First Spring Trip of 2018 and Rookie Mistakes
4/18 - Update!
The packing list is finally complete! You can read about it here :)
Happy Tuesday!
Rookie mistakes...we all make them, but some are truly face-palm moments. We just returned from our first spring trip of 2018 and I made 2 rookie mistakes that I vow never to make again.
Mistake #1: not bringing a scarf
Mistake #2: not bringing lavender essential oil
Story of mistake #1: We decided on a long weekend trip to Wilmington, NC and Topsail Beach, NC and had been watching the weather pretty closely since we have had a super crazy winter here in NC. I knew a cold rain storm would be blowing through on Saturday, but the lows ended up being much colder than predicted. While I had a hoodie and a jean jacket I could layer to keep warm a scarf would have been a great extra layer to help keep my neck warm. I really have no idea why I didn't bring one, they literally take up no room and can be used for a ton of different things...this is one mistake I plan to never make again!
Story of mistake #2: One of the main reasons for our trip was so our daughter could visit a long time friend she had not seen in about 1.5 years. We arrived on Friday to drop off her things and meet the family. When we entered the house, one of their dogs who acts like he is still a puppy (but is very large) proceeded to jump all over me and claw my back to shreds. I literally looked like someone had beaten me with a whip or something...it was quite disturbing and very painful. My skin is very sensitive anyway so the addition of being scratched by a large dog just made for some pretty painful moments. If I had taken my lavender essential oil with me I know the pain would not have lasted near as long as it did and I would have been more comfortable.
With that being said, there are several items we DID remember to bring that made our trip a little more enjoyable.
1. travel noise machine
2. collapsible water kettle
3. tea and coffee (even though they did have a Keurig which my husband greatly enjoyed, I'm more of an instant coffee gal)
4. snacks
5. creamer (we stopped at Walmart once we arrived and picked up a small bottle of our favorite creamer, we like the Silk Almond Creamer in Caramel)
6. Chromecast (this allowed us to stream YouTube and Netflix directly from our phones)
7. printed copies of email correspondence and directions from the host (while I love technology and use it all the time, sometimes having paper copies of documents is just more helpful than having to look them up on your phone)
8. reusable water bottle and 2 gallons of bottled water (this was super helpful when going out for the day to help make sure you are able to stay hydrated)
9. rain jacket (I didn't end up using it, but was so happy I had it just in case)
10. pillow (there is just nothing like having your own pillow; although it's not always an option when flying, when road tripping I always bring my pillow)
The other item I forgot to bring on this trip was my headphones; while I did not end up needing them I typically always bring them and will make sure to add them to my future packing list.
Speaking of packing lists, I saw an awesome travel tip a while ago and have never implemented it but think I should in the future. The idea is basically to make a travel packing list template of all the things you could possibly need to take with you and print out copies to use and make notes on when your next trip is approaching. After my 2 big mistakes this trip I will definitely be utilizing this tip going forward.
We have another road trip planned in a few weeks to Atlanta so I will test out my new packing list template to see if it helps me be more organized with less effort, since that is usually always my goal.
As far as our time on the coast, it was wonderful! I will do another blog post on all the details from our trip: where we stayed, what we did and most importantly, where we ate! I really did not take any pictures this trip, instead I just tried to enjoy the moments and be totally present. However, I shall leave you with the only picture I took right before we headed home...the ocean below the Wrightsville Beach pier :)
What are some of your travel packing mistakes? What are some of your travel packing go-to's that always make your travel more comfortable? I'd love to hear them!!!
The packing list is finally complete! You can read about it here :)
Happy Tuesday!
Rookie mistakes...we all make them, but some are truly face-palm moments. We just returned from our first spring trip of 2018 and I made 2 rookie mistakes that I vow never to make again.
Mistake #1: not bringing a scarf
Mistake #2: not bringing lavender essential oil
Story of mistake #1: We decided on a long weekend trip to Wilmington, NC and Topsail Beach, NC and had been watching the weather pretty closely since we have had a super crazy winter here in NC. I knew a cold rain storm would be blowing through on Saturday, but the lows ended up being much colder than predicted. While I had a hoodie and a jean jacket I could layer to keep warm a scarf would have been a great extra layer to help keep my neck warm. I really have no idea why I didn't bring one, they literally take up no room and can be used for a ton of different things...this is one mistake I plan to never make again!
Story of mistake #2: One of the main reasons for our trip was so our daughter could visit a long time friend she had not seen in about 1.5 years. We arrived on Friday to drop off her things and meet the family. When we entered the house, one of their dogs who acts like he is still a puppy (but is very large) proceeded to jump all over me and claw my back to shreds. I literally looked like someone had beaten me with a whip or something...it was quite disturbing and very painful. My skin is very sensitive anyway so the addition of being scratched by a large dog just made for some pretty painful moments. If I had taken my lavender essential oil with me I know the pain would not have lasted near as long as it did and I would have been more comfortable.
With that being said, there are several items we DID remember to bring that made our trip a little more enjoyable.
1. travel noise machine
2. collapsible water kettle
3. tea and coffee (even though they did have a Keurig which my husband greatly enjoyed, I'm more of an instant coffee gal)
4. snacks
5. creamer (we stopped at Walmart once we arrived and picked up a small bottle of our favorite creamer, we like the Silk Almond Creamer in Caramel)
6. Chromecast (this allowed us to stream YouTube and Netflix directly from our phones)
7. printed copies of email correspondence and directions from the host (while I love technology and use it all the time, sometimes having paper copies of documents is just more helpful than having to look them up on your phone)
8. reusable water bottle and 2 gallons of bottled water (this was super helpful when going out for the day to help make sure you are able to stay hydrated)
9. rain jacket (I didn't end up using it, but was so happy I had it just in case)
10. pillow (there is just nothing like having your own pillow; although it's not always an option when flying, when road tripping I always bring my pillow)
The other item I forgot to bring on this trip was my headphones; while I did not end up needing them I typically always bring them and will make sure to add them to my future packing list.
Speaking of packing lists, I saw an awesome travel tip a while ago and have never implemented it but think I should in the future. The idea is basically to make a travel packing list template of all the things you could possibly need to take with you and print out copies to use and make notes on when your next trip is approaching. After my 2 big mistakes this trip I will definitely be utilizing this tip going forward.
We have another road trip planned in a few weeks to Atlanta so I will test out my new packing list template to see if it helps me be more organized with less effort, since that is usually always my goal.
As far as our time on the coast, it was wonderful! I will do another blog post on all the details from our trip: where we stayed, what we did and most importantly, where we ate! I really did not take any pictures this trip, instead I just tried to enjoy the moments and be totally present. However, I shall leave you with the only picture I took right before we headed home...the ocean below the Wrightsville Beach pier :)
What are some of your travel packing mistakes? What are some of your travel packing go-to's that always make your travel more comfortable? I'd love to hear them!!!
Until next time, have a meraki day!!!
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