Why don't you just fly?
I get asked this a lot. So why do I drive long distances instead of hopping on a plane? You might think I hate flying, which is true, but that's not the reason.
I made multiple long distance drives, just me and my dog, during the past two months. I twice drove more than 800 miles, spending three days and two nights in Airbnbs each way, my trusty pal secured (unhappily) in the back seat, and my trunk very full of the reason I drive instead of flying.
I need my stuff!
The stuff I just can't vacation without:
Dog food, both indoor and outdoor toys, treats, bowls, pillow, and leashes of several lengths and purposes.
There are quite a few cooking supplies that I refuse to live without and that are usually in absent in the Airbnb's I frequently stay in: chef's knife, cast iron pan, carrot peeler, apron, tea strainer, good olive oil, good vinegar, good salt, and honey. I've found that, as I age, I can less readily tolerate the type of food that is easily available on road trips, so I also bring a big cooler of stuff to eat: egg salad, yogurt, raw veggies and fruits, chocolate covered almonds, and muffins that I prepare the day before I leave, among other already prepared foods.
I bring two or three gallons of pure spring water to drink and cook with. I would rather be parched than drink municipal tap water.
In the non-food department, I pack all the crossword puzzles I haven't yet done, paper, pencils, and pens, road maps, whatever music I am working on, and a couple of books to read. Sometimes I lug a violin along, which I very rarely take out of the case.
Then there are all those electronics and associated accoutrements: two laptops (one for crypto only), a radiation-blocking computer lap pad, chargers, ethernet cable, hdmi cable (have you figured out that I hardwire everywhere I go?), my stupid phone, and an assortment of faraday cages to pop my electronics into while I drive on large highways that are lined with 5G towers every few hundred feet. I wear a radiation-blocking sweatshirt with a hood for these long and treacherous drives (don't mock me, please).
Here's the weirdest thing I bring with me: a good sized rug. Why on earth do I bring a large rug? Because most Airbnb's are short on rugs, and long on shiny, easy-to-clean, floors, that my dog simply will not walk on.
Whew! It's a lot! I'd have to rent my own whole plane to fly!
So what are the pictures I am showing you here?
The muffins. The blueberry muffins I made the day before I left. The muffins I forgot to take with me. I spent one sleepless night while I was gone, thinking about those muffins.
I had a lovely two weeks in Nashville, Tennessee, with three days on each end travelling to and fro. Airbnbs, preferably with fenced in yards for my pooch, all the way.
I like to be comfortable when I vacation, and I was - I wanted for nothing, other than blueberry muffins.
What do you bring with you on vacation? I'd love to know.
footer by our dear SilverFish, @mondoshawan