My entire life, I’ve traveled like my Memaw and literally bring everything but the kitchen sink. I was that girl who brought the most random items just in case. Somewhere along the way, my husband started factoring in an extra $50 for plane tickets because we would always hear those dreaded words: your bag is overweight ma’am. One trip my bag was over 75 pounds, which if you didn’t know has a $100 upcharge vs. $50. It was then I thought enough is enough and said to myself, I could have bought a nice pair of earrings for that!
As a business owner, I find myself traveling a lot more these days. I don’t always have time between meetings and flights to arrive an hour beforehand to check a bag, and don’t like to risk it being lost. Since I represent the Baublerella brand, I always like to be prepared and look polished – our tagline after all is You’re So Polished – but it’s hard to do that AND pack in a small bag. However, I’ve learned to adapt and now pack everything I need for business trips in a carry on… or two*.
*See tip 4 for our trick allowing for 2 carry on bags 😊
This week we are headed to The Atlanta International Gift Market®, and as I started pulling outfits I decided to share my top 4 tips on how to efficiently pack for a week and still look put together. I’m sure there are so many more tips, so I would love to hear your packing tips too because you can never be too prepared!
1. Pack in Color Stories
You can cut down on shoes and mix layers if you pack in the same color story. In the summer, I always pack in a pink and white story so I can wear the same shoes, sweater or jacket with several outfits. I prefer to pack dresses because they don’t take up much room and it’s just 1 article of clothing vs. 2 if you were to bring separates. If you prefer separates, try bringing 1-2 pairs of pants and change up your look with different tops & jewelry. If all your outfits are the same color story, you can get by with 2 pairs of shoes – a practical pair for day and fun pair for night. Technically you could bring 1 pair, but what’s the fun in that?!
2. The Beauty of Minis
When it comes to beauty and personal care products I refuse to cut down on my daily routine, so to make room I put EVERYTHING in mini containers. Every time I arrive home from a trip, I refill the containers when I unpack so I don’t have to worry about it before the next trip. There are some products that simply can’t be transferred like one of our faves, the No Frizz Humidity Shield from Living Proof, which is an aerosol we can’t live without! For staples like these, we always buy the mini versions. Lucky for you, we got in touch with the kind people at Living Proof and are giving away a bag FULL of their top selling products in mini sizes! See the bottom of this post on how to enter.
3. Assess Fabric Weights
You may think this sounds silly, but when you start looking at folded stacks of clothing, you can really see a difference. For items like pajamas, workout clothes, and even some outfits for the day, choose items that have a thinner fabric weight. Yes, they don’t weigh as much but more importantly, they fit more compactly in your carry on.
4. Prepare Your Purse
You are allowed two bags on a plane – a carry on and a purse. Since a ‘purse’ can be subjective, we suggest to either take a large purse you can put additional things in like your computer, snacks, etc, OR you can do what I do: pack your purse in your suitcase and take a large bag to carry on with your suitcase. In the large bag you can put all the essentials you’ll need while traveling, then when you reach your destination just whip your purse out of your suitcase, et voila!
**GIVEAWAY**
These are just a few tips & tricks I’ve picked up along my travels, but I would love to hear what you do! Leave a comment below with either a travel tip or a product you can’t live without on-the-go and be entered to win a travel set from Living Proof with the following items along with our Bling Brush: Restore Shampoo, Restore Conditioner, Prime Style Extender, No Frizz Humidity Shield, Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo. Prize valued at $80. You can also enter by leaving a comment on our Instagram post about the contest.
11 comments
I was and probably still am, like the former you, even though I have become so much better. My biggest problem is shoes! I’m all about the color story with clothes, makeup, and shoes. I, too, pack my purse. But I have a little cross-body wallet/purse kind of thing that is on my carry-on which is very handy when I am dashing through the airport. My carry-on that is supposed to be my “purse,” can expand. It could fit in the overhead compartment, but then I would have 2 items there, however, on my way home, I might check one bag and put that one in the overhead bin. However, I can expand it to a lesser size and it might still fit under the seat. It’s an awesome bag that is cleverly designed as it can be a smallish tote and grow up to any size until it fits into the overhead bin. It’s a soft sided canvas bag that doesn’t weigh much when it’s empty. I just love it!
I don’t pack any jewelry any more. I bring whatever I am wearing. I use scarves, pashminas etc. to accent my outfits. They are easy to pack and help extend the look of the outfit choices I have. I try to bring an item that can be a robe and sleep item. I have gotten over my extreme phobia of hotel robes and will ask for one if I am freezing cold (note: I need a new one delivered, even though there are usually 2 hanging in the closet). I find that leggings are multi-purpose—tights, workout gear, and/or sleep bottoms. They are also very easy to pack.
But shoes…they haunt me! I have a bad back and I usually have to change my shoes twice a day if I am going to be doing a lot of walking or standing. And of course I can’t wear the same pair the next day because it’s not a good thing for my back or shoes. So, I have really learned to be a better traveler. I just don’t know what to do about my shoe issue. Buy Tieks?
My tip is to always pack the things you’ll need first or the most in easy reach so you don’t have to go digging through your bags every time you need something. Also, always choose luggage/bags that you can handle easily and comfortably – otherwise you might end up not able to do everything you want to do because you don’t want to deal with dragging your bags along.
I secretly LOVE packing for travel. As in I make a list with all of my MUST-HAVES… cell charger, fluffy slippers, robe, chamomile tea bags, luxurious face masks, Baublerella bling brush….the only thing missing was the anti-frizz spray you mentioned in this article which would have made my Miami pictures actually worth printing.
I love your products, your mission, your brand, and now your articles! Thank you!
-Gal from Oklahoma