ADVENTURE TIPS: roadtrips / camping / reconnecting

Hey dear Soul, as you already know I went on a camping adventure with Lex last weekend to Big Bend National Park and let me tell you it was beyond amazing!! I've done several glamping trips and some camping ones too but never one quite as this one. Several hours roadtripping, camping in cold weather and nothing but us, nature and some other neighbor campers. As spontaneous as we always are we planned the trip in literally two days, made a grocery and gear list and a trip schedule that we both knew we were never going to actually follow jajaja.

ANYWAYS...  as a bit newbees and forgetful as we are, we had to go through a lot of funny adventures and obstacles along the trip, so I want to tell you MY BEST TIPS to have the most greatest roadtrip adventure through nature ever!

Tip #1: Believe in the magic of lists!

What has always worked for us when we start planning any trip regardless of how ahead or spontaneously we plan is start brainstorming what we want to get out of the next adventure; what we want to do, eat, see, feel, etc. then after having all this cool ideas in the air we organize them down and do LISTS!

For this camping/nature roadtrip we did a Gear List, Clothes/Packing List, Menu and Grocery List, Healthy Snacking list and Activities List. But let me tell you this lists are just guides we do to plan and try to organize our trips, nothing is set in stone; improvisation, spontaneity and freedom is what makes them beyond great!

Tip #2: What NOT to forget on your lists:

Like I told you before this trip came to us out of the blue and we planned it in literally two days so... we obviously forgot a couple of things and didn't consider a couple of others.

For your Clothes/packing List always consider the weather in the mountains is always tricky so never forget to include a pair of shorts even if you are going in cold weather or a jacket if you are traveling in warm weather, trust me, I didn´t packed my shorts because I thought it unnecesary regarding the cold, aaand I ended up using Lex´s shorts for our hike jajaja so better prevent. Also I would never leave behind my birkenstocks or some comfy shoes for the road and the cozy mornings, always a good pair of hiking boots, warm socks and get into a layers mentality when you assemble your outfits!

My musts for an On The Road Healthy Snack List are:

Variety of nuts, LOTS of caffeine, protein bars (always look for low sugar brands, One brand is my fav), veggies like carrots and cucumber, lemon & sea salt SlimPop popcorn, some fruits like apples or bananas aaand not healthy but ALWAYS on my list; Chips Fuego.

The Menu/Grocery List is one of the must lists because without this list I asure you will probably end up buying things you don't need and forgetting some you actually do. We cooked everything on a portable butane stove, so our weekend camping menu looked just like this:

Saturday: breakfast on the road, ham sandwiches for lunch and burgers for dinner.

Sunday: scramble eggs with ham, bacon & tortilla for breakfast, tuna sandwich for lunch and dinner out ('cause that day we stayed on a camping site that had a small restaurant nearby).

Monday: sunny side up eggs with beef sausage and bread and lunch on the road back.

After deciding what we wanted to eat we created our grocery list based on it so we wouldn't just buy and end up spending more than we needed or forgetting something we actually wanted.

Tip #3: Disconnect to connect, nature is our greatest teacher.

Let me tell you one of the greatest things you will get out a trip like this one: NO PHONE SIGNAL!! We did'nt even charged our phones all weekend, the battery lasted all three days! Isn't it amazing?! we literally only used them to take pictures. It's amazing how you can effortlessly be present and pay attention to the treasures you have around you; from the smallest flower to the person(s) next to you. A deepest connection in every way.

A simple way you can easily connect deeper with nature is to use your senses: smell the flowers, feel the rocks with the palm of your hands, hug a tree, smell the wet dirt, close your eyes and hear the wind moving the grass and trees, stop for a moment and look what's on top of you, the sun, the clouds, the stars, the moon.

And one of the best things we did was MEDITATE in the morning. You can always meditate for 5-10 minutes without a meditation routine, completely unplanned, just sit down, close your eyes, listen to the sounds around you and breathe. Flow along.

We did a 10 minute partner's maditation. After breakfast on Monday morning we sat on top of a big rock, our knees touching, eyes closed and my favorite meditation playlist and the sound of wilderness in the background. It was short but it felt grounding, calm, warm and deep; a loving connection flowing between us and the ancient energy of everything around us.

Alright beautiful people, I think that sums up the main pointers I can give!

If you've never made one of this wonderful trips, I hope you are encouraged to start making them, without any reason in between, more than the pleasure of awakening your soul and reconnecting with our earth's magic.

I'll write to you again very soon, love always.

M.