Plus Size Travel: Facing Fears and California Dreaming

We’ve all heard those rules. You know things like: “Plus size girls shouldn’t wear white” and “Plus size folks can’t travel.” Well Marcy and I are back today to challenge those rules. We traveled to California earlier this month together decked out in threads from and in the process, I found myself facing a big personal fear too.

Confession: I hate driving. I lived in Chicago from age 18 to 25 with no car and then moved to Atlanta, one of the worst cities to drive in. I didn’t have the confidence someone my age should have with driving. It didn’t help that I got in three car accidents in one month when I lived in Atlanta. Four years later, my driving-related anxiety is still pretty intense. When Marcy of and I decided to travel to Los Angeles together, I knew I would have to drive. As a native New Yorker, Marcy doesn’t have her driver’s license and LA is a city where a car is pretty necessary if you want to get around easily. I’ve been to LA many times but always with someone else who did the driving for me.

It seemed very fitting that locating the California Dreaming mural would require a bit of driving to find it. Ironically we past it twice by accident, but when we went to find it on purpose the next day to snap these pics, I ended up in a mall parking lot. It took us more than two hours to get there. For reference, the best way to find it, is to put in the next door.

I warned Marcy about my fear of driving and she was an excellent co-pilot. She gave me encouragement and also allowed me to swear when someone cut me off because I was going too slow. I drove a total of 400+ miles during our five day trip — this is a feat I never thought I could do. When you’re facing your fears, it’s a good idea to have a friend who is patient with you and cheering you on! I am so appreciative of Marcy for being my plus size travel companion!

Our size may dictate the rules but it doesn’t dictate our fears and one of my biggest fears had nothing to do with my size at all. Sure, wearing white has been something I’ve shied away in the past but this amazing white fit and flare dress from Lane Bryant seemed like a piece of cake compared to all that driving!

They say that the only way to become comfortable with something is to just do it. But that doesn’t mean you necessarily dive right in. It’s okay to take your time and do things in your own time. I think Marcy realized that when she wore during our trip and I know it was important for me to recognize my limitations with driving.

I told myself that it was okay to have boundaries around driving. I looked up all of my directions in advance and gave us an additional half hour more to get where we needed to if we were on a time limit. I made peace with being late if that happened. I also decided that I wasn’t going to risk feeling safe in order to follow directions exactly. We heard “re-routing” quite a bit on this trip. Anytime the GPS called for a quick exit or a risky turn, I just allowed it to re-route. It took a little longer but in the end, I got us where we wanted to go.

Along this journey of getting lost and re-routing, Marcy and I got to see a lot of Los Angeles! On the hunt for the California Dreaming mural, we saw so many other amazing murals. Los Angeles is definitely a city of street art and we snapped a few of our favorite pieces which you can see below.

So what’s the lesson? Travel. Wear white. Get lost. Face your fears. And never let anyone else tell you what you can do.

Make sure you check out Marcy’s !  And don’t forget to follow myself (@) and Marcy (@fearlesslyjustme) on Instagram.

Tie-Front Fit & Flare Dress, c/o Lane Bryant
Wide Calf Tall Gladiator Sandals, c/o Lane Bryant
Gingham Envelope Handbag, c/o Lane Bryant

Burnout Floral Fit & Flare Dress, c/o Lane Bryant
Faux Suede Mules, c/o Lane Bryant