| Hudson Valley Lighting Group International

The click of your seatbelt, the crunch of the gravel beneath your tires, that first time rolling down the window and breathing in the fresh air.

You’re finally leaving on your grand road trip: relaxation and joy instantly hit you. Studies show fewer people are using their time off, and we just don’t think that’s right. Vacations are a time to take a break from your busy life and recharge, so good for you for taking care of yourself with a much-needed trip.

Beyond the relaxation factor, seeing new places and soaking in different cultures from your usual locales influences your design sense and expands your aesthetic. In addition to all the priceless memories and stories traveling create, it enhances the spaces we create when we return home.

GEAR

While road trips usually lead to a stress-free destination, it’s important to use the time before your trip to get all of your essentials together. From the correct bags to a portable charger (yes you will need a portable charger at some point) we think it’s best to travel in style.

SOUNDS

Water bottles and SPF are great, but we believe that the music you play during your road trip is the most essential part. Setting the mood for your adventure is important, so here's a list of the Top 5 Spotify Road Trip Playlists. We also took the liberty of making our own playlist just for you!

If you’re not traveling solo and it’s impossible to choose music everyone agrees on, maybe try out a podcast.

EATS

Music may be food for the soul, but feeding your body is just as important. Packing snacks are especially important for those long stretches without a rest stop in sight.

Taking a road trip with your little ones? Strawberry fruit leather is a healthy alternative to sugar-heavy children’s snacks. All you need is 5 cups of strawberries and 2 tablespoons of honey.

Adults can definitely get down with the fruit leather, but if you’re looking for something healthy and less time consuming there’s nothing better than classic kale chips. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread out your kale, add your oil and spices of choice, and bake at 275 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Voila, you have kale chips.

PHOTOS

After you’re done enjoying your snacks, you’ve suddenly made it to your destination. It’s absolutely gorgeous, but don’t be selfish, share the sites with your friends who couldn’t make it on the trip. Snap your pictures now and edit them later to post with these great apps.

Instagram has some great in-app photo editing capabilities, including filters and brightening your photos. This keeps things pretty simple to edit and post in the same app.
VSCO is another app where you can quickly edit and post to your followers. VSCO allows you to strengthen or weaken the filter you choose and its presets are designed to emulate classic and modern analog films.
Snapseed is an all-purpose photo editor for image enhancements and corrections. This app excels in all basic photo processing techniques, including exposure, color, sharpening, cropping, and straightening. It also offers advanced editing features such as selective adjustments and a healing tool for removing unwanted objects.

More into taking photos with something that doesn’t also make phone calls? We feel you. Our friends at MyDomaine created a list of the best travel cameras.

Travel blogger Katherine O’Regan recommends the Canon 5D Mark III with a 24-70mm lens. She told MyDomaine she loves it because, "Although it's a heavier accessory to tote around while traveling, the camera itself has produced some of the most incredible memories for me that can't be replaced.”

We definitely agree with Katherine: One of the most important parts of any trip is keeping the memories. The places we travel stick with us long after we return home. They influence us in so many positive ways, from our attitudes and moods to seeing things that inspire us.

They also seem to seep into our décor and designs, whether you bring back mementos from a trip or a certain color really strikes you. Like a collection of places, you can showcase your travels through design. Here at Troy, our travels and the spirit of adventure provide some of the best inspiration for our fixtures. Check out a few of the pieces we’ve named after the places and natural phenomena that have captivated us.

Brooklyn Sconce | Outer Banks Pendant| Tides Pendant

We hope you liked our first post for our Road Trip series. Since we’re based in California, our next post will focus on some great places to check out in the Golden State. Until then, stay golden!