friday fab/five: almost my vacation!

next week i am heading to m-i-n-n-e-s-o-t-a to celebrate a friend's wedding, get some awesome hugs from my family, visit a bar named "tank's" and so much more....but right now i am enjoying that pre-trip period of planning and gathering. i am not ashamed to say that i fully embrace the "plan/gather" side of myself!

1. toiletries: oh boy, do i love hoarding tiny beauty related samples and cashing in my sephora points! collecting said items not only keeps my travel toiletry bag in tip-top shape, but is also a great way to take a break from my normal go-to products and really embrace being away from the familiar. 

2. coffee: well, speaking of familiar, to me the one constant in traveling is coffee. i can remember the joys of finding that wayward cup of coffee on vacation...in venice....in amsterdam...in the redwood national forest. my motto is: no matter where you go there is always coffee!

3. mystery: ok, maybe flying is not so fun anymore...what with the security lines, lack of on-flight amenities and baggage fees. but there is still something mysterious to me about travel...especially when i am waiting for my flight, looking around at the other people, wondering who they are and why they are here with me at this time and in this place. well, that is what i think about at least. (P.S. this is a great ny times article by paul theroux on why we feel compelled to travel.)

4. literature: there is something about being stuck in a plane that helps me concentrate - no internet maybe??!! i have been known to read a whole book on a flight...which is kinda embarrassing when the book is sad and makes me cry. you can't hide on a plane. my trip to the library got a bit out of hand this week and i am not crazy enough to bring all these books, but i have some great titles to choose from. i also have this airport ritual of buying a celebrity rag - ala people or us weekly - kinda hoping to catch a glimpse of ryan gosling!
 
5. excitement: to me, this goes hand-in-hand with mystery. i am a major planner, so i often struggle with the excitement factor because even if i am visiting a familiar place (like minnesota) things are always changing and challenging me in ways that i could never expect. luckily, excitement can fuel positive growth. but sometimes too much excitement is bad...like when i was in a tiny russian-made plane in cuba and they cut the engine as we were landing and i started to have a mild panic attack. too too too much excitement!


(airport image source)
(pan am guides image source)
(know your coffees print found here)