Pack light when traveling...

I still owe a post in my 5-part homeschooling series, and I swear someday I will get it done! Today, however, I want to talk about packing light while traveling. Author Elizabeth Gilbert's FB page today had a post about women traveling solo, and one of her suggestions is to pack light. A commenter, however, asked HOW does one do that.

I've spent a month in Mexico with only one backpack to carry all of my things. I spent 10 days in New York City with the same back pack. I've traveled cross-country twice, and both times, although I had tons of stuff with me, I only dipped into one single bag for clothes and toiletries.

Weekender tote bag by The Orange Door Boutique on Etsy - I could totally pack for a month in this one bag. Isn't it gorgeous?

Here are my tips for traveling light - this is my exact comment in response to the woman who commented on Liz's FB post:


Clothes that serve multiple purposes - a single pair of black paints or a black skirt in a forgiving, wrinkle resistant material can be worn for casual or dressy events or anything in between and goes with just about any kind of top. White, gray, black tops go with everything. Or, if you keep the bottoms neutral, take any top will pair with it. By taking easy to mix-match clothes you can take fewer clothes. Also, fabrics that can be worn more than once without getting smelly or that air out easily between wearings so you don't have to do laundry frequently.

I took a single backpack for a month long trip to Mexico once. We stayed in a hotel with a laundry service - it cost next to nothing so I could wear everything, put on my last clean outfit, and send the rest to be laundered every week for very little cost.

For a long trip, I pack 5-6 pairs of underwear and socks, an extra bra in addition to the one I'm wearing, a second pair of shoes (stuff the shoes with socks, underwear, and other stuff when packing to save space!), flip flops/sandals, one pair of pants, one skirt, and three tops. I carry a jacket or sweater on to the plane with me as I always get cold when flying. I usually wear a shirt and lounge pants on the plane and use those as pajamas while traveling. Oh, and I typically pack a hat of some sort (something that can be squished or folded up). Toiletries when traveling are toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion. I buy any other toiletries (shampoo, tampons/pads, for example) at my destination. 

I don't take things like a hairdryer, curlers, etc when traveling...although I don't use those at home either! 

I suggest pack a week before your trip. Two days later, remove 1/3 of whatever you packed. Two days after that remove another third. Only take what's left. Even with the small amount I pack, I always find one or two items that I don't wear at all during the trip.

I love taking clothing brands like Royal Robbins, Ex-Officio, Patagonia, Columbia, etc as they often are designed for travel with forgiving fabrics that don't wrinkle or that can be shaken out, and often don't absorb body odor.

My favorite book about women traveling solo:

Carschooling...how to homeschool while traveling...

Recently, a mom on the Hip Homeschool Mom's Facebook page posted a question about continuing homeschooling while traveling.  How do you do it?  Do you just quit?  Try to carry on as normally as possible?  Make modifications? Since we traveled cross-country by car two summers ago, and have taken numerous drives up and down the Pacific Coast of the United States, I feel fairly well equipped to answer this question.

 

Gnorm the Traveling Gnome on the dash of our car, along with maps and other materials.

Get the kids involved in the planning!
First and foremost, you should know where you are going, right?  And, how you will get there?  I am a firm believer in relating lessons to whatever is happening around us.  For our trip, we planned to travel through California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and finally New York.  Together, my son and I went to our local AAA office where we picked up travel books on each state or region - the books are FREE if you are a AAA member!!!  We poured over them talking about the merits of staying overnight in certain locations, the best historic sites to visit, and so on.

We printed out an outline map of the United States, and got hold of stickers depicting the state flags.  Then, JP roughly marked our travel route on the map.  We did quite a few calculations using the distances we would travel - how long is the trip total without stops? How long with certain stops? What would be the fastest we could reasonably make the trip?  We did calculations based on our budget and possible choices we could make as well.  Lots of math, geography, and a bit of history all involved just in planning the trip!

Gnorm, updating our map.

Decide on materials to bring along...

Our journey was not a vacation.  It was a move.  We moved from California to New York, and thus brought pretty much everything with us that would fit in our car.  But, that doesn't mean it was all accessible.  I decided to pack a few bags that we could easily get in and out of the car.  One was clothes and toiletries for our journey.  One bag was nonperishable snacks and treats.  The third was full of books, magazines, school supplies, etc.  The third was accessible from our front seat. 

In that third bag, I had packed our packet of maps, with the USA map on top.  I had a pouch filled with pencils, pens, and colored pencils, and plenty of paper (both blank, and lined, as well as notebooks).  There were several reading books (some chosen by my son, some chosen by me), stationery to write letters to friends, and worksheets relating to other subjects that I felt JP needed to keep working on. 

 

Mt. Shasta in California

Take advantage of the natural scenery, as well as the man-made...
I am a firm believer in conversation as a large part of learning.  We learn when we are engaged with the world around us, and with the people around us.  So, as you travel along, look out the window...what do you see? Ask the kids what they see...anything that surprises them?  Anything they have never seen before?  Something they have seen before, but don't really know about?  On our cross-country journey, we saw mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, and so on.  The natural beauty of our country is ripe for conversations - we talked about how geography affected explorers, pioneers, and settlers as they moved west.  That led to a discussion about the interaction between the "white man" and indigenous peoples.  From there we talked about customs and rituals of various groups of people.

Don't forget to talk about the man-made things you see as well.  We saw trains, various types of work vehicles, cranes, barns and silos, factories, and so on.  From these things, we talked about different aspects of farming which led to a discussion about our food choices, pesticides, and a variety of health issues.  We talked about how transportation has evolved over the last two hundred years, and the impact on travel, trade, and cultural exchange.  As we stopped at various locations, we talked about the differences in the people we met, the layout of towns, and so on.

On the road, you see lots of interesting vehicles.

Perfect opportunity to talk about transportation, multiple types of industry, and trade.

When possible, visit historic sites...
Because of our budget, and time line, we didn't stop at as many historic sites as either of us would have liked.  But, we did make a point of stopping at Mt. Rushmore.  First of all, my Google Maps directions SUCKED and took us on a crazy backroads round-about are-we-lost kind of adventure...  But, that adventure also took us through some interesting small towns we never would have seen if we'd stayed on the main highway.  We saw tiny towns, an amazing part of the Black Hills that we would never have seen otherwise.  We also accidentally drove up to the Crazy Horse National Monument (but didn't get out of our car as it was getting late...).  

As you visit historic sites, don't just go and look, then leave.  Take the time to find out why that site exists...what is the deeper significance?  If there is a museum attached, stop and take a look.  At Mt. Rushmore, you can not only look at the amazing carved mountain, but also visit the museum, see a great display of the flags of the United States, and take a few different walks through the wooded areas.  Talk to other travels too!  Many have interesting stories to tell, and these sites are a great place to meet people...far better than meeting random people at rest stops, right?

Let your kids pick out postcards at the sites you visit.  They can practice their writing skills by sending postcards to their friends and family.  But, be sure to let them keep some postcards as keepsakes as well.   

Mt. Rushmore!

Reading the quotations of Teddy Roosevelt, after visiting Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota.

Keep a travel journal, and encourage everyone else to keep a travel journal too...or keep one all together...
Several years ago, JP and I began keeping a journal together when we travel.  When he was still fairly young, I would ask him his thoughts at the end of each day - what was the best part of his day? What was the most interesting thing he saw?  And so on...  As JP has gotten older, I've allowed him to keep his own journal, or document our trips in his own way.  Sometimes that means photographs, other times writing things down, sometimes drawing comics about the trip.

For our cross-country trip, I wrote some journal entries on my computer, but I also took photos along the way - several in each state we drove through, and I made little notes that I photographed too.  I tried to take pictures of the "Welcome to XYZ State!" each time we crossed a border, but only a few came out clearly.

Many families play the license plate game as they travel, and it is easily adaptable to keeping track of other things.  For those not familiar, in the license plate game, you keep track of license plate sightings from other states.  We have 50 states, how many can you find represented on license plates while you drive?  Bonus if you see Hawaii or Alaska!  Don't want to keep track of license plates?  No problem...keep track of plants seen, unusual monuments visited, or anything else that interests your family...maybe birds spotted? 

Don't drive through Idaho at night...scary!

Gnorm the Traveling Gnome helped us keep track of our travels.

Parting tips...
A few other things to consider when carschooling, or homeschooling while traveling...

• Bring a laptop computer, tablet, or netbook:  Many places now offer free wi-fi.  With free wi-fi, you can look up the places you are visiting, find alternatives if plans don't workout, watch videos at the hotel when everyone is exhausted from the day, or keep up with online or computer-based lessons.  Even some of the rest stops on our journey had free wi-fi!
• Don't forget your cell phone charger!  Things happen!  Don't forget the laptop charger as well...and, while you are at it, pack a power converter!  I got mine at Radio Shack...you plug it into the cigarette lighter thingy, and it has and outlet on the end that a regular power cord can plug into.  JP was able to watch some videos, and play some games during the less interesting parts of our trip.
• Bring audio-books!  On this trip we listened to ALL of Story of the World, as well as several audio-discs of Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion".  On previous trips we have listened to the books Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling, and A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin.
• Make sure everyone has a water bottle.  Refill your water bottles whenever you can instead of buying sodas and juices at every stop...an occasional soda or juice is fine, but really, water is great!
• Bring extra rolls of toilet paper, and a roll of paper towels.  You never know when you will find a rest stop without tp, or when someone will spill something in the car!
• HAVE FUN!!!!  Yes, you can learn plenty while traveling, but having fun together is the most important part of your trip, right?

Montana -gorgeous!

Part II: Boston and the Freedom Trail - walking through history...

You can read Part I of our Boston adventure HERE.  After seeing the British march down the street, and standing below the balcony where the Declaration of Independence was first read publicly, my son, my uncle and I continued further along the Freedom Trail in Boston.

We wandered along and passed several interesting, but crowded sites.  We were going to go into the Paul Revere House, but there was a presentation happening, and as a result, it was PACKED.  Put that on the list of things to do on a weekday, off season!  I did take a picture of the sign though...

Along the path, we came to a statue of Paul Revere on his horse, and we also found a lovely, well shaded courtyard, where we stopped to have a snack and rest.  While we were sitting and eating, we were approached by a group of young teens who were on a scavenger hunt.  They needed someone to say "One if by land, two if by sea."  My uncle was willing, and he said, "One if by land, two if by sea, three if by air..."  The group of kids didn't get it, but JP and I were laughing...if you don't get the joke, google "One if by land, two if by sea..."

At the end of the courtyard, we also came across this monument to soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.  My son is a big military history buff, and this was a very important stop on our tour as a result.

After our rest, and checking out the war memorial, we moved on, passing The Old North Church, and heading towards Copp's Hill Burying Ground.  We didn't spend a whole lot of time here as there was something huge coming up on our tour, and I wanted to surprise JP with the next stop...

He looks thrilled to be at a cemetery, doesn't he (we had already explored a different one the day before...)...

And, on we walked, and walked, and walked...and finally came to....are you ready?  THIS:

and THIS:

You haven't seen a happy boy until you've seen JP spotting these bad boy ships!

The U.S.S. Constitution (aka Old Ironsides) is actually still in use the US Navy, so we had to go through security go on board.  Apparently they use it for training exercises...  But, the destroyer is out of commission and in dry dock.  There was no security check for that.

Can you just see his mind at work? "Hmmm....no one will notice if I fire this thing, right?" Heeheehee...

After the two ships, we moved on to the Bunker Hill monument.  From the Boston National Historic Park website:  ""Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" This legendary order has come to symbolize the conviction and determination of the ill-equipped American colonists facing powerful British forces during the famous battle fought on this site on June 17, 1775. The battle is popularly known as "The Battle of Bunker Hill" although most of the fighting actually took place on Breed's Hill, the site of the existing monument and exhibit lodge. Today, a 221-foot granite obelisk marks the site of the first major battle of the American Revolution."

Next post will be the less-historical aspects of our weekend trip!

Part I: Boston and the Freedom Trail - walking through history...

Over the Fourth of July weekend, my son and I had the opportunity to travel to Boston.  Since it was a weekend to celebrate the independence of our great nation from British rule, it seemed like a good idea to take a walk down the Freedom Trail.  Don't know what that is?  The Freedom Trail is a walking route through Boston which highlights many of the important sites in the early history of our nation.  Come along with us as we relive that walk through our photos...

For convenience, the Freedom Trail is marked with a red line and these medallions set into the sidewalk.  The red line is mostly brick, but in some places is just a red line painted on the ground.  It took us through many fun and interesting neighborhoods, through the middle of a farmers market, and into the heart of Boston.

The Trail starts at the Boston Common, part of which was undergoing some sort of construction.  Today, commons exist in many towns and cities in the Northeast, and really throughout the country.  But, do you know what they used to be?  Now most of them are nice parks where we stroll along, and maybe have a picnic.  But, originally commons were developed in the center of towns and villages as a communal grazing ground for cows. 

We avoided the construction at Boston Common, and walked past the State House (closed on the day of our visit), poked around the Park Street Church, and saw the grave of Samuel Adams at the Granary Burying Ground.

Samuel Adams was a statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.  He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, helped draft the Articles of Confederation, and was eventually elected governor of Massachusetts. Our trip was planned somewhat last minute, and we didn't explore the cemetery all that much, otherwise we would have also visited the grave of Paul Revere.

As we were walking by the cemetery, we heard music coming from down the street.  When we stopped and watched and listened, we realized THE BRITISH ARE COMING! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!  Along came a group of period actors dressed as British soldiers.  A bystander began yelling at them, "Go home Tories! Go home!" which added to the historic significance.

The next stop along the Freedom Trail is King's Chapel, which was founded by Royal Governor Sir Edmund Andros in 1686 as the first Anglican Church in New England.  The original King's Chapel was a wooden structure which was demolished.  In 1749, a new stone structure was built, which is the building standing today.  Interestingly, according to Wikipedia, the stone structure was built around the old wooden church.  The wooden church was taken apart, and the pieces were removed through the windows of the new church.  The wood was then shipped to Nova Scotia and used to construct a church there.  During the Revolutionary war, King's Chapel was vacant, and did not reopen until 1782.Paul Revere was a member of King's Chapel, and the family of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, attended as well.

There were a number of other stops along the Freedom Trail between King's Church and the Old State House, but I will reserve those for another post.  Right now, I want to jump to the stop that I found to be the most important, even if we didn't actually spend a lot of time there...the Old State House.  Why is this site so special?  Because, it is where the Declaration of Independence was read publicly for the first time.  Unfortunately, the building was closed during our visit.  But, put yourself in 1776.  Imagine standing in the street with your friends and family as the Declaration of Independence was read aloud.  The birth of a nation and freedom from British rule!  What a time to have been alive!

On July 18, 1776, from the east balcony, Col. Thomas Crafts, one of the "Sons of Liberty", emerges with Sheriff William Greenleaf, after having read the document in the Council Chamber.  Greenleaf attempted to read the Declaration but could get no more than a whisper.  Crafts took over and read it to the crowd.  Imagine the feelings sweeping through the people below, listening to the document that would shape the country?  It is estimated that 2/3 of Bostonians supported the revolution.  What joy and revelry there must have been on that afternoon!

  

Next post, I will cover several other significant stops along the way.  The post after that will be a few interesting asides from the same trip.  Stay tuned!

Just a small sampling of photos from our trip to the Harvard Museum of Natural History this weekend!  We also walked the Freedom Trail in Boston.  Overall, a busy, exhausting, FUN weekend!  More posts throughout the week with details and photos...  My son loved the geology specimens at the museum so much that we decided to scrap plans for chemistry in the fall as part of his homeschool curriculum, and to do geology instead!

Travelin' Thursday...

Whew! Time is ticking!  JP and I leave for our cross-country adventure in only 34 days!  Can you believe that???  I can't!  I feel like we still have so much to do in order to prepare.  Everything from continuing to sort, purge, pack to planning logistics, to getting important papers together to....EVERYTHING!

Excuse me while I take a moment to have a stress-relieving scream....

Screamer by TheDoomGirls on Etsy

Much better now that the screaming is done with.  Now, down to business!  Or....blog writing in order to prolong the inevitable packing, planning, purging, sorting...

The last *major* move I made was in October, 2002 and it was from Portland, Oregon to Northern California.  It was a fast, scary move that I felt I had no choice but to make.  I was escaping an abusive relationship and trying to save the emotional and mental health of myself and my child.  It was tough!  I couldn't have done it without my sister and my brother-in-law.  At the time, I felt broken emotionally, mentally, financially.  I was physically drained from stress and worry.  I asked my sister and her husband to help, and they did.  In 24 hours they were in Portland, got a moving truck, got it packed, and helped me finish up some last minute details.  I left so many things behind!  So many things!  I had no choice.  I had to grab the things that were most important to me, the essentials for getting by, and that was it.  I had to leave most of the things that I merely liked but wanted to keep.  I left books.  I left dishes and pots and pans.  I left a few pieces of furniture.  I left tons of JP's toys.  I left so much stuff.  BUT, I also left with my self and my child intact.  I left with a foundation to build on.  

I never want to make *that* kind of move again.  Never.

So, in 34 days, what kind of move do I *want* to make?  I want to make a move that is filled with fun, adventure, and excitement!  I want this to be a move where, although we will have many uncertainties, it will be fun to experience the road ahead.  Thankfully, this time, if we leave things behind, I know they will be safe.  If we leave things behind, we can come back for them later, and we can know that my mom will keep our things for us.  

 The Road Less Traveled by byZIEHL

In 34 days, we will be off to see 13 states over the course of about 17 days.  We will stop in cities, towns, and other locations of historic significance.  We will stop in places that are one of a kind - places we may never have visited otherwise.  And, with JP being on the cusp of 12 years old, we are doing it at the perfect time!  JP is already an excellent traveler, having been up and down the Pacific Coast by car numerous times, and having flown to Mexico City and back.  He loves looking out the window and seeing the changing scenery.  He loves thinking about (and discussing) what the area would have been like a few hundred years ago.  He loves seeing historic sites and envisioning what it would have been like to live there.  JP even loves the drudgery of travel - he loves going for miles with nothing really to see except more of the same stuff he saw for the last four hours.  He loves taking turns choosing what to listen to on the radio or cd player.  He loves stopping at rest stops and comparing how each one is different from the others - "Mom! This one has Doritos!  The last one only had M and M's in the vending machine! And, do you remember the first rest stop today that had NO vending machines and a broken toilet?"  Seriously, my kid *LIKES* rest stops...weird...

 Rest Stop 3 1963 Dodge by mvyost

I wish I could be as laid back and relaxed about this adventure as my boy.  But, I can't.  I have to do all of the planning.  I have to worry about how much this trip will cost.  I have to worry about having cell phone service if we have a problem.  I have to worry about where we will stay each night.  I have to worry about....everything.  So, I'm trying to focus less on the big picture and more on breaking things down step by step...but, that picture is BIG and hard to ignore.  This is a HUGE move.  This is our entire lives changing dramatically for at least the next two years while I go to graduate school in another state...on another coast...where we know one person...one person that we haven't seen or spoken to regularly since were kids and saw each other during annual vacations.

This is huge.

How are we going to do it?  How can we not do it?  This is huge...huge in a positive way.  Huge in a reshaping our futures for success and living out our dreams kind of way.  I mean, isn't that what living in the United States of America should be all about?  Just because it is 2010 and our economy has all but fallen apart and times ahead are so uncertain for so many of us doesn't mean anyone should give up the fabled "American Dream."  If anything, those of us that have felt bogged down should say, "I HAVE A DREAM AND I AM GOING TO MAKE IT A REALITY!  I CAN AND I WILL!"  Stay tuned as JP and I make our dreams become realities!  

 Speedy Travel Service Suitcase by stilletogirl

As always, I would love to hear from anyone that has made a cross-country move by car.  Advice?  Thanks for reading!

Love, M and J

Moving Prep - Trying Not to be Overwhelmed...

Wow!  We have less than a month and a half left before we move!  I can hardly believe it!  I am excited but nervous too!!!!  JP is getting more and more excited with each passing day as well, but I don't sense any nervousness on his part.

We have already sold or donated a lot of stuff but have tons more to get rid of.  Then, we have to figure out what to pack now and what to pack right before we go.  And, what to pack in our trailer vs. what to pack in the car for easy access.  And, should we ship anything?  Should we leave some stuff at my mom's house until we know if we'll stay in New York long term?  Not to mention a few legal items to take care of before we go (nothing major...just some paperworky type of stuff).  And, medical check ups for both of us, and for the dog.  And, and, and...

I have set aside one box that will absolutely go in the car with us.  It will have a few trip essentials since we are driving cross-country from California, north to Washington, and then east to New York.  In that box, I already have:
* rolls of toilet paper
* packages of disposable toilet seat covers
* first aid and allergy kits
* French Press for my morning coffee
* two picnic plates and picnic silverware
* two bath towels and washclothes
* travel pillows

But, there are so many more things to consider!

And, during our travels, I plan to have a box of our main Etsy (M and J Designs) inventory as well as our secondary Etsy shop (Marbles and Jam) inventory in the car with us as well so our shop will stay open as we travel!  Did you know that most McDonald's locations now have free Wi-Fi and that on July 1st most Starbucks locations will begin to offer the same?  So, I will still be checking in on our Etsy and Zazzle shops, our Facebook fan page, Twitter, email, and this blog...

If you travel long distances by car, or have gone cross-country in the United States, what are your tried and true tips?  The more tips, the better!