Three days, one backpack

[DharmaLou]

The story of a girl on a solo trip, taking only a (really awesome Disneyland) backpack for clothes/toiletries/etc so she can fly as cheap as possible on Frontier. Will she manage to curtail her normally frivolous spending habits at Disneyland and make it home with only the same bag she brought on the flight out? Stay tuned!

When: June 1-3, 2018.

Where: DEN to SNA

Staying: Alamo Inn

Transportation: Lyft/foot.

Plans: See where each day takes me!

Our last trip was several weeks ago, but I have an AP so I try to go as frequently as I can (which usually comes down to 3-4 trips a year). My mom will be taking my 9yo DD to Yellowstone for a week, and the softball team I coach has no practices or games that weekend, so I am free as a bird to go! The catch? The least expensive airfare is on Frontier airlines. However, when you add bag and seat fees, the price goes up quickly. So, I booked one of the $0 seats both there and back, and am traveling only with a backpack that fits under my seat. My husband is quite openly worried I won't leave enough room for sweets from Pooh Corner, and DD is worried I won't bring her back ALL the things. My only worries are that there are never enough hours in the day to have as much fun as I want to have!

 

[buteraa]

Sounds fun...following

 

[BecBennett]

That's too challenging for my tastes

 

[DharmaLou]

The plot thickens as I keep planning. DH has seen the Infinity Gauntlet sippers. My friend wants an alien tumbler. Another wants rainbow Mickey ears. I'm pretty good at buying things that don't take up much space (jewelry, pins, a shirt or two). My "biggest" items would be sweets from Pooh Corner or Marceline's and macarons from Kayla's Cakes. DH said I could just wear the Infinity Gauntlet on the plane and if I didn't like the person I'm seated next to or wanted a better seat I could just snap my fingers!

I'm getting really excited for more of the Pixar Fest foods! When we were there a month ago, we didn't have too many of them because we had one big meal a day and weren't necessarily hungry for more. This time, I'm not planning any sit down meals, just Pixar Fest foods!

I've got most of my clothes planned. I've got two tank tops which take up very little room, and a dress which also doesn't take up much room.

I'm getting so excited for Hyperspace Mountain and the march of the First Order and to meet Rey! DD will be so jealous that I get to see Rey. She's just about her favorite character in all of the "universes".

 

[Jaina]

Following!

 

[DharmaLou]

In good news, the Infinity Gauntlet sipper is sold out! (Ok, it's only good news for me, not my DH). In bad news, the March of the First Order ends the day before I go. Boo. But I also have a friend who wants the rainbow Mickey Ear hat, and another who wants the Alien tumbler. This is leaving less and less space for Tigger Tails and spirit jerseys!

 

[OhioMom23]

We will be there same time!! Getting excited

 

[DharmaLou]

Tomorrow is the day! Got my backpack packed - only about 1/3 full. So... that allows me plenty of jewelry, magnets, pins, a few shirts and ears. Can't wait!

 

[LuvEeyore]

Tomorrow is the day! Got my backpack packed - only about 1/3 full. So... that allows me plenty of jewelry, magnets, pins, a few shirts and ears. Can't wait!

Hope you are having fun. Following to hear about the adventures of a solo traveler.

 

[DharmaLou]

I have returned! The super brief version is "yay! it was so awesome! everything went great!" The longer version will have to wait a day or two for me to catch up on both work and sleep!

 

[DharmaLou]

Slow but sure, let's get started. Here's what I packed to take with me:

2 tank tops
1 running skirt
1 pair compression shorts (for under dress)
1 tank dress
2 pair undergarments and 2 pair socks
1 pair Maleficent ears
This purse: https://www.shopdisney.com/star-wars-the-last-jedi-crossbody-bag-by-dooney-and-bourke-1462142
1 Ipsy bag & 1 ziploc bag of toiletries, some were disposable such as sample sized shampoo/conditioner and Ipsy travel sized face soap, moisturizer, foundation etc
Wall charger for phone and portable charger, 2 cords, headphones
I wore the same shoes all 3 days.

Here's what the bag looked like at the airport on the way out:

It actually looks more full than it was. It was pretty darned empty. I used a shoe sized packing cube for all my clothes and they all fit into one. Here I am at the airport bright and early at 6:30 am ready to go with my iced tea. I was lucky that the flight was on time and I also have Clear for boarding so I walked right up to the TSA conveyor belt at the aiport that morning. Regular lines were pretty long.

More soon!
ETA - let me know if you can see the pics. If not I'll change my hosting.

 

[Nhebron]

Love this and can't wait to see your bag on the return!

 

[DharmaLou]

A few pro-tips from me in between posts. I like to travel light and inexpensively so that I can save money for food and souvenirs. I also like to save time wherever I can.

If you are parking at the airport, look into the the parking lot to see if they have mobile apps. I signed up for the parking lot we park in regularly. When you sign up for the app you receive an $18 credit, so for 3 days parking I paid $4.50.

Save up your Starbucks rewards! Starbucks is more expensive at the park, so I always save up my rewards and get my coffee in DTD. I also use mobile order when I go thru security (or get on the tram from Mickey & Friends) and my drink is waiting when I get there, and it's free! Obviously, if it's free, go for the venti!

I only pack sample sized toiletries. I subscribe to Ipsy, so I have a lot of sample sized things like face wash, moisturizer, BB cream. I also get things like travel size shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, sunscreen and deodorant at Target. I also make sure my hotel has a hair dryer so I don't have to waste space with that.

Packing cubes! They're awesome! These are the ones I have: https://amzn.to/2JmCjgN
We have 2 sets of 6, but for this trip I just took the two shoe sized ones. They fit perfectly for the width and length of my backpack. I packed one with the close I listed above and the other one went empty and came home with things I purchased in them. I always roll my clothes to make more room.

Dollar bills. I always have at least $10 in $1's on me to tip the parking bus driver, housekeeping and to buy soda from the machine at the hotel.

Lacons (these things: https://amzn.to/2sJ0VcB ): if my trip is super short, I'll pack my meds in one of these. I also usually pack one of them with ibuprofen. They take up very little room in your purse.

 

[DharmaLou]

Let's get this started!! Sorry, life has been pretty busy. I've picked up more Lyft driving hours since I decided to take DD to DLR for her 10th birthday in September. Anyway... here we go!

The morning went smoothly. Parked & got on the airport shuttle immediately, got right thru TSA with my CLEAR membership, got some coffee since I got up at 5:30, and headed to my gate... which fortunately after about 5 minutes realized was the wrong gate, despite being on my boarding pass. So, I found the correct gate just as they were boarding the plane. I had a middle seat near the back next to a woman who watched videos LOUDLY on her phone (no earbuds) until we had to turn off phones. Thankfully she didn't resume after we were airborne - however she did take off her shoes and sit crosslegged the whole flight . We had a rather bumpy flight, but arrived early. Yay! Thanks to no checked bags, I hopped off the plane and straight for the exit and waited for my Lyft driver. I would have preferred he dropped me off by Paradise Pier so I could walk to that checkpoint, but he dropped me off by Mickey & Friends instead, so I had a short walk to security. Security had a fun time checking my bag since it had ALL my stuff in it! I explained I had come straight from the airport, so that's why I had all that stuff! I got thru, put in a mobile Starbucks order, and walked down to pick it up. I then stored my bag in the esplanade lockers. By the time I got to the gate it was about 10am on the dot. Not bad at all!!

My plan for the day was pretty simple: Eat all the things! Plus ride some rides and all that good stuff. We had been at DLR in April but really didn't eat nearly enough Pixar Fest treats.

I started the day at DLR and pulled an early afternoon FP for Hyperspace Mountain. When my window opened, I also pulled a FP for Racers (I have Maxpass - best thing ever!). I headed to Matterhorn and rode each side single rider. I got on really quickly each time. When I was young, the Yeti terrified me, but now Matterhorn is just about my favorite ride! After Matterhorn, I headed to the teacups. That's my DD's favorite ride (besides the now-Incredicoaster). Since she was off having fun in Yellowstone, I decided I'd ride it for her.

After that, I took off to see if I could get on BTMRR, but the line was a little longer than I would have liked, so I went and got my first treat of the day: the pineapple churro with marshmallow cream! It was so good! Probably my favorite of all the specialty ones!

I decided at that point that I would go see my favorite Wookie in the whole wide world. Not much makes me happier than Chewie! I was also excited to meet Rey for the first time. She was not there when we were at DLR in April. Of EVERYTHING that I did (including going to DLR with out DD), the only thing she was upset about was that I got to meet Rey!

Then, it was time for another churro. This time I tried the carrot cake churro over in the NOS area. I also loved this one, as I love carrot cake, but it wasn't *quite* as good as the pineapple one. After I ate that, I went on HM and Pooh, while still waiting for my 1:25 FP time for HSM.

I wandered around a little bit more and decided that since there was a tiny bit more time, I'd get the Alien Macaron I had been coveting from Pizza Planet. Definitely two thumbs up. I am a macaron aficianado; I always buy at least a dozen from Kayla's Cakes in DTD, and I love the rose gold and millenial pink ones too!

And then it was time for my HSM FP finally! I love Space Mountain so much - but HSM is my favorite! Also... a word of warning to anyone who goes on a ride with me - I loooove ride photos! I'm not that jerk who puts my arms up in front of other people (ok, except this one time, but it was completely out of fear lol).

At this point, I did a little bit of shopping. I picked up the Ariel spirit jersey that was out of stock when I was there in April, along with my rainbow ears, millenial pink ears, and a rainbow ear hat for a friend. I stored it in the locker and then headed to DTD to have a drink (or 3) at Uva Bar while I waited for it to be closer to my 4:30 RSR FP.

Day 1 to be continued soon!

 

[LuvEeyore]

Waiting somewhat patiently for more!