Trip Tips with Yolanda Edwards
YOLO Journal founder and travel extraordinaire, Yolanda Edwards, shares her tried and true travel recommendations.
Your top 4 travel tips…
1. Keep a journal from your trip! I tap into my journals business cards, postcards (since we don’t really print out photos anymore!), and notes from the trip. I also like to ask a question to the family or whoever we are traveling with, like—favorite things from the trip—and write them down in the journal. They are amazing to look back at for reference, and for the memories.
2. Always bring a little prevention/cold care kit! I have one that I never empty—it has vitamin c packets (Lycospheric is the brand I love), some charcoal tablets in case of food poisoning, nasal spray, etc. I rarely need it, but it gives me peace of mind that if something comes up, especially on a plane, I have it.
3. Bring your own food on the plane. No matter what class of service I’m flying in, I like to bring my own avocado and sea salt, some nice crackers, some nuts, and—don’t hate me—some jammy hard boiled eggs. I fly so much that I want to have that feeling of home when I’m up in the air.
4. Don’t overplan! Build time into your travel schedule to wander with no agenda. Ticking things off lists is overrated!
What was your most unforgettable summer trip and why?
A week on Chebeague Island in Maine. We rented an old house on the water—it was definitely an old family house—lots of board games from the 70s, no updated appliances—completely caught in time. We just rode bikes, went clam digging, swam in the freezing water, ate lobster and corn on the cob on repeat, and played Uno at night. We had no agenda, no place we had to check out—it was just magical in its simplicity.
In addition to the dreamy Journal issues in print, you recently took your expertise from Substack to site; what excites you most about the new Yolo Journal space?
As a traveler who uses our own site for my travel planning, I felt it was really important to nail the search experience. While I enjoyed the Substack community, it was just impossible to access our information. We spent a year and a half with our Wordpress partners (who became our friends!) trying to nail an experience that would reflect the aesthetic values of Yolo Journal, with easy to digest information—a blend of inspiration and information.
What are three places you return to time after time, and why?
The Medoc in France—we loved it so much we bought a house there to fix up, and once it was done, we found another one! We love it for how undiscovered it is—empty beaches even in August, the best markets, incredible antiquing, and of course, the Bordeaux wines! I always go back to Greece, because I think it has the best sea to swim in. I do switch up the islands—a recent favorite is Folegandros. And lastly, Northern California is dear to my heart. I love its beautiful trails of Mt. Tam, with its views out to the Pacific.
The ultimate packing list for summer to fall transitional weather…
Most definitely a piece from Cara Cara to jazz up the minimalist uniform!
A pair of Ann Mashburn Faye pants in navy or black
An oversized Gap chambray shirt
Falke socks (in case it’s cold at night, and definitely for the plane!)
An oversized cashmere turtleneck in navy from Uniqlo
A the Hemingsworth x Wm Brown safari shirt as the jacket—it’s a collab my husband designed—and I wear it as a shirt or a jacket. Perfect for travel—it has so many big pockets!
