Travel is one of our favourite things to do! Since we’ve been together we’ve been on quite a few weekend trips and a few weeks and even two-week trips. It is so rejuvenating to visit a new place and experience something different. I grew up travelling all the time. We were stationed in Europe for almost 6 years (Germany and Italy) and I just fell in love with experiencing different cultures. I’ve done quite a bit of travel as an adult as well and fall more and more in love with new places each time I go somewhere.
With the holidays upon us and many travelling to relatives (or maybe to get away from relatives ;)), I’ve been thinking about travel a lot. Anytime my mom or sister travels, they text me to put together their packing list for them. I’m a little bit (okay, a lot) of a type A personality and have about 500 lists at all times so I figured a list with my 5 best tips for travel could be useful and here they are!
1. List your activities
Before you go on your trip, you should have an idea of what kind of activities you will be doing. The kinds of things you’ll be doing on a trip to the Caribbean will look much different than what you’d be doing on a trip to New York, the very first thing I do is list out the activities I’ll be doing, or potentially doing, on my trip. This list doesn’t have to be definitive, mine never are because we are usually spontaneous in what we do each day, but having an idea of what activities you plan to do can help you greatly!
2. Use that list to pack
Once you have the list of things you’ll be doing, you can make your packing list! Are you going to the beach? Some cold weather? Will you need sturdy hiking shoes? Or anything special you may not usually pack but need for a specific activity on this trip? Using your list of activities can help you in so many ways. Since I’ve been using this, I am less likely to overpack and less likely to forget things.
3. Use your routine to help you
A week before you leave go through your morning and evening routines, and jot down (maybe in a note on your phone!) every product you used. You want to do this sooner than later so that you don’t forget anything you might use just once or twice a week. On that note though, if you do only use it once or twice a week is it something you can leave at home for this trip? When I travel, I use the same beauty products each day, even if I usually change them up at home. This is especially true for my makeup, I stick to the same palettes of eyeshadow and the same eyeliner even though at home I rarely use the same products two days in a row.
4. Bring only what you need, no more!
I am notorious for bringing “just in case” stuff on trips. But this goes especially for when flying! Hopefully, the tips above will help you not overpack your checked baggage but do not load up your carry-on, if you can prevent it. Only bring the necessities onto the plane with you, if you bring everything with you on board you have to bring it everywhere with you for the duration of your travel – for us that’s often 12+ hours! The necessities for me are my id/boarding documents, iPad, noise-cancelling headphones, gum, a notepad, and snacks! This brings me to the next point…
5. Pack Snacks & Hydrate
Did ya think I could get through a post without talking about food? But though! Hungry and tired are the worst of combinations. My rule of thumb is to eat a full meal before I leave for the airport and bring plenty of snacks. This isn’t the time to try something new or eat something you know doesn’t agree with your system because that would leave for a very uncomfortable journey to your destination. Also, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Drink all the water you can (and be sure to pee before boarding so you’re not waiting until you can walk if you’re flying!). It’s so much harder for me to remember to drink water when I’m out of my normal routine so I constantly have to remind myself to drink up so I feel my best! Drinking lots of water also helps with jet lag and swelling since you’re sitting so much.
I hope this list helps you pack more efficiently and allows your travel to flow smoothly!
