Roadtrip: Austin, TX → San Diego, CA

My name is Chris. I live with my girlfriend Angelica and our rambunctious pup, Frankie in Austin, TX. This summer we had originally planned to travel to New York for our friends’ lesbian wedding, but our plans fell through. So, at the last minute we said – screw it – let’s take a road trip to San Diego, CA. Here are a few snapshots from our trip.

[Tap or hover over the photos below to see our thoughts along the way!]

We woke up early to hit the road for our summer road trip adventure. There was nothing but this hot asphalt beneath our tires for a couple hundred miles....it was just me, my girlfriend, and our sweet dog, Frankie chillin' in the backseat.

At a gas station in Gila Bend, Arizona...we came across a patriotic dinosaur. It was 104 degrees, so we kept it movin'. #GoUSA #'Murica

In Hurley, New Mexico we stumbled across this cute little tee-pee tourist trap. The place advertised on the sign led us to a store with an unbelievable amount of fireworks. It made me nervous because I'm sure if they all went off at the same time the place would have blown up pretty quickly.

When we approached Dateland, Arizona we noticed a ball of doom up ahead. This was our first time driving through a dust storm, but Angelica did a great job navigating through it. The terrible visibility lasted about 10 miles and it was the longest 10 miles of our lives!

The California coastline is peppered with 18th century Spanish missions. Mission San Juan Capistrano is one of the most famous missions outside of Los Angeles, California in Orange County (the "OC"). Not quite on the way...but well worth the stop.

We finally made it to our destination! No trip to San Diego is complete without a stop at the beach, so we visited our dear hometown friends in Mission Beach & Encinitas for some fun in the sun. We brought a book, a boogie board, and fresh goodies from the local farmer's market.

Of course we visited the world famous San Diego Zoo! We took the safari ride and explored the park on a beautiful San Diego day.

We also took a mandatory stroll through the “gayborhood.” Hillcrest has some funky delicious breakfast spots, like Hash House A Go Go. We also found Bubbies Hawaiian Mochi Ice Cream! 

Check it out for yourself:

Mission San Juan Capistrano
26801 Ortega Highway
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Instagram: @missionsanjuan

Mission Beach/Belmont Park
3146 Mission Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92109
Instagram: @belmontparksd

San Diego Zoo
2920 Zoo Drive
San Diego, CA 92101
Instagram: @sandiegozoo

Hash House A Go Go
3682 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
Instagram: @hashhouseagogo

Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts Hawaii
Whole Foods Market
207 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
Twitter: @BubbiesHawaii

Tips For A Long Distance Move

Aloha!

My name is Megan, but some of my friends call me Pume (poo-mee or poom-may). I’m a mixed queer woman born in Hawaiʻi and raised in California - and wanderlust runs in my veins. I attribute my travel bug to my parents, who moved me around to France, Germany and Greece before I could even string together complete sentences. However, it took me a surprisingly long time to start traveling consistently on my own. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I realized I was never going to have an extra few grand to take a vacation or move across the Pacific, etc. – so I just had to go for it and hope for the best!

That was back when I first moved to Hawaiʻi to get more in touch with my roots. Now, over six years later, I am moving to Hawaiʻi again. After many years of indecisiveness, I’ve decided to pursue a master’s degree in Social Work. I chose Hawaiʻi so I can reconnect with family while learning about Native Hawaiian practices and integrating them into my work.

The transition has definitely been difficult and emotional but I’ve learned a lot, which brings me to my point! If you’re trying to make a long distance move ("LDM") happen for yourself in the near future, I’ve got some Dos and Don’ts for you, brave soul. I know it can be intimidating to make an LDM happen, but you can do it! Get out there, take some risks, and conquer the world!

DO:

1. Cultivate a team.

Surround yourself with a few select folks who care and can support you consistently throughout your transition. You want people who will help you push through your to-do list, your bucket list and those feelings of doubt. Try making a calendar full of everything you need/want to do before leaving and enlist the team to help!

2. Get rid of as much as possible—and make money while you do it!

If you’re anything like me, you have a bunch of crap that you can’t take with you on your move and you really need some extra cash. What to do? Put on a massive fundraiser/sale!

My amazing roomie/platonic life partner donated some clothes and things she no longer wanted, and we set up our house like a cute boutique—clothing racks, shirts hanging on the walls, tables full of trinkets, etc. We even had donation-based drinks. We made non-alcoholic stuff, but I’d suggest keeping some liquor on hand for folks who want to get frisky while they shop. Oh, and don’t forget to post your sale on Facebook, Instagram and Craigslist for maximum attendance!

 3. Get it in.

And I mean this in every possible way. Get in hella meals at your favorite spots, get it in on the dance floor, get in some you time aaaaand get it in with your lover / boo thang / partner / random cuties. Now’s the time to retire Netflix and get out there!

Try making a bucket list of activities and start scheduling friend / romantical dates and adventures. Stick to your schedule, stay focused and don’t forget to build in that you time! This is crucial for your sanity.

Oh, and also make sure to take your vitamins and get lots of sleep. I’m not playing!

4. Let yourself feel all the feels, and then actually process them.

I only had two solid months to prepare for my cross-Pacific move, and during that time I was also in the midst of multiple personal transitions…talk about feels!

At first I really wanted to avoid them, but once I started embracing all the changes (and reasons why the changes were happening), I ended up on the magical ride of YOLO and DGAF! I started taking time to write, cry, etc. and to focus on embracing every moment of this crazy stressful, magical journey. Of course there were some hard times, but for the most part I was living the dream! I was super happy about how I was spending my time (because I was finally prioritizing myself) and felt so fulfilled because of it.

DON’T:

1. Wait until the last minute to pack.

Packing is the bane of my existence. I’m pretty slow at it, so I always dread it and then procrastinate. And guess where that leaves me? Sweating like a freaking marathon runner as I try to shove random ish into my carryon an hour and a half before my flight. Then rushing to (barely) catch my flight lookin’ hella disheveled with puffy hair and bags under my eyes. Learn from my mistakes, people.

2. Avoid conflict.

If you have any unresolved issues with friends, family, exes, etc. HANDLE IT NOW. You’re gonna have enough physical baggage on this journey, you don’t need the emotional stuff too. Be brave, share how you feel, and try to resolve things as best as you can. Even if the outcome isn’t ideal, at least you won’t have it hanging over your head when you move. Remember, this is your time to start fresh!

3. Slack off at work.

I totally did this and am now having to scan and send my timesheets across the Pacific to make sure I’m paid correctly…once again, learn from me here, y’all. Fight off that urge to slack off, and bust your booty up until your last day. You don’t want random emails or texts after you peace out, and you also want a good reference, right? If you work extra hard a month out, then your last week or so can be pretty chill. (Not applicable for people who DGAF about their jobs or are leaving hella abruptly. To those folks, do your thang!)

Mālama pono,
egan/Pume

*Feature photo courtesy of @bayarealife