Tips for Fighting Holiday Traffic

We are in the midst of moving, so we've got a lot going on! But we recently were kind of forced to brave the madness of holiday traffic - yes, I'm talking about road tripping the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after. And I can confirm - it was awful. I do not recommend traveling at peak times! And that's tip #1.

Don't Travel at Peak Times if You Can Help It! If you can leave on Tuesday before Thanksgiving and drive back Saturday or Monday, I HIGHLY recommend you do so.  There will likely still be traffic, but not nearly as much. However, if you absolutely can't avoid it (like us this year!), I've still got some advice for you.

Leave Early. If you can sneak out from work a little early on Wednesday or leave at the crack of dawn on Sunday, you'll thank yourself later. Traffic will still likely be rough, but the sooner you get out the door, the lighter traffic will likely be. Don't get me wrong - it will still take forever, but it will be better than leaving late!

Leave Yourself Plenty of Travel Time. This tip is really important for the sake of your mental well being. For example, the road trip we took normally takes 6 hours or so and it took us 9 1/2 hours. If you go into your day expecting there to be traffic and for it to take hours longer than normal, you are setting yourself up for success. If you go in expecting to make good time, you will inevitably be frustrated when you are sitting in traffic watching your ETA creep later and later.

Keep an Open Mind. It's important to be flexible. If a highway is jammed up due to an accident, consider letting your GPS take you on the scenic route. Or maybe take a break for a long lunch and break up the drive. Try to make your drive as fun as possible - don't get frustrated! Listen to music, podcasts or even books on tape.

Take Turns Driving. You'll be on the road for hours surrounded by grumpy, tired drivers. It's important to be on your a-game! It can help you avoid a nasty accident. The reality of life is it's hard to be on red alert for 8 hours straight, so maybe consider trading off driving shifts. You'll find it really makes a big difference.

These tips can also be very helpful for the upcoming Christmas drive - though it typically won't be near as bad as Thanksgiving. That's mainly because people come and go at different times depending on their work schedules. Regardless, you'll find properly preparing for a holiday road trip can help cut back on some of that holiday stress.

Happy travels!

A Girls Weekend Away in Floyd, VA

I am a huge advocate for finding adventure wherever you can. This weekend, that meant meeting up with a few girlfriends in Floyd, VA. We rented out a little air bnb and decided to just hang out and explore what the town had to offer.

Let's start with where we stayed. It was a one-room cabin with three beds on a HUGE property. Our experience was a little weird, but that had to do with the host more so than anything else - although we did find an unsettling amount of spiders and bugs in the cabin. Other than that, it was great! It was the perfect place to watch trash TV, eat junk and kick back.

The house is on the left, and our little cabin where we stayed is on the right!

On Saturday, we decided to spend most of the day out on the town! The highlight was definitely the old country store! They had a little bit of everything - including a live bluegrass band! In fact, that was a recurring theme - live bluegrass everywhere.

The country store was part music hall, part cafe, part shop and...

part ice cream parlor! Next door (but connected by an archway inside) is an old school ice cream shop! It was awesome. Seriously delicious. And I love the sprinkles in a salt shaker. So clever and unique!

After a long day of shopping and fun, we headed back to the house and decided to explore. The land was gorgeous and we walked around a bit before settling in for a night of trashy TV and junk food.

All in all, this was a really fun weekend. It was a great way to get away, even just for a few days. See? Adventure doesn't always have to cost thousands of dollars and include a 10-hour plane ride.

I'd love to help you plan your next weekend away! Check out MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

The Beauty of Car Camping

Recently my life has been jam-packed chaos. The everyday busyness can feel overwhelming for sure - and definitely get in the way of adventuring as well! Fortunately, I live relatively close to a national forest (a nice 30-minute drive) so my husband and I decided to make the most of it and sneak away for a Friday night of car camping.

We left right after work and threw our gear in the car and headed to the forest. We decided to just take it easy this time around and go car camping. This means we could park our car just a hundred yards away from our campground - it was lovely!

While I love a classic backwoods backpacking trip, there is something really nice about car camping. We were able to bring a nice big cooler and even an air mattress (I know, I know it's ridiculous. But SO comfy!). You can afford to pack some luxuries when you won't be lugging them on your back or trying to cram them into your pack.

After setting up our tents and exploring the area a bit (it was right on a lake!), we enjoyed a nice fancy dinner of "walking tacos." If you've never had them, they are a camping classic! You essentially make tacos but put all the meat and toppings into an individual-sized bag of Fritos. Then you eat your "tacos" with a fork. Sounds weird, but it's so fun and delicious. I really love this meal! And it tastes even better over the fire.

After dinner we sat around by the fire just talking and enjoying the last bit of summer. We even made some classic smores. It was just so nice to be out in nature with my dogs and my husband. And with the ease of a nearby camping location and the ability to drop off our camping chairs and cold drinks in the car, it was so relaxing!

While I definitely agree that back country backpacking has it's benefits (less people around, more nature, more exercise, the sense of adventure), for those of us who are stressed out about daily life and just wanting to get away, a one-night car camping trip is just perfect.

If you'd like help organizing even the smallest of getaways, check out my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Tips for Preparing for an Extended Family Beach Vacation

You can tell by the title exactly what I mean. Your WHOLE family rents a beach house together for a week - or perhaps it's even your significant other's family renting the house (as is the case for me). I've learned a few things over the years to make these types of trips a little easier.

1. Don't Be Afraid to Break Off from the Group

While it is a family vacation and it's important to socialize and spend time with loved ones, I think it's important to get some time to recharge if you need to! Break off from the group and go for a walk on the beach, set up camp and read a book, go take a nap. Don't feel obligated to spend every waking moment in the company of others - especially if you are introverted! Introverts tend to need alone time to recharge. You'll have a better time overall if you just take some time for yourself. It's your vacation, too!

2.  Split the Food Work

Typically in large family gatherings, there will be at least a half a dozen adults if not more. So split the work! Everyone needs to eat, but I think it's unfair to expect the organizer to do all the work. Instead, maybe each family can cook one of two meals, and you are on your own for breakfast and lunch. Or maybe each family cooks their own meal - that sort of thing. This takes off a lot of pressure and makes the trip far more enjoyable.

3. Have Designated Family-Bonding Activities (Just not too many!)
It is often easier to interact with family members you may not see as much if there is a designated family activity - like beach darts, corn hole, card games, puzzles, board games etc. You make it geared toward kids, families or adults - whatever works for your family! Just get creative! Also, I personally love having a table with a puzzle going the whole week. Anyone who wants to work on it can stop by and socialize and have fun. Having a specific time and place to socialize can help ease the stress of "Am I socializing enough? Can I go read now? Is it rude to sit on the beach alone for a bit? Have I talked to enough people? " etc.

Just remember, even if family drives you nuts sometimes, at the end of the day, they are family. If drama starts up, just take a break and get some alone time! It's supposed to be a fun, family vacation - not a week of stress!

 Fortunately, my family gets along pretty well so I am counting down the days till our own (HUGE) family beach trip.

How to Break Out of a Travel Slump

Building off my last post, I'm currently in between exciting trips, and I'm feeling a bit uninspired. Typically, I would recommend begin planning your next adventure, but we recently got some exciting news that means our time and effort will temporarily go towards a different kind of adventure - travel is on hold for just a little while. We do have a little family beach trip planned, but it's no where exotic (still relaxing and exciting though!). I know we will absolutely travel and go on big adventures soon, but just not in the immediate future. So that puts me officially in a travel slump. Here's what I'm doing to combat the between trip blues.

Get Inspiration from Pinterest

There are SO many places I want to visit. Honestly, there are dozens of countries I plan to visit in my lifetime. So far, I've made it to 5 continents (just need South America and Antarctica) so obviously those are on my list, but beyond that I want to explore as many countries as I can. Sometimes it can be hard to start whittling down my dream destinations and decide where to go next. So far, I'm leaning towards Banff, Canada or somewhere in Iceland. I've been finding a ton of absolutely beautiful countries on Pinterest and other social media. Dive in and get inspired! Then you can start planning and saving.           

Make Mini Adventures

I've mentioned this in the past, but in between grand adventures, I do my best to find mini adventures. Just recently I took a ferry to a nearby island and explored an old mansion there. It was a blast! There are also tons of areas to go hiking, kayaking and exploring nearby my house. Every weekend, I've been making a point to get out and try a new restaurant or visit a new area. There's a lot to do in your town, too. I guarantee it!


Revel in Being Home

Finally, soak in the feeling of being home. How wonderful is a lazy Saturday spent on the couch with your best friend? That's not something that is easily done while abroad, so take the time to appreciate it now! I also enjoy a good Netflix binge or a day spent on a hammock.

If you're in between adventures like me, I'd love to help you figure out your next great trip (even if that is a while down the road!) Check out my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

So You Just Got Back From the Trip of a Lifetime - Now What?

Going on a whirlwind adventure is obviously amazing and exciting, but no one really thinks about how hard reality hits once you return home. We recently went on a two-week epic adventure to the other side of the world and had a BLAST! But boy was it hard to get back into the swing of things with normal life. Here's what I did to get it back together.

Embrace the Suck
I had a soccer coach who used to use this phrase quite often. Essentially, he meant that the hard times will pass and you'll be stronger for it in the end. In terms of traveling, I mean that the adventure was worth it. It's always going to be hard going back to work after returning from an epic trip. I choose to lean into it. I love to look back at my pictures from my trip, talk to co-workers about but still buckle down and get some work done. It's hard, but it's life! Embrace it! It's absolutely ok to feel frustrated at being stuck at a desk once again. let yourself feel those feelings - just don't dwell. There's a difference!

Find Joy in Small Adventures
Not every day is going to be the best day of your life. That's just a fact. Often it takes hundreds of mundane days to build up to an epic day. Instead of wallowing in the fact that you aren't spending your weekends jet-setting around the world (unless you're Taylor Swift, who has that kind of money??), find little adventures instead. Go on a hike! Visit a local museum! Explore your home town! Heck, you can have adventures at home. I personally LOVE a nice day spent playing games with my husband, knitting, reading and laying in our hammock. Those are things I would never do while abroad (I would rather be out exploring most times), so instead I embrace where I am in the moment.

Begin Planning Your Next Trip
Finally, my biggest tip is start planning your next trip. For us, that's a simple beach trip this fall (traveling to Australia was expensive so it's going to be a minute before we go on a big trip again!). But it's honestly a game changer. Having something to look forward to can be a huge morale booster. I even like to create a little countdown on my desk at work so I can see myself inching towards the next trip. Trips, big or small, don't get planned overnight. So why not start early? Plus! now is the time to start saving for your next trip. The more you save now, the bigger the adventure you can have later!

If you'd like some help planning your next adventure, visit my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Was the 17-Hour Flight to Australia Worth It?

Traveling from the U.S. to Australia is no easy feat. In fact if you add in all of our collective travel time it's close to 30 hours straight of traveling. The bulk of that is a grueling 17 1/2 hour flight. I'm not going to lie to you, it's not easy!  But in my opinion, it was definitely worth it.

One of the most important things for me when deciding if I wanted to make the longest trip everrrr was making sure I spent enough time in Australia to justify the flight. We decided to take a little over 2 weeks. Personally, if we went for just a week, I don't think it would have been worth it. You would spend more than 2 full days traveling! And that's just to get to the country! Australia is a big place (and we covered New Zealand, too!) so you have to take into account that you will likely spend even more time traveling between cities if you choose to move around.

I will probably do another post summing up my best airplane hacks, but for now let's say this: invest in a good pillow, move around and check the back of the plane for free snacks! Just like most things in life, great adventure takes hard work. That starts with planning the trip, financing the adventure and then finally traveling to your destination.

If you're nervous about jumping head first into a crazy-long plane trip, maybe build up to it. If you've never traveled internationally before, I recommend starting with a six-hour flight or so. After that, you'll have a good idea if you could handle the insane across-the-world trip to Australia. Even if you are a great flyer, just try to prepare as much as possible. It's going to be awful. But totally worth it.

If you'd like some custom tips and help planning your next crazy adventure,visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.