Adventure Can Look Like This Too | Packing Cubes and Life on the Go

Our kitchen renovation left us without a working kitchen at the same time we had a few different events up north. Rather than fly back and forth to Florida over and over again, we decided to figure out how to fill the time in between.

And somehow that turned into a stretch of living one or two nights at a time in a whole bunch of different places: hotels, friends’ homes, family, different cities and different beds, with lots of packing up and moving on again.

The unexpected bonus was how many people we got to see along the way. Instead of one big planned vacation, this became a chance to spend time with family and friends we might not otherwise have seen. There was something really nice about that.

I’ve also realized I’ve gotten pretty good at this particular kind of travel. When you’re only staying somewhere for a night or two, there’s really no point in unpacking. I’ve figured out what needs to stay accessible, what can stay packed, and how to organize everything so I’m not constantly destroying my suitcase looking for something. Packing cubes are a big part of what makes that work.

I’ve been using the same lightweight Eagle Creek ones for years, and on a trip like this, they were a lifesaver. They don’t make my exact Pack-It Specter cubes anymore, but the current equivalent is the Eagle Creek Pack-It Isolate collection. I’m sharing more about how I use them in Sharing My Favorite Things.

Then there are the logistics. We’re constantly figuring out which car needs to be where, whether we need one at the next stop, where Ruby is going to be and what we need to bring back to Florida. Sometimes that means leaving a car at an airport or at a friend’s house near one. It sounds like a lot, but I actually kind of enjoy figuring out the puzzle.

Ruby has come along for much of it, and having her with us brings a little sense of home wherever we happen to be. When she can’t come, we’ve figured that out too.

And in the middle of all of this, we’re still keeping one foot in Florida because of the renovation. There are certain things we want to be there to see and approve before they become permanent, like our kitchen cabinets before they’re installed. So we haven’t exactly been able to disappear on a trip for a few weeks.

Instead, we’ve been adventuring in a different way: a night here, two nights there, a suitcase that barely gets unpacked, Ruby curled up nearby, friends and family we’re grateful we got to see and a constantly changing plan for where we’re going next.

I used to think adventuring meant planning the trip and going somewhere. Right now, it looks a little more like figuring out how to make wherever we are work, and I’m getting pretty good at that.