recent return

I just returned from a 3 week excursion to Thailand last month, with a lot of new experiences to share.

The best part about the trip was the weather. One bag travel is sooo much easier when you can pack smaller less bulky items.

Some of my lessons learned on this trip:

1. The Diva cup is a life saver. I was thinking of writing a full review of this product at some point, but for your own curiosity I am only going to link to the product here. You can read more about it until I get over my initial embarrassment.

2. I bought some shampoo upon arrival instead of lugging a bunch of smaller 3-1-1 bottles with me on the plane. This was smart.

3. Biggest lesson learned: If you don't bring a product - make sure they have it there upon arrival!!! Thailand is notorious for skin whitening lotions!!!! They have NO affordable normal lotion available. All of the supermarkets sell skin whitening lotion. Bizarre? Maybe if you're not Thai. Also, their toothpaste is different. Let me just say - it tastes salty. I was ecstatic to find a bottle of "western" style toothpaste.

4. I had to do laundry 3 times while there.

Washing clothing in the sink turned out to be futile. I was unable to dry my clothing in 100% humidity. A wet shirt hanging on a clothesline will still be a wet shirt hanging on the clothesline - 2 days later!!! But of course this doesn't matter, because with humidity like this, whatever you put on (even if already "dry") will be already wet feeling.

best skin lotion for travel

Clinique's Moisturizing Gel is by far my favorite moisturizing product.

Plane dehydration, travel weariness, stress, etc. can be very detrimental to the health of your skin. This gel works wonders!







You can buy it in a travel sized tube - which lasts!





http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P204206&categoryId=B70

The reviews don't lie. 213 reviews (as of 12/20/09) that rate this product at 4 1/2 stars!

I always carry this with me in my 3-1-1 baggy. It's an absolute must!

Unprepared?, Improvise!!

Okay, I had no idea that Phoenix was going to be this cold. I knew cool, but not as cold as home!

Good news is, I was able to improvise.

This trip was for 2 days.

All the clothes I brought with me was:

1 skirt suit

1 black shirt

sleeping pajama shorts

a tank top

1 pair of stretch jeans

1 workout outfit

1 pair of sneakers

1 pair of heels

1 pair of flipflops (okay I was being optimistic here)

1 scarf

socks

leg warmers (for my suit when leaving philadelphia) - HUGE life saver!

As a warm outfit back on the plane, I have decided to improvise. I"m wearing the same black shirt from yesterday, with my purple scarf, and my grey suit jacket with jeans, socks and sneakers! When I get home - I have a big winter coat, gloves, etc in my car. So all is good!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Not exactly toasty but at least I"m not going to freeze!

Travel Tip of the Month: #2

Tomorrow I leave for Phoenix on a 7am flight. Of course, Philadelphia weather is nothing to be desired right now. I just got back from the gym, and had to navigate through puddles and cold, almost frozen rain mid-December. Going from one climate to another is absolutely a nightmare for a one bag traveler. Especially when there are unexpected conditions for not only when you depart, but also when you arrive.

One important thing to do is of course 1. Check the weather, but in addition to this you'll want to have some things with you to make sure that you're braving the elements. When in doubt with rain, and I know I'll be doing a lot of outside maneuvering, I bring my umbrella. My umbrella is pint sized (literally!) and can fit in the front pocket of my airboss bag. This may seem like a no brainer to you. Of COURSE pack an umbrella when it's raining, duh! But there are other things that you may not have considered.

How about those shoes? I usually travel with only a pair of sneakers and a pair of heels. As a woman, these two are essential travel necessities. Well, Let me remind those of you who haven't been in the rain recently in sneakers... They get soaked to your socks!!! And rain can ruin a good pair of heels. So what to do?

Wear a pair of hiking/trail sneakers. These babies are made for rugged weather, and you can wear them when you work out. Absolutely brilliant isn't it?

I recommend anything keen. They are waterproof, stylish and functional.


See photo in this post.

To buy, try zappos!
http://www.zappos.com/keen-targhee-ii-walnut

makeup application tips

Makeup is a pain when traveling, because you want to have the necessities, but you don't want to forget anything that could come in handy. When in doubt, rely on simple makeup techniques when traveling.

My kit consists of the following:

1. Bare Minerals foundation

2. A Bare Minerals Mini Kabuki brush

3. The Body Shop, bronzer (used as a foundation)

4. a small travel bronzer brush (non brand)

5. Diorshow mascara

6. Sephora eyelash curler

7. Maybelline eyebrow pencil (automatic - no sharpener needed)

8. Almay concealer

9. A small bottle of Clinique moisturizing gel

10. A small bottle of Dior HydrAction serum.

11. Visine red eye relief EYE DROPS!!

The moisturizer and serums are the most important travel tool. You need to moisturize your skin. When flying a lot your skin goes through a whole barrage of drying elements, plus not to mention the stress!! The moisturizer helps repair that. A serum is essential for under the eye treatment.

When traveling I do not bring any eye makeup with me other than a mascara and an eyebrow pencil. This simple look helps open up the eyes (don't forget your curler!) without giving an over the top makeup weighed down look.

A small bottle of makeup remover/face wash is necessary if you bring a mascara. Otherwise you'll be scrubbing your eyes out with the hotel soap. Trust me, I've done this, and it's not a pretty sight!!!

And the most important beauty element is eyedrops. Your eyes will thank you. It's an essential beauty secret of mine. Red Eyes make you look tired and weighed down. Pop in a few drops before you exit the plane, and you have instant beauty!! I put eye drops in before I put on the mascara in the morning in case I didn't get a good night's sleep (very common when flying across timezones).

A few q-tips and cotton balls always come in handy, but if you forget them - hotels always have these on hand for free.

Last Tip: if you travel often, keep all of these items in the same makeup kit at all times. Don't remove them or use them for everyday use - and you'll never forget them!!

communicating with the world

My smart phone (an HTC touch Pro: aka the ATT Fuze) has Apps. Okay so it's no iphone, but I can still download and install applications on it that the iphone can too! For instance, there is a smartphone version of skype that you can install: http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windowsmobile/

I have tested this out... if you can find free wifi, you can have free phone calls!! sounds good right? It is! In a hotel in Prague, I was able to connect to their free wifi and put in a validation code that was good for 24 hours. All I had to do was go to the hotel's website via my phone web browser, type in the code, and voila! Free wifi!

Next, I started up skype, and was able to call other skype users for free! The other person not have a skype account? No worries, you can also call phones via the free service by paying a $2 per month fee.

This worked great while I was in Europe. I didn't want to pay the international roaming fees - and I was able to still call people from my cell phone! The only downside was that the phone operates like a speakerphone in this mode. But, with a pair of headphones it worked just great for private listening.

Travel tip of the month #1

Every month, I am going to post a lessons learned so that you don't have to learn it on your own.

This month, I am going to teach you all about the importance of traveling with a scarf.

Some people (aka: my husband) think I may be a little nuts about my scarves, but he doesn't know how many times one has come in handy for me. Ever since I spent a night in the Atlanta airport in a sundress, I learned the importance of having a scarf with me. That scarf that I bought in a Pull and Bear store in Belgrade was a life saver. It was fate that put that scarf in my hands... Okay, so I do sound a little melodramatic, but I was very very happy to have that scarf in my bag when the Atlanta airport temperatures dropped drastically on a summer evening. I believe they do pump that air conditioning to the max at all times. Once the masses leave the airport in the evening, the cool air really begins to feel COLD.

I travel with a scarf. I like to bring a silk or wool scarf with me, depending on the weather. I have a bunch of scarves that can match my color theme of that trip. Sometimes, my scarf doesn't match anything I wear, but it doesn't keep me from wearing it on the plane.

Airplanes no longer hand out blankets. Has anyone noticed? I sure have. When piling into a plane in the middle of summer, I typically am not carrying a sweater or a jacket. When the air kicks on when we're miles above the ground, those temperatures drop quickly. This is when I take my scarf (which is usually already around my neck), and I wrap it around my shoulders to stay warm.

If I travel outside in the sun, I have a scarf to cover my head.

The scarf also plays an important fashion accessory. A scarf can turn a shirt that was already worn on a trip look like a completely new outfit. Yes, the scarf is a very important travel tool as a woman. Next time you see a man selling Pashima scarves for 5 dollars, trust me, you'll think again before you pass him by. That 5 dollars could be a worthwhile investment.