Packing Light for Your Summer Road Trips

Summer is coming and that means packing light should be easy. Well, I've learned that isn't true for a lot of people. While I'm like "throw a bathing suit, some sandals, sunscreen and a pair of shorts in a bag", others are sitting there wondering how they can cram 10 pairs of shoes into a carry-on for a 4-day trip. No! You need my summer packing tips!

Even though you may be road tripping, remember that you will also need room for food, drinks, purchases, and whatever else you need to make your trip more comfortable, especially if you're traveling with kids and/or a dog.

First of all, wherever you go, you probably won't know anyone and you probably won't see them again. Nobody will remember what you were wearing or if you wore the same pair of shorts two, or even three, times. Unless you're getting married and have to bring a giant dress with you, there is no reason you can't pack light for any trip, including your awesome summer getaway.

My NUMBER ONE rule is to mix and match. Remember that your outfit on the plane is not just a travel outfit, but something to add to your rotation when you arrive. If you're headed to a warm weather locale, then here's how I pack: 

• One or two pair of shorts 
• One pair of capris 
• One sundress
• One mid-length skirt
• One pair of walking shoes (that you should wear on the plane or in the car)
• One pair of comfy sandals or other nicer shoes you can walk all day in

Choose a neutral color scheme. I normally pick black, tan or blue for my bottoms. This enables you to choose things that work with all your bottoms. When I travel in the summer, I wear capris, lightweight pants or a skirt on the plane (or in the car), then toss two good pair of shorts into my bag, either the capris or skirt that I'm not wearing, a good summer dress (often this is a travel dress that is cute and moisture wicking). 

I try to wear my bulkier shoes while traveling and pack the smaller pair. Make sure you don't bring a pair of shoes that you haven't broken in yet. Trust me. You don't want to find out how uncomfortable your new shoes are on Day 1 of your trip. It sucks. I do a  ton of walking on my trips, so a good pair of walking shoes (Skechers, Clarks, Aerosoles are favorites) is a must. 

For your other pair of shoes, choose a cute pair of sandals or flats that will work with your dress, but also with your other bottoms. It sometimes is terrible to have sweaty feet in sneakers when you just want your toes to breathe. I have several really good sandals that I can walk all day in, including these from Clarks, these from Aerosoles, and Jambu sandals similar to these.

Obviously, this can be tailored to your needs. If you don't like skirts, don't take one. If you only wear skirts, don't bring shorts or capris. If you're a dude who doesn't wear skirts or dresses, bring a pair of lightweight trousers and some loafers you can wear to a nice restaurant. Easy! Toss in a pair of flip flops for trips to the pool and runs to the front desk.

When you go to choose tops, think of both fashion and function. You don't want to sweat, but you want to look cute. If you've done your job in creating a neutral palette for your bottoms, this should be easier. Take a mix of 5 tops, making sure at least one can feel dressed up if paired with the skirt for a night out. Just in case. 

Bring a lightweight cardigan that can be used as a layer when it's chilly indoors or on the plane. I also bring a scarf/wrap that matches everything, because sometimes you don't want a full layer, but something that you can use to keep your shoulders covered (this is especially important if you're traveling somewhere and visiting temples). You can also use it as a sarong. 

Toss in your favorite bathing suit, sunglasses and a good sunscreen and you're good to go wherever there's a pool or a beach. 

I know you're thinking that this can't possibly be enough clothes to get you through 1-2 weeks at a destination. Well, you'd be right if you weren't planning to rewear any of these things, but you're a budget traveler, you don't pay to check a bag, and you plan some downtime in your trips to relax and do a bit of laundry. With these nice pieces of clothing, you can make 15 unique outfits, which will take you through more than a long trip of two weeks. 

Since I'm saving so much room in my carry-on, I make sure to include my favorite folding mesh laundry basket, which I use as a hamper until it's full or I'm low on shirts, then I take it with me to dump in the washing machine. I also keep a small bag of detergent (or laundry strips) and a couple dollars in quarters, so I'm always ready. I've stayed places where the laundry was free and others where it was not. I've also stayed places where detergent was readily available and others where you had to go to the store to get some. Be prepared! These are things that take up little room and make your life easier.

And now you know my secrets to summer packing! Are you traveling this summer?


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Our Barcelona Staycation

Well, we're all in the process of getting vaccinated and hoping to get back to travel by the end of the year, but that doesn't mean we're quitting our staycations. In fact, I had a thought that we might continue to do these (just fewer) even after we get back to normal. Our most recent Destination Date Night took us to Barcelona and a meal full of tapas.

Usually I like to find something familiar and something that might be a little unique. While it's not always possible, I was able to do Barcelona a tad different than our other destination dates. 

Did you know Spain is full of castles? There are a few near Barcelona. This one came up as one of them, but I'm fairly sure it's just similar to Castellet, the Castle of the Three Dragons, and even the abandoned Salvanna Tower. Either way, I liked the vibe and hillside, and you can't beat a castle, especially if you don't really have to leave the city to visit.

When I think of Spain, I think of stucco, creative art, lavender, pottery. I found these super cute and interesting succulent pots with faces that gave me the feeling of most of those and added some lavender "hair" to really push it. This was easy, and I can reuse this lavender for plenty of other things, including the Deathly Hallows wreath on my door that I change out each season (and have already put this on). I added a turquoise tablecloth to match our backdrop and we were good to go.

If you Google anything Barcelona, you get this intersection, so clearly this is a must-see when visiting. Since we can't actually visit right now, we can still feel like we're there, and we did! 

Here's an unobstructed castle view for you, along with a portion of our "art gallery". 

Tapas may mean "small plates", but I put them together on one large platter, because I thought it was fun and a great way to present all of our different options. I found a new-to-us Spanish restaurant across town that had a pretty large tapas and paella menu. I asked Eric if he was up for paella, but since we'd just done New Orleans with a bunch of rice, he opted for the tapas route, which I will never say no to, because I love variety. I also stopped at the store earlier in the week and picked up olives (I've never not seen them on a Spanish table), some Spanish goat cheese, and quince jam from Spain. I highly recommend all of it.

As for what I ordered from the restaurant, I got a little bit of everything. Let's go clockwise: Grilled Catalan bread, Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes with Bravas sauce made with smoked paprika), Pimientos Shishito (charred shishito peppers with citrus salt), Albondigas (pork & beef meatballs in red pepper tomato sauce), Croquetas de Pernil Iberico (ham croquettes), and Tortilla de Patatas (pretty much an omelet with onions and potatoes inside). 

Here's that Tortilla after we sliced into it. I thought it was really delicious and would also make a wonderful breakfast. I always remind myself that not everything is going to taste the same as if we were actually in Spain, because 1-you can't always get the exact same ingredients, and 2-it's made for Americans, so most dishes aren't 100% authentic. Either way, I thought most of these things were awesome and I would totally go back and order them again, though there is more on the menu I'm interested in trying, so you might see a Madrid post in the future. 

While we ate, we took a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona and watched some flamenco dancing in the square, both of which would be things we would normally do on vacation.

I decided if they were going to allow mixed rink take-out, I was going to indulge. I ordered this drink called the Senior-Ito, claiming to be a perfect winter drink. I don't know about that, and I'm not sure it tasted like any of the ingredients that went into it (vodka, Earl grey, allspice), but I super enjoyed it. It wasn't overly sweet or tart. It was just a chill beverage to drink, and it came in the cutest plastic bag flask for commuting.

After eating, during dessert, I took Eric to a museum of Picassos. There were only 8 paintings (which were postcards that I  put on cardstock inside photo booth frames that will be reused later). I tried to choose a good variety of paintings from his career to make it interesting. I used my laptop stand to showcase them, since that's what I had. If you see the little square at the bottom, that's a binder clip to keep it from sliding off. He thought this was creative, so I felt like I did my job. 

Let's talk about how dessert didn't go as planned. I could have picked up cheesecake, since that seems to be a thing in Spain, but I decided that was too easy. The restaurant didn't have desserts that were to-go. Every grocery store here has churros, until I wanted to get some, then nobody had churros. I decided to make a custard brulee, because we both hate flan, and it went really well, until I put it under the broiler to caramelize the sugar. One minute it was raw, the next it was black, so I made one a last ditch effort by splitting a Mexican concha pastry in half, filling it with whipped cream, and then spooning some of the custard (that was now decidedly not set) over it. While not authentic in any way, and a whole different country, it was still pretty good and not the worst thing to look at. 

Are you looking to have your own Barcelona staycation? This was simple to throw together and you can dress it up or down, depending on how you want to do it.

• Backdrops
• Street scene
• Castle
• Succulent pots
• Small
• Medium/large
• faux lavender
• DIY art museum
• Picasso postcard set
• Maybe you're also interested in Goya or Dalí
• Frames
• Tapas plates
• Tidbit & dipping bowls
• Spanish spices
• Spanish Copa glasses for sangria or gin drinks
• A Spanish cookbook with shared plates
• Spanish Monocle Guide
• A YouTube tour playlist
• Gothic Quarter walking tour (this is just walking, like you're there alone)
• Flamenco guitar street music
• Flamenco street dancing
• Flamenco guitar and dance

    

There you go. Make a variety of foods and pop a bottle of Spanish wine, or order from your local Spanish restaurant for take-out or delivery, learn a few Spanish words, and take a virtual tour of the city or church, or do an in-depth art critique in your at-home museum. There's so many ways to make each staycation unique and fun, even if you've been doing them twice a month for the last 8+ months. 

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I may be compensated should you choose to make any purchases through them. This allows me to keep this blog running for you. Thanks in advance!

New Orleans Budget Travel Tips

Since we just had our New Orleans destination date, and vaccination efforts are going well enough to probably allow for non-essential travel near the end of the year, I wanted to bring you some of my favorite budget ideas for enjoying New Orleans.

Though there are tons if ways to enjoy The Big Easy, you may end up spending money unnecessarily, especially if you spend your entire time on Bourbon Street drinking. I find that my trips are a lot more pleasant if I remember them and I don't spend every morning hung over and wondering where all my money went. Here are things to do to soak in the atmosphere of the city and not go broke in the process. 

Go to the Sazerac House

If you want free drinks, and to learn about the city's historical cocktail, then you'll want to book free tickets for a guided tour at the Sazerac House. Read more about it in my post here.

Tour a cemetery

Located in the Garden District, Lafayette Cemetery No 1 is beautiful cemetery is full of the tombs of those who died of yellow fever in the 1850s. It is surrounded by stately homes and mansions and has free tours each day. Shadows are seen frequently around the grounds. I didn't see any ghosts while I was there, but it was also pretty busy. Entrance is free, but you must go during the daytime. Look online to find a self-guided tour to learn more about the different tombs you'll see, though you can also book a free guided tour online as well. I enjoyed going on my own and taking time to take pictures and read the various tombs.

Walk along the Mississippi

Head to the waterfront and stroll through Woldenberg Riverfront Park and take in the sites of the city along the Mississippi River, while enjoying street music and artists. If you want to bring home some authentic New Orleans souvenirs, keep some five- and ten-dollar bills in your pocket to purchase CDs and trinkets. There are lots of statues and plaques along the waterfront with historical info. 

Ride the streetcar

The streetcar is a very affordable way to get from point A to point B while also giving you a city tour. It stops at a variety of attractions along the way and it only costs $1.25. Super cheap sightseeing!

Explore Jackson Square

Full of local artists, people milling about, fun shops, palm readers, and little fronts, like Faulkner Books. You can also visit a local lamp maker down one of the mini side alleys. Watch him shape the wrought iron and also ask questions. You'll see wrought iron everywhere and gas lamps along the streets.

Check out the Cabildo House

Head over to a piece of Louisiana history and take a tour of the Cabildo house, in the heart of Jackson Square, which was the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer and the victim of political and racial feuding that caused it to be subjected to gunfire on three separate occasions. Now it holds 200 years of history and you can tour it to learn more about the city and see how it was once a city hall, courthouse and prison.

Stroll through the French Market

I love a farmers' market and open-air market. They're the perfect place to learn about your destination and the foods the locals eat. Plus, you can pick up wonderfully fresh fruits, breads and pastries for breakfasts and snacks. Buy foods to bring home, like roasted flavored pecans, candy, hot sauces, and jams. I've had some delicious snacks here, including crepes as big as my head.

Visit the Voodoo Museum

Though small, this museum in a house gives you a pretty thorough history of voodoo culture in New Orleans. I greatly enjoyed it and learned quite a bit. Read more and see more photos here.

Visit the Pharmacy Museum

Set on the site of the very first apothecary shop, the Pharmacy Museum holds a wide variety of cures and artifacts from old medical practices and voodoo rituals, including ghastly instruments used in the past for dentistry, many by the former owner, a dentist known to conduct grisly experiments on patients. Though the daily "tours" are interesting, they can get quite crowded and you won't be able to look around while they occur. Try to go at a different time, so you have the room to see everything. 

Watch a Second Line street parade

You can't really plan this activity, but if you spend any amount of time walking in New Orleans, you'll probably happen along a street parade. My mom and I saw one while exploring in the evening and Eric and I also caught a great wedding parade on our trip while just wandering around the French Quarter.

Explore City Park

Either take a bus, Uber, or drive yourself out to City Park. It's a huge, sprawling thing with a sculpture garden, a museum, a gazebo, live music, a Café du Monde, and more. You can read my post about it here.

Tour the Tabasco Factory & Jungle Gardens

If you can rent a car, then it's definitely worth it to head out to Avery Island and visit the Tabasco Factory, even if you don't enjoy Tabasco. You can take a cheap self-guided tour and learn how it started, how it's still made, and also see all the different varieties. We spent a good amount of time in their gift shop that had a ton of Tabasco sauce and other products.

When you're done tantalizing your taste buds, drive across the street to Jungle Gardens, where you can drive the loop and see gorgeous plants, ponds, flowers, and hopefully some great wildlife. There is a Buddhist temple in the middle and we saw a bunch of deer, birds, and even a small gator. 

If you can't make it out to Avery Island, hit up one of the many hot sauce bars and taste your way through it. Some have hundreds of sauces to try before you buy and take or ship home. These made awesome gifts. I can't tell you if or how these may change with Covid though. 

These aren't the only affordable things to do in New Orleans, but it's a start for you. You can also gorge yourself on beignets, hike around Audubon Park, wander the Garden District, and more.

What are you most looking forward to on a trip to New Orleans?