Road Trip

There are 21 posts tagged Road Trip (this is page 1 of 4).

Make Your Own Road Trip Kit

I’m an urban, rural and industrial explorer. Mainly, I venture out, trying various roads in rural Ontario and look for abandoned houses, old buildings  ghost signs, stone flowers, and other interesting (and usually old) things which I then photograph.

As an explorer I take along a few things, travel light is always a good idea. So I bring my map book, better shoes than sandals and my camera. Other explorers bring along a lot more gear. Some get pretty loaded down and really must spend a lot, not just on the gear itself but the methods of carting it all around too.

I prefer to keep it simple. But, on a longer road trip, when we plan to go farther and stay overnight… I pack my nightgown, one change of clothes, shampoo, hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste. I like to bring a good book to read too, but that’s on the side. I’ve begun bringing my mini laptop, not every time. I still like to travel light, even though we take the car. (I used to travel across Canada on the Greyhound bus and the VIA train).

Things to Pack into a Road Trip Kit

Organize and plan as you pack. Some things you may not need and others you may be really glad to have.

  • maps and/ or map book
  • walking boots/ shoes
  • camera
  • pens and paper
  • snacks and beverages or coffee money
  • sunglasses (optional)
  • driving music
  • reusable cup (a green touch)
  • napkins and/or hand sanitizer
  • lip balm (optional)
  • trash basket/can/bag.
  • mini laptop or something similarly useful
  • flashlight
  • sewing kit for fashion emergencies

Good Things to Have for a Road Emergency

It can happen… if you’re driving around in a car you should be prepared for trouble. Before you leave for a longer trip check more than just the level of fuel in the tank. Check your tires especially, during road trips and explorations, it’s the car tires that seem to have any problems, if there are any problems.

The Road Safety Kit for the Car

  • Standard car tools. However, these are only as useful as you are. Bring the tools in case you find someone who can use them, even if you can’t do much with them yourself.
  • Road flares, in addition to your hazard lights.
  • Extra clothing, blankets and boots for dealing with cold, wet and mucky weather, or waiting for help in the car.
  • Window washing fluid, salt and sand. The salt and sand are for under the car, not the windows.
  • Flashlight, useful for checking the engine in the dark or seeing who has come to your rescue.
  • Emergency cell phone, if you have one.
  • Snacks, pick something that won’t be stale when you get hungry stuck somewhere.
  • First Aid Kit.

road trip button
Extra Links for Road Trip Travellers

Don’t Forget to Travel Light

What you pack up for a road trip depends on how long you plan to be away (in general) and what you will be doing while you are away. Some things you can buy on the road. But, whatever you take with you, whatever you buy along the way and whatever you keep with you… at some point you’re going to be the one picking it all up and hauling it around.

Source for the Road Trip Button – Etsy – Happy Your Heart

Visiting Horses

This year the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) was not allowed to be open. But, the Carlsberg Championship team of horses haven’t been at the CNE for a long time. I remember seeing the team of horses pulling the beer wagon when I was a teenager, and younger. It was one of the things I most liked to see each year. The horses were huge. I still especially like those big horses like Clydesdales, Belgians, Jutlands and the others like them. I’m not a horse person, to the the extent of studying them, visiting horse events or riding horses. But, I enjoy seeing the big horses and I have ridden horses a few times. Not lately.

When did you last see horses, live (not on television or the Internet, or a photograph)? You could make a road trip to visit horses. Look for a horse farm, or a place where horses are boarded. Drive out there and find a place to park and watch the horses outside. It’s peaceful to sit with the car engine off, windows open to the breeze and the quiet.

Alone for the Holidays

You can be happy being alone over the holidays, even your own birthday. Avoid being alone if you want. Or enjoy being alone if you want a break from being social.

So many of the big family holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and of course New Year’s Eve) arrive at the end of the year. If you are single, not dating anyone or a single parent with kids to celebrate for and with, it can be a bit lonely – if you let it.

I am single, divorced and don’t have any children. I do look after my sister’s children but it’s not the same. I kind of look forward to being alone. Maybe it’s because I’m not alone very often. I share a house with my Mother for half a year. The other half of the year I have a brother and two sisters who keep in touch. It’s all good. But, I crave alone time sometimes. So, I may not be the prime example of being alone for the holidays – because I’m happy to be alone and do whatever I want to do.

Avoid Being Alone

Accept invitations from family, friends and co-workers.

Find other holiday orphans and get together somewhere. Have a great evening out.

Attend events like the office Christmas party.

Invite people over to visit you too.

Go to church. Even if you don’t attend usually, churches will have people and host their own events during holidays.

Go somewhere you know there will be people, like a shopping mall, a coffee shop, a restaurant, and strike up a conversation. Even a short chat can make you feel connected to the world again.

Host a party or get a group together for a day out.

Make the Best of Being Alone

Create a new holiday tradition of your own. Have Chinese food delivered on Christmas Eve. Enjoy a taco salad on Valentine’s Day. Find your own personal way to celebrate.

Plan an event for each day of the holidays, or those coming up to it. Give yourself something to look forward to every day. You can always visit the museum, art gallery and buy tickets for the theatre.

It may feel pretty self-indulgent but, buy yourself a gift or a card for the holidays. Have a Valentine card you sent yourself. Get yourself something you know you really want for Christmas. Send yourself flowers on your birthday.

Write a holiday journal about your adventures.

Be an artist, even if you can’t draw, take along some paper and pencils/ pens and draw some holiday scenes.

Enjoy some alone time to think.

Whatever the holidays and season you can still decorate the house for the holidays: St. Patrick’s Day, Valentines Day, Halloween, Christmas… all the holidays can be an excuse to indulge in a little excess cheer around the home.

Rediscover a creative talent. Become a baker, or a film maker, or take up crochet discover a new creative outlet.

Eat out somewhere new you have wanted to try.

Eat in – cook yourself a wonderful dinner with new recipes and unusual ingredients or go for all comfort foods, the foods you love, cooked the way you like them.

Buy something from a fancy bakery but get just one slice, one piece, one square you can enjoy all by yourself.

Put together a holiday emergency kit for yourself. Stash it with the things you really want like a few chocolates, coffee beans, pick a great wine, a fresh book, candles, bubble bath, gift cards and coupons for a restaurant.

Have some special plan of your own. When others talk about their holidays you will have something to talk about too.

Redecorate your bedroom, your kitchen, find something new and great for the house and make it fresh, shiny and new.

Pamper yourself with all the little luxuries, like a real soak in the tub. Have a spa day at home.

Use the time to catch up on reading, rent movies you wanted to see and anything else you have let slide while you were too busy with other people or a full schedule.

Work on little home repair projects you just haven’t gotten around to yet.

Indulge yourself. Go to the unfashionable, geekiest, nerdiest movies, events, and places you’d love to go but would never ask anyone to attend with you.

Be of service to others. Be a volunteer for a day. Phone or write to relatives and acquaintances you seldom think about. .

Take a road trip, a bus trip, a train trip. Plan a day trip and be home before midnight or plan an overnight away. Look for great tour packages and travel even farther.

Book a room in a downtown hotel and spend your time indulging in downtown holiday events, tourist places and all the holiday decorations.

If you’re single, try a few dating sites, look into a dating service, something where you might find someone new to meet over coffee.

Revel in Being Alone Don’t be SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) creeps up on people during the winter holidays. I think we can feel the same SAD feelings around our own birthdays too, but that doesn’t seem to have a name yet.

If you are feeling alone and neglected let your family and friends know so they can make sure to include you in their events and get togethers.

Avoid being SAD. Use the time alone rather than letting it drag you down into feeling alone around the holidays.

If you need other people around – get them. Make plans with others but understand that plans around the holidays change a lot and last minute things pop up. Have back up plans if you are planning to meet a friend, that way you still have something to do if the friend can’t be there.

Find yourself a patch of sunshine somewhere and sit in it awhile. A great place to try this is a coffee shop window where you have some sun and people watch while you read a book and enjoy a great coffee too.

Not Everyone Alone for the Holidays Needs Cheering Up

People who don’t want to be alone for the holidays are more likely to be upset or feeling down about the holidays.

Some of us, like myself, LOVE having some alone time. For me being alone during the holidays is great. I spend time with family and I make arrangements to meet up with friends and co-workers. I attend the office/ work parties. But, I really enjoy the days I am alone and I can do just what I want to do.

I feel empowered when I am alone. I soak up the holidays: the good cheer, the lights and decorations and the excuse to be self indulgent. Being alone for the holidays is like having an extra birthday – the day that is especially all about you! Make being alone for the holidays all about you.

A Few Links

Join The Holiday Project – Local chapters visit people confined to nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions and enriching the experience of a holiday for everyone.

Make Your Own Road Trip Kit

road trip kitI’m an urban, rural and industrial explorer. Mainly, I venture out, trying various roads in rural Ontario and look for abandoned houses, old buildings  ghost signs, stone flowers, and other interesting (and usually old) things which I then photograph.

As an explorer I take along a few things, travel light is always a good idea. So I bring my map book, better shoes than sandals and my camera. Other explorers bring along a lot more gear. Some get pretty loaded down and really must spend a lot, not just on the gear itself but the methods of carting it all around too.

I prefer to keep it simple. But, on a longer road trip, when we plan to go farther and stay overnight… I pack my nightgown, one change of clothes, shampoo, hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste. I like to bring a good book to read too, but that’s on the side. I’ve begun bringing my mini laptop, not every time. I still like to travel light, even though we take the car. (I used to travel across Canada on the Greyhound bus and the VIA train).

Things to Pack into a Road Trip Kit

Organize and plan as you pack. Some things you may not need and others you may be really glad to have.

  • maps and/ or map book
  • walking boots/ shoes
  • camera
  • pens and paper
  • snacks and beverages or coffee money
  • sunglasses (optional)
  • driving music
  • reusable cup (a green touch)
  • napkins and/or hand sanitizer
  • lip balm (optional)
  • trash basket/can/bag.
  • mini laptop or something similarly useful
  • flashlight
  • sewing kit for fashion emergencies

Good Things to Have for a Road Emergency

It can happen… if you’re driving around in a car you should be prepared for trouble. Before you leave for a longer trip check more than just the level of fuel in the tank. Check your tires especially, during road trips and explorations, it’s the car tires that seem to have any problems, if there are any problems.

The Road Safety Kit for the Car

  • Standard car tools. However, these are only as useful as you are. Bring the tools in case you find someone who can use them, even if you can’t do much with them yourself.
  • Road flares, in addition to your hazard lights.
  • Extra clothing, blankets and boots for dealing with cold, wet and mucky weather, or waiting for help in the car.
  • Window washing fluid, salt and sand. The salt and sand are for under the car, not the windows.
  • Flashlight, useful for checking the engine in the dark or seeing who has come to your rescue.
  • Emergency cell phone, if you have one.
  • Snacks, pick something that won’t be stale when you get hungry stuck somewhere.
  • First Aid Kit.

road tripExtra Links for Road Trip Travellers

Don’t Forget to Travel Light

What you pack up for a road trip depends on how long you plan to be away (in general) and what you will be doing while you are away. Some things you can buy on the road. But, whatever you take with you, whatever you buy along the way and whatever you keep with you… at some point you’re going to be the one picking it all up and hauling it around.

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Ubiquitous Photography

Do you use your digital camera or your camera phone to take a picture of something you want to remember, instead of writing the information down? I have been doing this more often. I think it started when I was in a bookstore with my Mother. She wanted me to write down the name of a plant from a magazine. There was a photo of the plant as well. I got out the digi camera and took a close up so she could have the photo and the name too.

Since then I’ve used it to take photos of real estate signs on properties for sale which might be of interest to my brother. He buys, fixes them up and then sells them again. He is looking for a farm property which he would keep and I see many of them as I road trip along, looking for abandoned and derelict houses.

I also use the digi camera to take notes for me when I find a quote in a book, an author’s name on a book I’m too over budget to buy, and I’ve photographed something to remind myself of the idea it gave me when I saw it. Like seeing an old doll at a thrift store. Later I wrote about the doll and ended up using my photo as an illustration along with it.

Others are doing it. Some more practical than I am, using it to plan and organize things, like a collection of business cards. There are good ideas to be found. Read on…

The Ubiquitous Camera Phone –

Recent studies report that a majority of people who use their camera phones use them for ubiquitous purposes such as remembering a parking space or notes on a blackboard.

Lifehacker: Geek to Live: Develop your (Digital) Photographic Memory
Lifehacker: Use your Cameraphone as a Visual To-Do List
GeekSugar: Use your Camera Phone to get Organized

Transitions Posted for Red Room

I made my first post to the weekly blog prompt at Red Room. The topic is transitions:

Transitions, the word makes me feel on edge, a little desperate. Too many moves from town to town and one country to another. Too many changes from one job to another. Too many people met and missed. I’d like some stability. Something I can count on to be steady and reliable.

I don’t mind change, I cope with it. I deal with it. But I’m not getting used to it. I’m both older and wiser due to change and transition. In that way it’s not a bad thing.

This month I will be starting a new job. I will be meeting a new set of co-workers. I will be getting to know the policies of a new company. New changes bring new ideas, new inspiration and new choices.

Transitions are the road signs along our road trip through life. We read the signs and then leave them behind until the next sign comes along. Each transition lasts a blink of an eye but has the lasting impact of forever.