Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Contact lens case for small amounts of various creams, serums, or powders.

Damn, I never thought of that. Thanks!

I save the tiny tubs that eye cream comes in for this purpose.

Anonymous wrote:Contact lens case for small amounts of various creams, serums, or powders.

Damn, I never thought of that. Thanks!

If you have oily skin or are prone to sweating a lot - - try blotting your face w/a piece of that paper that are located in Women’s toilet stalls - the paper used to cover toilet seats!

Just tear off a piece and blot your face w/it a few times…..it truly makes your face matte and is my fave hack!

Regarding washing clothes in sink and using those travel detergent sheets:

My recommendation is to think about bringing clothes that will dry quickly. Once I was traveling in Sweden and had booked an airbnb with a washer/dryer (all one unit), but it didn't work properly so I had to handwash my clothes. This is normally fine but I'd packed with the assumption I would be able to dry my clothes, or at least run them through the spin cycle to get out most of the moisture. It was a huge pain to dry some of them, it took days, even using the drying racks in my Airbnb and strategic positioning in front of windows.

I learned my lesson and look for quick dry fabrics for travel now, so that if I need to wash it, I can hang it up overnight and usually have it dry. This does mean a lot of synthetic clothes, but merino wool also dries quickly because it's naturally "hydrophobic." So I buy a lot of my basics in good quality black merino (including skirts, dresses, leggings, tees -- not just sweaters) and use that as the base for my travel wardrobe. It makes it really easy to pack. I can add other items and it's okay if I just wear them once or twice and don't wash, because I know I'll be able to get my merino basics clean and dry easily, so I'll always have something clean to wear.

I have a job that requires 50% travel so I have become an expert on what works for me.

I don't have major beauty routines/don't use any special products so when I travel I use whatever shampoo/conditioner and soap is at the hotel. If you don't have fussy hair or skin or are not a product-whore, it saves a lot of time and space.

I wear a panty liner on hours- long sitting/travel days as you can rip that off when you arrive and feel fresh/get rid of the sweat as it hasn't made it onto your clothing.

Always bring a couple extra bags and ziplocs just in case. They can trap odours or are great for carrying wet items. You can even use them to wash/shake items with detergent sheets. You can use them to nuke or freeze washcloths if you need to treat injuries/swelling as well.

We were in Spain last year during a heat wave. I don’t normally sweat a lot but did sweat into my sundresses on the arm pits. I found that I could wash out just the arm pits of the dress with soap in the sink, hang th dress, and it was dry by morning. It got me an extra wear out of each sundress.

I like the idea of the travel sheets. My sister always packs the travel clotheslines too but I’ve never done it.

In most American hotels, there is a plastic bag in the closet you can use for dry cleaning — I use it all the time to pack up dirty clothes so they don’t stink up the rest of the stuff. Packing some old zip locks is always a good idea.

No makeup and simple hair for flights is the biggest one for me. Especially if you’re doing lie flat. The more makeup and styled hair you board with, the crazier you look when you get off.

Agree with a lot of the comments here except that I don't rewear a bunch of stuff when I travel. I love the idea of a "capsule wardrobe" and rewearing items so you can pack less. And of course there are certain items that can be worn multiple times -- jeans, most jackets or cardigans, certain dressier clothes you are just wearing for a few hours at a time. But I mostly pack so that I can wear a different outfit every day. Especially because travel days tend to be pretty active -- walking around, cabs or public transit, in and out of buildings with AC or heat. I don't want to wear clothes that I wore for 8 hours of sight seeing, sat on public benches in, sweat all over while walking around the city or whatever. I

Even stuff like jeans or cardigans -- they will get gross after two wears, I've found. Heck, even my jean jacket, which at home stays reasonably clean for a couple weeks at a time, starts to smell a bit after 3 or 4 days of touristy vacation stuff. It's the difference between wearing it a few times a week for my easy commute or as an extra layer in the office or a restaurant, and airing it out between wears, and wearing it every day while doing tons of walking.

So what I do is make sure to pack clothes that don't take up a ton of space, and utilize packing cubes strategically. Also for any trip over 5 or 6 days, I figure out how to do laundry. Sometimes it just means making sure my AirBnB has a washing machine, or the hotel has a laundry service. But sometimes you have to get creative -- travel detergent sheets you can use in a hotel sink, finding a laundromat close enough to your hotel to not be a huge inconvenience, etc. it's a bit of a pain but worth it on longer trips so I don't have to bring so much luggage, and can still feel fresh and clean and not gross and bedraggled by the end of the trip.

My dermatologist always has lots of sample sizes of face washes, lotions and sunscreens, so I collect a bunch to bring with me when I travel.

Contact lens cases are also great for pills. (I do this in my purse/work bag as well as for travel)

Anonymous wrote:+1 for using contact lens cases for face creams and makeup.

I use toothpaste tablets when I travel. Saves on “liquid” space and takes up much less room. I like them so much I use them all the time now. My dental hygienist said my teeth look great.

I pack antiperspirant wipes that come in little individual packets. Doesn’t take much more space than a stick and they’re gone by the end of the trip so I have more space for souvenirs. I also like the Lume wipes for a quick all-body refresher.

I love merino wool t-shirts. They don’t hold onto smells, and they’re very easy to wash in a sink & they’ll dry overnight. I take laundry detergent sheets & 1/2 sheet is plenty for hand wash, and they can also be used if you want to stop and do laundry.

If I’m going to be where pickpockets are a problem, I take a very small locking “s” hook that I use to latch my purse zipper shut. I know it won’t stop an accomplished pick pocket, but I hope it would slow them down a bit or encourage them to pick on someone else. I have a fake engagement Ring/wedding band that I wear when I travel. Don’t be tempted to wear real jewelry — I have a friend (a tall, fit male) who was mugged for his expensive watch in a nice part of London.

I don't wear jewelry except for my wedding ring. I'm not sure I could even get it off.

+1 for using contact lens cases for face creams and makeup.

I use toothpaste tablets when I travel. Saves on “liquid” space and takes up much less room. I like them so much I use them all the time now. My dental hygienist said my teeth look great.

I pack antiperspirant wipes that come in little individual packets. Doesn’t take much more space than a stick and they’re gone by the end of the trip so I have more space for souvenirs. I also like the Lume wipes for a quick all-body refresher.

I love merino wool t-shirts. They don’t hold onto smells, and they’re very easy to wash in a sink & they’ll dry overnight. I take laundry detergent sheets & 1/2 sheet is plenty for hand wash, and they can also be used if you want to stop and do laundry.

If I’m going to be where pickpockets are a problem, I take a very small locking “s” hook that I use to latch my purse zipper shut. I know it won’t stop an accomplished pick pocket, but I hope it would slow them down a bit or encourage them to pick on someone else. I have a fake engagement Ring/wedding band that I wear when I travel. Don’t be tempted to wear real jewelry — I have a friend (a tall, fit male) who was mugged for his expensive watch in a nice part of London.

These pants from Amazon: https://a.co/d/07ycmroy

I live in these. Super flattering cut and perfect blend of compression + stretch. I've worn them to work on occasion.

I also love these blushes from MAC: https://www.maccosmetics.com/product/13842/126125/products/makeup/face/blush-bronzer/glow-play-cushiony-blush?shade=So_Natural

The one I linked above is more peachy/light pink than it looks in the pic - gives a nice subtle glow. Perfect for a "no makeup" make up look which is great for those early morning flights where you dont want to look overly made up but dont want to look like death either. I use this and moisturizer, a little mascara and lip balm and good to go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good to have haves-

-mini travel toothbrushes with freshener or toothpaste loaded and floss pick on the other side
- Tylenol and Advil
-mini brush with mirror on it
- agree on moisturizer and no eye makeup
- body wipes

If you forgot hair product then hotel lotion works great as a blow dry cream.

If you have a meeting straight off the flight, use living proof blow dry cream and the revlon one step- it will stay clean enough for an exec presentation

Agree with the poster who said scrub yourself in the shower

Wait, what? I wouldn't use hotel lotion on my body, much less in my hair!

DP - I use face lotion in my hair routinely, but I have thick coarse hair that needs extra moisture.

Curious - why not just heavy leave-in conditioner?

Anonymous wrote:For comfort - no bra on the plane. Drape a scarf so it falls over your chest. For when you need coverage, that and wear a darker colored shirt

+1
Or for us small-chested ladies, just wear those stick-on nipple covers. SO much better than a bra.