why you should take a solo road trip... annually

It's been four months since I took my most recent solo road trip... and I'm just now writing about it. I was worried that if I waited, I wouldn't have that same elated feeling that I had when I got back... but going through my pictures is bringing it back and reviving me all over again. 

I've done a solo road trip before; I drove down the California coast when I was going through a break-up or few. It was so therapeutic and life changing in ways that I thought I could never redo a trip like that. 

I was wrong. 

When you travel alone, there are things that happen that have taken me a couple months to really reflect on and realize and now I'm ready to tell you why you should do it. 

Let it be known- it's going to be scary. The days leading up to this trip, it was kinda hard for me to talk about it or plan a whole lot. I didn't know if I was going to be able to do this again. There were a lot of thoughts like "do I really have to do this again?" and "maybe I should just see what friends I can meet up with along the way." The truth is- I could EASILY do it again, and I didn't need any plans, friends, or safety blankets to help me out. 

So, reason #1- You'll conquer some fears. 

When I decided to book this trip, I knew I was in some sort of funk that I needed to kick before I got to the iHeartRadio Music Festival. I've always been proud to be fiercely independent, but after moving in with the bf, I quickly built up a lot of dependency on him. He helps me find everything I lost, calms me down when I'm over-stressing and working myself, and gives me that comfort of not being alone. Somehow I had subconsciously let myself think that I couldn't do things without him anymore. Honestly, this made me hate myself. Of course it's nice to have that person to help you out, but everyone should have some independence in a relationship... and if you're anything like me, you have to find a lot of ways to remain your independent, self serving person while keeping the relationship happy. [Let me know if you have any real secrets or tips for that, btw.] As soon as I had my first meal out and alone, while talking to the bartender, I realized I hadn't "lost myself," she was just put on a back burner. 

Reason #2- You will empower yourself and ignite independence and strength.A lot of people immediately ask "but where do you eat?" when I tell them about a solo trip. What do you mean where do I eat? I eat at whatever bar or restaurant Yelp and Facebook suggest to me, duh. I typically sit at a bar, so I can talk to the bartender, other solo visitors, or my phone. There's no pressure to talk or not talk, but the option is there if you want it. It's brilliant, and far less awkward than it feels when you arrive at a place before all your other friends and you're impatiently waiting on them. The best part- 

Reason #3- You can eat wherever you want. Order as much food or drinks as you want. No splitting checks, and no judgment. 

That "no judgment" thing is big. I think one of the biggest issues people have with solo trips is worrying about what other people will think about them doing everything alone. Let me tell you what they'll think- the same thing you're [probably, hopefully] thinking right now- that's badass. Bartenders high fived me, and fellow hikers offered to help with pictures, then literally applaused or said "oh WOW!!" when they saw I already had the photos under control. [I would set up my GoPro on a tripod, then look at it/control it from an app on my phone.]  People at the hotels and hostels were welcoming and helpful and friendly [although I was a little nervous to tell some of them I was staying alone.. but it ended up being nbd]. When's the last time you didn't care about what people thought about you? Unfortunately, it's not often enough for me anymore.

Reason #4- You'll realize the world really doesn't give a f#@% about what you're doing... and it'll free your mind to also not care about what your self is doing. 

Speaking of other people... when you plan a trip with others, whether it be one or ten other people, you have to plan things with them. Where do they wanna stay? What's their budget? When do they wanna be there or leave or move on? Do they even wanna commit to a trip? It's exhausting. You know what's not?

Reason #5- You get to live on your own time and on your own budget. Your plans can change whenever you want them to. There's no one to answer to. 

Something else that's in your control- what you listen to along the road trip. After reading "my Bible" on my last road trip, I decided to try some books on tape to give me that same feel. [What I didn't realize before this trip is that it wasn't just the book that changed me in California.. it was the whole experience.] I listened to "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck" and "Creativity, Inc" to help revive my brain and give me some real therapeutic thoughts. Maybe you'll want a podcast, or music blasting as you sing along.. or, get all of the above.

Reason #6- The time you'll have with yourself and the road is magical. You can let your mind go wild and the scenery will [hopefully] make it all okay. 

I kept setting my GoPro on the dash because the views were unbelievable. A lot of them are still on my Insta Highlights.

THE ULTIMATE REASON: You will come back invigorated, confident, excited to share everything with everyone you know, and ready to take on anything in this world.

I should clarify why I specifically say road trip and not just any solo trip. When you're alone, you need to stay active so that you don't feel that lonely factor. The more I discovered, the more badass I felt. The more I traveled, the more I learned... about the world and myself. I can't imagine going to a beach resort or one city for a couple days by myself. As much as I love a good drink and meal, I don't want to be drunk trying to explore my way home. I also don't want to just sleep on the beach alone all day. Booorriinnggg.

So my trip started in Denver, went through Utah, and ended in Las Vegas. It was only four days alone, but I wanted at least one or two more by the time I got to Vegas and had to answer to people again. Three days would be enough to get all of this goodness, I think.. and is a fair place to start for those

who are a little worried. And maybe "annually" is a ridiculous goal, but it's what I'm going to aim for. There's no reason for me to put something so beneficial to my life and health off. Maybe it won't always include National Parks, a full week away, a plane ride to my first destination, or my sweet minivan named Bonnie... but I'll always try to make some time for myself.

Now that I've gotten into all of this again, expect some details about each place that I stopped [and all of the amazing places I got to stay as a solo traveler] in the next couple weeks. Maybe you'll be ready to book something for you and yourself by then, too.

love,
elizabethany

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photo diary: my trip to portland and seattle

I don't know why I always wait til this late in the Fall season to go on my "big trip." It's cold and there's less daylight... but I did it again. 

This time, I called upon the BFF to help me through rough times and escape for a few days to uncharted territory in my life: The Northwest. I told myself it wouldn't be that cold. I believed that 50 degrees as a high was just jacket weather. Once again, like last year's trip to Europe, I was way under-prepared for mostly 30-something degree wet weather. 

When life gives you rain, dance in it... or.... something. 

First stop: Portland. 

We didn't really know anyone there and everything I found was like "try this beer" or "you've gotta eat this." So that's what we did. We drank and we ate, and stumbled around the city. [Hey, we were doing the buddy system so it's totally okay, Mom!] There are MULTIPLE breweries on every block it seems, and we tried to go to as many as possible but I'm going to blame the altitude and the higher ABV percentage on our relatively early night. [Don't you look at me like that.]

On Saturday, we got to walk through the Saturday Market which helped me pick up some Christmas gifts for myself, and then Powell's Books which I figured would not be for me, a girl who doesn't read.... but they had some fun journal-style books that I've been wanting to check out. YAY for a daily journal that only makes me write one line a day! 

When you walk everywhere, even if it's a couple miles away, you stumble across things you may not have found otherwise. I spent a solid 20+ minutes on this bridge just taking pictures of a park. [I love a good park in the city.]

Pinterest helped me find a bunch of "Insta-Worthy Spot in Portland," so we looked for a few of those. Including a fountain park [that ended up having zero water working at the time] and the smallest park in the world- Mills End Park. Really- it's just a plant in the middle of the road as if that's a safe place for humans to hang out in. 

Thanks to Facebook friends, I was told about Salt and Straw, an ice cream place with seriously unique flavors. We're talking Thanksgiving Turkey and cranberry-apple stuffing flavors [which I'm eating over there], plus olive oil, basil, mashed potatoes and more that you can see in the menu below. Luckily they let you taste everything and it was FANTASTIC. The BFF loved the mashed potatoes and olive oil flavors, and I was shocked to be ordering the turkey that tasted like a salty maple syrup of sorts. If you go to Portland, skip the Voodoo Doughnuts and check this out instead. There will likely be a line, but it's more unique than the semi- decent doughnuts.

As for other Portland food options, make sure you check out one of the food cart areas [lots of Greek and Asian food, but so good!] and don't think it's weird to eat at a brewery.

Portland has all sorts of places for #views, but if you want all of it, the five minute aerial tram is lovely. 

After a solid 40 hours in Portland, it was off to Seattle. Renting a car was only about $30 for the day, which is cheaper than most Uber rides to downtown. There are SO many places I wish we could have stopped at along the way, but we were antsy and low on time in each city. Plus- when it's cold and rainy- hiking to a waterfall isn't high on my want to do list. 

Seattle came with a tour guide for us- one of my closest high school friends. He helped us feel a little like a local [which is one of my favorite things to do/feel when visiting a city] then we hit the things Pinterest and Facebook told me to. After proudly cheering on my Redskins to a victory in their city, we did some bar hopping. 

One of my favorite things about Portland and Seattle [and really a lot of other cities outside of DC in general] is how much character all the bars have. There's something about the decor that always makes me amazed, even if it's a local sports bar. 

From left, then clockwise- Al's Den in Portland, which was a tiny basement bar in the middle of the street/median. 10 Barrel Brewing in Portland. A punching bag in Sam's Taven's bathroom in Seattle. Nacho Borracho in Seattle. 

One of the most beautiful bars I've ever stepped foot in was in Seattle, though. Someone told me about it on Facebook and my friend said it's normally dead unless it's late on a weekend night. That was perfect. I had all of the room to take all of the pictures of Unicorn. 

Just bring a good camera and someone with not-wasted eyeballs to take some great pics. 

Speaking of drinks, I had also read about a place called Canon, which was tagged with all sorts of Insta-worthy drinks on Instagram so duh, had to go there. Why would anyone travel without planning everything around their Instagram pics?! 

Turns out, you need a reservation just to try out their $18 drinks... but LOOK AT THESE THINGS. 

The Pop Art, Warhol and Bitter Petals. Elementary and Child's Play. Campfire in Georgia. 

Then it was all about the touristy things. Luckily, most of them are really close together in Seattle and we did a lot of walking [and commenting about how rough it was to walk in the cold mountains].

Let's first acknowledge the most beautiful wall to ever exist.. at the Museum of Pop Culture. It's right next to the Space Needle and I saw someone with a perfect picture/reflection and wanted to recreate it, but instead took a couple dozen tries of different angles.

The rest I'm sure you've heard of or seen plenty of so I'll do what everyone wants: Less words, more pictures. 

The very first Starbucks... that was packed the first time I went, but was a fairly normal line at about 9:30 on a Tuesday before my flight.

The Market... which you've probably seen endless videos of fish being thrown, but I was amazed that it was such an old building, that smelled old, and so many random shops! Also, it was interesting to see the set up happening around 9:30.

The Gum Wall, which had unfortunately been cleaned recently. HOW DO YOU CLEAN A LANDMARK LIKE THAT?!

The Fremont Troll, which is amazingly huge when you're driving straight for it. 

The nighttime view from Gas Works Park is breathtaking.

We drank a lot of Rainier beer and heard all about the mountain, but hadn't had clear enough weather to see it. I'm so glad I went on the morning walk before my flight. I walked down Pier 66 and saw it reaching over the stadiums and up to the clouds and just like everyone says- no picture truly captures what your eyeball sees. 

There were also some pretty incredible views on the way home.. which ALMOST makes the fact that you're going home a little better.

In review, in case you're looking to make this mini road trip that's less than three hours between the cities.. [As always, I recommend flagging places that you've seen or been given as recommendations so it's easy to figure out the closest and also the best routes.]

PORTLAND: 

• Uber drivers LOVE to give recommendations
• I stayed at the Hyatt House. It's easy walking to plenty of places, and gives a fantastic free breakfast. 
• Go to as many breweries as possible. Walk around, walk into places that seem intriguing. They won't let you down. 
• Skip Voodoo Doughnuts, get Salt and Straw ice cream
• Eat at a food cart park. Yelp will give you nearby recommendations
• Giggle at Mills End Park
• Walk over Hawthorne Bridge
• Take the aerial tram for a quick and cheap view of the whole city from above
• Check out the market if you're there on Saturday. It's right next to the famous "White Stag" sign and an easy walk to Powell's Books and other things the internet will say are "must-see." 

SEATTLE:

• I stayed at Belltown Inn which was GREAT location, but not the nicest hotel.
• Eat breakfast at Biscuit Bitch
• Pier 66 has a great view of the stadiums, Wheel, Mt. Rainier and more. 
• Go to the Market early [before 10], get your Starbucks if you need to, then go back a little later for the shopping if you must. 
• Gas Works Park has a breathtaking view of the city at night. 
• Get drinks at Unicorn and Canon... if you're into drinks and vibes worth photographing. 
• Museum of Pop's wall is also fun to take pictures in

THINGS I WISH I DID INBETWEEN: [We wanted a straight shot drive, but if you can take a day to drive, do these things]

• Multnomah Falls
• Cannon Beach
• Mt Rainier National Park/High Rock lookout
• Snoqualmie Falls

Okay you have fun pretending like you're gonna do all of these things too, okay? Or making me feel like you're pretending such things. 

love,

elizabethany

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photo diary: 8 florida towns in 3 days

My ADD-ness has spread into the way I travel.... and I don't mind it at all. Why visit ONE place, when you could rent a car and make it an adventure/road trip?

This time it was all about Florida. I only had three days to work with, not a lot of money, and I booked it less than 3 weeks before I left. Luckily, flights to Florida are pretty damn cheap most of the time.

The first decision I had to make: Atlantic Coast or Gulf Coast? Thanks to pictures of Siesta Key, the Gulf Coast was the winner, and Tampa would be the starting point.

With a bunch of friends in Tampa, it makes it an easy starting point. My first gamble was on the rental company. Sixt had an incredible deal on a convertible, and reviews that were either awful or fantastic. I'll take a gamble on saving $200 and not getting the car I want. Luckily, even though they told me they didn't have what I reserved, I saw it in the parking lot. A beautiful VW Beetle convertible. [LOL at making him think it'd be something like a Mustang then being all HAHA SUCKA I'M DRIVING EXCEPT FOR WHEN I WANNA TAKE PICS!]

There was some solid people watching in SoHo Tampa [and a huge, nice hotel that did not get enough use] before it was on to the next stop: Siesta Key.

It's America's #1 Beach, so I kind of expected it to be a little crowded, but man I was wrong in that expectation. Even at one of the main public parking entrances, there was barely anyone around. Maybe it was because it was so huge and flat that it felt empty, or maybe people hate little waves, clear water, and searching for sand dollars. When is the last time you've seen this much beach and only three people in the frame?!

I remember going to Sarasota as a kid and searching for sand dollars for hours with my mom... we'd wake up really early and go before everyone else found them. Now I know the real trick is to look when the tide is changing. Suddenly I was finding ALL OF THE BEAUTIES, and also a lot of really ugly rejects. I left those for the lazy people who didn't wanna find them in the water. 

Finding good food has surprisingly become one of my favorite things about traveling. Okay... I say surprisingly but really, I've loved food my whole life... I'm totally fine with eating gas station food most of the time, though.. just NOT WHILE TRAVELING. 

Ask people who have been... check Yelp... do research. The meal could be the best thing about a trip. [I still can't stop thinking about the meal I had in Key West and it's almost been two years!]

Shut up Elizabethany and show the damn food.

Thanks to my boss and his wife, I knew I should skip the oceanside restaurants and head a little north for The Columbia Restaurant. Cuban food, delicious sangria, and so many options. What you see on my delicious plate is Mahi Mahi topped with crab and hot damn- I'm glad I saved some so I could have it for a second meal.

This is when I made my first mistake. Even though I purposely didn't book a hotel for night 2 ahead of time, I stuck to the plan of going to Ft Myers instead of staying in Siesta Key/Sarasota. As we were driving away, the town was picking up, the old people were going to sleep, the people who were hungover from the night before were coming out, and I love a good beach bar... but we headed south to check out another city. 

The problem was.... there was no exploring of Ft Myers. Maybe because it was Sunday night and there were no bodies to be seen walking around, or maybe it was because I had probably the worst sunburn of my life. I don't get sunburnt. That's something silly that white folk have to deal with while I put on SPF 8 and get a slow brown. I learned a valuable lesson that day in Florida: DO NOT DRIVE A CONVERTIBLE, IN THE MORNING, WITHOUT SUNSCREEN ON. YOU WILL GET VERY BURNED IN LESS THAN AN HOUR.

Okay, there may be some dramatics coming into my whining, but think back to your first/worst sunburn. You were crying and complaining for days too, RIGHT?!? 

The lesson was learned, sunscreen was on, and Naples was the next stop. I don't think I've ever seen a cuter town in my entire life. So much green, and vibrant colors in general.

There were also these huge trees, that I've now learned are "banyon trees." If you've never seen a huge one of these in person, you're missing out. You're also missing out on an old person yelling at you with their half-voice if you don't climb it. 

The pier was just as beautiful... and full of gray [hair]. People were fishing, then throwing their fish back into the water where dolphins and pelicans would get them. The dolphins were SO close to the pier and even the swimmers, but of course I don't have pictures to capture that.

You don't really need more than a few hours in Naples, I don't think... unless Grandma June is there or something. 

It was time to take on the Everglades. I had done some research on all of the different airboat rides, but in the end- unless you're paying the big bucks for a private boat, they're all highly rated and about the same price. Wooten's had an animal sanctuary and a late final-boat time, so that was the winner. They had a white tiger, lots of crocs, otters... all kinds of babes... but we were there for the ride. 

I was a little discouraged when we got on this big ass boat... I was so rudely thinking the big guy can't do tricks... but it did. All the spins, all the coasting over mud, and quite a bit of fear tbh. It's only about 45 minutes long, but that's all I needed. Here's a quick clip:

And the third stop in one day: Miami.

There was a restaurant that I went to by myself the last time I was in Miami, and I was determined to find it again. It was so cute, the vibe was great, live cuban music was playing.... It's called Moreno's, and it's hiding in an alley attached to a hotel.

The service was worse than I remember, but it was still such a good vibe with neat drink options that I wouldn't write it off.

Now is when I should say Miami brought the crazy party, there was so much bar hopping and fancy drinks, and dancing next to rich people... but I've been having to severely limit my drinking lately. [If this is the first time you've heard this, it could be quite shocking.... but I've been sharing on the show and some on social about my migraines. Something about drinking is triggering cluster migraines and it is totally life changing in all the awful ways.]

Instead of partying the night away, we walked along the beach/strip of hotel pools that are probably full of rage on the weekend. Then I found a patch of green in the middle of downtown Miami Beach and decided to lay down and look up for a while.

When's the last time you've done that? Put your phone away, shut the bleep up, and just relax and observe.... It was foreign to me, but hot damn did it feel good. So good, this picture of my view over here gives me happy feels and it's not even a good picture.

The final day was all about Ft. Lauderdale... specifically Ft. Lauderdale Beach Park. Who's gonna turn down a bunch of picnic tables, an outdoor gym [lolz not that I'm gonna use it on vaca but it was fun to watch the babes on it], and nearby restaurants?! No one smart, that's who. 

It was another huge, flat beach, that was pretty empty on a Tuesday. There was also a huge chair so *cue photoshoot.*

I had been looking for a good place to get fish tacos all week and finally found a dive bar celebrating Taco Tuesday! Perfect! ...except that their Taco Tuesday was strictly chicken and beef since they pump out a bunch of them. They were $1 each and hella good.

Somehow the entire trip was a combination of adventure and relaxation. Sure, there was a lot of moving around city to city, but it was only 3.5 hours total driving, and a lot of laying around once we got to each place. If you're looking to do the most amount of traveling and sight seeing along the Gulf Coast in 66 hours, here's where I'd go again:

• Tampa
• Siesta Key/Sarasota
• Naples
• Everglades
• Miami
• Ft Lauderdale

I had hoped to get to Sanibel Island and also this coral castle in Miami, but it would have messed with timing more than I'd liked. You can save a lot of time by getting sandwiches to eat at the beach and only eating dinner out. Drive in the morning or at night, and soak up the daylight hours away from the car. Just like when I went to California, I starred places I wanted to see on Google Maps, then picked the best route/timing to see as much of it as I could.

66 hours.... that's literally all we had to do all of this. Make the most of your time, always.

love,
elizabethany

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day two in puerto rico: exploring cave beaches and rainforests

When you take a trip to Puerto Rico, you take a lot of pictures. And since posting everything from California ultimately overwhelmed me, I decided to break this trip up.

DAY TWO: Exploring nature

One of the things my coach told me about his hometown was "the cave beach." A little Google machine action helped me find La Cueva del Indio in Arecibo. Holy breath taking. 

Posing for pictures is tough sometimes.

The inside was turning purple and I was all heart eye emoji over it. Later I found out the water is normally higher and you can swim through/inside the cave. Looks like I'll have to take another trip. Damn.

Along the trail to the cave, we found this private "pool." Don't worry, you're not the first thing to think what you might be thinking right now. There were condom wrappers galore nearby. [Not mine! Fortunately... or unfortunately... you decide.]

After three hours there, we headed back towards the east coast to El Yunque, the only rainforest in the US forest system. [#Facts on love, EB!] My 80 year old knees were scared, but everything was so worth it. 

I saw someone standing under the waterfall posing for a picture and knew I had to brave the cold, too. What I didn't pay attention to was how they got over there. Walking on the rocks is not okay. DO NOT WALK ON ROCKS. Three nasty bruises, a swollen ankle and knee later, I settled for this picture, then watched "pros" crab walk into it with ease. Thanks for the tips ahead of time, a-holes.

If you ever hike these trails, you might be tempted to do the Big Tree Trail to the La Mina Falls because it's easier. You could do that, but make sure you also walk the La Mina Trail, too. It was SO much prettier to look at. More falls, more places to stop, and if my old-feeling body can handle it, so can yours.

The home for the next two days was in Fajardo, another short drive to the shore. I found another Airbnb just a couple days before checking in for $70/night. 24th floor of a condo RIGHT on the water, with a pool, a balcony, and quite a view from the breakfast table.

Really tough to wake up to this while all my friends were waking up and scraping snow off their windshields.

While beaches are another short drive, we were super close to some of the excursions, the bioluminescent bay AND the ferry to the other smaller islands that everyone highly recommends [Vieques and Culebra]. What I didn't know until it was too late is that the ferry takes a couple hours to get to the other islands, so it's definitely a day trip.

I have no idea what that island is. I'm just showing you the view from the balcony again because it was ridiculous.

As much as I grew up/love being the beach girl who just relaxes by the ocean and gets tan on vacation, it's really incredible when you put on some hiking shoes and really explore some landmarks. Turns out, having incredible pictures to last forever is cooler than having a darker tan for a couple weeks. [GASP. My former self can't even believe what's happening in this post right now.]

love,

elizabethany

PS Day 3-4 soon, day 1 here. 

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photo diary: california sunsets

I'm a sucker for a good sunset or sunrise. Isn't everyone, though?!

One of the things I was most excited for in Cali was catching the sunset every night. Unfortunately, it happened way too early [about 4:30-5:00 every night], but I planned my entire day around where I'd be when it passed the horizon.

Like I've said a million times, I'm no professional photographer, nor do I use any really fancy equipment, but I like taking pictures. Here are some of my faves of nothing but the beautiful sunsets. 

From Pfeiffer Beach, in Big Sur. 

This beach was stacked with professional photographers, so I just found my way around them to not look like an idiot. It's no wonder they were all there, though. You had to drive down a two mile trail of a "road" to get to it.

Some of the sand was PURPLE! AKA gorgeous.

The red tone on all of the rocks [everywhere] was freaking fantastic.

Seal Beach, right above Huntingon Beach. I had to pull over into this little neighborhood because I wasn't going to make it to Huntington. Not mad. It was empty. 

Coronado Beach in San Diego

Since I was alone, I decided I should take pictures of complete strangers and pray they didn't catch me. That woman was awesome. This couple spent the entire hour taking selfies. 

For one of the days, I was walking over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fran... which in theory is a great idea until you realize the sun sets behind a mountain. Still, an awesome walk to make.

Mr Mike Klein wasn't too fond of the heights back there. 

Still working on getting so many things ready to get posted... it really was a life changing trip. If you haven't met my boyfriend yet, get on it. 

love,

elizabethany

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