travel, life in a tiny house and all things "small"
I’ve dreaded talking about this day. It is one if the biggest mistakes I have made in our many travels.
Continue reading “Isle of Skye- AKA the day that didn’t go according to plan- AKA Scotland Day 5”
Our bodies protested going down to breakfast, despite how delicious we knew the “full Scottish breakfast” awaiting us would be. We were quite sore and our thigh muscles didn’t seem to be very willing to allow our knees to bend. We pressed on and just used bagging a Munro as our excuse for appearing as though we aged fifty years in one day. Today was one of the few things Ben actually added to the plans of our trip.
Continue reading “Glens, Trains and Waterfalls- Scotland Trip Day 4”
Today we searched for a mountain. To be more exact, we searched for a specific part of the path near the Am Bodach peak on the Aonach Eagach ridge. This was one of our first views of Scotland growing up. It was home to the scene in Braveheart where Mel Gibson runs across the mountain and looks all around him. Ambitious, we knew, but others had done it, so we wanted to try.
Continue reading “Scotland Trip Day 3- Finding the Mountain Scene from Braveheart”
Bonnie Scotland indeed! So much happened on day 2. We were still exhausted from our travels and majorly sleep deprived. It’s not a terribly great foot to get started out on. As the cop on the Royal Mile told a lost Ben (who was trying to get to an April that was grabbing bags and checking out of the hotel) we carried on. And what carrying on we did!
Continue reading “Scotland Trip Day 2”Our first day was one of the longest of my life. I of course couldn’t sleep very well, despite having been fully packed two days beforehand and my house being clean (which for me is a necessity before a trip). We even tried to sleep and wake up on Scotland time. I was very excited to wear my Very Hungry Caterpillar socks through security, although no one else seemed to notice.
Honestly, however you pack has to work for you. Because everyone is different, there is not one tried and true way to pack.
One thing I always do is start with a few good lists. One for clothes, one for all other items, one for last minute items and one as I pack each suitcase.
My clothing list consists of activity, each person’s outfit and PJs, miscellaneous items and accessories and a column to check for socks and underwear for each person. Writing it out by hand helps calm me down from my usual pre-trip anxiety.
I also create a list for which items are in my checked luggage, in case a bag happens to get lost, stolen are delayed. I send a picture of this to myself.
When it comes to what actually goes into the bag, that depends on what kind of trip we go on. When we flew to Arkansas via 36 hours in Denver, my husband and I shared a carry-on for 5 days. Going to Scotland for 10 Days we each checked a bag and had a carry-on. It’s all up to you and what you feel like lugging around.
Less is more.
It all comes down to your individual packing and travel style! If you want tips on how to pack less for your trip, follow my blog! That post will be coming soon!
This post is a little bit of writing therapy for myself. You have been warned.
For me, getting ready for a trip and planning it is half the fun. My everyday self is pretty much in love with charts, plans and lists of all sorts. As you can probably imagine, my travel self is almost obsessed with them. I pour over maps and research places. I plan for efficiency. I plan for the fact that something could go wrong. I plan for leaving time free of a plan. I plan the buget. All of that is thrilling to me! But as I get closer and closer to departure for any trip, I go into a pre-trip panic of sorts.
Deep down inside I know what is left on the to do list and the packing list. I know how many days are left to accomplish those things. I know there are areas of my trip that I am not as familiar with as I could be. I lose my map I bought and can’t stop thinking about it. (Wait, did I take to the ER? Is it in a bag somewhere from that night?!)
For me, it’s like a rollercoaster. I am the type that freaks on in line, but not on the ride. Once on the ride, there is nothing more than I can do. That is when I relax and enjoy it to the fullest. We are 6 days from departure for an international trip. Here I am, standing in line, freaking out. But I can only think about one thing right now.
Excuse me while I dig through all of my tote bags…
