for those of you who don’t know, i’m going to be going to colorado for two weeks starting on the 14th. this trip is sponsored by amazing women who have hearts i can not do justice to with mere words. i thank each and every one of them from the bottom of my heart.
i will be doing some writing while i’m gone, but it’s going to be more personal in nature–which means i probably won’t be posting here much at all. i am probably also going to have a few guest bloggers here and there, and jess will also continue posting while i am gone, so don’t give up on this site altogether! 
until then–anybody with ADD have any strategies or tips on how to take long trips by yourself?
- Share
June 6th, 2009 at 4:14 pm #
until then–anybody with ADD have any strategies or tips on how to take long trips by yourself?
Oh, sure!!! For one thing, you’re gonna need some music for your trip. Lotsa different kinds, because you’ll never know what kind of mood you’re gonna be in. You need a soundtrack, girl! So, load up your mp3 player (if you have one) or take along some mix CDs for a CD player (if you have one of those). If you have neither, you’ll need to find some good radio stations. Here is one locator, and here is another. Remember, the low end of the dial is where you’ll find college and community radio, which have better, more eclectic mixes of tunes.
So, you’ve got your soundtrack. Good! Now, you’ll need to know what to do and where to go when you get there. Look for an alternative newsweekly—they usually are free, and will have loads of info. Even the ads are good, ‘cuz you’ll want to explore all the different places that look interesting. (what good is having ADD if you can’t feed your “new! new! I need new!” jones, huh?) Especially pay attention to any free festivals or outdoor concerts, poetry slams, art shows, lectures, stuff like that.
If you’re good at reading maps, you can usually find the better maps at a gas station. Tourist-y maps suck. Most of ‘em will have the parks shown, so go visit some parks—good place to go walking, and people are usually more willing to talk to someone in the park. It’s great if you can find some old folks to talk to and ask them about their city.
If you can get ahold of a phone book, great! If not, go to the library and copy some pages you think you might need. Me, I never visit a city without going thru the used bookstores and used CD stores—sometimes you find something you’ve been looking for for years, and it’s usually cheap. It’s good to know where the cheap eats are, too. (old folks are great resources on where to eat cheap, and usually know where all the good little off-the-beaten-path grocers are too.)
Different cities are great for doing things you’ve never done before. Try on some new things for size!
Follow your nose. You won’t get bored. Man, do I miss traveling. When I was younger, I worked on all kinds of “portability” jobs—where the contractor would send a few of us out someplace distant….I loved it. I went exploring every night I got off work.
Bring comfy shoes. You’re gonna need ‘em!
June 6th, 2009 at 5:36 pm #
i am so glad you are going!
June 8th, 2009 at 9:29 am #
I second everything La Lubu said. I’ll add something from my own experience. I went away for about two weeks for an intensive writing workshop, and the one thing I wished I had was something familiar from home. A favorite book, a picture, a personal playlist, anything that reminded me of where I was most loved. I didn’t expect to feel so much during my trip, to expose so much, or to be so affected by others. I don’t know why I didn’t expect it; writing is powerful.
Have a wonderful time on your trip! Wander, explore, find beautiful things. I love Colorado. The first time I went, it took my breath away- so beautiful.
June 10th, 2009 at 10:32 am #
Adventures! In Colorado!
Disfrútate.
abrazos