This is the first few entries for my new Travel Diaries series on the blog! This first trip I took was a bit of a milestone since it was mostly a solo trip and my first one outside of Canada in over 10 years. These entries are kind of a mix of day-to-day activities that hopefully spurs you to add destinations to your travel list, and a look into how it can be when travelling for the first time or etc.
Now, I do have to point out that I’m not someone who has really travelled a lot, despite the places I’ve been to during my youth. Those travel experiences don’t count as much because I was following itineraries mostly planned out by my parents, whereas this trip was the start of me being able to spread my wings a little bit. For anyone travelling for the first time or planning to travel for the first time, it can be scary but exhilarating at the same time. And I hope these first few entries for my Travel Diaries can give some travel tips and maybe some bucket list places to visit.
Or if that’s too much to hope for, I hope at the very least you’ll be entertained by my little adventures.
This trip was one that had been planned and rescheduled over and over, ever since my family from California came to visit us when I was in high school. It originally made it out of the planning stages in March and I was supposed to go in late April between my Spring and Summer semesters, but that didn’t happen. It got rescheduled to mid-August, and the plan was that I’d fly out a few days after completing my summer semester. This was less than ideal since I still hadn’t found an internship yet, but it worked best for me since I’ll still have time after I came back.
However, plans changed twice after this decision. The trip was first moved again, and then I ended up going alone, flying out in the middle of August and coming back home at the end of the month. I was so stressed while finishing up my Summer courses, but as the date to fly out drew near, the calmer I got—except when I had to play Tetris with my carry-on, that is.
One thing that did get me a little stressed out was how I was going to contact my family in the US when I landed. Roaming charges for my phone plan start at $10/day which would be great if you’re abroad for over a month and need to use your phone. Since I just needed it as a safety net so that was a steep price to pay. I tried my hand at an e-sim since they were reasonably priced in comparison and luckily, it worked! If you only need talk and text, then your plan may be cheaper but I splurged a little for data just incase. I used Airalo but YMMV, because I’ve heard both good and bad experiences with it.
If you’re hoping to try it out though, feel free to use my code! It should give you a discount on your first purchase (about $4.50 CAD off); MALISA4270.
Table of Contents
Packing For The Trip
If you’ve come from my other blog post; My First Solo Trip, you’ll know I travelled only with a carry-on and personal item. This gave me a bit of stress because 1) I’ve only previously travelled with a suitcase that was in checked luggage when with my family, and 2) I became a skincare girlie after I took a hiatus from travelling. So I was worried about bringing too much but also too little while keeping in mind the liquids allowance for carry-ons. Honestly, it’s a very minor issue overall but I was overthinking it (p.s I’m an overthinker).
My concern was that I would start breaking out while overseas due to stress, and I needed to use a product that would help cool my skin if need be due to stress factors, sunburns or just my skin acting up, etc. My multi-step routine helped with that so condensing it was a pain, add in the fact I decided to bring my own shampoo and conditioner to tame the frizz from potential humidity and my liquids bag was a little uncomfortably full Lol. But when the day came to fly, I whittled down the products to a manageable/reasonable number that was still way under the guidelines.
I took a lot of sample sizes and some products were transferred into travel-size containers for the trip. I wish I remembered to take pictures though, but here’s a list of some things I bought. *SS means sample size, *TC means transferred container.
- *SS Cleanser (unnamed because I forgot the name)
- *SS Toner (Etude Soonjung pH 5.5 Relief Toner)
- *TC Serum (Purito Seoul Wonder Releaf Centella Serum Unscented)
- *SS Eye cream (Innisfree Intensive Hydrating Eye Cream w/Green Tea Seed)
- *SS Cream (Etude SoonJung Hydro Barrier Cream)
- *SS Makeup remover (Clio Eye and Lip Makeup Remover)
- *TC Perfume
- *TC Body spray
- *TC Shampoo (Kracie Ichigami Smoothing)
- *TC Conditioner (“^”)
- Small Hand Sanitizer
I stuck with mostly calming or soothing products to try and make the best of keeping my skin from breaking out, and it worked! So that’s my advice, if you’re going to travel, use or bring products that are meant for soothing, calming and/or moisturizing to lessen the chance of breakouts, redness etc.
I also had to fit my eyedrops somewhere in there because I’ve always had somewhat dry eyes, and I didn’t want to have to run to a pharmacy to get eye drops. My lesson learned is that if you’re going for less than 2 weeks, you can probably sub out sample size cleansers, serums (unless you really need it), and eye creams with sample packs (the near-flat kind) to save space in the ziplock. You probably don’t need to bring shampoo and conditioner either but that is very much up to the traveller, so YMMV.
I did luck out though because my sunscreen, lip balm/tinted balm and eyeliner were all in stick form. So my second tip is to opt for stick forms if possible, which’ll be a breeze! I didn’t bring makeup with me other than eyeliner and tinted balm because I was mainly visiting family, and I was also worried about it breaking during transit. But if you are bringing some, I recommend small palettes or a few single shadows. It’s less painful than a full makeup palette breaking in transit.
My second concern came later when I was packing because my carry-on only fit 6 pairs of clothing total, so I’d have to wash my clothes every 2-3 days. Luckily I was staying with family but oof. I also did take two pairs of shoes (running shoes and then sandals) though you can make do with one pair to save space.
Somehow though, everything managed to fit!
Day 1: San Francisco Bound
I had a bit of an early flight so I was at the airport around 7-8 AM, and while I do live somewhat close to the airport, I was so groggy waking up around 6 AM to get there early. My carry-on’s extendable handle also broke just after I went past security (it’s the rolling duffle type) and it was embarrassing, I ended up carrying the duffle throughout my trip. Also gentle reminder but either eat before you get to the airport, or bring food to eat after security (if allowed) because the food was kinda pricey at Pearson. I was very nervous the entire time and couldn’t eat, but you definitely should eat. Don’t be like me.
Boarding was like the usual process, and I knew that the takeoff would hit me hard with how anxious I was. It’s kind of funny now looking back at it because after the plane stabilized, my adrenaline wore off and I just conked out and slept for an hour. I woke up in time for snacks and drinks to be handed out so that was good. My plane’s model only had two seats per row on either side of the aisle, and I was so thankful because I’d heard some middle-seat horror stories from my parents. I sat in the aisle seat for both trips too!
Tip: To ease the pressure in your ears, my mom used to let me chew gum but if you don’t have that on hand, try yawning or going through the motion to yawn. It helps alleviate some of the pressure. For kids, you can also massage around their ears, either at the front or the back while they make the motion to yawn. This tip helped so much when I was a kid because we were on planes very often since I was a baby, but again, your mileage may vary (YMMV).
I was on Porter Airlines for this trip so there were unlimited snacks and drinks (including some alcohol choices) while their supplies lasted, and options for purchase. There was also Wifi available on the plane and I was delighted! I passed the time by reading some manhwa (comics essentially) I had downloaded (Manta subscription), browsing social media and messaging my parents and family in the US. A five-hour flight isn’t too bad honestly, just make sure to plan out how to entertain yourself but I swear I could feel my bones creaking when it came time to get off the plane.
Welcome to San Francisco
My plane landed around 1-2 PM local time, and again I could feel my bones creak when I got off that flight but I’d call that a success for my first flight alone.
I think one of the highlights of travelling with just a carry-on is how quick and easy it was to get out of the airport. I just grabbed my personal item from beneath the seat in front, then the carry-on from the overhead and I was out of the plane and in the pickup zone of the airport. I was picked up by one of my uncles and then we were off!
This was the extent of my first day in the US. When we got to the family home, I had about an hour to unpack some stuff, decompress and wash off the plane air before the rest of them came home. I met my great-aunt (I think that’s the right English title?) for the first time in years – we met previously but I think I was too young to remember. I also got re-acquainted with my aunt and one of my cousins (the family of the uncle who picked me up).
After a short break, the four of us excluding my great-aunt had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was a set meal and according to my family, the meal consisted of traditional Vietnamese dishes. It was a lot of food, but we made room for dessert. I got a smashed avocado drink (kinda like sinh tố bơ – an avocado milkshake) and finished it before I remembered to take pictures.
When we returned to the house (“home”), I spent some time gossiping with everyone after a quick shower. However, the time difference did catch up to me and I zonked out by 9 PM local time (about midnight in Toronto), much to my family’s shock.
