Redwood Dawn by Rob Shenk from Flickr (Creative Commons License)
There is so much that needs to be done before the beginning of The Undeniable Tour. It seems like my to-do list is getting longer every day as I think of more things that need to get done. Even though I’m uber busy right now, I am enjoying the process.
Last weekend I planned out the basic structure of my trip, figuring out which city I need to be in or want to be in on each day and researching where I want to spend each night. I initially thought that I was going to have to go old school and put different colored push pins through my map of California to help me visualize my plans, but I was able to figure it out with a little help from Google Maps.
One of the most enjoyable things I’ve had to do in the last week is a research hotels and bed and breakfasts where I might want to stay. I purposely looked for independently owned places that had a rich history or something particularly unique about them. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to find places that weren’t your run-of-the-mill hotels.
I spent most of yesterday crafting emails to each hotel where I hope to stay, explaining who I am and why I’m doing The Undeniable Tour, and inquire if they would be interested in hosting me for a night in exchange for the exposure they would get from me on this blog, my YouTube channel, social media, and I would post reviews on Yelp and Trip Advisor. So far I’ve had one place accept – Casa Bella Sera (so excited to stay with you!), two places declined, and one asked whether I would need a room with one bed or two. I was a little bummed when the hotel that is made out of converted railway cars declined to be part of the tour, but that just means I get to stay with someone else that night.
If there is a city where I can’t find a hotel or B&B to host me, I’ll look at my options for a cheap hotel, a hostel, and I might consider trying couchsurfing.com. My friend Liesl couchsurfed across Australia, staying with strangers, and didn’t die. It would definitely make my adventure more colorful.
If you have any suggestions for things I should see, people I should meet, or places I should stay during The Undeniable Tour, please let me know!