The Travel Edit
...as long as we're going somewhere together.
As educators, we are in that stretch where time speeds up and slows down as we hurtle towards summer. If you aren't planning your summer travel about now, someone down the hall from you is—all while maintaining their professional obligations, of course.
The last day is both really far away and extremely close at hand. (I adore final pick up line parent tradition over at Heritage.) I have actually witnessed some version of “get in the car” we are heading out NOW on vacay!
One of my favorite songs is about a couple who declares they can throw all they need in the back of their Wagoneer—or van or whatever—and impulsively set off on a great adventure.
We can pack up tomorrow, tonight let's flip a coin... I love the idea of this. In reality, I can't stand the thought of leaving something on the table. Plus, we tend to fly more than drive, and whatever throwing we might do would be into Away carry-ons. (Honestly, we could be brand ambassadors.)
Here are three more rules I try to follow (and usually succeed):
Under-pack. Seriously. Most of us will rewear the favorites and ignore the "occasion outfits" we meticulously planned — unless, of course, the trip was instigated because of an occasion. (Besides Away, I use a lot of stuff from Cadence Travel, the backpack from CalPak, and a Moleskine sketch book as a travel journal.)
Over-plan. You can always skip plans; but it's hard to think on my feet when I don't speak the language, am jetlagged, or am in possession of under-caffeinated and/or over-sugared traveling companions. A little research goes a long way. I also nerdily carry slips of paper with addresses to just hand to taxi drivers.
During daylight hours, avoid Instagram-famous places like the plague. Yes, Instagram is useful for research (see rule #2), but these spots get dangerously overcrowded. I once nearly got trampled near a market selling chocolate-covered strawberries.
In truth, the majority of these places are made famous by a demographic I don't share much with (being decades older and lacking structured hats and those makeup-brush microphones). These spots are empty at dawn. Shush. Don't tell them that. For the love of all that is Holy, let them sleep.
I feel like maybe these would be a good - trample free- addition addition to the strip. Where they would make more sense to me than in the middle of London.
Traveling might not be your focus—and I applaud that, in large part because you've likely completed the gallery wall you started four years ago, and your plants don't just survive but actually thrive well into August. But if it is your thing, I'd love to know what your travel maxims are and the plans over which they will rule this summer! Email or text please:)
In the meantime, all the best for finishing April strong. And I really, really want to hear about it you are that person who actually flips a coin and hits the road accordingly this weekend.
Yours in Faith, Hope, Love, and TSApre:) - LN
