I didn’t think I could keep dwindling down my travel packing list, but my recent 2 week northeastern roadtrip was my most simplified yet. There is a big difference when you are moving around every night vs. hanging out at a resort for an extended stay.
Below is my paired down, “go to” list of only must haves. In my opinion, vacuum bags are the best way to maximize your limited space in a bookbag.
2 vacuum bags – 1 large & 1 small
Hiking boots
Sneakers
Bookbag
Rugged water bottle
kindle
Headphones
Camera tripod
cinch bag
Light gloves
Beanie hat
Ball cap
Lightweight puffer coat
2 phone charger cords
Spare rechargeable battery bank
National park pass
Phone + belt holster + car holder
Sunglasses
4 pants
4 shorts
5 short sleeve shirts
4 long sleeve shirts
1 lightweight fleece
Basic toiletries only – deodorant. Toothbrush. Toothpaste. Glasses/contacts. Razor. Mousse/hairspray.
Living out of a car, I have finally found my own system of transitioning quickly. It can be very cumbersome to load all your gear down long hotel corridors or up flights of stairs, so I use my back seat to lay out stacks of clothes. My toiletries are in a small bag for easy transport. I get some crazy looks but I literally walk into the hotel with a small pile of clothes and my bag of washing supplies. Simple and no stress.
Try it out. It has transformed my experience, as I don’t dread dragging my whole load in and out every single night.
I couldn’t have written out this story any better.
For once, I took the scenic route and chose the slow Amtrak train from my previous adventure in Minneapolis to my next hub in Boston. It was rather uneventful, so when I jumped off the tracks at it’s last stop at 9:30pm after 2 full days, I was ready to hit the road to take me to the next bucketlist spot… Acadia National Park in the northeastern part of Maine!
With only 4 days to explore 3 new northeastern states, I knew I had to make the long drive overnight and pulled into the quaint town of Bar Harbor at 2am. Why get a hotel now when the weather dictated that this would be my only day to experience an epic sunrise from the summit of Cadillac Mountain?
So at 2:30am, I pulled into a desolate parking lot as the third car ready for the ultimate Acadia experience. Winds were whipping so I attempted to stargaze for a bit, but quickly chose the comfort and warmth of my car to try to catch a few zzzzzs prior to my 5am alarm.
By 5:10am, there were over 250 cars filling the parking lot and stretching down the road. The winds were easily now gusting over 50mph, so it was brutally cold on the summit cliffside for us 500+ spectators.
BUT at precisely 5:34am, it was so very worth it to see the beautiful fireball rise up from the horizon and project it’s radiant glow. This exact spot is the first place where the sun rises upon the North American continent for 5 months out of the year. It was mesmerizing.
And by 5:55am, the parking lot was again empty and quiet. My tiredness had faded away and I was ready to start my full day of exploration by hiking the hours away in my 41st of 63 National Parks.
I’m addicted to the next challenge and taking calculated risks. So it is with inherent risk that I venture out into the world. I get asked repeatedly “how did you do that” or “are you crazy”? My retort is always “why not? You only live once and if you do it right, once should be enough”.
The list of injuries is rather long but, fortunately, only one left me in complete shambles. The rest are just another story to share and learn from (at least I think).
How could I ever forget maneuvering my bike into a teeter totter and falling off halfway across while having the jagged edge of the metal, pedal cut into my Achilles? I was so pig headed, I made a deal with my friend that if she bought the new bike she had been obsessing about that I would go to the hospital to get stitches.
I vaguely remember visiting a roller skating rink as a teen and trying to go faster than everyone else. Then rounding a corner I was faced with a big group and nowhere to go safely. So instead of plowing into the group and possibly injuring others, I opted to slide (like a softball player) into the concrete outer ring barrier. Needless to say, I still can’t feel the inner part of my left knee.
What about tubing behind a boat on a FL west coast vacation and refusing to let go so that the rope burned my skin and my bracelet dug into my right hand?
On a quick mountain biking adventure to a new trail in north Orlando, I was scoping out the perfect spot to take a picture of my friend rounding a hairy corner. I got so excited I grabbed a razor sharp piece of a bush/plant and sliced right at the last knuckle of my left pinky. I pushed the two sides together the rest of the ride while completely soaking my shirt that I had wrapped around it and just hoped they would mend back into one piece. Then just two weeks later at a different park, I took a turn too sharp and flipped over the handle bars. I don’t remember much but I think I saw a few stars while I tried to regain any sense of self confidence to continue the journey.
Getting ready for a business trip to Cincinnati, I had wanted to take a soothing bath after a long week at work. I let the water run while scrambling to pack last minute and of course forgot. When I see water coming through the downstairs ceiling light, I bolted upstairs to shut off the water then fly down the stairs again to mop up the other mess. As I get to the second bathroom, I slip and fell head first into the door and catch my right hand sliding down the rough edge. I was in too much of a hurry to go to the hospital so I wrapped it up thick and went on my trip (and proceeded to lose my only bag & have to borrow clothes from a colleague – definitely looked like a hot mess).
Deep in the Ecuador jungle, I had a terrible problem with my hiking shoes slipping while scrambling along the boulders lining the many streams crossings on our journey. I would twist my ankles 25-30 times a day, which really messed with my head and pace. The slippery moss was insane and, needless to say, I recycled those shoes to a local who was glad to have them (it couldn’t have been me who was the issue, right??!!)
After summiting Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal after 6 days of trekking up high into the majestic Himalayas, we were all slowly making our way back down the mountain and I severely twisted my ankle on a complex root system. Being that we were still 1 full day of hiking away from any type of civilization, I wrapped it up tight, grabbed a walking stick for support and just had to “suck it up”. And of course, my pace significantly slowed down BUT we all made it down in one piece.
I may or may not have had a few drinks before jumping on my bicycle and crashing into a bollard that slashed my right ankle so deep we saw white tissue and literally had millimeters before slicing my tendon. Nothing a few friends (with incredible patience to put up with my ridiculous antics) and butterfly strips can’t fix.
On my 2 day trip to Death Valley National Park, I car camped to stay right in the heart of this rugged landscape. I added a short trek into a slot canyon and was just taking a photo, when I slipped off my pedestal and my ankle collapsed onto its side. Wow. All alone in the arid desert and I just had to sit there for about 15 minutes to collect myself. After a painful hobble back to my car, I spent the night with 2 cold sodas cradling my ankle and fortunately woke up the next day to just a severe bruise and a spectacular sunrise!
And the most recent and granddaddy of them all…… I’ll never live down my skateboard incident on my dream trip to Hawaii while trying to see my nightly sunset spectacle. Concussion was a very real possibility, as I face planted and my sunglasses dug into my forehead (and somehow they miraculously didn’t break). Stitches probably would have been the better call, but I got on my rented bike to go get medical supplies at the closest convenience store 3 miles away. Seven scars later, and all are healing nicely (even my forehead).
So I always make a promise to myself that next time I will play it safer, BUT deep down I know there will most likely be another one to fight through soon.
“Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” – unknown
Have you ever wanted to escape on a scenic train trek?
I had the opportunity on a recent northern roadtrip to combine seeing 5 northern states and 3 far northeastern states to get closer to finishing out my bucket list item of experiencing all 50 US states prior to my 50th birthday.
After conquering the vast farmlands and over 3000 miles driving North & South Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, I needed a no stress excursion to transport me from Minneapolis to Boston. Amtrak has an inexpensive option via Chicago that allowed me to stretch out and just be.
I had plenty of snacks and entertainment to keep me occupied, so I jumped onboard the 2 day trek. With new Covid safety protocol, I enjoyed the seats to myself and quickly settled in. While I would have loved to snag a sleeper couch, those were a bit out of my 10 month on the road adventure budget. But I was actually fairly comfortable and with the help of an eye mask and earplugs, dozed often.
We passed the Great Lakes and countless working farms, which truly makes you appreciate the rugged lives of American farmers. Little towns pop up along the route and we whizzed through quickly but not without the deafening blare of the train’s horn.
As you approach the big cities, more passengers are bustling about and going about their own plan to get to their final destination. Stops are rarely longer than a few minutes, so it’s a surprise that we are late by a whole 2 hours arriving into Chicago’s historic Union Station. Instead of a 5 hour layover, I have less than 3 hours to stretch my legs and enjoy the unusually warm April weather in the Windy City. Post Covid, I couldn’t find any restaurants open in the early evening so I opted for a slice of pizza from a local joint that was literally closing as I arrived and hit up the Walgreens for a 4 pack of uncrustables plus a bag of chips. Lunch & dinner TCO too for day 2!
Overall, I enjoyed the downtime to just think and, of course, begin to plot out the next adventure!
Oh how I loved my summer days lounging on the shores of Lake Eerie. Flying into the small airport in Buffalo then hitting the casino before arriving at a waterfront cottage for a week of quiet bliss. A couple years we even make it to gawk at the ever impressive Niagara Falls, a must see.
Visiting the Hauck family getaway was always a treat that I cherished. I thoroughly enjoyed grabbing my kindle to get lost while dangling from a hammock in the brisk lakeside daily breeze and always taking too many naps. Our daily walks along the shore in search of washed up sea glass were frequently met with an awesome sunset trying to peak through the clouds. Nightly card games kept us entertained, as well as an occasional pop up guitar hero concert. And we ate home cooked meals every day, which I would so much rather indulge in than going out all the time.
There were no worries or clocks to live by at the lake house. A total disconnect from the pressures of the real world. Time inched by but, on the other hand, my long weekends always flew by way too fast.
Until we connect again, I have the calm of that last sunset to hold me over.
Exactly 365 days ago I started my blog & it has ignited a new passion – I hope I have inspired you to make changes that will lead to your own dreams, challenge your comfort zone, see the joy in simple things & cherish your tribe! 🌅✈️🥾🌎
How often do you get to support a great cause and fulfill your inner adrenaline junkie?
I first started helping with Habitat for Humanity house builds in NC during college, as I scheduled volunteer time for “my girls” that I mentored in my resident advisor days. Giving back your time to whatever sparks a fire in your heart is one of the keys to a better life (in my opinion).
So in moving to Disney and Central FL in the late 1990s, I hopped around to a bunch of apartments early in my career but I consistently stayed involved with the Habitat in Osceola County whenever possible. I loved making a difference alongside other like minded people and especially loved the reward of seeing deserving families make their own dreams come true.
I admittedly am not very handy, but knew I had to take it up a notch for these families. There is nothing better than sleeping in your own home on that first night, so I dug in hard because they deserved only the best. I learned how to nail up drywall, apply shingles, paint baseboards, dig out landscaping, install cabinets, place flooring and much more. But the turnover ceremonies were always extra special and it never got old.
So in moving to Brevard County, I knew it was time to get involved again at a different level since my spare time was almost non-existent. So I set out to raise $1k to help Habitat reach their goal. And to celebrate, we got to rappel off one of the biggest buildings in Melbourne.
You would never believe it now, but as a kid I was ridiculously scared of heights. But event day, I was more than ready. I have rappelled off waterfalls in the dark in Costa Rica and off cliff tops in Alaska, so this was a seemingly simple task.
But little did I know, I would have a higher purpose that day. I was paired to go tandem off the side of the building next to a young female who was tremendously intimidated. She was getting very emotional and almost bailed on the feat. BUT after trying to calm her down, helping her tap into her inner strength, and finding out that this jump was actually raising money for HER families’ new home, she did it!! We were all crying and it was a big highlight for 2020.
This was my first trip to Asia and the long haul to get there. And while I love to share all the highlights of my trips, there are certainly lows when dealing with the unpredictability of weather and flight delays.
With time, my memory blurs quite a bit. But I remember being delayed out of JFK, then also being stuck circling above Dubai due to a sand storm and being diverted to Oman. So in turn, I missed my connection upon arrival in Dubai. Ugh. So with an 8+ hour layover, Emirates gifts you a free hotel room but it will take 2 hours to sit in the line with all of the other angry passengers. What do you do?
I opted (of course) to go explore instead in this opulent city. Thankfully not needing a visa, I jumped on the city tram to head directly into the madness. I walked for 4 hours in the three story mall without retracing a single step. It was over the top with an indoor aquarium, biggest LED screen in the world, replica airplane, theme park, 2 Niketowns, ice skating rink, haunted house, Ferris wheel, 3 story fountain and the tallest edifice in the world (Burj Khalifa).
So I also gambled with a change in itinerary with a brief layover in Bangkok then on to my final destination in Ho Chi Min City. However, it backfired because we were delayed again in the air and despite running through another airport, I missed the first day of my tour kayaking in the national park. After another night of no sleep, I landed in Vietnam with 6 hours to kill before my group returned from their excursion, so I took off on foot through the city’s museums. Finally I crashed after a tuk tuk ride to dinner and city center.
The next day we crossed over into Cambodia and wound through numerous small villages to get to the prized jewel of experiencing the elusive Angkor Wat, which is the largest religious structure in the world. We spent 2 full days getting lost in these ancient remains and it was crazy amazing! Around every corner we were surprised with history lessons and eye popping ruins. Our guides even knew all the cool tourist shots and we posed for every single one. If you are willing to work for it and brave the extra hours to get there, it is THAT special.
One of my other favorite moments was our ATV ride through the countryside each in our own speedster. We stopped at numerous hidden temples and learned stories for each. Then I asked to let the throttle loose and one guide took me alone on a high speed jaunt & I had the time of my life. We took turns too fast, barreled over obstacles and whizzed by cows mooing at us. We landed in an open field waiting for the rest of the group while enjoying a picture perfect, unobstructed sunset over the rice fields. I literally held the sunset in my palms. Priceless. Then we got dropped off at a local restaurant to try the local delicacies….. grilled crickets. Yum. 🦗 😋
We then visited the floating cities and stopped in quaint fishing villages, where we interacted with a local family with 10 kids all under the age of 12 that were helping cut off fish heads for dinner and to sell to the tourists. Yes, even the 2 year old braved a sharp knife. They had a flip flop to play soccer with and all slept on the same old mattress on the floor. Truly heartbreaking BUT they all had beautiful smiles as they didn’t know any differently.
The border crossing into Thailand wasn’t so smooth, as we waited 4 hours just because they didn’t want us to pass. No issues but nothing we could do about it.
Bangkok was beautiful and I explored every inch over the next 2 days. The palaces and temples were the biggest and most gorgeous I’ve ever or probably will ever see. All plated in gold, it was insanely impressive. I even splurged to get an amazing foot massage inside the Grand Palace walls for a measly $15. We jumped on a local ferry to see more temples up close and even experienced the infamous floating markets. And I ate Pad Thai every chance I had. 🍝
Some destinations just speak to your soul. Chania, Greece (pronounced hania) was that sweet dose of perfection. The old harbor was bustling with both locals & tourists post Covid just opening its borders 2 weeks prior.
Rustic sailboats gliding with the gentle breezes, quaint cafes lining the narrow alleys, street music echoing, smells of Greek cuisines tempting your tastebuds, old 7th century Byzantine ruins beckoning you to get lost even deeper in the labyrinth of streets….. it was the quintessential Greek city that was so inviting, clean and overall a highlight on my trip of a lifetime.
Dream big, as I’m so very thankful that I DIDN’T GIVE UP up on my vision of 8 months of traveling while I was still young enough to enjoy every last wonderful second!!!! 🇬🇷🌍🇬🇷🌍
FearlessAdventures 