From AZ to SF: Spring Break 2015 + Tips for Road Trips
Last week was my last college spring break, and as always, I spent it on choir tour rather than getting to have a traditional spring break. Last year, we went to Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, and this year we spent it going to Arizona then all the way through California up to San Francisco.
This year's tour was the most relaxing out of all of them due to a couple concerts being cancelled and with the way that scheduling worked out. We had tons of free time to shop and do some exploring. The top 2 touristy spots we went to were Sedona, Arizona and San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. We didn't have tons of time in SF so we were restricted to pretty much just one tiny area of the city.
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Sedona, Arizona |
Regardless, I had an amazing time with the girls and singing for the different groups of people we encountered. (The children were the best!) This trip, like last year's trip had tons of long hours on the bus almost every day of tour, which meant that we spent lots of hours cramped up in a bus seat with our bus partners (if we had one) and our carry-on things.
Here is what I learned about road trips:
+ Don't expect to get tons of work done, especially with a full itinerary!
We had wifi on the bus, and we also spent a lot of time on the bus so I thought that it would be a great place for me to get things done (aka blog stuff). I was totally wrong. Every time I took out my laptop I felt like I was going to throw up (I get car sick if I read something for too long) and I never felt comfortable in my sitting position. Even if I did, my butt fell asleep which was uncomfortable for me later. If none of that, I just wanted to sleep.
So basically, a bus' conditions are not ideal. I knew that because of last year's trip to Oregon & Washington, but I thought that with my blog having so much going for it that I'd be more motivated to work on the bus this year. NOT. Some people were able to get stuff done but I've noticed that's definitely not me.
+ Take advantage of reclining seats (and all free space)!
Our seats reclined, so whenever possible I reclined it back (with permission from my friend behind me of course) to get as close to a lying down position as I could. With long periods of time on these buses making most people feel claustrophobic, using any space you can is highly recommended.
Other examples of using free space: taking up a whole row if spacing of your group allows or sleeping on the floor! I slept on the floor a lot on last year's PNW trip and it was the most comfortable sleep I ever got on those nice charter buses. (Plus, the floors were heated which was great for the weather we were in last year).
I know that most of the time when you do road trips you'll be in cars rather than buses, but sometimes these tips can still apply if your car is big enough. Hey, you can get creative.
+ Bring travel sanitary products (soap, wipes, toilet paper) just in case.
I only had to do this once at a place that didn't have soap at their sinks. Luckily, I brought these portable soap bomb-type "candies" by Bon Bliss Beauty and was able to wash my hands without worrying about feeling nasty. You want to stay prepared.
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So those are all my tips for road trips that I have for now. I'm hoping to go on a more relaxing road trip with some friends soon, maybe before Darell leaves for Australia. Until then, have any other tips I missed? Share them with me so I can keep them in mind!
I just went to San Fran on a road trip! Best time ever.
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