road trip international

During college, I told probably everyone I knew that my ultimate vacation would be to drive from Louisiana to California. The fiancé (then just the boyfriend) was not the first person to actually agree with me, but he was the first to suggest we actually, for real, no more dreaming, just do it. And so, armed with enough boxes of cereal and fruit (our snacks of choice) to last for 2 weeks, we set off for Californee-way.

duh - in front of the Grand Canyon

It was after spending 2 weeks and over 2000 miles sitting mere inches away from each other and NOT wanting our time together to end, that I realized this was it. In fact, we loved our road trip experience so much, that we planned a bigger, better and longer one a few months after we got engaged– a month long trek from Louisiana up to Toronto and back again, which I dubbed our “Engagement-moon”. This time, we even got some cash for it by documenting our experience for the PBS series “Road Trip Nation.”

our favorite moma shots

It was only natural that we take our road trip adventures overseas for our honeymoon. In order to make it at least semi relaxed, we decided to limit our travels to one country, and the winner was… Ireland! I think it was one of these pictures that sealed the deal:

{formidable photography, rosebud03 flickr account, paolinho.com, Fabio Miola}

We’re starting off in Dublin, renting a car and doing our own little tour of southern Ireland, including a town in the middle of the mountains and a few coastal towns. On our agenda: a fjord boat cruise, surfing lessons, horseback riding on the beach, a lot of hiking, and what I hear is the best thing to do in Ireland: having a pint in a pub with some locals!

We are having a few disagreements because the fiancé would prefer to relax in the countryside the entire time, while I would love to stay in hotels attached to pubs in the center of the city(And, I must admit, do a little shopping – Topshop, anyone? – in Dublin). Luckily, I am pretty much our own personal travel agent and have set up what I think is the perfect balance for both of us. I’ve been spending so much time reading forums (Fodor’s, Lonely Planet, and a cute little site called Yes Ireland) that I feel like I’ve been there already. It’s like this for every trip – I even make a perfectly organized binder for each vacation. If only I was this organized in my daily life, but that’s a vent for another time.