Many of you mentioned other tips & tricks that I use too, like always keeping my travel bag stocked with toiletries and being prepared with good reading material (those 10 minutes of ascent and descent on a plane with no electronics can be brutally long without a great book or magazine).
Here are some other fun things I've found or discovered along the way.
Dressing comfortable is key, and I don't mean pajama pants.
The below outfit is sort of my idea of perfection. Leggings = heaven-sent on planes. Boots are another favorite. Layers, layers, layers. If you've ever suffered through a hot plane or a chilly plane, you know this much is true. If you're traveling during warm weather and you're wearing shoes with no socks (i.e., flats, sandals, wedges) you may want to stash a little pair of socks in your carry-on so that, when going through security, your precious soles aren't touching where thousands of other funky feet have walked that day too.
Develop a packing list that works for you.
Print it out and keep it in your suitcase, or maybe just type it in the notes section of your phone. There's no worse feeling than getting to the airport or your destination and realizing that you left something at home that is really difficult or expensive to replace. A coworker of mine recently left her entire makeup bag at home and had to go out and drop major moolah on all new (and unnecessary) makeup.
Carry-ons: A large tote bag is your friend.
When flying, you're limited to two pieces to carry on. Last week for my Rochester trip, I had to check my bag (not my preference) because my two carry-ons were my purse and my laptop case. I slipped my purse right into a large tote bag that I also filled with magazines, my iPad, my phone charger (always great to have on your person while traveling), and a few clementines.
Love this makeup tip for keeping blushes and eyeshadows intact.
Has anyone tried this yet? Travel has ruined some of my makeup, I'm definitely intrigued.
Lastly, safety is your #1 priority.
Maybe it's just because we recently finished the Dexter season with the vacation murders, but I think you can never be aware enough when you're out of your comfort zone. When traveling, a lot of people have the same routine -- for example, always leaving the hotel at the same time for dinner. Vary it up and be unpredictable; it could keep you safe.
How's that for ending on a positive note? (wink)
What are some of your fave travel tips?
What perfect timing as I am sitting in first class (yay upgrades) at JFK about to depart for San Juan. Im wearing a v similar outfit of a zillion layers as it was FOUR degrees when I left my apartment in Boston at 4:15 this morning( after 1.5 hours of sleep!) - leopard Flats, Lulu Wunder Unders, white vneck tee, chambray shirt, long black cardy, tissue weight scarf and huge cashmere wrap. It's 85 in my destination so I plan to shed those layers right quick! Love your travel posts...and the admissions it is far from glam most of the time. I spend about 150 nights a year on the road and though I adore my job and traveling it does get very old sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI love these travel tips. The check list is so cute! I'm going to photo edit it to include some other items into the list. This will come in handy when my husband says "can you pack me too?!" Luckily he agrees to do both of our unpacking in exchange!
ReplyDeleteThose are great ideas! I love the travel list. I agree that safety is super important.
ReplyDeleteMine are:
ReplyDelete1) Keep a stashes of extra contacts(if you wear dailies)! I keep an extra pair in my wallet, pair in my briefcase, etc.. I can't tell you how often I've lost a contact while traveling and needed one in a pinch!
2) Neutrogena face-cleansing wipes! Ultimate travel beauty necessity.. Traveling makes me skin feel so icky!
3) iPhone battery backup charger.. Mine is actually from J.Crew! it is super cute and gives me a lot of peace of mind I won't be stranded w/a dead phone. (I'm always taking conference calls when traveling, so my phone drains quickly!)
4) I always keep an extra $100 cash on me when I'm traveling too, just in case I end up in a bind and a place wont accept a credit card (like having to get my car towed in a small town!)
5) Always ask for a hotel room 2nd floor or above, and far away from an elevator. First floor scares me that random people will have easier access to it (inside and out), and rooms next to elevators are too noisy!
I'm with the above commenter.. I keep cash on me too.
ReplyDeleteI always make a detailed packing list...it can help so much! Also love that makeup trick!
ReplyDeleteLove this!!
ReplyDeleteI love buying solid forms of things that you normally have liquid when travelling. It might take up some space but you can even use them in your carry-on which is great. Example: Neutrogina makeup remover wipes and their face-cleansing pink grapefruit wipes. Solid perfume or in rollerball format. Have Sephora/Belk make testers of lots of things for you - moisturizers, products, etc. Those are major life savers for me!
ReplyDelete