It’s summer in the U.S. and both Shannon and Janine are traveling. Janine has just returned from a genealogy research trip to Kentucky and Shannon is anticipating an Alaskan cruise. In this episode we discuss some “good enough” strategies to make travel more enjoyable and less stressful.
Discussion topics include:
- How Janine let her recent genealogy research trip be easy
- The benefit of building flexibility into the research trip
- The beauty of a simplified wardrobe when you’re traveling
- The challenges of packing for an Alaskan cruise
- Some ideas for creative packing to deal with multiple climates
- Various ways we’re using Trello for travel planning
- A new-to-us tool for making Trello even better: The Trello Safari bookmark (it feels magical!)
- How perfectionism around travel can be so paralyzing we don’t go anywhere
- Other ways that perfectionism can get in the way of traveling
- Building self-care into travel
- The value of building in a buffer of at least one rest day after returning from a trip
- Planning to do less than you think you can fit in, to leave room for rest and spontaneity
Links:
I always love listening to you ladies. Also, I’m from Sitka, Alaska. As far as packing for the weather on the cruise: layers layers layers. You might be surprised how warm it can be in SE Alaska in the summer, because of the moisture in the air. It can also be drizzly, nasty and cold- totally unpredictable. Weather reports are almost useless. So…layers are your friend, avoid cotton and bring a packable rain jacket (this allows you to avoid the ugly “I’m a tourist” poncho. 🙂 Remember your sunglasses, especially on glacier day, and things to help you sleep in the land of the midnight sun (eye pillow, melatonin, etc.). Have a wonderful time. If your ship goes to Sitka and you want any recommendations, let me know.
Thanks Tera! This is Shannon, and I so appreciate your advice. I’ve been watching the weather and it’s been just as you say, completely unpredictable! I’ll just pack for all possibilities. : ) Unfortunately, we won’t be stopping in Sitka, our Alaska ports are Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. If you happen to have any recommendations for those cities, that would be wonderful!
Years ago, I ran out of gas in front of the Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal in Bellingham, Washington, while on a trip. I decided it was a sign that my four-month trip through the western US needed an Alaskan leg. I called my mom and asked her if she wanted to go with me. She said yes and hopped on a plane. Because reservations book up a year in advance, we couldn’t get a cabin. Instead, we popped a tent on the back deck and slept there with all the college kids. They LOVED my mom crawling in and out of our tent with her jewels. It was one of the best trips we ever took together. We even had my dog, Maggie, because she was traveling with me. We took the ferry straight up to Skagway, stayed a few days, and then took the boat back south, stopping in each port for a few days. Sitka was lovely!
My best tip for travel is to pack a mix of clothes that you really like and make you feel great together with some clothes that you are about to drop off at Goodwill. As I travel I discard the clothes and make room in my suitcase for new purchases and souvenirs. I also buy “practical” souvenirs that remind me of a particular trip…for example, when I saw Vincent Van Gogh’s “A Starry Night” at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, I bought the folding umbrella with its design on it. Ditto for Monet’s “Water Lilies” at the Chicago Museum of Art. Every time it rains, I get to look at two of my favorite works of art and remember a wonderful trip!