We haven’t stopped fantasizing about Cinque Terre since we left- it’s heaven on earth. It’s a popular daytrip from Tuscany or Pisa, and cruise ships dock in Livorno or La Spezia, but I’m going to shoot you straight- if you want the full Cinque Terre experience, you have to stay in one of the towns.
David and I had just finished singing Asher his bedtime song, and were settling on the couch for an hour or two of work with 90 Day Fiancé on in the background, when I swiped open my email and saw an invitation to the White House. I was already heading to DC to take part in the #trendingup conference, for creators who use their platform for social impact, so I thought it was just part of that, related to our offsite visits, but Joe Biden was I wrong…
This email came from the White House digital team with an invitation to share my thoughts with the team in the West Wing and have a q&a with senior staff. Um what?!? The five-year-old immigrant girl in me couldn’t quite believe what she was reading. The folks at the White House want to hear from me? What a genuine honor… but also like.. really? They had to have seen my many criticisms of their boss online… are they sure they want to hear what’s going to come out of my mouth? My platform may not be massive, but using it to advocate for important causes has long been a priority. So despite imposter syndrome and a case of nerves, there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell I was turning this invite from Joe and co down.
I teamed up with Wells Fargo for this post- thanks for supporting the companies that help make LoveRavayna possible.
I grew up road tripping to see family and friends, and David and I have done it lots as a couple- it only made sense that we’d keep doing it with Asher! It’s a whole new world though- I used to just need a face mask, pillow and phone charger to keep myself entertained but a road trip with an infant is a wholeeeee thing.
After a dozen or so long and less-long but still intimidating trips over the last year, we’ve got a pretty tried-and-tested gameplan, and I wanted to share it for those that might need some tips.
We start with a fresh slate. The day before the trip, we clean out the car. We don’t always splurge on a detail, but we get the extra shoes and toys and too many reusable grocery bags all out and put away, so that we’re starting from the best possible place. I make sure that the car has paper towels or napkins stashed, and a grocery bag to use for trash. We also always have a blanket, and a clutch with diaper changing supplies so I don’t need to dig for the diaper bag. (All this also ups the chances of the car not being a TOTAL disaster by the time y’all make it home- and if it is, THEN’S the time to splurge on the detail in my opinion.)
Pack a literal bag of tricks. I keep toys tucked away in a wet bag, and I offer them to Asher one at a time. When he (eventually and inevitably) tosses it away, I let him choose a different toy from the bag and return the original one to the stash. It keeps him engaged in his playthings, and the car from becoming the land of discarded toys. For older kids, I’d probably wrap the toys in recycled paper to up the novelty factor, but he’s little enough that I don’t need to do do that yet.
A serious snack bag is a must. I try really hard to use reusable travel containers- both because they are the more planet-friendly everyday choice, but also because they are extra convenient to have on the road. For example, I filled these reusable pouches with applesauce and will wash them out once Asher eats it, and keep them on hand. And then when I order a smoothie the next day, I have a pouch ready to fill and a snack stash restocked. I also lean hard in the direction of the neatest possible snacks, so the less crumbly or juicy, the better.
Come correct with the entertainment. Prebaby, we listened to podcasts on road trips, or I read or napped- those days are over though! We need a soundtrack that entertains (and distracts/drowns out yelling if necessary). Asher loves everything from show tunes to old school hip hop, so don’t feel the need to limit yourself to kiddie music. We’ve also pumped the white noise through our car sound system in desperation- and it works!
And when all else fails, a fatalistic attitude helps. You’ll get there eventually, and everyone will be out of the car only slightly worse for the wear! Our favorite short road trip destination is Palm Springs- it takes us just about two hours to get there, and if we are lucky we can time it with naptime. It’s such a fun and relaxing getaway- I’ve got a whole giant city guide coming to the blog next month too!
And of course, our Wells Fargo Propel® Card is one of our favorite travel companions. I love that we earn 3X rewards points not only on hotels or home stays, but also on gas at gas stations to get us where we’re going. We’ve utilized so much this year that our rewards have really started to accumulate- I’m so excited to put them to good use!
I did want to note that I sit in the back with Ashe to facilitate road trip ease. For us, it makes the biggest difference. Also- lots of people advise a phone or tablet for car rides, and I have no insight there because we simply haven’t tried it yet! We don’t have a fancy car with built in screens, Ashe doesn’t have a tablet, and I’m selfish and don’t want to have to share my phone with him, so that’s where we are on that! ! 🤣
Xx, Ravayna
We have teamed up with Wells Fargo this summer! Thank you for supporting the companies that make LoveRavayna possible.
If you’ve been around LoveRavayna for more than a minute, you know that New Orleans will always be where my heart calls home. I may have only lived there for ten years, but it’s where I came of age, found myself and my future. David and I met in college there, got married there, and since Asher was born, I had dreamed of taking him home to meet his family and learn his roots.
Black is supposed to be slimming, but I don’t think that really matters when you’re hugely pregnant. I’ve been living in and loving black maternity jumpsuits for most of my pregnancy, and to be honest I have a few similar ones I’ve been wearing over and over and over again. Shameless outfit repeater, right here.
I’m still pinching myself over our amazing trip to Europe. Two and a half weeks in Paris and Barcelona was the babymoon of my dreams, and I feel so lucky that we were able to fit it in to our crazy spring schedule. (And I do mean crazy- we came home just in time to start unpacking before David’s ankle reconstruction surgery!)
Before I get into recapping our trip, I wanted to share a bit about our flight (we flew on Norwegian Air’s aptly named new Dreamliner, and it was so SO nice) and the in-flight habits i rely on to make long-haul travel just a little easier.
Five years of marriage seems to have flown on by, and David and I certainly thought it was worth celebrating. As usual, our insane schedules conspired against us, so it wasn’t until several weeks after our actual anniversary that we headed off to sunny beautiful Puerto Vallarta. But we had the loveliest, most relaxing stay at Casa Kimberly, and it was beyond worth the wait.
Checking in from NYFW!
This week is positively nutty, in the best possible way. For me, it’s been a circus of early mornings and late nights, shows and events and meetings, and treating a parade of Ubers and yellow cabs like mobile offices, dressing rooms, and nap pods. And y’all- it couldn’t be more exhilarating.
