The Essentials

This morning Antoine and I are getting up bright and early and heading to Louisville for the weekend! Luckily, Louisville is only a two hour drive south for us. But any good road trip/weekend away requires a couple of essentials, and I'm a nut for lists...so here you go:

1. A traveling partner: I'm lucky enough to have a traveling buddy who tends to like the same things I do and who's very easy going. Sometimes the littlest things can make a trip really standout, whether it's a spontaneous stop at an antique mall or an ill-conceived to a popcorn shop that doesn't seem to exist. Having a good traveling companion makes all the difference in such adventures!
2. Music: Any decent road trip requires good music. I plan on going old school and bringing cds of the following: White Stripes (because Antoine and I adore them and will always adore them), the latest Bright Eyes (because it's all I've been listening to lately), Fleet Foxes (to prep for their new album), and My Morning Jacket (because they're from L-ville, and to prep for their new album).
3. Cameras: I'm going to be a super geek and bring both "Sprocket" (the SLR) and our easy point and shoot (not yet named, how sad)!
   
4. Good drinks: For my birthday my friend Helene got me a lovely blue bottle of Riesling, and I have every intention of taking it to enjoy in the hotel. Nothing like a good night cap when on vacation!
5. Swimwear: Although most of the time it goes unused, I believe it's always a good idea to take your swimsuit along if your hotel has a pool. You never know!
6. The PLANS: Because I'm oh-so-nerdy and I love to be in control, all of our trips are planned out in advance (at least to a certain extent). Before a trip I spend considerable time researching that specific city/area and finding the best museums, restaurants, and points of interest (can you tell my sister is a travel agent?). I then proceed to print off descriptions, locations, hours and whatever else of of interest. I apologize to all the trees I've harmed in my travel planning, I tend to go a little overboard...but it usually pays off in the end!
7. The iPhone: Never leave home without it! It's essential for tweeting every possible detail of your trip, and for creeping on people when you have downtime or waiting for your dinner. Don't look at me like that, you know you do it too!

Happy weekend folks!