I’m switching it up from the usual Friday Favorites post this week to share some of my travel tips. I’m in New York right now for graduation weekend, but since I finished school I’ve gotten out of the habit of always being ready to hop on a plane.
When I studied abroad, I felt like I was always packing and unpacking, changing my backpack from a school bag to a shopping bag to a carry on in the same day! Now, the only packing I do is for casual lake weekends where I don’t need to bring anything!
I’ve written before about what to pack in the perfect carry on. My essentials haven’t really changed since then, and neither have these tried and true travel tips.
My Travel Tips
- Don’t wear any makeup. I know, gasp. But I heard this tip from Eva Chen years ago and I try to use it every time I fly! With no makeup, your face gets a little break while in the air, and you don’t have to worry about your makeup running if you fall asleep! I always make sure my face is clean, then put on a bunch of moisturizer. I also love to carry facial wipes in my bag for a quick clean when I land.
- ARRIVE EARLY. I am the kind of person that gets to the airport two hours early. Yeah, you end up sitting there, but wouldn’t you rather be all checked in and ready rather than sprinting through the airport yelling for them to hold the plane? For international flights, get there at least two hours early, you can maybe get by with about an hour for domestic flights; unless, of course, your airport is notorious for looooong security lines. Better safe than sorry!
- Try to only bring a carry on suitcase. I do not usually abide by this, but most of my trips were back and forth to school so I had to bring a large suitcase (excuses, excuses…). When I studied abroad, I only brought a backpack with my every weekend and it was perfect. If your trip is less than 5 days (some people say a week but at that point I need a little more space!) try to squeeze everything in You can do this by….
- ROLL your clothes. I consider myself a master packer, and I can fit a lot of outfits into a small space. Roll your clothes instead of folding, except for things like button ups. It saves space aka it lets you pack more outfits!
- Put your shoes in bags. I don’t care what you think, your shoes stink. And if you toss them in your bag, your clothes will stink. They will also be covered in whatever nastiness is on the bottom of your shoes. I usually put mine in the little cloth bags that come with shoes or handbags. You can also use a plain old plastic grocery bag, but anything to keep it all clean and separated.
- Plan out everything. It takes a little more time, but try to figure out what you’re going to wear the entire trip, and see what you can wear more than once. You don’t need three pairs of jeans for a weekend trip or 4 pairs of wedges.
- Layers are your friend. Planes are always cold, even if you turn your little fan off. I always try to bring a cardigan or light jacket that I can
stufftuck into my bag when I don’t need it. In the winter I love big scarves that I can use as a pillow or blanket for napping. Make sure you pack a few layers in your suitcase too, as it doubles the number of outfit combinations. - Mix it up. If you’re traveling with other people, like your family or significant other, mix your clothes around. Put a little of each person’s stuff in every bag, so that if a bag gets lost, one person isn’t left with nothing! My family always does this when we fly, and while we haven’t lost a bag, it doesn’t hurt to be safe.
- MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING. Do you have your passport? Do you need it? Do you have your license or some form of ID? Did you pack any medicine you take regularly? Did you bring that one thing you always forget? Make a mental checklist, or better yet, an actual check list where you can cross off each item.
These are the tricks that I have used on countless trips, but if you have any others that work for you, let me know in the comments!