Welcome to Travel Diaries, a Refinery29 series where we tag along as real women embark on trips around the world and track their travel expenses down to the last cent. Here, we offer a detailed, intimate account of when, where, and how our peers spend their vacation days and disposable income: all the meals, adventures, indulgences, setbacks, and surprises.
Age: 32
Occupation: Assistant Media Relations Manager
Salary: $41,331 USD (£32,033 GBP)
Hometown: London, United Kingdom
Trip Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Trip Length: 8 days
Annual # Of Vacation Days: 25. Although I started my current job midway through my company's holiday year, so only had 13 days to take between September 2019 and March 2020. I used seven days of annual leave for this trip.
Transportation
Cost: I took a direct round-trip flight from London Heathrow to Nashville with British Airways.
Accommodations
Costs: I stayed at the Nashville Downtown Hostel, in an eight-person, all-female dorm with a private bathroom, including taxes and fees, for seven nights.
- $14 for ESTA, (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) an online system that tells you whether you're eligible for travel to the US under the Visa Waiver Programme. You complete it online before travelling to the US and know in advance whether you're eligible to travel (though it's still up to a customs officer whether you can enter the country).
- $24.77 Travel insurance for a worldwide annual policy. A 'worldwide annual policy' is a travel insurance policy that applies for a year from the day you buy it and to trips anywhere in the world. You can take as many trips abroad as you want in that year under the same policy (as opposed to a single-trip policy which only covers one particular trip).
- $92.78 for a Jack Daniel's distillery tour
- -$45.95 for a Country Music Hall of Fame and RCA Studio B tour combined ticket. included a self-guided tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame (with an audio guide) and a guided tour of RCA Studio B, including the minibus journey to and from the Hall of Fame.
$63 for a Grand Ole Opry show ticket at the Ryman, which features five or six country musicians at various points in their careers and is broadcast on radio and TV.
- $53.50 for a Ryman Auditorium and Grand Ole Opry House combined ticket, covered a self-guided tour of the Ryman Auditorium (and a photo on the Ryman stage) and a guided tour of the Grand Ole Opry House.
- $55 for Nashville 5k entry fee, including a T-shirt and a medal as well as the cost of entering the race itself.
7:00 a.m. (GMT) - I stayed over at my boyfriend T.'s flat last night (my excuse is he lives closer to the airport than me). As much as I don't want to leave, eventually, I drag myself out of bed. Shower, do my morning skincare, and get dressed in my flying outfit of jeans, a T-shirt and a sweatshirt.
8:30 a.m. - T. has to go to a meeting, so I'm reluctantly turfed out of the flat. We kiss goodbye and I promise to text him when I land. Use my prepaid monthly travelcard to get a bus and two tubes to Heathrow.
12:00 p.m. - When my gate finally gets called, I walk the 20 minutes over there (why is it that your gate is always the furthest away from the terminal?). Read my guidebook whilst I wait to board the plane. I'm headed to Nashville to attend the CMA Awards and to run a 5k race there, which I signed up for completely on a whim, but more on that later. It's somewhere I've wanted to visit for a long time but I only put things into action after going through a major breakup earlier in the year; as a result, this will be my first major solo trip in about 10 years. I like to plan in advance as much as I can and reading my book is making me eager to get there already and start my adventure!
1:00 p.m. - Once I'm on board, I settle down under my blanket, then put on Avengers: Endgame. I spend the next nine hours watching Rocketman and The Lion King, as well as napping and drinking all the water.
6:45 p.m. - The bus journey takes around 45 minutes and goes along the highway before crossing the river and arriving in the city proper. It isn't the most exciting journey, and in all honesty, I feel a little nervous that I'm not going the right way or have missed a stop somehow (but that's to be expected, right?). However I do spot some chain restaurants that we don't have at home and that I've only ever seen in films, so this adds to my sense of excitement. I've been looking forward to this trip for so long and am so glad I finally made it!
7:30 p.m. - After a 15-minute walk from the bus station, I finally get to my hostel, which is located on a quiet street overlooking the Cumberland River and is right opposite Nissan Stadium, where the Tennessee Titans football team play. It's been converted from an old warehouse and inside, the building has a very industrial look, with lots of metal pipes, exposed brick, and shiny wooden floors, plus a big common room area downstairs with some very comfortable-looking sofas and musical instruments dotted around. My room is an all-female dorm on the fourth floor which sleeps eight; it's clean and has plenty of space for each person, as well as a private bathroom with a shower and separate toilet attached to the room. When I get there, the room is about half full, and all the bunk beds have at least one occupant. Luckily there is a lower bunk still free, one away from the door, so I take that one.
8:30 p.m. - I WhatsApp my mum and T. to let them know I arrived safely, then hop in the shower, get changed (is there anything better than clean clothes after a long flight?) and head out to Broadway, the main bar and entertainment strip in Nashville. It's only a block away from my hostel so it takes around five minutes for me to walk there. Broadway runs for about five blocks and is lined with lots of different bars playing all sorts of music from country to blues and rock, from around lunchtime until late at night. They'll often have stages in the windows of venues and the idea is that, rather than pay a cover charge, you walk along until you hear something you like, go inside and then tip the band as much as you want.
10:00 p.m. - I've been awake for almost 22 hours, so decide it's time to call it a night. Walk the five minutes back to my hostel, take off my makeup and go to bed.
8:00 a.m. - Wow, I must have been really tired! This is late for me, and I run round in a flurry to get ready. Shower, skincare, throw on my standard casual outfit; band t-shirt, checked shirt, jeans, Harry Potter Vans (the most comfortable shoes ever), leather jacket and my Hufflepuff scarf. I do my make-up and hair, then head out the door. Today I plan to do a walking tour of Nashville, and then this afternoon I'm going to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame. I've been a country fan for many years so am keen to learn as much as I can about the history of the town and the artists who've lived and worked here over the years.
11:00 a.m. - The walking tour is great! I found out about it on the Visit Music City website, they run them every day for free and am really glad I did it. It focuses on the centre of Nashville and we get to see and hear about the history of Broadway and other areas of the city, such as 5th Avenue which is famous as an artists' district and has some really cool galleries, as well as buildings like the Ryman Auditorium and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, where legendary country artists like Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson performed. Apparently there's a secret door out the back of Tootsie's that the artists used to use so they had a fast-track route between the bar and the Ryman! We also stop at Legends' Corner, a really cool mural, which features country music stars like Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, and Keith Urban. Most of the other people in my group are older couples from elsewhere in the US - I'm the only solo visitor - but everyone is really friendly and chatty. Our guide, who's been living in Nashville for several years, also fills us in on the redevelopment that's been going on in the city; apparently it's the fastest-growing city in America, to the extent they've had to put a ban on new buildings going up in the downtown area. He also treats each of us to a Goo Goo Cluster - marshmallows, peanuts, and caramel coated in chocolate. They're amazing and I make a note to come back and buy a box to take home.
11:20 p.m. - I walk the 20 minutes to Arnold's, a legendary meat-and-three (a type of quick-service restaurant that specialises in different types of roasted meats served with multiple sides of classic Southern cuisine). On the way over, I stop off at the convention centre to pick up my race pack for tomorrow's 5K run. I pre-registered for the race before I came out here. I'd originally considered a second trip to run the 4th of July 10K in Nashville but spotted this one when I was researching on the Run Nash website and it felt like too much of a coincidence to pass up. I've been running on and off for about four years, but really got back into it after my breakup, and this slightly assuages my guilt for missing park run (a weekly timed 5K run which takes place every Saturday) at home.
3:00 p.m. - Back at the Hall of Fame, I spend an enjoyable couple of hours walking around, viewing the exhibits (although I skip most of the early stuff and go straight to the mid-20th century section) and soaking up all the history. There are so many amazing things to see and I take a ton of photographs, but some of the standouts for me are the special exhibitions on Kacey Musgraves (my favourite country artist) and Brooks & Dunn, the wall of gold records, Elvis' gold-plated Cadillac and Hank Williams' guitar.
6:30 p.m. - I'm not a major Johnny Cash fan, but the museum is still very interesting. I see some of his handwritten lyrics for songs like "Folsom Prison Blues," photos from his wedding to June Carter (they were serious couple goals), and costumes from the movie about his life, Walk The Line. It was suggested to me by our guide on the walking tour this morning and, whilst it isn't my favourite museum I've visited in Nashville, it's still a great insight into Johnny Cash's life and career, as well as how much of an influence he was on country music.
10:30 p.m. - Back at the hostel, I get my kit ready for tomorrow (so I won't be scrabbling around in my bag for it and waking everyone else up): sweat-wicking T-shirt with my race number pinned to it, long-sleeved base layer for warmth, leggings, socks, shoes, and hat. Whilst I'm doing this, another girl walks into the room, spots the number on my T-shirt and asks if I'm doing the race tomorrow. I say yes and we arrange to walk over to the start line together. I chat with her a bit and find out she's from the UK as well. Then I get ready for bed and fall asleep whilst reading my book.
6:00 a.m. - Alarm goes off. I get changed into my kit as quickly and quietly as possible, before walking to the start line with the girl I met last night and her friend who's also doing the race. We don't talk much, but it's nice to have some company and a bit of help finding the start line. It's really cold outside and I make a mental note to buy some new running gloves ASAP when I get back to the UK.
7:45 a.m. - 5K is done! It starts near a park north of downtown Nashville, before going over a bridge across the river and looping back through an industrial area that's currently being redeveloped. I'm slower than I am at park run back home, but that's always the way with a new route. Normally when I'm traveling, I try to do a park run if there's one nearby, as it's a good way to see a different part of a city and learn a bit more about local life there, but this is the first proper race I've done abroad. I'm definitely keen to do more at some point though! I pick up my medal, take a terrible selfie for Instagram (because did you even do the race if you don't post it on Insta?), then wander back to my hostel.
10 a.m. - The line for Biscuit Love is ridiculously long, so I pass the time by reading Heresy by SJ Parris on my Kindle. I'm a sucker for a good historical mystery (and have been writing one of my own for years) and end up finishing it whilst I'm waiting. The ending is a little predictable, but it's a fun read and I definitely want to try the rest of the series now.
12:30 p.m. - Stop for a browse in Two Old Hippies, a shop that sells unusual clothing, jewelry, and home accessories, on my way to the pickup point for my mural tour. I booked the tour online prior to coming out here after finding out about it on a travel blog. It includes a minibus tour stopping off at various points across the city, with opportunities to take some photos alongside the murals and hear a bit more about the history of street art locally.
1:00 p.m. - Nashville has become increasingly famous for its street art in recent years, and this afternoon I'm going on a tour to see some of the most famous pieces. Unfortunately, the line at the "What Lifts You" wings mural near our pickup spot has a 40-minute wait, so we head off to our first stop a little further afield.
2:15 p.m. - We stop off in the 12 South neighborhood. I'm wearing an "I Believe In Nashville" shirt with a UK flag I got as a freebie from a music festival last year, and our guide insists on taking photos of me next to the original mural here for her Instagram page. I also get a snap of me next to the "Looking Pretty, Music City" mural which instantly becomes my new profile picture.
3:00 p.m. - Back in the van, we head out to West Nashville. It's an area that's on the brink of being redeveloped, and there's something about seeing it before it becomes gentrified that makes me feel kind of sad. On the other hand, it's definitely a rich seam of amazing artwork.
4:00 p.m. - That was so much fun! I say goodbye to the tour group and start walking back towards my hostel.
9:30 p.m. - I'm suddenly overwhelmed by tiredness (I feel like such a grandma) so decide to call it a night and head back to the hostel. Take off my makeup and lie in bed for a bit reading my book. I'm asleep by 11:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. - Onboard the bus to the distillery. As we drive through the Tennessee countryside, I listen to the new Luke Combs album and read some of my new book, Valley of the Dolls.
12:15 p.m. - Whiskey tasting time! They're all really nice, but I particularly like the Gold 27 and Sinatra Select which both have a lovely smooth taste.
1:30 p.m. - After lunch, I have a wander around Lynchburg. It's tiny and you can lap the main square in around 10 minutes, but it's a gorgeous clear autumn day with bright blue skies and the town looks absolutely beautiful, particularly the town hall and the pristine white bandstand which is decorated with pumpkins and glorious fall foliage from Halloween.
2:30 p.m. - Back on the bus to the city. Nap most of the way; I guess all that whiskey and wine made me sleepy...
11:00 p.m. - Back at the hostel, take off makeup and go to sleep.
7:00 a.m. - Shower, get dressed, do hair and make-up, head out. First stop: coffee and a muffin for breakfast at Crema - which I first heard about when it was mentioned on the Nashville TV series. It's a light, bright building with lots of pale wood and white walls. The coffee comes in an unusual glass flask setup and is very strong, but certainly helps to wake me up! $10.37
12:30 p.m. - On my way to the park, I pass by the Tennessee State Capitol, a formidable-looking neo-classical building.
1:00 p.m. - Despite getting caught in a sudden downpour on my way over (good job I carry an emergency umbrella!), Bicentennial Park looks absolutely beautiful with all the autumn colours. I feel really peaceful walking through here and love the little snippets of Tennessee history that are built into the park design, like the timeline that follows the outer wall of the park and the sculptures which play traditional songs from the state.
1:30 p.m. - Feeling hungry, I cross the road and walk for a few minutes to the Nashville Farmers' Market for lunch. The pizza place I initially wanted to go to is closed for Veterans' Day, so I head to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams instead (because ice cream for lunch is totally acceptable when you're on holiday, right?), which was recommended to me by a friend. I get a scoop each of White Chocolate Peppermint, Darkest Chocolate and Brown Butter Almond Brittle ($6.68), and they all taste heavenly. $6.68
4:00 p.m. - Walk the rest of the way back to the hostel, which takes around 20 minutes, then sit on my bed chilling out and playing around on social media.
5:15 p.m. - Leave the hostel and walk for about 25 minutes to Song Suffragettes, an all-female songwriters' round at the Listening Room. I booked my ticket for this in advance.
9:00 p.m. - The show is great! It mostly focuses on pop-country, but all five of the performers are super talented. I say a quick hello to my friends A. and B. (they run a management company back home and one of their acts is performing tonight), as well as our friend F., who's also here. It's the CMA Awards on Wednesday so most of my UK country scene friends are in town for that, and it's really nice to get to hang out with them for a little bit - I've enjoyed my solo trip so far but didn't realise how much I'd missed having company.
10:00 p.m. - After walking back to the hostel, I do my evening skincare routine and read in bed before falling asleep around 11:00 p.m.
7:00 a.m. - Brrr! It is absolutely freezing outside. After I shower, I throw on two pairs of socks, tights under my jeans (a genius trick and frankly one I'm amazed I've never used before) and a sweatshirt over my usual shirt and T-shirt combo in a bid to keep warm. Do my make-up and hair and then it's out the door.
8:30 a.m. - Walk across the snow-covered John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, which has some amazing views of the Nashville skyline. I snap a few pictures for Instagram on the way, although it's difficult to hold my phone with cold fingers and it very nearly meets a sticky end in the Cumberland River! Luckily I manage to keep hold of it though.
9:00 a.m - After around 30 minutes of walking, I arrive at Sky Blue Cafe in East Nashville (another place I found through the Nashville TV series) and order a Lo's Bowl: home fries with peppers, onions, tomato, mushroom, spinach, avocado, eggs, and cheese, and drip coffee. It's got a real down-home, local feel to it and is very busy despite being a Monday morning. I'm getting my first tattoo this morning (!) so I want to have a good breakfast beforehand. To kill time, I eke out the free refills and end up having about four cups of coffee - that's more than I'd drink in a day back home and by the last one I'm feeling a little jittery, although I'm not sure what's too much coffee and what's new tattoo nerves. $15
1:30 p.m. - There's a vintage shop I want to visit to look for cowboy boots, so I walk the 25 minutes over there. It's a beautiful, crisp, clear day and the neighborhood is still decorated for Halloween, with lots of pumpkins and bright autumn foliage on the steps up to the white clapboard houses, so it's a really enjoyable walk. I make a mental note to come back to this side of town and explore properly next time I'm here.
3:30 p.m. - Walk back to the hostel. I feel like I should go do something else with my afternoon but end up chilling on my bed reading my book, messing around on Twitter, listening to music, and WhatsApping.
5 p.m. - My friend K. has just arrived in Nashville, so we exchange some messages arranging to meet up for a drink after my show at the Ryman tonight.
9:00 p.m. - The Opry is amazing! I get to see so many different artists, playing all kinds of country music from bluegrass to modern pop country, including two of my favourite new acts - Tenille Townes and Tyler Rich - and an outstanding performance from tonight's headliner, Craig Campbell, who's just made a more traditional country record. Text K. once I'm done and arrange to meet him outside Bridgestone Arena in 15 minutes.
9:15 p.m. - Walk down the road for five minutes and meet K. on the corner by the arena. We head over to a bar nearby, where K. buys the first round of drinks.
12:30 a.m. - After accidentally spilling my last drink all over my new hat (which now stinks of whiskey), I decide it's time to call it a night. Say goodbye to K. and walk for 10 minutes until I get back to my hostel, where I take off my makeup and crash into bed.
9:30 a.m. - Arrive at the Opry House for my tour. It's an hour-long guided tour of the building, which takes you through the backstage area as if you were an artist performing on the show itself, going through the various dressing rooms and then out into the main auditorium.
10:30 a.m. - Well that was... underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, it was cool to see all the dressing rooms and the members' plaques on the wall, as well as learning the history of the building such as the mural which survived the Nashville floods a few years back, but I was a bit disappointed we didn't get to stand in the circle of wood from the Ryman on stage (it's covered over for their Christmas show). Guess I'll just have to come back another time...
1 p.m. - Back at the hostel, I start packing ahead of my flight home tomorrow. It rapidly occurs to me that I've bought way too much stuff and I end up having to strap my poster tube to the outside of my rucksack (praying it survives the flight), plus packing all the souvenirs I've bought into my hand luggage. Thankfully everything just about fits...
2:00 p.m. - Time to get ready for the CMA Awards! I paint my nails, shower, wash my hair, get dressed, then do my make-up and style my hair (I never blow-dry it; life's too short). Snap a couple of selfies and then it's out the door.
6:15 p.m. - Arrive at Bridgestone Arena. I missed the memo about small bags and briefly panic they won't let me in, but luckily I make it through security and into my seat in time for the show!
10:30 p.m. - Oh I am madder than a wet hen right now. Was convinced all night it'd be Eric Church or Carrie Underwood for EOTY and then Garth Brooks swoops in (I strongly suspect this is due to a split vote). Based on the chatter from the crowd around me though, I think I'm in the minority. That said, I'm thrilled for Maren Morris winning Album of the Year and Ashley McBryde getting New Artist, and it was really cool to get to see so many of my favorite country acts live including those who don't travel outside the US. Plus I was in the same room as Dolly Parton: life goal fulfilled!
11:00 p.m. - I remember that Thompson Square, one of my favourite bands, are playing George Jones as a CMA Awards afterparty, so call in there. One of the things I love about Nashville is that even for big acts like this there's no cover charge; you can hear something you like playing, wander in off the street, grab a drink and listen to the band. They're great, and I have a lot of fun dancing along to their 45-minute set.
11:45 p.m. - Walk back to the hostel, take off my makeup and go to bed.
8:00 a.m. - My flight home isn't until 7:00 p.m. this evening, so I have almost a whole day left in Nashville. Same morning routine as usual, plus a quick check to make sure I've packed everything up before I go.
9:30 a.m. - Check out of the hostel (which very kindly lets me leave my bags for free), then go for a wander into Nashville. I have two goals for today: get a photo with the What Lifts You wings mural and have hot chicken.
10:30 a.m. - Head to the mural to get my photo and run into my tour guide from the murals tour on Saturday! We say hi and have a quick chat about how my trip has been before she heads off with her new group and I ask a bunch of random strangers to take my photo. It comes out really well!
2:00 p.m. - Pop into the Goo Goo Cluster store to pick up some sweets ($11.08). I also stop off at the Wildhorse Saloon gift shop and get one of their "Nashville Y'All" baseball tops ($38.23). $49.31
2:45 p.m. - Chill out at the hostel for an hour or so, recharging my phone and reading my book. K. messages me to ask if I want to share a cab to the airport and I say yes.
4:00 p.m. - Meet K. on the corner of Broadway to get an Uber to the airport. He pays. On the way there, we discuss how we are still not over Garth winning EOTY.
7:30 p.m. - Annoyingly my inflight entertainment system doesn't work, so I decide to try and sleep as much as I can after dinner. I put Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour album on repeat and spend the rest of the flight alternating between snoozing fitfully and reading my book.
8:50 a.m.(GMT) - We've landed! WhatsApp my family group and T. to let them know I arrived safely, then K. and I walk through customs together before going to wait for our bags. Amazingly, they're some of the first out, and my posters survived - hooray!
10:50 a.m. - Arrive at T.'s place (he booked the day off work) and spend the rest of the day hanging out together.
Is there anything you wished you had time to do, but didn't?
I really wanted to do one of the Walk Eat Nashville food tours (and probably could have done if I'd rejigged things a bit more once my Opry tour got cancelled), but it just didn't line up timings-wise. I would also have liked to spend longer in the 12 South neighbourhood as I really liked what I saw of it when I went there on my mural tour.
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