How to Shop for Vintage and Antiques When You’re Traveling

How to Shop for Vintage and Antiques When You’re Traveling

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)

Taking a road trip? It’s my favorite way to shop for vintage home decor and furniture items! Check out some easy tips to help you make the most of your travels!​

Do you love taking road trips?  It’s become a favorite way to travel for our family and my kids have even learned to tolerate…maybe even appreciate, a little…some extra pieces tucked into our vehicle throughout the trip!

Over the years of taking road trips with our family, we have figured out a few tips and tricks that have helped us to add some great vintage pieces to our home!  They are the perfect “souvenirs” and I love how even the smallest pieces help tell our home story.

In case these tips could help anyone else, I’m sharing them here on the blog today for my monthly Thrifting with the Gals post!  I love joining these friends each month to share all of our favorite things about thrifting, vintage, and decor!  You’ll love visiting each of them today:

Jen from Midwest Life and Style is our guest host this month and you’re going to love her blog!  She also has a beautiful Instagram account where I always find lovely inspiration.

 I really enjoy following along with her casual, family-friendly style and I’ve loved getting to spend some time with her in person at the Haven Conference too!  We enjoyed some great tacos together last year!

Enough about that and back to decorating…haha!

How to Shop for Vintage and Antiques When You’re Traveling

1. Use your phone to help you shop for vintage pieces!

This is a fun and handy little tip.  My husband is actually the one who usually works his magic with this and it’s a great way to find places to shop that may not be advertised on road signs.

  1. Open up the map app on your phone.
  2. Move the map around to the area you want to shop.
  3. Search “antiques” or “vintage” or another favorite search term.
  4. VOILA!  You have a sorted shopping list plotted on a map!

2. Things to Bring From Home

There are a few things that I add to my road trip packing list that wouldn’t be there if I didn’t plan to hopefully shop for some vintage finds along the way!  Save this list to your packing organization for your next trip!

  • List of measurements from home (main walls, shelves, spaces you like to decorate or where you’re looking for specific pieces for)
  • Tape measure
  • Packing paper or a small roll of bubble wrap
  • If we have room, a plastic tote to keep small items from rolling around and to protect breakables (though to be honest, I try to just not purchase too many breakables if we are on a family trip…that can be a bit stressful!)

3. Use social media to help you shop for vintage items!

Once we’ve located a possible stop, I always check Facebook and Instagram to see if the store has an online presence.  I’ve been to great places that DON’T have social media, but if they happen to have pictures online, I can usually get somewhat of an idea if it’s my style or not.

I’ve also reached out to friends when we are traveling to see if they have any recommendations.  I know many of YOU have reached out to me for thrifting ideas here in South Florida!  It’s a great way to learn about places to go and a personal reference is always helpful!

4. Call ahead for store hours!

If time is an issue, I always try to call the store to check their hours.  Sometimes the hours are not updated online and we’ve definitely missed some great spots because we didn’t know the correct store hours!

To be honest, customer service is a big deal to me, so I can usually get an idea over the phone if I’m going to enjoy a stop or not!

5. What if your dream piece doesn’t fit in the car or your suitcase?

I don’t even want to start down the road of how many pieces I’ve had to leave behind!  However, we have also had a few “must-have” items shipped home and that can be a great solution.  If a shop owner is able to help you with shipping, that is especially wonderful, but often you need to arrange it on your own.  We have had great success with U-Ship in the past!

Tip: Be patient and make sure you have plenty of time, both on the processing end and then back home on the waiting end.  It is a process to arrange and you may not get your item right away.  If it’s “must-have” enough, it’ll be worth the wait!

6. Pay attention to pricing when you shop for vintage items on a road trip!

It is always so interesting to me. how different the prices are depending on the location.  In addition, the price of different kinds of items can vary so much too!  

For example, I can sometimes find ironstone for a steal in Florida because it isn’t as highly sought after.  However, an ironstone piece in an antique mall in the Carolinas could cost me a lot more.  At the same time, I bought vintage coral for a couple of dollars at a shop in North Carolina  where it would have cost over $30-40 here in Florida.

7. Shop for vintage items with purpose and intention.

Before I get started, let me just say that strolling and browsing just for the sake of it is one of the most relaxing things I can do.  I LOVE it!  When I say shop for vintage items with purpose and intention, I am referring mostly to your actual purchases.

ometimes I buy special things on a whim, but often, I have a place in mind where I can use it or I know it will tie in perfectly with my existing decor.  I am very careful with seasonal items, but if a piece is unique and I know I will use it for a long time to come, that sometimes gets added to my collection.

My family purchased this little stoneware piece for my birthday from an antique shop in Colorado!  I love it because I’ll always remember that special trip when I use it for decorating.  At the same time, it is something I can actually use because it goes perfectly with my collection!

Tip: Avoid buying just for the sake of buying.  Rather, focus on pieces that you know you can use and enjoy for a long time to come!

I hope this gives you a few tips and ideas for your next vintage-hunting road trip!  The fun is really in the unexpected and the discovery of new places, so enjoy!

I’ve included a lot of pictures in this post from that sweet antique shop in Silverton, Colorado. You’ll have to browse through and tell me what you would have wanted to bring home from this trip!

Hint: I wanted more than would ever fit in my suitcase and needed more time than my patient children could bear. ????

Make sure to check out the other Thrifting with the Gals posts today!  There’s always loads of inspiration, styling ideas, DIY, and tips to help you get the most out of your thrifting experiences too!

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterestand Facebook!  

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)
The Best Family Day Trip to Beautiful Kennebunkport, Maine

The Best Family Day Trip to Beautiful Kennebunkport, Maine

Kennebunkport, ME and the southern Maine area is full of special places! Check out the hightlights of our family day trip through this beautiful area!

It has been just over 18 years since I visited Kennebunkport, Maine for the first time.  Robb and I spent some time in this sweet town during our honeymoon!  What a delight to make it part of our family’s New England Fall Trip!

It was just as charming and quaint and beautiful as I remembered!

We even grabbed a quick picture by the former Captain Lord Mansion, the bed and breakfast where we stayed.  Our 13-year-old photographer did a pretty good job, even though no editing will make me look as young as I did in 2003!

We spent some time strolling through the downtown, checking out the beach, and browsing a few of the amazing antique shops that run through “Antique Alley” along Route 1.

Here are a few highlights from our family day trip through southern Maine and Kennebunkport!

Antique Browsing through Southern Maine

You may not believe me, but it’s true.  I purposely did not spend time researching antique places for any of our New England stops.  This trip was really all about our family and I didn’t want to find any “must stop” places and then be disappointed if it didn’t work out!

I decided that I would be perfectly happy if we happened upon any fun places to stop and even happier if it worked out to browse.  Some did and some didn’t.  But Southern Maine was full of them on a morning when we had time to stop!

Our kids are pretty used to a family day trip that includes an antiques stop or two.  For the most part, they enjoy it too!

Tip for antiquing with kids: My kids love to do an alphabet scavenger hunt.  They have to find something that starts with every letter of the alphabet and they have to go in order!

If you know me well, you know my favorite vintage things are almost always large in size, such as old signs, architectural salvage, and that type of thing.  There were so many pieces that I loved but couldn’t get home.  It was still super fun to browse!

I am always so interested to see antiques in different parts of the country.  So different than our Florida or even southern state antique stops!

One super fun find was this antique marmalade jar.  They can be super pricey online and I’ve never seen one in person that I was willing to pay the steep price for.  But this jar was tucked into a random little shop for only $12!  Score!

I’ll set it on my shelf or tuck a flower stem into and fondly remember our morning of browsing whatever little shops we came upon that family day trip!

My friend Ann from Dabbling and Decorating has some great blog posts with suggestions for thrifting and antiquing in New England.  If you’re headed to the area, make sure to check her blog.  I was excited to see that we ended up stopping at several places on this post!

You can find my favorite tips for vintage hunting and antiquing, no matter what part of the country, here!

Scenic Views on Our Family Day Trip

 

Maine, quite simply, is beautiful.  We enjoyed a drive along the coast in Kennebunkport, Maine, as well as some time climbing around the rocks that overlook Walker’s Point.

 

Harrison, especially, would have stayed here all day just climbing around and having fun.  They thought it was pretty awesome how different the beach is there compared to our Florida beaches!

 

No doubt, this is a great spot to get out, enjoy the coastal air, and get some great pictures too!  I was able to get some great pictures of the kids out of this stop and Payton even grabbed a snapshot of Robb and I too!

 

It was really beautiful to see the signs of fall all around, while still overlooking the ocean.  People who live along the New England coast may take that uniqueness for normal, but it was especially beautiful to me.

Of course, we had to collect a few of the beautiful, freshly fallen leaves!

 

Around the Town in Kennebunkport, Maine

It really is just the cutest downtown!  After exploring the coastal scenery, we drove back into the downtown and enjoyed an afternoon and evening of browsing the shops, enjoying the leisure time, and of course, enjoying some great food!

Not to be critical of our Florida pumpkin patches and displays, but they just can’t measure up to New England.  Let’s just say, it isn’t South Florida’s strength.  Haha!

Of course, I couldn’t pass up the chance to grab a family picture by this fun pumpkin display at the end of the downtown area!

Kennebunkport has adorable little shops and we all loaded up on some pullovers, hoodies, and souvenirs.

Travel Tip: We love to collect a Christmas ornament from places we travel.  It is so fun to pull them out at Christmas, one by one, and remember all the fun memories.  I choose them in neutral colors so that no matter the colors we want to use, they will always mix in!

The Best Food on our Family Day Trip

No family day trip is complete without some yummy food, right?!  We decided to forego the nice restaurants and eat at a little stop overlooking the boats.

We convinced two out of three kids to try the lobster and they loved it!  Clam chowder was a favorite for Harrison and is one of mine too.  It is safe to say that we thoroughly enjoyed our waterside, seafood dinner in Kennebunkport!

Addy decided that we should have ice cream in every state on our New England trip.  It took zero arm-twisting for her mom and dad!

We finished our evening in Kennebunkport with some yummy ice cream!  I loved the creative focal wall of this little stop and it made a great backdrop for documenting our ice cream.

Even if we were all a bit tired and tired of taking pictures at this point!  Ha!

Kennebunkport, you were a highlight of our New England fall vacation!  It was the perfect family day trip and we can’t wait to visit again!

For more fun stops on our fall road trip, check out these pictures from our trip to Woodstock, Vermont,America’s Most Beautiful Town”.

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterestand Facebook!  

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Family Day Trip in Beautiful Woodstock, Vermont

The Best Family Day Trip in Beautiful Woodstock, Vermont

Looking for a budget-friendly family day trip in New England? We spent a gorgeous day in the beautiful Woodstock, Vermont area! Here are the highlights of our fun, family day!

Note: This post is not sponsored in anyway by the town of Woodstock or any businesses.  These are our true favorites and highlights of exploring the area!

I love to travel and thankfully, I married someone who loves exploring as much, or probably more than I even do!

It has always been important to us to show our kids as much of the beautiful country we live in as possible.

As they are getting a little older, it is so exciting to start taking some bucket list trips!

One of those trips is a New England tour in the fall!  As it turns out, we aren’t really “tour guide” kind of people, though, so we put together our own trip and one of the areas we decided to visit was the beautiful town of Woodstock, Vermont.

It’s no wonder that Woodstock, Vermont has been called the most beautiful town in America.  We quickly discovered why.

In fact, the whole area is just as picturesque as you’d imagine small-town Vermont to be in the early fall.

The leaves were just starting to turn and the air was crisp enough to let us know fall had begun, but not too cold to be to enjoy the beautiful outdoors without bundling up!  Literally, perfect weather in a perfect place!

Lodging in Woodstock, Vermont

A unique experience!

The regular hotels in the area were not unreasonably priced, but definitely a little higher than we’d hoped.  Certainly, there is no lack of stunning places to stay, if budget is not a concern.

When I came across a pair of vintage airstreams, nestled out in the Vermont woods, however…it was too good to pass up!  Plus, it was super cost-effective for our family!

Travel tip with kids: Check out the Air Bnb options in the area!

I really value unique experiences and we certainly won’t lack memories from this fun stay!  While the compost restroom was definitely unique, we were never uncomfortable.  *It does help that no bears showed up on any nighttime restroom trips!

We were able to visit first thing in the morning, explore a bit, then take out for a day in the Woodstock, Vermont area.  The next morning, the kids did even more exploring before we headed off on the next adventure!

The owners had the vintage airstream trailers stocked with extra blankets, fun games, and little space heaters that kept us toasty and cozy!

Our kids had the best time exploring the woods, gathering leaves and pretty pinecones (which we brought home and styled in a bowl!)  It was truly a lovely location and so much fun!

Hiking Opportunity Around Quechee Gorge

Great picture opportunities too!

We had a lot of territory to cover for the day, but we were so glad we made a stop by the Quechee Gorge.  While we didn’t do the full hike, we walked around a bit and of course snapped a few pictures.

The kids also loved the souvenirs at the little shop.  They had the best selection of keychains, magnets, and water bottle stickers of anywhere we visited in Vermont!

 

Travel tip with kids: Allot them a certain amount ot their sounvenir money per day or per attraction!  Our kids decided to try and get a keychain in each state we visited.  Perfect because they can use them on the backpacks and they are budget-friendly, fun reminders of the places we stopped!

 

Vermont Antique Mall, Quechee, Vermont

Of course, we made an impromptu stop!

You didn’t actually think we’d drive past a place this cute without stopping, did you?!  Robb and the kids grabbed some maple sugar snacks and toured the toy museum.

They set the timer for me to make a quick stroll this this antique mall.  What a great stop!

I needed a lot more time and a much larger suitcase!

I had to leave behind this incredible antique French basket because it was too wide for our suitcase (yes, we actually measured because I loved it so much!).

I did pick up this cute set of bells for a great price and they will be especially fun to style in our Christmas decor each year.

Taftsville Covered Bridge, Woodstock, Vermont

There are four picturesque covered bridges around Woodstock!

Of course, at the first sighting of a covered bridge, we pulled over for a few quick pictures.  And we weren’t the only ones!  There was a steady line of cars pulling through to take pictures of this sweet place!

We only stopped and took pictures by two of the covered bridges, but if we ever go back, we know we need at least two days around this beautiful town!

Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock, Vermont

Perfect family fun and delicious too!

Sugarbush Farm was a favorite stop for all of us!  It was a great place to spend a couple of hours, have a great Vermont-style experience, and learn a little bit too!

We started off with enjoying samples of cheese and 4 different flavors of maple syrup, all made right there on the family farm.  The Sugarbush Farm is a multi-generational operation and truly a family business.

I knew next to nothing about the maple syrup process and my kids definitely didn’t either!  The lady was so nice to explain the different colors of syrup and how they change based on what point in the season the syrup was collected!

Next, we took a walk through the woods, following the sap lines and reading the information posted about the syrup process.  I loved learning that they still use horses and sleighs for part of the gathering!

The kids got to try their hand at carrying a bucket with the weight of the syrup and trudge through the uneven snow (simulated with the tires).  They all decided that the sap line was a great invention!

We visited the adorable little chapel on Sugarbush Farm and watched a video presentation about the ins and outs of the family business!  I have a much greater appreciation for delicious maple syrup when I use it on my waffles!

We enjoyed snapping a few more pictures of the gorgeous scenery and of course, left with some souvenirs!  We brought some syrup and cheese back to Florida with us!  Yum!

Picture Perfect Town of Woodstock, Vermont

We see why it’s been called the most beautiful town in America!

We enjoyed strolling the downtown streets and stopping in at the unique shops.  The kids loved the bookshop and I loved seeing all the fall displays and window boxes!

Of course, we had to get ice cream!  Woodstock Scoops has the BEST homemade ice cream and maple sugar sprinkles. Yum!  I’m still kicking myself for not purchasing sprinkles to bring home!

We also scheduled a photographer and had a mini-photo shoot by the covered bridge in downtown Woodstock, Vermont.  You’ll have to wait until our Christmas card is ready, but here is a quick snapshot I took while the photographer was getting ready!

Have I mentioned that Woodstock, Vermont is the most picturesque little town?!  Every corner is a photography opportunity.  I finally just had to stop myself and remember to enjoy the moment!

Woodstock, Vermont also had a dream for sale.  Look at this old pharmacy building, original signs still there, just waiting for a loving owner!  I hope to visit again and I hope someone turns this into the cutest shop on the street!  It had me dreaming for a few minutes, I’m not going to lie!

Woodstock, Vermont…you were so kind to our family!  What a beautiful day, full of moments that I will keep tucked in my heart.  While I felt blessed to be strolling the streets of what looks like a Hallmark movie, I felt most blessed to enjoy it with the people I love the very most!

Woodstock, Vermont…you were so kind to our family!  What a beautiful day, full of moments that I will keep tucked in my heart.  While I felt blessed to be strolling the streets of what looks like a Hallmark movie, I felt most blessed to enjoy it with the people I love the very most!

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterestand Facebook!  

Blessings,