the world is a book, those who do not travel only read a page.
I'll be honest. I'm a travel addict. I have moments where I feel trapped and need to get away and I turn to a plane ticket to a far away destination to escape. Apparently it's hereditary. My dad was the same way. That feeling I get when I arrive in a new place, it's bliss. In all the confusion of the airport where people would feel panicked about where they need to go next, I just feel the excitement of a new adventure. I yearn to see the world. But I'm not rich, I can't take months off to globe-trot. So I came up with a life goal. Go to one new place every year, for a week to two weeks. It helps satisfy my need to travel. I keep a journal of every place I've been, I started two years ago in 2011, and it's more than half full. My travel blog is full of pictures and mostly good memories. I've only regretted one trip and that's because I didn't take it for me. I went to make someone else happy. So therefore, my second rule about travel is to only go for trips that I truly want to go on. I encourage every person to take a step out of their comfort zone, hop on a plane and go somewhere they dream about. You only live once, and i'd rather be poor and well traveled than wealthy and wistful.
how to attempt to pack light
March 11, 2013
Every woman has issues with packing light. Including myself. I'm leaving for a two week long trip in about a week, and I'm only bringing a small suitcase due to the amount of travelling I'm doing. At first I thought to myself, NO PROBLEM. 3 pairs of shoes? Jeans? Throw in some cute shirts and cardigans them I'm done? Then my friend mentioned (I'm going to Spain) that they love dressing up, skirts, tights, dresses, oh my. Then I have to have day clothes and night clothes? It got much more complicated. I thought my head would explode, how could I pack ALL that in a tiny bag? And still have an empty carry on duffel for souvenirs?
I always feel better knowing that I'm not the only woman who has this problem. Usually I just pack whatever I want in my medium sized orange suitcase and it's enough. (Except for that time I went to Ireland for five weeks, but that's a whole other story) I decided it's time for a change, for myself and other women out there who have packing problems. This is an experiment for me, to see if I can pack just the basics, and a few other things and still have room to spare.
SHOWER BASICS:
Obviously shampoo and conditioner come in large bottles. Thankfully CVS and most grocery stores sell travel sized containers. WITH LABELS. So you know what's in the bottles and don't try to wash your hair with body lotion. (I'm sure it's happened) Those are HUGE size savers. I'm lucky enough that I don't need to pack a flat iron or curlers, my hair air-dries naturally curly. Also a big space saver. If you're travelling with friends, have one person bring a hair dryer, another person a curler, and another a flat iron. It's a huge space and weight saver.
CLOTHES:
Now onto the hardest part, at least for me. SHOES. I love shoes, I have two closets full of them (only because I live in an old house and have small closets) Sandals, flats, boots, oh my. I made a pile of shoes I wanted to bring, and eliminated them. Suede shoes? NO. If they get ruined you can't rush them to a cobbler for emergency cleaning. Especially if they're nude colored. Have 3 pairs of flats in the same color? Take two out and leave one. Have a favorite pair of shoes but they aren't too comfy? See ya. Toms are GREAT walking around shoes and aren't ugly like sneakers are. (Sorry to the sneaker tourists out there) One pair of black boots is good enough to match everything. Two pairs of heels, one tan, one black. I ended up with five pairs of shoes. I was amazed. Really only four since one pair of shoes I'll be wearing on the plane.
Clothes. We all love clothes. I'll make this a list format to make it easy on our clothes loving hearts.
-TWO pair of jeans, one dark one light.
-Neutral color shirts, black, white, tan. Stripes are popular this year so throw in a striped shirt!
-Light cardigans, also in neutral colors.
-One jacket, ONE. In a color that matches everything. (Tan or black)
-Going out clothes are the HARDEST. Pack a few fun tops that you could wear a cardigan over for the day, but look hot at night without the cardigan.
-The Little Black Dress, or two.
-A blazer
-Tights (bring one or two pairs, if they rip they're cheap and easy to find everywhere)
Hopefully this packing only the basics experiment works for me. To brighten up the drab colors, pack bright jewelry and bright scarves. Or buy fun things to fit into your empty duffel for souvenirs! Also write down a list of things you want to bring, I find that lists are very helpful and eliminates that horrifying in mid-air "sh!t I forgot something" moment. Wish me luck!
Every woman has issues with packing light. Including myself. I'm leaving for a two week long trip in about a week, and I'm only bringing a small suitcase due to the amount of travelling I'm doing. At first I thought to myself, NO PROBLEM. 3 pairs of shoes? Jeans? Throw in some cute shirts and cardigans them I'm done? Then my friend mentioned (I'm going to Spain) that they love dressing up, skirts, tights, dresses, oh my. Then I have to have day clothes and night clothes? It got much more complicated. I thought my head would explode, how could I pack ALL that in a tiny bag? And still have an empty carry on duffel for souvenirs?
I always feel better knowing that I'm not the only woman who has this problem. Usually I just pack whatever I want in my medium sized orange suitcase and it's enough. (Except for that time I went to Ireland for five weeks, but that's a whole other story) I decided it's time for a change, for myself and other women out there who have packing problems. This is an experiment for me, to see if I can pack just the basics, and a few other things and still have room to spare.
SHOWER BASICS:
Obviously shampoo and conditioner come in large bottles. Thankfully CVS and most grocery stores sell travel sized containers. WITH LABELS. So you know what's in the bottles and don't try to wash your hair with body lotion. (I'm sure it's happened) Those are HUGE size savers. I'm lucky enough that I don't need to pack a flat iron or curlers, my hair air-dries naturally curly. Also a big space saver. If you're travelling with friends, have one person bring a hair dryer, another person a curler, and another a flat iron. It's a huge space and weight saver.
CLOTHES:
Now onto the hardest part, at least for me. SHOES. I love shoes, I have two closets full of them (only because I live in an old house and have small closets) Sandals, flats, boots, oh my. I made a pile of shoes I wanted to bring, and eliminated them. Suede shoes? NO. If they get ruined you can't rush them to a cobbler for emergency cleaning. Especially if they're nude colored. Have 3 pairs of flats in the same color? Take two out and leave one. Have a favorite pair of shoes but they aren't too comfy? See ya. Toms are GREAT walking around shoes and aren't ugly like sneakers are. (Sorry to the sneaker tourists out there) One pair of black boots is good enough to match everything. Two pairs of heels, one tan, one black. I ended up with five pairs of shoes. I was amazed. Really only four since one pair of shoes I'll be wearing on the plane.
Clothes. We all love clothes. I'll make this a list format to make it easy on our clothes loving hearts.
-TWO pair of jeans, one dark one light.
-Neutral color shirts, black, white, tan. Stripes are popular this year so throw in a striped shirt!
-Light cardigans, also in neutral colors.
-One jacket, ONE. In a color that matches everything. (Tan or black)
-Going out clothes are the HARDEST. Pack a few fun tops that you could wear a cardigan over for the day, but look hot at night without the cardigan.
-The Little Black Dress, or two.
-A blazer
-Tights (bring one or two pairs, if they rip they're cheap and easy to find everywhere)
Hopefully this packing only the basics experiment works for me. To brighten up the drab colors, pack bright jewelry and bright scarves. Or buy fun things to fit into your empty duffel for souvenirs! Also write down a list of things you want to bring, I find that lists are very helpful and eliminates that horrifying in mid-air "sh!t I forgot something" moment. Wish me luck!