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Tips for Travel Planning

Charlie and I are leaving for Washington DC next week! Though I’ve been to DC as a kid I barely remember a thing, and Charlie has never been. Traveling as adults is such a different thing for me, especially to places I’ve never been before. As a kid all I have to do is pack up my things and go! 
 
 
1. Transportation, sights, and the area. As an adult with no one responsible for my safety except me it requires some pre-planning lol! I have to do research to make sure I know how to get around, if a car rental is required, or if public transit is sufficient. Charlie and I have also found we have certain types of areas we like to stay when we travel. We’re not really touristy people, we’re not the type that like to take scheduled bus tours. We like to explore the city on our own, experience a place through its food scene, and do our own research before visiting monuments and sightsee.
 
2. Weather and packing. Something we do before a trip is monitor the weather wherever we’re going. That way we can make sure we packed the correct type of clothing for the trip. I tend to be an over-packer (surprise, surprise!) and Charlie prefers to travel as light as possible. As much as possible I try to keep my luggage limited to just a carry on so I don’t have the hassle of a checked bag. Either way it’s always good to bring some “just-in-case” items, you know, just in case. Even if it’s the dead of summer, at least bring a light sweater. If it’s winter bring something for warmer weather like a tank top or a t-shirt. You can always add the tank top as another layer in case it’s blistering cold!
 
3. Buy toiletries when you get there. Speaking of carry on, I always try to buy things like toiletries when I get to my destination. Especially if I’m only taking a carry on. That way I don’t have to worry about the 3 1 1 liquid rule. Once I get to my destination I usually go to a drug store or grocery store anyway, so might as well pick up simple necessities like tooth paste, sunscreen, shampoo, etc.
 
4. Distractions. Truth be told I’m not the best traveler. I get a stint of anxiety whenever we travel so I make sure I have a plethora of things to keep me distracted. I download games that don’t require and internet connection, I download tons of books and magazines, I have melatonin on hand so I can sleep at least part of the way, and I make sure I have at least 2 types of earbuds. I also try to work while I’m on the plane, that way I can get something done and be productive. Basically, anything I can do to keep my mind off being over 10,000 feet in the air I’ll do lol!
 
 
5. Create a general itinerary. Once I have wrapped my head around the basics of my travel destination I start to plan my trip in Evernote. I’ve done a YouTube video on this in the past and I’m telling you – it’s been a game changer. It just makes traveling and all the tiny little details a little more simple. I’m sure you can do something similar in any of your favorite note-taking apps or in your planner or notebook, but I love how Evernote doesn’t require me to have an internet connection (in case I’m traveling abroad), I can collaborate with Charlie or other travel buddies, and I can keep a carbon copy of all my confirmations in Evernote. The best thing is I don’t have to leave the app which is so useful when you’re trying to find confirmation numbers or little details on the spot.
 
I’m starting to get pretty excited to see a new place with my hubby! I’m so glad that Charlie and I travel well together. We’re interested in similar sights and attractions and our travel style is the same. We both like a balance of relaxation and exploring. I guess that lends well toward planning for travel since there’s not much planning to do lol! We both don’t like being pressured to be on a time table, be with a big group, and allow the location to just push us where the wind blows 🙂
 
xoxo,
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Foodie Friday – Oahu Hawaii Edition

I always say, the best way to experience a new place is through their food scene. Eat at places you’ve never been before, try food that you haven’t tasted, and ask the locals where they like to eat!

When we go to Hawaii we have our list of places to try and things to eat while we’re there. We’ve tried a bunch of places and have every intention to try more we go to Oahu. I thought I’d compile my list of places for those that have been asking 😊

1. Helena’s Hawaiian Food. THIS. IS. A. MUST! It had to be the first place I tell you about. It’s the best place you can go for Hawaiian food! My personal favorite dish is their fried butter fish with gravy. Everything is really good – there’s nothing I’ve had there that I didn’t enjoy. But O.M.G. That butter fish is just out of this world amazing. I’ve tried to make it myself, tried to find it elsewhere – nope.

Fried Butter Fish with Gravy from Helena’s

2. Poke. You’ve got to have poke when you go to Hawaii. We usually go to Foodland to get poke cuz of their convenience and variety. BUT, if you want legit poke on Oahu I would definitely check out Tanioka’s.

3. Shrimp. Another stop you just have to make while on Oahu is the shrimp stalls/trucks on the North Shore. Giovanni’s is always a popular choice, but Charlie and I love to stop at Romy’s!

4. Uncle Bo’s Restaurant. If you want to go to a place for great food and drinks we love going to Uncle Bo’s! We first found this place when I was still planning weddings, one of my clients that was getting married in Hawaii had their rehearsal dinner here. It was delicious and we’ve been back there multiple times since!

5. Last but not least, you can’t visit Oahu without stopping at Leonard’s to get some of their tasty malasadas. A malasada is a soft bread/donut that’s fried, almost like a cronut but so. much. better! My personal favorite is their haupia filled malasadas but you can’t go wrong with the classic!

Can’t wait to go back! Is it normal to have withdrawals 5 days after a trip?

xoxo,

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Coming Home from Vacation – Time to Reset!

We took a red eye flight from Hawaii back to LA yesterday – we arrived at 5 am, went home, rested for a couple hours, drove to Oxnard a food show, then straight to work. 😪 We were still pretty tired but the red eye flight helped, it was my first time pretty much sleeping all the way through a flight. If you’re not good with airplane rides I can’t recommend red eye flights enough!

We had such a good time in Hawaii! It was definitely a short trip, but was well worth it.

We ate so much food and drank so many cocktails haha! Charlie and I had a list of food places that we wanted to hit and take his family . There’s really nothing like Hawaiian food! One of our favorite places to go while we’re there is Helena’s. We highly recommend making a stop there any time you’re on Oahu! We have our favorite dishes but anything you order from there is delicious!

Charlie and I always say that if it weren’t for our fur babies we would move to Hawaii. The island has a strict policy with dogs and other pets coming into the island because the island doesn’t have rabies. To bring your dog there you have to go through the application process and quarantine your dogs before they are approved to be transported there. But we love Hawaii! There’s just something about the atmosphere that is unlike any place 🌺

Now that we’re back I’m really excited to get back into eating well. I think the guilt of eating so much food and alcohol got to me haha! I’ve decided that I’m going to do a reset and go back onto my intermittent fasting diet. I’ve tried a bunch of different food lifestyles (I don’t like to call them diets) but the 2 that have worked well for me is the low carb/keto diet and intermittent fasting.

With everything I ate and drank I decided I’m going to do a 7 day green tea detox and do intermittent fasting. I’ve decided to go with intermittent fasting instead of keto because as a restaurant owner I don’t have much time to eat while at work anyway. I drink water while I’m at work, and then from 4-8 pm I allow myself to eat. The great thing is with that food regimen I’m able to “eat what I want” just not when I want. I put “eat what I want” in quotes because everything has to be in moderation – of course. I still have a caloric allowance every day and macros I can’t exceed, but with this diet I have the flexibility of eating what we have so long as it fits within that allowance. Flexibility in menu is so important for us right now because 1. After work we’re too tired to go out and buy groceries or eat out sometimes and 2. We have limited funds so eating out or buying high end/expensive items at the grocery store just isn’t an option for us right now.

I’m curious to see what my body stats are right now considering I went on vacation, hopefully I didn’t gain too much weight! 😆 I usually do a weigh in at the beginning of every month, so we’ll see then!

Xoxo,

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