Travel Tips

Recently I was inspired by the KLM flight attendants. When I am in Amsterdam I have to walk though the KLM flight crew area. I always see their flight attendants with one suitcase. One. And I am always dragging 4 bags total with me. So I was inspired to downsize my stuff. Did I really need all that stuff I was dragging around? NO! So recently I went though my bag and worked my way down to 3, counting my purse. So that is my rollerbag, my lunch bag and a purse. Let me share with you 3 tips as to how I got there.

#1
I can't believe I haven't been doing this before, but last week I bought 3 contact lens cases, for around $3 at Target. In them I put my face creams. Moisturizer, night cream, eye cream, ect. I have six products that take up almost no space in my bag, where before I had 6 containers! That has saved me so much space.
#2
Kinda on the same lines as #1 if you need to bring hair stuff with you. I usually just use the shampoo at the hotel, but like to bring my own conditioner with me. If you save the bottles from the hotel, instead of buying the 3 oz bottles you can save space. Most of the hotel bottles are around 1 oz so if you have four hair products, you are saving 9 oz of space in your bag.
#3
Do you really need those five shirts for a three day trip? This might be a tough one for you fashion conscious folks, but for me I've found I really only need one shirt and one pair of pants. The clothes in my suitcase are as follows:
~ Three pairs of underwear (one to wear, one the be ready to wear, one in the wash)
~ One short sleeved shirt
~ One long sleeved shirt/jacket/wrap that can be used with the short sleeved shirt
~ One tank top, sports bra and pair of shorts for the gym, which can double as pajamas as needed
~ Two or three pairs of socks (same idea as the underwear)
~ One pair of jeans
~ One "layover" dress that doubles as a beach cover up, yet is nice enough looking for a night out.
~ Extra pair of hose.
~ One swimsuit

That's it! Seriously, I'm looking in my suitcase right now. Those are all the clothes I have. The idea is to realize you can always wash stuff, or if need to, buy something on the road.
So net time you go on a trip do as someone smart once said, "Lay out the stuff you want to take and the money you are taking. Then take half the clothes and twice the money."

P.S. I'm working on another video blog from Nartia, come back soon for it!

# 1

So I'm still out here. I've been thinking of the direction I want to go with the blog and I have been thinking about trying out.....video blogs! Yes, here is my first attempt. I'm still learning how to edit the clips and take good clips. Stick with me, it's going to get better!

Writers Block

I've been having a bit of writers block lately. I have wanted to do a post, but haven't seemed to be able to get any thoughts formed in my head and definitely haven't been able to get anything down in words. Travel wise I have been here and there since my last post. I had a 6 day trip that took me down to Honolulu, up to Narita and then back down to Honolulu for a glorious 36 hours. I was able to check out some new spots there that I hadn't been to before, namely Leonard's Bakery. It is a bakery that has been around since the 50's severing Portuguese Malasadas, kinda like a doughnut. Mmmhmmm, they were delicious. Once back from that I spent a week traverse the good ol' USA going to San Diego, Anchorage, Detroit and Omaha. It was my first time in Nebraska, bring my state total up to 46. Only Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware and Louisiana to go! How close are you to hitting all 50 states?