If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know airports give me a ton of anxiety. The whole being on a plane thing doesn't bother me, it is more the fact that I just hate being surrounded by mass amounts of strangers. I will happily take a road trip over flying any day! And honestly y'all, it doesn't get much better than hopping in the car with one of your closest girlfriends and adventuring to a fun destination (or destinations)!
Of course I absolutely love to travel with David, but being with your boyfriend is a very different dynamic than being with your girls. Now don't get me wrong, I can get down with some Childish Gambino and football podcasts, but sometimes I just really want to belt out Disney music and Beyonce in between listening to Jaclyn Hill favorites videos, okay?!
In preparation for a trip to Houston this month with Jolene, here are my girls' weekend road trip essentials!
Photo by the lovely Julia Rachel Photography
1. PLAYLISTS
Did you really even go on a road trip if you didn't make a playlist?
(Or in my case, minimum of four.)
I am a consistent over preparer (also see: over packer) so I usually make a few different playlists for whatever mood may strike! The first playlist I make includes more current, popular songs. Second is a sing-along playlist of those songs you can't help but belt out (I'm looking at you, Love On Top). Third is a mix of 90's/early 2000's hits + classics like Bohemian Rhapsody and Sweet Dreams. Final playlist is.....drum roll please......DISNEY! Because singing Let It Go while driving through a snow storm is so damn magical it definitely needs to be on your bucket list.
2. PODCASTS
In between playlists, I love listening to podcasts! It makes me feel less like I am wasting my time in a car and more like I am actually doing something useful with my time. My personal preference is generally towards educational or comedy podcasts. I always try to find at least a couple episodes to download that discuss the history and/or things to do in the city we are heading to. I find that learning some background about a city helps me to appreciate it significantly more when I am there!
For comedy podcasts, my recent go-to's have been Unhappy Hour with Matt Bellassai (he also makes hilarious short videos where he gets drunk and complains about random things) and Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe.
3. SNACKS
Maybe it's an Italian thing, but y'all I never go anywhere without snacks. If you don't believe me, read my What's In My Bag post. Spoiler alert: I keep snacks in my purse, too. When I go on road trips (especially with Jolene, who is a fellow Italian/snack aficionado) half of the backseat is reserved for coolers. I promise I am not even exaggerating. Here is a list of my must have snacks for long car rides! It mayyyy be kind of excessive, but like I said....I like to be prepared for anything!
Whole Foods Chocolate Chip Cookies
Blueberry Muffins and/or scones
The Beach Club from Jimmy John's
Cheese Cubes
Grape Tomatoes
Organic Bananas
(Side Note: If you haven't tried organic bananas, they are SO worth it! They are much sweeter than normal bananas!)
Apple Slices + Justin's Vanilla Almond Butter
The Perfect Bar
4. FACE MASKS
After being in the car all day, what could be better than a little pampering?! After arriving at our destination, Jolene and I love to hop in bed, turn on HGTV, put on a face mask, and paint our nails (see below). I like to bring a few different mask options so I can use whatever my skin is needing at that moment. You already know I am a big fan of the Lush Birth of Venus jelly mask, and it gets bonus points here because it is a really convenient size for traveling. I also love Tata Harper masks... they are spendy af, but seriously incredible!
5. NAIL POLISH
After face mask time, nail painting is a girls' trip must! There is not one specific nail polish brand I am die hard for, I pretty much just use whatever brand has a color I like. Top coats on the other hand.....! I am constantly trying new top coats because I feel like my polish always chips after a day, which is super annoying. Am I the only one this happens to? If not please let a sister know because sometimes I feel like I'm crazy.
But for real though it is SO annoying to spend all that time making sure everything looks perfect and then have chips the next day!
Recently, the top coat I have been using the most is the Sally Hansen Big Shiny Top Coat. It gives the polish a permanent freshly-painted look, which I think is pretty cool!
6. CAMERA
I have definitely forgotten my camera on trips before and I spend the entire time kicking myself for it. Now I triple check before every trip to make sure I remembered to pack it! Not only can y'all take cute photos of each other (hello, Insta!), you should take photos and videos together to document your adventures along the way!
7. WINE
What would a girls' trip be without some wine?! Probably not as fun.
After a long day of exploring, one of my favorite feelings is finally getting back to a clean hotel room, sprawling on the bed, and having a nice glass of wine.
My go-to's are the Barefoot or Sutter Home 4 packs of mini-wine bottles because they fit perfectly in small hotel refrigerators (which is a big plus if you are a fan of Moscato like I am). It is also significantly cheaper than paying for wine at dinner so win-win, my friends!
What are YOUR road trip essentials? I am always looking for new ideas, so please leave a comment and let me know your favorites below!
If you have any questions, comments, or other topics you would like me to cover, please send me a message here. I would love to hear from you!
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Thank you for reading!