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I feel like traveling either completely wrecks my shit or I feel absolutely rejuvenated after. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground for me.
I love to travel and explore new places and do things that keep my curiosity content. Getting from point A to point B is usually a giant struggle for me and I don’t deal incredibly well. Being on a giant floating piece of metal with a bunch of people is not the ideal way I would spend more than 5 minutes if I had a choice. I feel incredibly similarly about car rides and boats and basically anything that moves. I have always been the person to get motion sick and throw up on the side of the highway, over the side of the boat, into a bag on the airplane, etc. since I get so motion sick traveling has always been a struggle and can very often drain me.
As I’ve gotten older I have gotten better about traveling— I take medicine if I have to, drink tons of water, and make sure I have tons of snacks.
Another aspect of traveling that can really drain me but also fill me up is the packing and unpacking process!! When I was a kid I would over pack the crap out of every trip. Pillows, blankets, games, snacks, contacts??? I had it ALL. As I’ve gotten older I have learned to love the motto less is more and that I really need to only travel with essentials!
Anymore, if I can swing it I try to only bring my hard-side carry on and my backpack— for longer trips I use my big backpack and try to pack things only in there. I don’t know why but I have this terribly irrational fear of having my luggage get lost for it to never be seen again? Anyone else?
Aside from those two bags I have some other travel essentials that I insist on bringing with me every place I go!
-Thieves oil- This oil is one that I use to rub on my feet, put on sore muscles, etc. and it smells great! I try to always keep my bottle with me when I travel.
-Nalgene- Staying hydrated is absolutely essential. I have to drink water on the plane if I want to land without feeling any motion sickness. Plus it helps keep your body in check with so much happening!
-Travel sizes products from Petit Vour- I used to get makeup boxes every month from Petit Vour and it was a service that only provided cruelty free and primarily vegan products! I had to cancel my subscription since I wasn't going through the samples quick enough and I use them for travel mostly! I might have to start back up here soon though.
-Makeup Basics- I do not bring anything other than my makeup basics especially when I am traveling! I have a small palette from Younique that I take with me when I travel that has all the basic colors! Whatever I can fit into my makeup bag is what comes with!
-Battery Razor- Since you can't travel with a real razor I always just bring my little battery powered "trimmer" that works for emergency situations!
-Topo Designs Backpack- This is the backpack I bring with me wherever I go! It is the perfect size, my favorite color, and it holds so much more than I could have asked for.
-Polaroid Camera- I try to always bring my Polaroid camera if I can help it because I love keeping the photos on my wall. iPhone cameras are as good as most cameras out there so I try to stick with just this one!
-Black Side Satchel- I always bring this purse with me when I travel since I got it for Christmas since it is the perfect size and deceptively huge, goes with everything, and I can stuff it on the top part of my backpack so I am not over my 2 item limit when stepping on the plane.
-At Least 2 Pairs of Shoes- I always travel with wardrobe essentials and for me having shoes to dress up or dress down an outfit is the easiest way to travel with less! I try to always bring sneakers of some sort that are comfortable on my feet and a cuter pair of shoes that I can wear to dress up an outfit a little more!
The hardest part about traveling is trying to maintain a strict diet while I am away. I have cut most foods out of my diet and have been feeling SO much better but that means that I eat all of my meals at home. When I travel I have to be a little more flexible with my diet than I usually would be. I can't find vegan, gluten free food at most restaurants away from CO but I do have some options! I eat a lot of meat since soy is something I decided to cut out as well. When I travel I definitely do not eat the best and I am usually okay especially since I do eat so clean almost everyday.
I feel really, really, lucky to have flexibility with my job right now where I can travel and visit friends.
Over the past year I have been able to travel quite a bit to see my friends, have fun with my loved ones, and visit family. I feel like I have traveled more in the last year than I have throughout my entire life. I went to Dallas, Scottsdale, Phoenix, and now Flagstaff! And every single trip means so much to me and helped me grow as a person.
I’m heading home today and I’m going to have some layovers but I truly can’t wait to come home to my dogs and my amazing boyfriend.
EDIT: I had medicine with me but nothing could have prepared me for the motion sickness I had on Tuesday coming home! This time travel really got the best of me and no matter what I did I could not win. I was sick the entire trip home and I just felt exhausted. I definitely think I overdid it with my diet this weekend and I am paying for it now! Which is why this post is coming on a Wednesday!! (whoops)