Travel Quotes

I'm headed to Sedona today to escape the heat but after last night's bright moon, I'm reminded of one of my favorite travel quotes and wanted to share it. Have a beautiful Sunday and remember, adventure is everywhere so keep your eyes open!

Pack the Perfect Carry-On Bag

One of the most common questions I get regarding travel is about packing a carry-on bag. I'm not talking about the roller bags that hold your clothes, I mean an actual second item, carry-on bag. A carry-on bag can make or break your trip, depending on how it's packed. Since this will likely to be the item you put at your feet, it makes sense that this will contain have everything you want for a comfortable and entertaining flight. I've spent considerable time refining the packing process for my carry-on bag based on personal experiences. I've suffered a 17 hour flight with a poorly packed bag and have had a 20 hour flight feel like a spa  due to a well packed bag. These recommendations won't work for everyone, but should give you plenty of ideas of what to include.

NOTE: Guys can adapt this list to include as many or as few items of pampering as their masculinity will allow. =) Some nice 'man bags' can be found here. 

What to Carry: For years, I've been a fan of my Fossil tote bags due to the high quality leather, durability, and classic style. However, I recently road tested a Longchamps Le Pliage bag and may be a total convert! I stumbled on this bag when I was looking for something a bit lighter than leather with the same classic look, minimal hardware, and a zipper closure. Figuring I could return it if I didn't like it, and despite the high price tag, I went to Nordstrom and looked at colors, ultimately getting black (surprise, right?).

The shape is trapezoidal and the large size looks deceptively small, but it holds a ton. I use separate pouches for almost everything to keep it all organized and easy to find quickly. Below, I share how I pack mine for an international trip or domestic flight of longer than 3 hours. All the pouches came as 'gift with purchase' pieces or as packaging for something I no longer have or use. NOTE: If you get this bag do yourself a favor and buy a base liner. I found one on Etsy made of clear bullet-proof plexiglass (or something similar). It gives the bag a rigid base, making it more practical and less likely to get damaged or misshapen. 

Pouch 1: Non-liquid toiletries and medicines.

 

Pictured from L-R: row one - antihistamine capsules, toothpaste tablets, hair texturizing powder, sunblock stick, mini duct tape roll, prescription medicine, lint roller. Row 2 - folding toothbrush, cotton swabs, mini razor, and Lush Ultrabalm. (Not pictured - Lush shampoo bar and tin)

Pouch 2: electronic cords/accessories

Includes: mini tripod for camera, iPad cord/plug, earbud splitter (in case I want to share my media), plug adapter, and earbuds. The grey pouch is an external power pack for my iPad and/or phone and does not go in the white pouch. It is small but heavy and goes on the bottom of the bag.

Pouch 3: What if?

This contains things that I may need or that may travel nicer. Shown here: foil rescue blanket (hey, you never know), extra reading glasses, a bundle of assorted safety pins, adhesive bandages, heel grips, eye glass repair kit, clothes pins, mini sewing kit, caribiner, micro super glue, mini bungee cords, nail clippers and tiny emery board.

Pouch 4: Make-up

Make up is essential and, since I'm a minimalist, this is the smallest pouch in the bag and contains: mirror, tweezers, eye shadow quad, mini liner brush, spoolie wand, Bare Minerals foundation, mini flat and fluff brushes, and a tiny bag of hair pins, clear and covered hair elastics.

Pouch 5: In-flight comfort essentials

This may be the most important pouch to me and it gets pulled out as soon as I locate my seat on the plane. It has L-R row 1- a mini bottle of face oil, a tube of Advil, anti motion sick pills, face mist, and deeply moisturizing hand lotion. Row 2 - face wipes, folding hairbrush, antibacterial wet wipes, (not pictured) moisturizing eye drops, and the Eagle Creek pouch that holds it all. I have TSA PreCheck, so the liquids in this pouch don't need to come out but I transfer them from my TSA liquids bag after going through security anyway, in the event I get pulled for a random non-PreCheck check.

Pouch 6: Snack bag

We all know someone who goes full-on Gorgon when hungry. Chances are it may be you and I suffer from the same affliction, so this is the next most important pouch in my carry-on bag. It contains tea bags, small packs of almonds, drink mix tubes, stevia packets, and my spork. I will also usually include prepackaged bars like Quest, Kind, or similar brands to tide me over between proper meals.

Everything else: My other 'must-haves'. In addition to these pouches, I throw in my wallet, the iPad (leather Fossil case), pen, mini Sharpie, travel journal, an analog puzzle pad, an umbrella and (not pictured) a collapsible water bottle.

Each item and pouch fits neatly into the Le Pliage bag leaving room for a wrap/blanket scarf, a camera and 2 lenses, and a Ziploc bag of emergency clothes (tank top, lightweight leggings, and undies). All of this makes the perfect carry-on for me, everything I need to be happy, hydrated, relaxed, and entertained.  Your contents will differ based on personal preferences but hopefully this list will get you started to packing YOUR perfect carry-on bag!

What did I miss? What makes your inflight experience better? Feel free to leave your comments below.

Peace, love, and travel!

M

Memorial Day 2015

Whether you are traveling or relaxing at a backyard barbecue today, take time to remember the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Regardless of your political leanings, the fallen deserve our thanks. Happy Memorial Day!

Peace, love, and travel!

M

What To Do When Your Luggage Goes Missing

I just returned from 25 days abroad and it was amazing, with one small exception, a delayed bag. As usual, I traveled lightly with one carry on bag and one small (tiny, really) underseat rolling bag; not checking anything until the return trips to the States since I had breakable art packed to take on the plane and was limited to two items.

As these things sometimes happen, my little bag made it from Auckland to Sydney, but not from Sydney to LA. Luckily for me this happened at the end of the trip, and not the start, but the actions to take for delays/lost luggage are the same whatever side of the trip you find yourself.

1. Always have identification on AND in your bag. For privacy concerns, I recommend your first initial, last name and an email address on the luggage tag and on an index card easily see on the interior of the bag.

2. Never pack anything valuable in your suitcase (medicine, electronics, jewelry you want to keep, sentimental treasures). If you can't/don't want to carry it on the plane, ship it home.

3. Take a photo of your bag. This is a huge time saver if you have to file a claim. I go one step further and create a graphic of everything in the bag and the bag itself. It is helps id the bag and provides an instant list of items in the event the bag is truly lost and you need to claim for recompense.

4. After you've waited at the luggage carousel long enough, check the over-sized/odd sized holding pen, you just never know. 

5. Know what airline is actually responsible for assisting you. Domestic flights from point A to point B are straightforward but internationally or multi-leg trips get trickier as more than one carrier is involved in getting you and your bag to and from. In my situation, it was on a Qantas flight but American Airlines was the carrier through which I booked and who flew me to my final destination, so I filed with them.

6. File your report immediately. Each airline has different policies but all recommend immediate action. Do NOT leave the airport without filing a claim! You will be asked for the type of bag (style), any identifying features, your name, contact information, and address where you will be when they deliver it. Once you've provided that information, ask them what you need to do should the bag not be recovered within the specified timeframe (usually five days). This helps with the 'expect the best, prepare for the worst' mantra I live by when traveling. In many instances, the airline will provide a small stipend allowing you to buy toiletries. United Airlines gave me a toiletry kit when my bag failed to arrive in Mexico. Southwest gave my $35 when my bag got lost from PHX to JAX, enough for toiletries, undies, and a drugstore t-shirt to sleep in. Check this policy online for your carrier before you go, as it can alleviate stress in the heat of the moment. 6a. To expedite the filing, keep checked bag tags and boarding passes for each segment of the trip. Having flight numbers helps the representative do what they do.

7. Relax. Your bag will get to you eventually and if you've followed actions one, two, and three everything else can be replaced. This is easy to write and hard to do, I know. After 30 hours in transit, I admit I had a tiny meltdown when my bag didn't arrive in LA for me to take through Customs but it was short and I knew if it was truly lost all I had to was buy new clothes and a camera battery charger. A small price to pay in the grand scheme of things, right?

My bag arrived 44 hours after it should have, but was all intact with nothing damaged or missing, so this time the story ended well but the "rush" tag did make me chuckle. What other advice would you add to this list? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Peace, love, and travel!

M

On the Map

After providing travel advice, hints, and tricks to friends for several years and tweeting some of them for awhile it seemed like it was time to start a blog. I am by no means an expert, but after six continents, 20+ countries, and countless trips (business and pleasure) I may have an idea that saves you time, money, or hassle.

The blog will feature travel tips, destination information, advice from actual experts, travel-related product reviews, and whatever else comes up. I welcome reader questions and hope that you enjoy your visit to my little corner of the map!

Peace, love, and travel!

M