In addition to running A Cookie Before Dinner, I also work as the Content & Community Manager for Boss Mom. This past January, my role within Boss Mom brought me to California. It meant leaving my kids and husband behind and traveling across the country by myself. I was surprised at a few things I learned about myself along the way.

5 Things I Learned About Traveling Across Country By Myself

Motherhood made me forget how much I love reading for fun. 

Flying from Boston to San Diego afforded me 10+ hours of flight time, which was plenty to dive headfirst into a good book. I forgot how much I enjoy reading a great book, how I love to swoon over a well structured sentence (I’m a total word nerd) and how I hate to say goodbye to characters that I love when the story ends. You know what they say about reading right? Reading begets reading. Since returning home, I’ve finished over 20 novels and just got a text message that the book I’ve been waiting for from the library is ready for me to pick up.

I can eat a meal alone at a restaurant and not self combust.

This doesn’t happen to me too much in real life. I usually am either dining out with my family or friends. It felt a little strange at first to be dining alone, but I really loved the fact that I got to set my own pace for the meal and didn’t have to wait for anyone else to be finished. I loved it so much that I started taking myself out to dinner alone a few times a month!

I am self aware enough to feel safe in a large (new to me) city. 

The event I was traveling to San Diego for was held downtown and while I spent a lot of time with colleagues, I went off and adventured on my own too. I certainly wouldn’t go out and about alone at night, but during the day, I loved walking the streets and taking in the sights. My schedule was fairly jammed, but it was awesome to see what I could of San Diego.

There are some things you can control, but flight delays and weather aren’t them. 

As a mom, I live in a world where I have to be the boss and manage the lives of two tiny humans. I can’t decide I’m no longer interested in doing laundry or cooking dinner. Those things have to be controlled and managed by someone, and that’s me by default. But there is something spectacular about knowing that I was at the mercy of the airlines and the weather. Thankfully, my delay was only 10 minutes but I had to go into my travel with an open mind and flexible heart. If you’ve ever tried to fly out of Boston in January, you’ll understand what I mean.

There is no place like home. 

I loved hotel living. The bed I slept in was super cozy and I loved not having to cook. But at the end of the day, home is where my family is. And I was surprised at just how much I missed my crew. I missed my 7 year old’s Pokemon explanations, I missed my preschooler’s silly jokes and I missed the way my husband smiles at me with his eyes. Traveling alone is awesome, but having my family with me sounds even better.

This post about traveling alone was inspired by Wente, who asked me to share about for the love of the journey. They’re a family vineyard in California and I’m pleased to be working with them again. Last time we worked together, I shared all about A Cookie Before Dinner’s logo journey, which you can read about here.  That time around, I tried their Louis Mel Sauvignon Blanc.

This time, Morning Fog Chardonnay made it’s way to my shopping basket. It’s named for the morning fog that rolls into the Wente vineyards from the San Francisco Bay.

Here’s a sweet little video of my husband talking about holding down the fort while I was gone and what that trip did for me.