Learn it, Live it, Love it: The Travel Edition

Learn It:
We’re rounding the bend into the last quarter of the year, and if you’re like me, you’re reviewing your 2019 resolutions, and thinking… Ack! (Cathy style) and wondering how you can knock a few final things off in your last three months of the year. Enter this awesome 90-day worksheet that helps you set three major goals and outline the steps you’ll need to take to accomplish them. What I love in particular is how it sets expectations. Failure often comes from setting unrealistic expectations, but three things in three months? That we can do! Sometimes I use this guide for AF-related items, other times I use it for life goals – I’ll be filling mine out for Q4 this weekend.

Live It:
With so much focus in the media on national politics, it can be easy to forget about the power each of us has to affect change on a local level, change that can impact our neighbors. On October 7th I’ll be attending the DC premiere screening of Ms. Virginia which tells the story of the heroic Virginia Walden Ford, who has worked for decades to bring improved educational options to students in Washington, DC. I’m so excited to learn more about her story, join me!

It’s also never too early to make your Laissez Fair plans! We’ve just announced that Justin Amash will be joining Matt Kibbe for a live discussion on how we millennials (the current largest voting demographic) have the power to demand more from our elected officials or to affect change outside the typical two-party system. We have the power to sculpt this nation’s future for generations to come – what will our legacy be?

Love it:
I’m on the road quite a bit thanks to my awesome job; just this month I’ve gotten to visit New York, Austin, Chicago, and Dallas. Trips are often a whirlwind, sometimes only a day or so, so here are a few things that keep me sane and semi-centered when my commute includes aisle seats and jet bridges.

1. Hydrate always! I should get a good portable water bottle, but until I do, I like the 1 ltr Smart Water bottles. They fit well into an already stuffed travel bag.

2. Caffeine: airport and airplane coffee is. the. worst. But, we don’t have to choose misery! I always order tea from the flight attendants. You can’t really mess up a Lipton tea bag.

3. Snacks: While Biscoff cookies are delicious, they aren’t really a part of a balanced breakfast. I like to grab cheese sticks and an RX bar from the airport shop to keep me sustained.

4. I love discovering new restaurants, and America’s cities are full of great food experiences. Whether I’m at a conference where meals are included or I just got out of a high stakes meeting, I like to try to pop out to at least one interesting and local spot in each city I visit. After all, it’s painful to eat a hotel ham sandwich when Franklin BBQ is across the street. Here are my favorite stops in each city I visited this month: Union Square Cafe (NY), Old Thousand (Austin), Fat Rice & Revival Food Hall (Chicago), and Terra (Dallas). Pro tip: Don’t expense field trips like this unless you’re at a business meeting. It’s not my job’s responsibility to support my fancy food obsession!