In the days leading up to the week-long road trip that Jesse and I embarked on earlier this month, I had I idea to chronicle every part of the journey to share on Instagram. Then to write a long ‘what we did post’ to give you all the inside scoop.
Then something funny happened. I put down my phone, grabbed Jesse’s hand and I decided to enjoy the trip. And it was wonderful.
Curious about what we did? From the significant to the shallow, here they are.

We gave ourselves plenty of downtime.
One of the first trips Jesse and I went on was to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We had lots of fun, but we were so desperate to see all the things that we made ourselves crazy.
Oops, we forgot to relax on our vacation.
We have been giving ourself more downtime, but this time around we hit our grove. We did all of the site-seeing we had planned to do, and we also had plenty of time to eat ice cream, and people watch. And also get beers and watch Veronica Mars at our Airbnb.
We brought a laundry bag along (and kept it in the back of the truck).
This one is so simple but ended up being a lifesaver. Our bag was packed stuff full. As the week went on, we threw all of the dirty things in a cloth laundry bag. It was all worthwhile when we got home, and all of our dirty clothes were in the same place. Bonus points – the bag is also washable.
My purse stayed home.
My sister showed up to one of our breakfast dates with one of those sling backpacks a few years ago, and I thought that would be great for travel. I found myself a second hand one a few months ago and took it along on our road trip instead of my purse.
I must say, I do love my bag, but the backpack worked so much better. It was hands-free, out of the way, and it stored everything I needed (and some stuff that I didn’t).
I got a love handle for my phone.
I have this paranoia about dropping my phone off a cliff or in Lake Michigan while taking a picture. But since I am a straight-up contrarian, so you will probably not find me with a pop socket.
Enter the love handle. It is a small piece of elastic you attach to the back of your phone case. It is just long enough to tuck your finger into while holding your phone and still slim enough to fit into your pocket as usual.
That’s it! One significant and three shallow things Jesse and I did to make your vacation full of relaxation and fun.
There is nothing worse than needing a vacation from your vacation, right? What do you do to make it more relaxing?
PS How to plan for a Road Trip and Road Food