travel tips: how to plan your best road trip

Posted on February 23, 2015 by jaunt blog

this time of year is my “busy season” at work, which doesn’t leave me much time (read: no time) to travel. but i have one busy season tradition that carries me through the long hours and weekends of work: the planning of the post-busy season trip.

last weekend, dallas had the most perfect weather, so my husband and i spread out the blankets in the backyard, played some music, and brought out my atlas to plan our spring road trip. i’ve been dying to take a road trip across the southern US, and to finally visit some friends and family who live along the way. planning road trips is one of my most favorite things to do, so i thought i would share some of my tips for planning fantastic road trips:

a perfect saturday: blanket, pug, atlas, and wanderlust

1. start with an atlas – looking at an atlas gives me ideas for scenic detours and sites to see that i may have missed. kate spade’s travel book, places to go, people to see, mentioned that the drive from memphis, tn to vicksburg, ms is stunning, so we looked it up on the atlas. guess what’s nearby? yazoo city, home of willie morris, my husband’s favorite author. note to self: detour to yazoo city on day three. atlases will also list approximate driving times between cities, which comes in handy while planning number of days on the road.

2. stalk pinterest – set up a board for your road trip locations, and pin away as you research places to see. map traveled to nashville recently, and i pinned most of the places they went to my tennessee board. a friend at work recently gave me a magazine article on memphis, so i pinned the places that looked cool to me. pinterest provides a great way to store ideas from all over the web in one place so you don’t forget. if you’re looking for ideas on locations, check out my pinterest boards (organized by state and country) and also my road trip board for inspiration.

pinning by state has helped me plan the road trip – so many cool places i’ve pinned in the past that i had forgotten about!

3. create a list on your phone – as you’re planning, you’ll hear suggestions from friends or through media that you’ll want to remember. keeping a list on your phone will help you remember those tips since you can jot them down when someone suggests a place (that’s how i remembered kate spade’s recommendation for the memphis to vicksburg drive).

4. start reading! – i love themed reading. i think this started when i read cannery road while visiting monterey, california – it brought so much life and history to the places i was seeing, that i was hooked. if you’re looking for ideas on what to read during your travels, check out book lust to go by nancy pearl – she recommends books based on your travel destinations (genius). for our road trip, i’m adding to my list john steinbeck’s travels with charley and william least heat-moon’s roads to quoz: an american mosey.

upcoming road trip reads

5. check out what the new york times has to say from 36 hours – i wrote an entire post on my love for 36 hours. check it out and then read it before every trip you ever take (including short business trips).

6. plan your nights – book your hotels, b&b’s, stays with friends, etc. in advance. start with your budget to understand how much to spend per night, and then see if you have any friends or family along the way that you can stay with (don’t forget to pack hostess gifts, if so). some of my favorite bookings sites are airbnb and jetsetter. don’t forget about any hotel points you may have saved up that could give you a free night (or two!) at a national chain.

the stops on our summer road trip – most excited for yazoo city, mississippi and the blue ridge parkway in appalachia

7. leave room for improv – as an accountant, i like to plan down to the minute. this can make for some stressful travel experiences. one thing i’ve learned is to build in some time to improv, an extra day to go where i want, a half-day to explore a new part of the city, etc. one time while driving to LA from dallas, we saw a sign on I-40 for the petrified forest. excuse me? detour! we spent a couple of hours looking at the craziest petrified wood (how is this possible?!) before jumping back on the interstate and heading west.

stay tuned for future posts on best road trip apps, and how to pack your car for the best road trip. for now, fill me in on any of your best tips for planning road trips – i’d love to hear them!

travel tips: how to properly pack a carry-on by rolling your clothes

Posted on August 4, 2014 by jaunt blog

in my last post, i wrote about how to choose the minimal amount of clothes for a two-week city/safari vacation in the winter (we just returned from south africa last month). all of the clothes in that post are included here for packing purposes, with the exception of the clothes i wore on the flight (which included my bulkier shoes and jacket). it seemed daunting given the number of clothes i had to bring to south africa, but it worked perfectly! this week: how to fit all of those clothes into a carry-on duffle bag. a few notes on the duffle:

we were told to bring soft-sided duffles because many safaris do not accept “rollies.” i did not find this to be true because we saw rollies at both of our lodges. if you get similar information, you may want to check first before buying a new bag.
that being said, it was very freeing to have the duffle because they are so much lighter and easier to maneuver. plus, they’re cheap. i got mine at REI for around $30 (currently only available in stores, and not online).
you, like my husband, may think i am misspelling “duffle,” and that it should be “duffel.” both are accepted. despite previous posts, duffle will continue to be used exclusively on jaunt.

my husband with his carry-on duffle after passing through “security” at the hoedspruit airport.

so how many of you roll your clothes when packing (i.e. roll the actual articles of clothing, not pack them in a rollie)? this is something i had read about many times (travel bloggers just looooove to talk about rolling clothes), and i kind of thought it was a bunch of nonsense. how can any packing method save more space than folding clothes flat?! well, this is why i’m no engineer. turns out that rolling clothes saves much more space, and i have the photos to prove it.

the clothes after traditional folding – looking tall!

to start the experiment, i folded my clothes like i would normally – simply laying them flat and folding in half (or thirds if a long tunic). the clothes were bulky (remember, packing for winter with sweaters and pants), and stacked very tall in the duffle, while leaving empty, unused space on the sides.

the packed bag with folded clothes – not bad! everything fits, but not much room for any purchases bought on the trip.

so then i tried the rolling. i folded my clothes in half (hot dog, not hamburger), and then folded the arms across, as well, and then literally rolled into a little cylinder (see photo at top of this post). it was shocking how much more room i had in my bag! magical!

the packed bag with rolled clothes – so much more room! tons of space for toiletries, gifts purchased on the trip, and more.

an added perk was that it was extremely easy to pack and unpack at the lodges. i would just grab the rolled clothes and leave them rolled until i wore them. i think it prevented wrinkles this way, as well.

all rolled up and ready to go – with room to spare!

do you have a preferred way to pack? would you recommend rolling clothes?

travel tips: safari + cape town + 2 weeks = carry-on!

Posted on July 25, 2014 by jaunt blog

i recently returned from a two-week trip to south africa (patience, grasshopper, for the full details), and what a fantastic travel experience that was. five days in cape town were followed by six days spent safariing, with a few days of travel on either end (turns out it takes a really, really long time to get to south africa from dallas…somewhere in the middle we spent 12 hours in london).

when talking to our travel agent, she nonchalantly mentioned that we should pack light, and “oh by the way, don’t pack your rollies!” excuse me? “roller bags.” oh. in other words, good luck packing for two weeks with winter clothes (yes, winter in the southern hemisphere between june and august) in one duffel bag (apparently, certain safari lodges prefer the duffels for ease of transfer…not sure it would have made a difference, as we saw plenty of rollies while on safari). i could have packed two duffel bags, but after lufthansa lost my bag on our honeymoon in 100-degree athens, my carry-ons have been getting a lot more love.

so, where to begin with packing? i’m not going to lie: it seemed daunting, even for me, a self-proclaimed packing guru. especially since being more of a city girl, i had zero “active/camping” clothes for these so-called bush drives. turns out, it was much easier than expected. the clothes i packed (with the exception of one safari shirt that i decided was useles) are all shown above. let’s start with what you’ll need for six days of safari (12 safari drives, two per day):

2-3 pairs of light weight safari pants (#13 and #14). i bought two pairs of pranna pants, and they were my favorite purchase for the trip. they were light enough for the warm days, rolled up into capri pants for the hot afternoons, and were warm enough for the cool evenings. they were also quick to dry in case i needed to wash them, and were very small when rolled up for packing.
1 pair of leggings or long underwear (#24, rolled). if you go in the winter like i did (note: this is the best time to go in south africa because it is easier to see the animals), the weather can get extremely cold when the sun goes down. we started our drives before sunrise, and i appreciated that extra layer (sometimes the temperature was in the mid- to low 30s when we started the drives!). you may not need this if traveling in the summer months, or if traveling to safaris in warmer locations.

stopped for coffee and muffins on our south african safari; staying warm with north face jacket layered over tee and sweater (#4 and #10), safari pants (#14), and fleece headband (#20).

5-6 t-shirts (long or short sleeves) (#1 – #5) – rather than buying shirts specifically made for safaris, i brought my standard target/h&m long sleeved shirts that i would wear at home. i made sure the colors were neutral (so you don’t scare the animals away), and found these to be perfect for the drives. i regretted buying a more expensive safari-specific shirt that i will probably never wear again. i also packed one short sleeved shirt, which proved useful on one warm afternoon.
2 pairs of jeans/slacks (#15 and #16) – i brought one pair of dark skinny jeans and one pair of black pants to wear during the day (between drives) and in the evenings for dinner. this was plenty as no one dresses up much for meals, even at the more luxurious lodges.
2 colorful scarves (#6 and #12) – i bought two at target right before i left, and they became my go-to accessories for the entire trip! perfect for the evening meals and added a much-needed pop of color to my otherwise neutral outfits.

just taking a selfie with some elephants. notice my nice sweater outfit (#5 and #11) while my husband is safari’d out.

1 pair of comfortable tennis shoes (#19) – you do not need to buy a new pair of walking shoes for your safari as you will be doing very little walking (if you exit the vehicle, a lion may eat you). i brought a pair of running shoes, which was just fine and didn’t require me to spend any additional money. they also kept my feet warm in the cold mornings.
1 pair of nice flats (#25) – to wear during the day and in the evenings
1 hat or fleece headband, gloves, & scarf (#20 and #21) – as mentioned above, it gets extremely cold when the sun goes down, so you will want something to keep you warm, this only applies to the winter months in countries that get an actual winter (e.g., june – august in south africa).
3 sweaters (#9, #10, and #11)- for layering with the long sleeved shirts on especially cold days, and also for wearing around the lodge.
minimal jewelry – i wore a simple gold bracelet, watch, and earrings (that i purchased in cape town) on safari, and that was plenty. i also did not bring my engagement ring, but just wore my band for the extent of the trip.
1 jacket (see photo above) – this will be your most important purchase, because you want something versatile enough to move around in, but warm enough for cold drives. i chose a north face zip up in heathered grey, which was perfect and didn’t require a scarf due to the high neck. other guests wore fitted puffy jackets that seemed to do the trick just as well.

a lovely day at babylonstoren farms, wearing a sweater (#8) over a tee (#2) with a colorful scarf (#6).

since we explored cape town for five days prior to the safari, i also needed city clothes. in addition to the clothes i mentioned above, i brought the following:

2 additional sweaters for layering over the shirts during the day (#7 and #8)
1 additional pair of jeans (#7)
1 additional short-sleeved shirt for the travel days (worn with the north face jacket) (not separately pictured, see photo above)
1 additional pair of leggings for the travel days (#18)
1 additional pair of comfortable flats for exploring the city (#22)
2 pairs of chandelier earrings to dress up outfits at night (not pictured)

exploring the winelands of stellenbosch (outside of cape town) on a cool day. staying warm in a large sweater (#9) layered over a long-sleeved tee (#3) and skinny jeans (#15).

with the cooler weather, you can re-wear each shirt twice (or wash it, if you so desire). all of this – safari and city gear – fit into one carry-on sized duffel bag – stay tuned for next week’s post on how to roll these clothes into the duffel – with photos! to make it all work, i wore my largest items (running shoes and north face jacket) on the travel days, and packed my travel sized toiletries in my tote bag that fit under my seat.

dress comfortably for a long day(s) of travel

on our last day in south africa (sad), and about to embark on a 48-hour trip home. dressed comfortably in north face jacket, scarf (#12), leggings (#18), and tennis shoes (#19).

do you have any suggestions for packing light on an urban/safari mix vacation?

travel tips: pros and cons of using a travel agency

Posted on July 17, 2014 by jaunt blog

having a tour guide on our drive around the cape peninsula allowed us to enjoy the views without the stress of driving.

last fall, i purchased the jetsetter book during the dallas gilt city sale, and was excited to see that it came with a voucher for a free travel planning session for an upcoming vacation. my husband and i had wanted to visit southern africa for awhile, so decided to use the voucher for that trip. this was my first time to use a travel agency in my travels, and i quickly realized it is a different way to travel; one which has pros and cons:

pro: it is much easier to plan a trip with a travel agency. i had an unusually busy year at work, and my husband was in the middle of his first year as a college professor. neither of us had a lot of time to research the specifics of our trip, which is where the agency really helped us. they were able to pull together a draft itinerary after a brief phone call; they asked for our dates, budget, and general interests, and several days later sent us a two-week itinerary. further, our agent was from south africa, so she was able to include places and tours that we may not have chosen on our own, but in hindsight are extremely glad she did (e.g. driving along the cape peninsula – stunning!).

there are penguins in south africa! thanks to our travel agent, we saw them on our tour of the cape peninsula.

con: the agency plans the details. as a frequent traveler, i’m used to making my own itineraries, and researching fun local places that are specific to my tastes. agencies try to match your tastes as well as they can, but unless you have worked with them before, they may not know you as well. for example, when we received our itinerary, i was surprised to see that every day was already planned, with no room for exploring, which is my favorite thing to do in a new place. we ended up adding a day in cape town – which we now know we desperately needed – in order to have the kind of trip we are used to, one filled with wanderings and spending time walking around different neighborhoods rather than just a series of tours.

the colorful bo-kaap neighborhood, which we explored in cape town on our extra day that we added after seeing the original agency itinerary

pro: agencies line up the details, and make it extremely convenient while traveling. this was absolutely the best part of it all. the agency arranged for an airport pick-up, and took us directy to our hotel. i cannot tell you how many times i have lugged my own baggage on public transportation while trying to communicate in a foreign language. the airport pickup was divine! the agency also had pre-purchased tickets to the cable car to table mountain, which allowed us to skip the line, and visit at our convenience. we also had a private guide for two days, who turned out to be one of our favorite parts of the trip due to his local knowledge and thoughts on the history of south africa. for each leg of the trip we had a planned shuttle, including a flight within south africa that the agency booked for us directly (we booked our own international flights since i was flying on miles). the conveniences added up, and made the trip run smoothly and easily, and allowed us to spend more time enjoying the country than worrying about the stress of logistics.

view of cape town from the top of table mountain, which we sped up thanks to the cable car and our pre-purchased tickets from the travel agency (see ya, lines!)

con: i’m still a little confused on the price. we gave our agent our budget, and she said it would be sufficient. however, we ended up staying at some extremely luxurious hotels, especially on our last safari. we did not need something so luxurious, and it became evident that we could have saved some money by asking for less exclusive lodges. however, jetsetter is a luxury travel service, so i’m sure they were just doing their job based on the expectations of their typical clientele. (also, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to safari in style, especially when we were upgraded to a room larger than our LA apartment for the last two nights!).

this hotel room was larger than my last apartment; the bathroom, twice the size of my current kitchen. a bit more than we needed, but wasn't complaining about the free upgrade. :)

safari selfie! this hotel room was larger than my last apartment; the bathroom, twice the size of my current kitchen. our original room (part tent!) was a bit more than we needed, but i wasn’t complaining about this free upgrade. :)

final verdict: i would use an agency again, but have more input early in the process. i am able to plan the dates and research points of interest for me, while utilizing the agency to handle the logistics and find lodgings within my budget. asking for an itemized cost sheet prior to making the down payment would have helped me to gauge whether any part of the trip was outside of my expectations, as well. something else i enjoyed about the experience is that the final itinerary they sent us was extremely detailed and we referenced it often on our trip. it was also easy to scan to family members so they knew our whereabouts in case they needed to contact us. overall, using the agency was a positive experience that i would repeat with some tweaks.

have you ever used a travel agency to assist in your trip planning? would you recommend it?

climbing the kirstenbosch gardens in cape town with our guide, graham. he was so amazing!

travel-friendly spring finds

Posted on May 15, 2014 by jaunt blog

i thought it was about time to put together a couple of travel-friendly spring outfits (think: bold colors, comfortable shoes, a nice straw tote), but had no idea that i was already dreaming of my south african safari (those earrings!). since south africa is less than two months away, perhaps i should start planning my packing strategy. we are only allowed to bring soft duffle bags (i.e. no “wheelies” per my south african travel agent), so this could take some thought. in the meantime, enjoy the fun colors out this spring, and add a little safari to your look with some cheeky accessories.

1. j.crew panama hat, $58 2. saturday every day umbrella, $35 3. target merona woven drapey maxi dress, $29.99 4. zara fruit print blouse, $49.90 5. kendra scott zara statement earrings, $85 6. j.crew cafe capri, $89.50 7. topshop woven straw tote, $80 8. loeffler randall emma, $325 9. tory burch naomi ring, $95 10. target merona penelope espadrille, $25.48

travel tips: decorating your home with travel inspiration

Posted on April 15, 2014 by jaunt blog

my very favorite – via real simple many years ago

life dream? probably to be paid to travel the world with my favorite people and write about it. (side note: if you have unlimited funds and want to sponsor me, please visit my contact page!) since i can’t do that, and instead have a day (and let’s be honest, night and weekend) job, i’ve found that surrounding myself with travel inspiration at home helps put me in my happy place. i encourage you to do the same, and to fill your home with inspiration for whatever your passion may be.

our teeny entryway still has room for a photo tour of marfa, texas – a great conversation starter

photos – if you’re like me, you take way too many photos while traveling (still working on the whole “enjoy-the-moment” thing). put your photos to use by displaying them in your home. you don’t need to be a professional photographer to find a few gems. they are great conversation starters, too, when people visit. hang in highly trafficked areas for those you want to chat about, and in more private rooms for sweet memories.

travel inspiration next to my computer on my desk: my favorite mid-century jetsetter against the dallas skyline, next to my favorite place to reflect at the university of oklahoma

travel purchases – remember that gorgeous wooden tray you bought in florence? or those postcards you picked up in maine? don’t hide them in a drawer – show them off! i learned this from my mother, who decorated her house with items she’d purchased all around the world. she didn’t try to make anything match; rather, she bought things she loved and found beautiful. it all worked. these don’t have to be expensive items, either – some of my most cherished purchases are the vogue magazines i buy in each country i visit. a small price to pay for a window into the style and culture of the place and time.

i (try to) buy a vogue in each country i visit, and display some of my favorites in my office bookcase, next to my framed postcard of venice (yes i framed a postcard – it was so magical!)

daily inspiration – placing travel-related items throughout my home is a constant reminder of why we work so hard – it gives us the means for adventure and exploring. a globe in the office, a poster of LA in the living room, and a favorite travel quote on the fridge are daily reminders of the things i love.

my former residence: the city of angels. great memories every time i pass through the living room.

share the love – having guests stay the night? give them a taste of what you love (in my case, give them some wanderlust). i love staying with friends who have interesting books, photos, anything to share what makes them tick.

trying to inspire my guests with the jetsetter travel book on the bedside table. this is what inspired our trip to south africa this summer!

what are some of your favorite things to share in your home?

one of my very favorite travel treasures is the glass soda bottle i bought at the san telmo market in buenos aires. i think it goes nicely with my exotic ikea vase, don’t you?

i purchased this globe at a garage sale in tulsa when i was in college. it may still have the USSR, but it’s the first place i go when thinking of my next trip.

why you should travel with your best friend

Posted on January 30, 2014 by jaunt blog

kim and me in new york city in the summer of 2004 – hello, broadway!

the summer after my junior year in college, my best friend, kim, proposed an idea that has since changed our lives: let’s take a trip together. i was in oklahoma with an accounting internship at an energy company, and the thought of skipping town seemed delightful. i remember that summer well because it was the summer facebook arrived. oh, how little did we know. we packed our bags, jumped on a free southwest flight, and headed to new york city.

stopping for some agua at the cafe tortoni in buenos aires, argentina

to this day, that trip remains one of my favorites. it was my first time in the city without my family, and i loved it. forgetting the tourist attractions, we headed to new restaurants and trendy bars, went shopping in greenwich village, and tried to explore the city as much as we could. it was a new way of travel for me, and one that i loved. seeing the best city in the world with my best friend? yes, please. fast forward a few years, and we’ve kept the tradition alive. in 2008 we traveled to argentina and chile, where kim came up with another bright idea: this international thing is so good that we should do it more often!

china? no, just vancouver. really have no idea where we were in this photo.

and so the biannual international trips began. in 2010 we traveled to vancouver (kind of cheating), and in october of 2012 we ended up in barcelona. what i love so much about these trips is that they force us to travel the world, to see each other while exploring new places. too many times i make the excuse that there isn’t time to travel. but now we have this amazing tradition that holds us accountable, and helps create some pretty unforgettable memories along the way.

just sipping sangria on the boardwalk in barcelona

how to survive (and thrive!) on a red-eye

Posted on June 26, 2013 by jaunt blog

red-eye flights used to invoke strong reactions of fear and loathing from me, as i am completely unable to sleep sitting up. the entire point of the red-eye is that you travel overnight, thus arriving first thing in the morning and reducing any hotel costs for the first night. clearly these are good ideas, but i needed to find a way to actually sleep on the red-eye to reduce my general grumpiness on day 1 of my trips. my recent trip to barcelona – which required a departure time of 8pm and an arrival time in london of 10am, proved the perfect time to experiment, and to much success! read below for some of my tips on arriving fresh and well-rested (and please leave me any of your tips, as well!):

sleep! – if you have any trouble at all sleeping on flights, i highly recommend an over-the-counter sleeping aid. i purchased the target version, and was out like a light for most of the trip. though i woke several times, i was so sleepy that i would return to sleep immediately, a large change (in the right direction) from my previous experiences. tip: do not take the sleeping aid until you have boarded your flight. i mistakenly took it in the gate prior to departure for a new york red-eye from LAX. my flight was delayed and it took everything out of me (and a strong cup of coffee) to stay awake for flight updates – lesson learned!. i have also found that a good eye mask will keep out any unwanted light from neighboring laptops or seat screens that keep me awake.
get comfortable – most flights will provide a blanket and pillow, but often these are not perfect for everyone. i am fine with the free pillow, but my husband prefers the neck pillow to prevent his head from dropping while he sleeps. these come in inflatable versions, as well, if you are worried about space in your carry-on (always an issue for me!). i also have ridiculously cold feet, so i pack a pair of socks to slip on during the flight.
hydrate and circulate – drink lots of water and stand up to stretch your legs every now and then. it’s all fun and games until someone gets a blood clot.
take out your contacts – sleeping in contacts causes my eyes to dry out and gives me actual red eyes, which are not so great. i try to not wear mascara, as well, as that proves problematic when i put in my contacts again.
bring a “freshen-up kit” for landing – i like to include hand and face wipes, powder, lip gloss, a brush, and breath mints/ mouth wash. nothing fancy, but it makes me feel more like someone ready to explore a new place and less like the grumpy frazzled morning person i usually am!

1. the reflect kanteen, $29.95 2. inflight comfort kit from flight 001, $22 3. zebra print socks from madewell 4. chic and chilly eye mask from henri bendel, $16.80 5. west 57th contact lens case from henri bendel 6. f1 seat pak in mint from flight 001, $28

how to pack a carry-on

Posted on May 3, 2013 by jaunt blog

i travel a lot for my job and for vacations, and over the years have discovered (sometimes the hard way) the best items to keep in my carry-on. here are my must-haves that keep me happy on long flights (check out my pinterest board on pouches to hold many of these items without cluttering your carry-on). do you have any ideas that i should adopt?

a big tote – this is always a big investment piece for me. i can use it as a work bag, a travel bag, and a quick overnight bag.
ipad or book/magazines – my favorite apps for flights include the kobo e-reader (which allows me to read e-books purchased from my neighborhood bookstore, skylight books), the new york times crossword puzzles, and evernote (to jot down any thoughts during the flight, or to scan through travel info i’ve clipped to my travel notebook). some flights have plugs in the seats now, so i pack my chargers, as well.
snacks and a bottle of water (bought once in airport) – the small complimentary glass given during short flights is almost never enough
headphones – for watching in-flight movies or listening to music
cardigan and/or large scarf – i am always cold on flights (and basically in every other situation), and these help take the chill off while still being light and easily folded into the tote post-flight
kleenex – there’s nothing worse than needing one and having to make row-mates get up so i can grab one
eye drops – i wear contacts, and my eyes always dry out during the flight, especially if i doze off for awhile
necessities – my checked bags have been lost multiple times (including on my honeymoon when i packed only carry-ons, and was still forced to check a bag by the airline). i’ve since learned there are certain items i must keep with me at all times: any necessary medication, a contact case and glasses, a toothbrush, and any nice jewelry with sentimental value.
a good wallet – aside from holding my money, this keeps my travel essentials within easy reach for quick access. i include my id, boarding pass, confirmation number, credit card, and frequent flyer info.

jaunt: one girl's search for adventure

Tag Archives: travel tips