7 travel essentials to bring on a Roadtrip 

When you’re planning an extended vacation the most important and obvious things come to mind (cell phone, wallet, car keys, clothes etc.), but to make your trip as enjoyable as possible remember these 10 travel essentials. Check out my original post documenting my 8 Day West Coast Roadtrip.

img_70141. A portable battery charger and cables – My cell phone’s lifespan is very short and as a tourist who loves snapping photos and taking videos my phone is often drained.

2. Cash – Some of the smaller shops don’t accept plastic so be sure to hit up the bank. Personally I withdrew $200 and requested the teller to break them up into $1s, $5s, $10s and $20s.

3. A blanket and pillow – They make the long drives a bit more bearable and depending on your room accommodations these two items may help you sleep better. I’ve noticed that at a few Air BnB places the blankets tend to be thiner and why yes that is a Harry Potter blanket. *wink* It was a splurge gift to myself from Universal Studios Harry Potter World Soft opening. Here’s the link to see check out the Hogwarts Crest Throw.

4. Cds of your favorite music or an Ipod– There are stretches in the trip where you’ll have limited reception and there’s only so many times when you can listen to Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” on the radio – think of it as a bomb karaoke party!

img_71355. Good walking shoes – We parked the car and usually did not go back until the end of the day. Ladies leave the heels at home, your feet will thank you!

6. Sunscreen and shades – Vitamin D is great, but too much of a good thing can be harmful. Protect you skin and shield your eyes. At my local RiteAid they were doing a B1G1 Free for all Hawaiian Tropic Products.

I got this Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration SPF 30 and smells really nice. It’s glides on easily and there no white cast that you get from some other products. Here’s a link on amazon if you’re curious to see what others have to say about the product.

And sunglasses will help when the sun shines in your eyes as you’re driving.

7. Water – This may sound like a no brainer, but there may be long stretches on the trip when you won’t see a city for miles and you definitely don’t want to be dehydrated while driving.

I recommend investing in some type of water container and purchasing a gallon of water (as opposed to the bottles) so you can refill as needed when you make your stops. It’s cheaper and you’ll be doing the planet a huge favor.

 

Are there other items that aren’t on this list that should be? Comment below!

XOXO,

Rockstar

 

 

Explore the West Coast for Cheap – 8 Day Roadtrip!

If you’ve been following the hashtag #FollowYu on my Instagram account (Add @Yurockstar if you’re not) – you’d know that I recently took an 8 day road trip to explore some amazing destinations off the beaten path.

My friend and I took the scenic route and drove up PCH to hit some of California’s hidden gems and continued our adventures in the Pacific Northwest. We ventured throughout Oregon, and Washington and starting this week I’ll be posting some of the different highlights from my entire trip and of course it’ll be done in a fabulously frugal fashion. 🙂

img_5620Finances:

I allocated about $1000 for this adventure and together with a friend we were able to share many of the expenses and bring down the overall individual cost.

The major expenses (car rental, gas, room) was a little less than $850 total and for major cities we tried to minimize our costs by taking public transportation when we could or parked a bit further and walked. We allocated $100 on public transit, parking etc and bookmarked all the local free or near free activities. In total the per person shared cost was roughly $475.

I gave myself a rather generous budget for food (stomach souvenirs) – essentially the rest of the budget :D, but still took advantage of all the lunch specials or happy hour pricing. It’s great if you and your travel companion are both adventurous eaters because then you can share the cost and try even more items!

Click here to read “7 Travel Essentials to Bring on a Roadtrip”

City List – Here’s a list of all the major pit stops we made and we started in Orange County. Click on the hyperlink to read about my adventure!

San Luis Obispo, CA

Monterey Bay, CA

San Francisco (Part 1), CA; San Francisco (Part 2), CA

Bowling Ball Beach, Schooner Gulch, and Point Arena, CA

Glass Beach, CA and Leggit, CA

Eureka, CA

Roseburg, OR and Eugene, OR

Portland, OR (Part 1); Portland, OR (Part 2)

Seattle, WA

Redding, CA

Sacramento, CA

 

I’ll try to pump out a new entry for all the places I’ve visited – which city are you most interested to see? Comment below 🙂

XOXO,

Rockstar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frugal Finds, West Coast Roadtrip – San Luis Obispo, CA

The first major pit stop for my 8 day roadtrip was San Luis Obispo (roughly 4 hours away from Orange County) and I was famished. Ready for the first foodie stop!

Click here if you missed the original post documenting my journey.

img_5550

img_5547Bookmarked on my list was Splash Cafe, a little hole-in-the-wall mom n’ pop shop that’s known for their clam chowder. My friend and I split a bowl ($5.50), which was essentially twice the amount but only a dollar more. A cup was $4.50 and they didn’t mind giving us an extra cup to share.

The soup was on the more salty side, but it was very flavorful and creamy. The seafood was ample and I can see why this restaurant is a local favorite. I saw a lot of delicious looking pastries in the display case, but wanted to pace myself for all the yummy munchies I’ve planned for this trip. img_5595

As a small college town San Luis Obispo is home to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (aka, SLO), one of two Cal Polytechnic schools in California (the other being Cal Poly Pomona) that emphasizes a “learn by doing” educational philosophy. The university is known for their robust engineering program, but also their flourishing agriculture and img_5612horticulture department.

A cool and FREE thing to do is visiting the Leaning Pine Arboretum, a 5 acre garden with breathtaking mountain views. The garden features plants from all over the world including New Zealand, South Africa and other Mediterranean climates.

Pro Tip: Park in the student lot before you hit the horse ranch and pay the blue automated ticket box. Parking is $2 for an hour.

Hours of operation is 8am -5pm, Monday – Saturday; however, I recommend travelers to come early in the morning to beat the heat. 45 minutes to an hour is also adequate time to spend walking through the different gardens, but they do have benches scattered throughout the park so you can definitely slow down and enjoy the scenic views.

After a brisk walk around the garden it was time for lunch and let me tell you if you’re hungry you definitely want to hit up Firestone Grill – it’s where all the hunky firemen eat *wink*

Unfortunately on my visit there were no men in uniform on break; however, my eyes were all on the tri-tip sandwich ($9.25) – yum! The meat was super tender, BBQ sauce was tangy , and the bread was lightly toasted making it a really hearty meal. Two thumbs up! The restaurant set-up is also really conducive for any sports gathering. I can only imagine what this place would be like for the Superbowl or the World Cup. With great food and ample big screen tv’s I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. It’s a happenin’ place!

img_5570
Tri-Tip Sandwich *drool*

But if you’re looking for a more intimate location to enjoy a conversation with a friend or just seeking a great local coffee shop, Scout Coffee Company, is an up and coming cafe simple rustic decor. The environment has a type of zen feel and patrons can enjoy everything from their cold brew to homemade almond milk.

The SLO downtown area has a lot of great cute restaurants and shops and one that caught my eye was the Hep Kat Clothing, a shop that sells new vintage style clothes, which is timeless and very figure flattering. I only quickly browsed through their sales racks, but they had some really adorable items.

Are there places I missed in SLO, comment below!

XOXO,

Rockstar