We are going to Portland tomorrow! We will be flying into Portland and rent a car to drive all the way down the coast back to San Francisco. I am really excited because I have finally did the itinerary yesterday. I know it’s kind of last minute, but if you have been following my posts, I have been busy (perhaps a little carried away) with the Game of Thrones festivity.
Anyways, it’s all back on track now. Last night I did nearly 3 hours of planning. Basically it involved highlighting all the must-see and must-eat places and then plan each day out so the flow and timing work together. I like to describe this process as trimming the fat. In my younger days, I used to travel like a pinball, hitting all the major places on a tight schedule. But now, I like to travel at a more relaxing pace. Sometimes it means skipping some must-see attractions but I think a thorough experience in one attraction trumps in-and-out experiences in multiple attractions.
So with the planning done, it’s time for packing! Over the years, I have accumulated a really comprehensive packing list that can be adapted to different types of trips from beach holiday to backpacking adventure. For this trip, I decided to sketch out my packing list (not including clothes) so that I can take it with me on the trip as a visual check list before we leave our hotel for the next city. We will see how well this works out =) If you see anything I missed, let me know!
- Laptop + charger
- Phone + charger
- Selfie stick
- Headphones
- Kindle
- Sketch pad
- Pencil HB + pen + eraser + sharpener
- Printouts of reservations
- ID + credit card
- House keys
- Wallet
- Travel purse
- Flip flops
- Walking shoes
- Socks
- Umbrella
- Hat
- Glasses + disposable contact lenses
- Sunglasses
- Eye mask + earplugs
- Necklace + earrings
- Hair ties + hairpins
- Hair roller (for bangs)
- Comb
- Laundry bag
- Toiletry bag
- Toothpaste + brush + floss
- Lip balm
- Sunscreen
- Body + face lotions
- Shampoo + conditioner
- Feminine pads
- Soap
- Nail clipper
- Basic makeup (blush + powder foundation + bb cream + eye liner + eye shadow)
- Curl iron
- Cellphone car holder
- Extra tote bags
Meanwhile, stay tuned for the road trip updates! I will also continue to work on the Game of Thrones emoticons and keep you posted when new ones are ready for you to download!
