As an artist, that travels for art shows and stays gone from home for weeks to a month, living life on the road can be both amazing and challenging, though mostly amazing. Here’s some of my best and worst for living away from home with nothing more than a packed car.
When you set off on a trip, there’s lots of excitement and anticipation for new adventures. If you have a wanderlust and having free time in new places, sounds great, it is. If you haven’t ever been away from home for a month, with only the luggage you packed, then I will fill you in on the challenges I have faced. My lists are below.
Best things:
- Seeing new places
- Experiencing new things, food, people
- Making new art in new and revisited places
- Experiencing local and different cultures
- Exploring public art in many places
Worst Things:
- Never sleep in the same bed for more than a few days
- Living out of a suitcase, having limited space to pack in a car
- Always loading and unloading the car
- Missing your home, family, and friends
- Packing everything you may need for a month
As you can see the worst, really aren’t the worst things to deal with, especially with the trade-off. The biggest challenges tend to be logistical, driving in a city you don’t know, parking, finding familiar stores, and laundry! Really all manageable and tend to get easier the more times you do it. Also, the more you do it, the more you know what you need to make a successful trip and the things you can live without. Planning is really the key and is the best and worst part of the trip as well. I love planning, but not planning correctly, can make for a difficult trip.
I will be back on the road the beginning of August and will be gone for my longest trip yet, so please follow along and be sure to suggest things for me to do, in your favorite cities!
