Last week my sister and I set off on our very first sister road trip down the Pacific Coast. It was not our first time traveling together.  In fact, we have been on a lot of crazy adventures together on our own like hiking the Inca Trail and canoeing up the Columbia River.  I used the term ‘crazy’ because we encountered some major “glitches” like having difficulty breathing due to high altitude sickness or getting caught in a current we couldn’t get out.  Fortunately, we always overcame those obstacles and laughed about them later (after we recovered).

Day 1-3 San Luis Obispo – Morro Bay – Pismo – Tolosa – Avila – Harmony – Cambria

Day 4-5 Piedras Blancas – Esalen – Nepenthe – Big Sur – Pfeiffer Falls – Monterey

This sister road trip is hands down the easiest trip we have ever had!  No major glitches, not even minor ones!  So here are 8 takeaways to power boost your next sister road trip!

1. Compile a big playlist of nostalgic music. Whether the songs are from your high school or college days, they are ideal for a sister road trip.  My sister brought a stack of CDs that we used to listen to a lot (Jay Chou and Elva Hsiao). They brought back so many fond memories of our childhood.
2. Bring healthy snacks.  We packed healthy snacks like apples, nuts and crackers for our trip and avoided sugar and salt-laden junk food.  It was a great decision because we were able to indulge at local restaurants and make short stops at local cafe to try homemade pastries and local beverages.
3. Share an entree together.  Instead of ordering an entree each, we often shared one entree so we could save room for dessert while at the same time avoid leftovers to take on the road trip.
4. Invest in a hiking hat with a neck flap **(our personal favorite).  This hat is multi-functional.  It’s not just for hiking, turn the flap to the side, it becomes the perfect shield against morning or afternoon sun while you are in the car.
5. Pack comfortable shoes and sandals.  After a long hike, nothing felt better than taking off your hiking boots and switching to sandals.  Here’s a complete packing list.
6. Get a selfie stick for awesome sister shots.  The selfie stick was super handy because often there was no one around to help take a photo for us.
7. Pack a small cooler.  The car was bathed in the sun all day, the cooler helped keep our food fresh and cool.
8. Keep it flexible.  There are always endless attractions and landmarks to see.  We kept our plan very flexible so we could enjoy our road trip without rushing from place to place.  Some days we didn’t set up alarm so we could let our bodies rest fully before we got back on the road.
9. Book a spa massage at the end of the trip.  A spa massage together was THE perfect ending to a sister road trip!

Here is a little background about my sister.  She is a trip planning whiz.  She always knows where to collect local information and map out a flexible itinerary.  Not only that, she is a foodie with an exceptional palate.  So naturally, our trips are full of delicious food =P

By the way, next week my husband and I are heading to Taiwan!  It’s going to be a 4-week long trip filled with family, food, culture and more food.  I will be snapping away with my new camera to show you how amazing this island is and exploring new parts of Taiwan that you have never seen before.  There will be hot spring soaking, xiao-long-bao binging, night market hopping and more.  I am totally going all out on this one because right after we return, I am starting a new position as an environment designer.  I think it will be a long while before we can go on a long trip like this.  So stay tuned, it’s going to be a Taiwan you have never seen before!

Join my Sprinkles Letters for exclusive offers and more inspirations!