We're moving back to California!

We're moving back to California!

Its road trip time once again! Alex and I are leaving in less than an hour for California. Well, technically we plan on sleeping somewhere between New York City and Washington DC on the first night, but our final destination is Long Beach. Alex has gotten a new, more awesome job coaching hockey again, which makes him happy. I have an interview with a well-known vegan company after we arrive, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that they love me (and I love it)! Our route this trip will be pretty southern, due to all the wonky weather we've been getting over here on the East Coast later. To give you a better idea, here's a map of our route:

We're stopping at The Holy Donut in Portland (my FAVORITE place to get vegan donuts!) on our way out this morning, as a final, delicious farewell to my home state. Then we're headed to a string of semi-major cities to see some sights! Our stopping points are something like: Salem, Mass., Philadelphia, Mt. Vernon, Asheville, Nashville, Little Rock, and Dallas, before arriving in Long Beach. 
Since we're taking our pup, we always stay at hotels that allow pets (or truck stops!).We've had a lot of luck with Red Roof Inns, Marriots, and Best Westerns. It also helps to make sure your animal companion has lots of access to water, plenty of pee breaks, and a couple of toys or chewies to keep them entertained in the back seat. Our dog loves being in the car, but is struggling a little with the move. She can tell we'll be changing something major soon, so to help, we purchased and have been using a 'Thunder Shirt' with great success. Its' basically a very soft cotton shirt with velcro so your pup can have the same experience as a swaddled baby- all the comfort of being hugged and a little extra warmth! She's been really loving it, so I'd recommend checking it out if you've got a nervous nelly, too.

As a vegan, eating on the road can be a challenge, especially in states you're unfamiliar with. For instance, the first time we drove through Texas I thought "ON NO! Land of Steers. How will I EAT?!" But they has some surprisingly veg-friendly restaurants! The trick these days is tp make your smart phone do all the work for you. A couple great apps we use to find vegan fare on the go are:

Happy Cow
(Find places based on distance, veg-friendliness, and reviews!)

Vegan Xpress
(Perfect for finding vegan friendly options at fast food restaurants!)

WTF Vegan Food
(As in: will travel for, and this girl has found the best of the best nearly everywhere.)

VegGuide
(Similar to HC, works to find places nearest your location.)

Roaming Hunger
(Alex and I LOVE food truck fare, and this app helps us find it in any major city!)

If you've been hanging out with us for a while, you might know that about a year ago, we moved to Maine from California. We've had a great time here-but the West Coast beckons! To see our posts from last time, check out these links: 

Packing for a Vegan Roadtrip

Road Trip: Days 1 & 2! (CA-MO)

Road Trip: Days 3 & 4! (MO-ME)

And on that note, we're off!! The car is packed, the room is empty, and now...we're going, going back, back to Cali, Cali! Okay, maybe lame, but I'm EXCITED! For the road trip, for warm weather, and to see all the people I've missed so dearly again. Until next time, with love.