she was moving to Buffalo, NY (on the complete opposite side of the country), and she was taking her whole family with her. I may or may not have cried myself to sleep that night; HOWEVER, I got a really awesome road trip out of the deal. Since they were moving three cars all the way to Buffalo, they asked me if I would venture with them on a five day, 2,600 mile road trip across the US, and I, of course, said yes.

We drove for roughly 55 hours, through something like 11 states, and we had the time of our lives. Despite the fact that I cried again when I had to leave Buffalo and fly back home to Portland, that drive will forever be one of my favorite memories. As one does when driving for five days straight, I picked up a few interesting tidbits of knowledge along the way. 

1. A good playlist is an absolute must.
   
2. Utah is beautiful. 
   
3. Laramie, WY is very…quiet. 
   
4. Crossing over state lines can be extremely exciting.
   
5. Even more so when you sing the Indiana Jones theme song each time. 
   
6. Stretching while driving can lead to potentially dangerous situations. 
   
7. Outdoor hotels are almost always scary.
   
8. Breakfast is CHEAP, everywhere.
   
9. Audio books rock. 
   
10. Tumbleweeds do exist, and they really do blow across empty highways.
    
11. Locals always seem to be able to tell that you’re from out of state. 
    
12. Snacks are life savers.
    
13. Pennsylvania is the longest state, ever.
    
14. Cats don’t always make great backseat drivers.
    
15. Dogs do. 
    

Even though it was a lot of driving, it was an amazing experience. We got a taste of a lot of different lifestyles, saw some amazing scenery, and ate some very lovely breakfasts. Most importantly, we had a ton of fun and got to spend a lot of time together before 2,600 miles separated us. If you ever get the chance to drive across the country, I highly recommend it.

   

  

To watch some funny moments from our trip, click the videos below. :)

8 Essentials For Any Camping Trip

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As I type, I'm laying in my tent listening to the sound of persistent, pounding rain. I've been camping in Madras, Oregon with my family for the last few days, and while getting stuck in a rain storm isn't number one on my list of hopes and dreams, I have thought of a new list while I've been here. Each day has provided me with a moment that I consider to be an essential experience to have while camping. These are the moments that make you realize what camping is all about, and why we leave the comfort of our homes and our beds to sleep in a sleeping bag under a tent. 

1. Watch the sunset (from the highest vantage point possible). 

No two sunsets are the same, and in my opinion there is nothing more stunning than a pink and purple sky. If possible, watch it without taking a million pictures. Look at the sky, not your smartphone, and take the moment in.

2. Sit outside in the dead of night and look at the stars.

If you're like me, you like your camping spots as far removed from the city as possible. This means a lack of city lights, which means an abundance of beautiful stars. No night sky compares to the one you'll see from your campsite in the middle of nowhere.

3. Appreciate the wildlife. 

No matter how many times I see a deer hanging out in the field next to my tent, I still get excited every single time. If you live in the city as I do, it's not every day you get to see animals like deer, bunnies, goats, horses, etc. Enjoy the wildlife, and respect that you're in their territory.

4. Have a campfire and roast some stuff.

Campfires are the quintessential camping experience. I love everything about them; the warmth, the smell, the way the flames dance. Smores made with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups don't hurt the experience either.

5. Go to sleep/wake up with the sun.

Without the distraction of the TV or the internet, camping is the ideal time to listen to your internal clock. If you're tired at 9 p.m., go to sleep! Odds are you will wake up bright and early feeling rested and ready to take on 

the day.

6. Bask in the silence.

Ah, silence. Another thing I often take for granted. Sometimes it's quite wonderful to sit in the campsite and do nothing but listen to the quiet. It's next to impossible to find a completely quiet moment anywhere else, so if you find one on your camping trip, focus on it, and appreciate the rarity. 

7. Catch up on your reading/crosswords/sudoku etc.

Camping is the perfect time to catch up on those leisurely activities that we often feel we don't have time for at home. Reading is one of my favorite things in the world, but it often takes a backseat to work, and other duties. This is why for most of my camping trip, you can find me posted up in a chair with a book in my hand. 

8. Act like a kid again

Play games! Get out the ladderball, card games, horseshoes etc. and challenge your friends and family members. Get dirty. Run in the fields. Walk around barefoot. Ride your bike. Do all of those things that you did shamelessly as a child, and do them with reckless abandon! 

Going camping is something that I will always make time for. It's different than any other trip or vacation we can take. It's your time to connect with nature, your loved ones, and yourself. It's the time to get back to basics, to live simply, and appreciate those bare necessities. Next time you get a few days off, pack up the tent, find a patch of land, and set up camp, literally.

How to Pick the Perfect Travel Partner

If you’re not up for traveling alone, and not everyone is, you want to make sure you have a suitable travel companion. Traveling with the wrong person can ruin even the most promising of trips, and choosing the right person is no small feat. I’m lucky if I can count on one hand the people that I would want to take an extended trip with. Traveling with another person means spending about 100% of your time with them, from early mornings to late nights and everything in between. It means navigating the streets of a foreign place together.  It means agreeing on which places are worth venturing to, and which sights you wouldn’t mind missing. Sometimes it means deciphering another language. Often times it means the occasional sacrifice from one party to make the other one happy. Having a great travel partner is crucial to enjoying your trip, so without further ado, my list of five traits for the perfect travel companion;

1.     Someone who cares about your well-being.

Your travel partner should be someone who genuinely cares about you, and your safety and happiness. Being safe is an important part of exploring a new place, and having someone to watch your back is an added layer of protection. In addition, you want someone who wants you to be happy. If you’ve been dying to see a particular attraction, and your friend is less than thrilled about it, they should go anyway, because they know it’s important to you. You would do the same for them, right?

2.     Someone you can talk to, but also sit in silence with.

Traveling can often mean long bus/plane/train/boat rides, or even long walks. You want to be with someone you can hold a significant conversation with. If you can comfortably talk about nearly anything, you’ll never run out of things to say. In that same right, you should be able to sit in silence, without any trace of awkwardness. Travel can be exhausting, and every now and again you may just want to sit and take it all in together.

3.     Someone who is laid back, and isn't picky!

This is a big one for me. In general, I’m a very laid back person. It takes a lot to disappoint me, especially when I’m traveling. Nothing will ruin a trip faster than someone who picks apart every detail of your trip, and then complains about it.

“This hotel isn’t clean enough.”

 “This restaurant is too expensive.”

  “This bus ride is so boring.”

The perfect travel partner will go with the flow. They will take the experience for what it is, and find the positives in even the toughest situations. You’re traveling! You’re seeing the world. You have an opportunity that many people only dream about. Don’t let anyone ruin it with an uptight attitude. Pick a travel partner that will smile with you through even the worst conditions.

4.     Someone who will take your photo.

This one is a little more on the superficial side, but I value it all the same. One of my favorite parts of a trip is getting home and looking over all of the beautiful photos I took, and I generally enjoy being in a few of them. If there is one thing I appreciate in a travel partner, it’s someone who doesn’t mind snapping my embarrassing touristy photos, and of course, someone who will shamelessly jump in on a selfie with me.

5.     Someone you can have fun with!

This is probably the most important trait in a travel buddy. You have to be able to have fun together. You both should be up for taking the occasional risk, or doing something crazy. Making a last minute decision to sky-dive, randomly getting off the train in an adorable unplanned town, or making a spontaneous change in your itinerary can lead to some of the best memories of your life. Travel is all about the experience, and wherever you go, it should be a fun one. The perfect travel partner will look at an exciting new adventure and say “Let’s just do it, man!”.

So, there you have it! These are the five traits that are most important to me while choosing a travel companion. Of course there are many more, but if you can look at your best friend/significant other/family member and easily check off each of these traits, you may just have the perfect person to explore the world with. Don’t take this person for granted! They can be hard to come by and absolutely lovely to have by your side. Go ahead, take a look around and grab your perfect travel partner, and once you do, get going!

Five Places in Europe I Absolutely Must See Before I Die

Europe is my dream. For as long as I’ve been thinking about international travel, it is the one place that I always come back to. It just has endless appeal to me. I’m sure I could spend countless weeks getting lost there, and enjoy every minute of it, but for the sake of time, and your patience with me, I’ve narrowed it down to 5 places in Europe that I need to see at least once in my lifetime.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

I have no idea how this charming little town in Slovenia so quickly captured my heart, but it did. After adding it to my list of must sees, I have realized that it’s on a lot of other lists as well. “Top Places in Europe 2014” “Safest Places for Female Travellers” “Europe Bucket List” etc. Once I started looking, I saw this quaint little place plastered all over the Internet. The big name popular tourist towns are great, but something in me really wants to explore the more quiet side of Europe, and Ljubljana is the perfect place to do just that.

Paris, France

Speaking of big name tourist towns, Paris is an absolute must for me.  Audrey Hepburn said “Paris is always a good idea” and I have to agree. The beautiful churches and museums are right up my alley, and if I die without seeing the Eiffel Tower, I will be a very unhappy ghost.

Croatia

Yes, just about anywhere in Croatia.  More specifically I’d like to explore Zagreb, and the coastal town of Dubrovnik. There are so many other gorgeous cities within Croatia, it's hard for me to demand only one. A relatively cheap destination, with history, killer food, and beautiful scenery? Count me in!

Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

This gorgeous destination just recently popped up on my radar, and now it's a non-negotiable for me. The rich history and endless rolling green hills are basically begging me to explore them. Not to mention it's another highly affordable destination, with a lovely combination of city and nature, and some top notch food. What more could a girl ask for?

  

Edinburgh, Scotland

Well, I have to visit Scotland don't I? If anything, just to say hello to my people. ;) But the castles, monuments, and culture alone could easily sway me to spend some extended time in Edinburgh.

And because I really do feel that you could drop me anywhere in Europe and I'd be incredibly happy, here are my 5 honorable mentions: 

Prague, Czech Republic

Budapest, Hungary

St Petersburg, Russia

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Berlin, Germany

(All photos were found on Wikimedia Commons. Credit goes to their rightful owners)

Should You Take Your Own Passport Photo? (+My Photo Debacle)

I have a story. It’s an embarrassing story, but all the more reason to share it. So, passport photos…they’re awful, right? Deer in the headlights, neutral expression, stark white background, and an overly bright light in your face? Not exactly the equation for a super flattering photo. Not to mention that there are twelve hundred different rules and regulations that your photo must meet, lest it be denied by the passport photo gods, and your traveling dreams be squashed forever.

There are many places that will take your passport photo for you, for a fee. Generally they run from $7-11 dollars. Being the super researchy person I am, I asked Google if I could take my own passport photo. Forums told me that it was silly to pay to get a photo taken when you could take it yourself. “That’s right!” I said. “I CAN do it myself!” “I’m a strong, independent woman, and I don’t need no Wal-Greens employee to take my passport photo for me!” Okay, maybe I didn’t say that, but I did decide to take my photo myself and save myself enough money for two vanilla lattes, (barely).

So, I set up my tripod, my Nikon camera, and stood in front of the white door in the spare bedroom. I opened the blinds a bit to let in that natural light that everyone swears by, and set the self timer. I took approximately 8,000 pictures, changed my shirt twice, and restyled my hair 3 times. Then I uploaded all of my photos and painstakingly scrolled through each one, slowly eliminating any one with even the smallest of imperfections. This photo will be with me for TEN years! Each time I travel, more and more people will see it. It seemed so important. Finally, I narrowed it down to two, and decided to print them both at Wal-Greens. (Damnit, I guess I really did end up needing a Wal-Greens employee didn’t I?)  

The next day I picked up my photos, cut one into a perfect 2x2 square and stapled it to my passport application. Passport photo: complete! Now all I had to do was turn in my application. I had the next day off of work, and I intended to take my application to a post office about seven minutes away from my house. Luckily, I decided to call first, just in case. The sweet lady at the post office told me that they didn’t currently have anyone trained to take passport applications at that location. She suggested I hit up the City Hall in the next town over. I gave them a call and hallelujah, they were accepting applications….until 2:30p.m. It was 1:30 at the time and I was sitting on my floor with my laptop, contemplating a workout. That means that I was in sneakers, nike shorts, a zip up hoodie, and an awesome straight out of bed ponytail.

I figured that with a complete passport application, I could make the 20 minute drive and have more than enough time to hand in my application, and take my internationally travelling butt right back home for my workout. As you probably expected, it didn’t turn out that way.

Everything was going as planned, until the wonderfully kind lady taking my application asked her co-worker if she thought my photo was okay.

“Oh no, they’ll definitely deny that. The background is too dark.”

(Me in my head: Nooooooo!)

Wonderfully sweet lady: “We take passport photos here! They’re $10, did you want to do that?”

Me out loud: “Yes, please!”

(Me in my head: Nooooooo!)

Me out loud: “I’m going to take my hair down. I came looking a mess!”

Wonderfully sweet lady: “There is a bathroom around the corner!”

10 minutes later I walked out, mortified, but also laughing at myself. The text to my Mom read verbatim “Oh my gosh so funny they made me retake my picture and I came without doing my hair or anything lol”

I literally lost sleep the next few nights, thinking about my own misfortune and how this awful photo was going to haunt me for the next ten years. I couldn’t believe it. I had spent so much time on the perfect photo. I had beat the system! And then, the system slapped me in the face for being so cheap and shallow.

The reality is, the only important part of your passport photo is that it shows your face. The face in the photo is mine, and that is all that matters. The really significant thing is that I turned in my passport application! In 4-6 weeks I will have what I need to become an international traveller!

It was a pivotal step in my journey toward my dream. It was something that I had wanted to do for months and months, and I finally took the time to do it. I had the means to make it happen. I should’ve been thankful, not worrying about the silly photo.

This post took a turn, but the main idea; don’t take your own passport photo. Make yourself up in a way that makes you feel your very best, and let the professionals take it from there. Sorry Wal-Greens employee, for ever doubting you.