Packing Essentials

First and foremost, we all know I met Gold, right?! eek! So excited! Anyway, I'm getting ready for my first trip of the year. I've learned to pack in 30 minutes or less and almost NEVER check a bag. So I thought I'd share a few tips.

1. GET A BIG PURSE. I bought my travel purse at Target a few years ago and love it! Get a big purse. Pack it with these things: phone, tablet/laptop (that's right - get a bag that's big enough to hold this), chargers (if anything happens to your flight, you'll want to keep as much battery power as you can), snacks, an empty water bottle (crucial or you'll just have to dump it out at security), one book (for me, I ONLY read when I fly, so more is just unnecessary), wallet (ID/money, duh.), noise cancelling headphones if you have them (these are still on my wishlist, so I just take normal ones for now), sunglasses (I hate when I forget them and I almost ALWAYS want them as soon as I land). I also keep typical "purse things" and a sweatshirt/scarf in my purse if I need it. I know what you're thinking and you're right. That's a lot of stuff in my purse! Seriously, my purse is usually pretty heavy when I travel. But I like to have this stuff easily available and it saves room in my carry-on.

2. PRE-PACK TOILETRIES. This can vary depending on how often you travel, but I always have my toiletries packed in my carry-on. They live there. In the outside, upper pocket. Easy to take in/out of my luggage at security and it's one less thing I have to worry about. I've spent a long time finding the same travel size brands as the brands I use every day, but that's because half the time I feel like I live out of that little carry-on. I try not to take the things I really don't need - like shaving cream. I can make do with hotel shampoo. Also, I no longer worry about forgetting things. If I happen to be out of something, the hotel will typically have it. Did you know that? Most hotels have all kinds of toiletries at the front desk and they'll give them to you FOR FREE. It's sweet. And if not, you can always buy them. One less thing to stress about. And toiletries aren't expensive.

3. 3 PAIRS OF SHOES. If you saw my closet, you would find it hard to believe that I could travel for a week with only 3 pairs of shoes. Sometimes I cheat. Sometimes I pack 3 and wear a 4th. But the gist: keep it simple. Typically I'll take one pair of work/dress shoes (heels), one pair of sneakers for the gym and one pair of flats or sandals. Also, I usually take shoes that are all the same neutral color - typically black or nude/tan.

4. WARDROBE V. OUTFITS. Instead of laying out several outfits for each day, I choose clothes that can be mixed and matched - all in the same color family.