Travel Far, Travel Wide, Travel Smart

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It seems that once I graduated and got my job, everyone wanted me to come visit them or wanted to organize trips. I've booked two flights and one hotel for three separate adventures in the past two months! For context, I have flown a grand total of once in my life and it was with parental guidance. 

Don't get me wrong, I am very much looking forward to the trips I have set up. I'm excited to see the mountains of Colorado for the first time visiting family there. I can't wait to fly up to NYC for a weekend to hang out with some friends from college. And of course, I couldn't be more amped to take a trip back to Pittsburgh with my mother for a weekend of college football and Steel City fun!

While I can pride myself on finding cheap plane tickets and reasonably priced rooms downtown for a holiday weekend, the actual air travel part is new to me. Like I said before, last time I had responsible people with me, and now I have to find my own way between gates and understanding flight etiquette.

But a few things stick out in my mind as the go-to tips that I definitely think are applicable to all forms of travel (just call me the queen of roadtrips!)

Keep it to a carry on. As a young person with very little to her name at this point, I am not a fan of spending money where I don't have to. For a four day trip you can expect me to cram MY LIFE into a carry on and my personal bag. It helps that my only suitcase currently is a small rolling bag that definitely falls in the carry on category. I have perfected the art of tightly rolling pieces that can be worked into at least three different outfits and sliding shoes along the edges. It is both an art and a science.

Travel comfy. I've book flights on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. My trip to Colorado will be long with tedious layovers — who needs to spend three hours waiting in Atlanta?! — while NYC is thankfully a single, straight shot from D.C. Either way you can expect to find me in leggings, a loose t-shirt, with a light sweater since being a comfortable temperature is not a luxury I can expect in any space I enter into.

Have all the entertainment. Books, mags, music; I've got it all. If you don't have a window seat you need to keep occupied, and people watching gets creepy after awhile. #lessonslearned

Stay organized. You probably know this. This note is mostly for me, when it's travel day and I go to look back on this post. For the love of all that is holy keep all tickets, passports, essential travel docs in one accessible pocket of your bag and avoid the, "Hold on, I swear I have it right here...nope..." moment in front of everyone who is already pissed they're waiting in line.

Look at me pretending like I'm a guru because I managed to book seats. :) I guess I could have worse reactions to performing adult tasks.

- Ashley

What are your biggest travel tips?

Spring Break: NYC

And just like that, it's over. A couple of my roommates and I just got back from a few days in the Big Apple for Spring Break and I already want to go back. There are still a few more days to be lazy and wander around Pittsburgh, though, so I will try not to waste the time wishing I was back window shopping down in Soho. Here are just a few of my favorite snaps from the little four-day vacation:

 

The moment I traveled to NYC to have...a cupcake from the Sprinkles ATM <3 Salty Caramel is a wonderful flavor.

 

Not pictured: The older gentleman who had some SERIOUS ice skating skills (sassy facial expressions included!)

 

The best kind of free entertainment. Seriously hilarious!

 

There could have been a better picture...if there had not been kids climbing all over.

 

Our hotel was in Midtown, not far from Times Square.

Also not pictured is our trip to Greenwich Village to see Carrie Bradshaw's apartment, the apartment building from Friends, followed by a short drive to sample a couple boozy cupcakes at Prohibition Bakery. I tried the Pretzels + Beer and Car Bomb flavors which were great–Pretzels + Beer was my favorite, though!

<3 Ashley

What are some of your favorite spots in NYC? What about for Spring Break?

Travel Tips

While I am sad that spring break is winding down--and I have not looked at my school work at all--I am also thrilled to get my last boring bus ride back to Pittsburgh out of the way. Next year we will have three parking spots at our house so I will be able to keep my car with me. This means that I can go get groceries without straining to carry them from the bus stop to my apartment, find an internship outside of the bus route and drive myself home for the holidays. I can honestly say that I will not miss riding the bus one bit (I get to save $95 from each break!) After taking so many trips, however, I find myself a little qualified to offer some tips about taking bus trips:

1 || Make sure you show up a bit early. The departure time on buses is pretty fixed. My bus has never left more than 10 minutes late for a trip. I make it a point to show up half an hour beforehand. That way I am on time and usually get myself I window seat!

2 || Get comfortable. Typically, when I am riding to or from home I like to wear a pair of leggings, boots or flats and a hoodie (being a college student has provided me with several!) Keeping clothing relatively loose will make the long hours of travel a bit more bearable.

3 || Have hand sanitizer on hand. Coach buses usually have a small bathroom on board. If you can't wait for the rest stop that usually comes every two hours you will need the sanitizer. Not one bus I have been on has had soap or sanitizer of any kind. Gross!

4 || Stay entertained, my friends. Always take something to do, otherwise you will be stuck staring out at the landscape for hours and hours while your seat partner ignores you. Unless your intent is napping make sure your iPod is loaded up or you have got a brand new book to keep your interest. Some buses will offer free WiFi as well but sometimes certain websites will be blocked. Imagine my annoyance at not being able to access Netflix. -_-

Hope this helps prepare for your next bus trip! Talking to you, fellow collegiates!

<3 Ashley

Do you travel by bus? What are your own travel tips?

Thanksgiving Style: Packing Light

As you read this I am either preparing for my bus ride home or am well on my way. Every year I get more and more anxious to go home and see my family and enjoy the holidays. Pittsburgh is great, but it's nice to get a break from the busy, busy, busy and change to a quieter setting. I will admit that though I am itching to make this trip, I have left the packing until the very last minute...procrastination at its finest. 

At this point I have got packing for the holidays down to a science--I take the bus home and they only allow one suitcase. Since I'm only home for a short period, I try to stick to only packing the basics. I make sure to look ahead at the weather forecast for the days that I am home and go from there. This year it's going to be straight up cold--snow tomorrow, of course! I've got several sweaters stacked in a corner of my bag, jeans and black leggings occupy another corner and one pair of boots and a pair of clogs in another. Then of course I take into account what I am wearing for travel; I've got flats, leggings and a button down handy (and I could honestly wear that again!) Of course, you also have to take into account your Black Friday haul!

<3 Ashley

Are you heading home for the holiday? What's in your suitcase?