When the pandemic started in early 2020, no one could’ve guessed what life would look like now. After months of working from my couch, using the pandemic to justify eating Dino nuggets, and learning how dependent I was on an office to get more than 100 steps in a day, I went from wondering when life would be normal to realizing life would never be the “old” normal. It was time to take a step back, shift my perspective and work this unexpected time into my story and work it to my advantage. So what did we do? We moved across county during a pandemic. Why? Dreams don’t go on hold when the country goes on lockdown.
For years we had been refining a list of places where we wanted to live and to experience. When we realized that this pandemic was going to alter all lives in some way, we took hold of that list and refused to let it steal time away from us truly living. Our opposition became our opportunity as we settled on moving to the Space Coast in Florida.
We committed to our decision in May 2020, locked in jobs in July, and three weeks later we were on our way to the Space Coast with two cars and a 5×8 trailer. If you weren’t aware, the drive from Colorado to Florida takes about 30 hours, especially if you’re pulling a trailer and can’t go over 55 MPH. We mapped out a tentative plan with our first stop being in Wichita Falls Texas, the stomping grounds for cattle ranchers dating back to the 1800’s. The biggest thing I learned from this leg of the trip is how large Texas is, and how amazing books on tape are, I recommend “The Boy from the Woods” by Harlan Coben. Once we arrived in Wichita Falls we took the advice of my mother and found ourselves a Whataburger to try a double double with extra cheese and double toasted buns… if there’s one thing you do while you’re Texas, try this burger, you will not be disappointed.
Day two of the road trip came with more driving but this time the addition of trees as we got farther southeast. I was shocked by the beauty of Louisiana and Mississippi. It was hot, yes, but there were giant, lush trees everywhere that took you back in time when the land was less developed. After 8 hours of driving we were ready for some good, authentic Creole food so we stopped in Baton Rouge at Parrain’s Seafood Restaurant. Some of our highlights were blackened gator bites and a shrimp Po Boy that was loaded with fresh shrimp. Ten out of ten times I would recommend taking a visit to Parrain’s for some delicious eats. Once we were full happy road trippers we continued on for a couple hours to our hotel in Gulf Port Mississippi.
The third and final day of our trip was the longest yet but thankfully we had more determination than ever to get there. We continued on Interstate 10 and finally reached the sunny state of Florida. There we tried boiled peanuts for the first time. I must say they’re delicious and no kidding, they taste like little salty potatoes. At 11PM we finally reached our airbnb and what a feeling that was. Relief, joy, and thankfulness overflowed our hearts as we celebrated with a beverage. We made it, 3 days translating into 27 hours of driving and no major hiccups.
Fastforward – I’m writing this post after we’ve been here for 6 months and we’re loving it, but more to come on that with future posts. Until then I encourage you to breath life into your dreams and go for them, pandemic or not. You have one life to live and I don’t know about you but even one year is time I’m not willing to give up.
Tips and Tricks for a Cross-Country Move:
- Plan a route that takes you through some fun places and excellent local cuisine – there’s enough stress built into a cross-country move, plan in a break or at least a good meal
- Don’t book hotel rooms until you’re on the road – this allows you to be flexible
- Start a hotel rewards account or find hotels that will give you points towards your current rewards program – we recommend Marriott Bonvoy, hotels are clean, beds are comfortable and they serve Starbucks coffee in the hotel
- Declutter and get rid of stuff before you move – most things you won’t miss and most of the time you won’t even remember you had them so its not worth your time to truck it cross country
- Vacuum seal bags will be your best friend for packing clothes, blankets, and towels – I used Simple Houseware Bags which worked great and saved a ton of space.
- Pack good road trip snacks – save your money for a special night out or for your destination. Some of my favorites are chicken salad, pre-made breakfast burritos, Shortys sausages, and grapes.
- Be aware of your trips terrain – if your route takes you over a mountain range, assess if your car can handle it with it also towing a trailer š
- Get a long term airbnb (4+ weeks) instead of trying to worry about having a house/apt by the time you get there. This allows you to get to know the area, pack less because Airbnbs have everything you need, and create a fun first experience in your new city.
- Count on sleeping a lot and taking a few days to recover from your trip – driving 25+ hours is not an easy task.
- Pack a bottle of wine or a six pack to celebrate arriving at your destination – you’ll deserve it!
Until next time, continue to let your mind wonder,
Kate
Wine&Wonder 