Anyone else miss the uncomfortable stuff?
Good travel is good. But your sock will still fall down while you climb 1,000 beautiful, ancient stairs.
A background tune for reading this newsletter:
It feels like everyone’s been weighing in on aspects of travel they miss for more than a year now, and understandably, it’s mostly been the good parts. We miss unforgettable views, amazing meals, and well-spent time with friends, family, and even strangers.
But the other day while wondering when and if I’d be traveling this year now that COVID vaccines are rolling out, the reality of it all started to set in. And this, oddly enough, made me remember that feeling of my sock falling down in my shoe any time I’m sightseeing. And ya know what? I miss that. I miss my sock never acting the way it’s supposed to act. It’s uncomfortable and annoying and bad and weird and there are so many other moments like this that happen during travel that can be just as memorable as the positive ones.
I miss the transportation mishaps. Like accepting the wrong rental car and getting into a three-row Chevy Tahoe instead of the sensible Ford Escape I intended to get. It quite honestly made my first trip to Los Angeles in 2016 equal parts memorable and terrifying. One evening on our way to find some well-known $1 sushi, as one does in glamorous LA, my brother and I ended up driving through Mulholland in our gigantic Chevy Tahoe. And there we were, quite literally scaling a cliff in said Tahoe, absolutely lost in the hills and passing by what I can only describe as “really really rich peoples’ houses” that felt wrong to even look at. The Tahoe was overheating and I thought I’d die that evening, but we eventually got to our $1 sushi.
I miss wholeheartedly dreading going through airport security. I could fly 365 days a year and still get nervous about security. Is a sock going to fall off while I take my shoes off? (Again with the socks.) Did I bring a device I have to take out of my bag? Can I casually forget to take it out of my bag? Why does it feel like I’m being timed? Why is the person behind me standing so close to me and why am I actually so efficient at the whole security thing? Still hate it though, still miss it though.
I miss being terrible at counting unfamiliar currencies fast enough and having a very kind, patient cashier see me struggling to choose exact change, knowing that my hand is open so they can grab whichever coins they need from me. (Roman cashiers like exact change, at least back in 2011, and I embarrassed myself multiple times in multiple grocery stores.)
I miss being exceptionally low maintenance when I travel but somehow always misjudging the purse situation. Too small, and I’m handing things to friends who offer to carry them so I’ll stop complaining. Too big, and I feel the need to buy an umbrella just to justify why the bag is so big.
I miss that terrible small talk that makes your brain scramble for words that, when combined in a decent enough way, make you sound interesting to a group of new acquaintances at dinner. And trying a food everyone raves about but finding it tastes just okay? I miss that. I LIVE for that. It’s either confirmation that I have a refined-enough palate to be above everyone’s favorite food or it could mean I have such an unrefined palate that it’s trying to tell me, “This doesn’t taste like a microwaved Hot Pocket...why not?”
There are so many of these instances. But I don’t think I’m alone in missing the awkward, uncomfortable, bad travel mishaps. It’s part of the whole package, right? The good, the bad, the ugly. And if you too have been lacking those varying emotions this past year that you usually experience while traveling, let’s hope we can find our ways back to them soon; they’re what good trips are made of.
What are the uncomfortable travel moments you’re missing? You know we’d love to hear about them!
Natalie
Good Trip Contributing Writer
Local’s Corner
We’re venturing to Jacksonville, Florida to visit Good Trip’s very own Contributing Editor Mara Strobel-Lanka! Mara is a writer and illustrator with a passion for the great outdoors and doing good for this big ol’ beautiful earth of ours (did you catch her environmentally-friendly travel tips here?).
Get to know her and Jacksonville ⤵️
The song she has on repeat:
“Sunblind” from Fleet Foxes has been playing in my head and on my speakers non-stop for the past few weeks. “I’m gonna swim for the weekend, warm American water with dear friends…” — sounds like a good trip to me!
Her favorite local spot within a 15 minute walk of her apartment?
Without a question it’s Community Loaves Sourdough Bakery. They have an incredible pastry selection, delicious salads and sammies, and the sweetest garden patio to share with a good book or a close friend.
Her favorite local-to-Jacksonville snack or food she can’t get enough of:
Mayport shrimp! We’re very lucky to live in a beach town where it’s possible to get fresh, local and tasty seafood. There’s nothing better than picking up a couple pounds of Mayport shrimp for the grill or a backyard boil.
The movie people should check out to get a feel for Jacksonville or Florida:
I think I’d say Big Fish. Even though Jacksonville isn’t quite as southern as our northern neighbors in Georgia and the Carolinas (lol), it still has those charming, stick-hot qualities that make stories of magical realism like Big Fish feel very alive and at home here.
Her ideal day in Jacksonville (during non-COVID times)?
Starting the day at 1748 Bakehouse in Historic Springfield for a breakfast sammie and iced espresso, then heading to Hanna Park to explore the trails, surf, and play volleyball under the sun. I try to always stop at Safe Harbor seafood market on the ride home from the beach for a (few) dozen oysters, a basket of peel-and-eat Mayport shrimp and a bucket of whatever Mexican beer they have. When home, I’d take a cold sunburn shower before riding a bike under the spanish moss through the historic neighborhoods Riverside and Avondale and ending the night with a glass of natural wine at Town.
Where she wants to travel next, post-COVID:
Spain. I had a two-week long trip planned to Barcelona, Madrid and Cudillero in 2020 for my Mom’s 50th birthday and both of our first trips abroad, and ever since it was canceled I’ve felt longingly determined to make it happen (for real this time).
The place she’s traveled to that she’d like to go back to:
Two places I try to visit at least once a year are Asheville, North Carolina, and Northern Michigan. Both places are magical from spring to fall, with lush forests, beautiful backroad drives, cool and cozy nights, and hidden gems waiting around every corner. Asheville has the mountain trails and views, and Michigan has gorgeous freshwater lakes and sand dunes.
Good Use of Screen Time
Congrats to Nomadland for its wins at the Oscars this week 🙌. Have you seen it yet? You’ve probably heard about it, but it’s a moving depiction of an itinerant worker of retirement age as she travels across the US in her van. It captures a lot of complicated feelings around the intersections of freedom and instability; finding community and rootlessness. Go watch it!
You can find us ISO a mini pool for two…
