oh! so i'm going to italy! my looooong time friend tabitha [seriously we've been friends since birth] has this awesome job where she travels constantly, we had briefly spoken over the summer about traveling and all of the places she may get to go this year-- well about five or six months ago i get a text from her asking if i would like to meet her in europe and vacation in italy after her business trip. i instantly replied "yes." it has been a fun few months finding hotels, trains, cities to visit and sites to see. now crazy enough time has flown and it's finally here so here i go, but first what to wear and how to get it there!
so i've always been miss organization and for this trip i decided i would challenge myself to be a carry-on-one-bag-traveler. mostly because i'm freaked out my luggage will get lost and also i will be going from hotel to train multiple times. i found this bag and saw all of it's rave reviews and thought although it's an investment it might be well worth it. so far, loving it. i used it on one other trip a month or so ago and it was a breeze. quick info on it - carry on size, light weight but extremely durable and converts from a hand held strap to a cross body messenger style to a backpack. ok enough of that, i had a really fun time packing up, the travel size section at the store are always so fun and finding clothing and accessories that will work and be versatile for my ten day trip throughout italy.
now i get rather confused by this regulation. i have flown quite a bit but generally check my bags thus never having to worry about this whole liquid restriction. it's not that i mind, its just that i get scared i might do it wrong. luckily for me the company in which i purchased all my new travel gear had a special bag just for this purpose. i am all about organization, which you can probably tell, so i jumped right on it and figured hey, if it fits it flies [with no one item is over three ounces]. awesome. i ran to target or most of my liquids they had a nice selection for travel, cleansers, lotions, toothpaste and being in makeup and hair i was able to grab some of my favorite shampoo and conditioner in travel sizes as well. ask your stylist or salon you frequent if they can get you some travel sized hair products, not only shampoos and conditioners but many hairsprays, serums, anti-frizz creams come in travel size options too! i always will accommodate my clients needs and i'm sure your stylist would be happy to order some for you, nothing is worse than bad hair when on vacation. for the makeup i was happy to find that the tinted moisturizer i wear was under the limit so i was able to squeeze that in there [not pictured, it's hidden behind the goods above] but for my spf-moisturizer and night creams i happened to have a few samples from my favorite cosmetics counters saved up. when you are at your favorite makeup counter, you know, when they know you by name it's generally safe to ask if they could throw a few samples in for you with your purchase. even at sephora where generally your not really on a know-your-name basis, they will gladly give out samples when you ask!
i was so surprised at the amount of items i was able to fit into just this one side, and there is probably still room. not shown are a two head wraps, q.tips, deodorant, makeup removing wipes, toothbrush, collapsible hairbrush and bandaids. because i have been trying to do my hair more often, style-wise (see new years resolution here) there is a tiny white bag full of bobbie pins and hair ties, maybe i'll play around with some braids or maybe just topknot it the whole time, at least i have options. with jewelry i tend to keep it very minimal so there is a organza bag with my favorite bracelets and pair of earrings that tend to go with just about everything. the black mesh-like bag is filled with makeup items not considered liquids, bronzing powder [sample], stick concealer, mascara [travel/sample size] and four lipsticks. there is also my pressed powder that you can see by its self in a little black case.
the other side (not show but the same size) holds my camera batteries and charger, iphone and ipad mini charger, extra pair of sunglasses, some unmentionable ladies items (lucky me huh) and room to fill for bringing things back.
the big stuff
leading up to packing i won't lie, i've been doing a bit of shopping. not being totally prepared for what the weather may entail at all times really does not sit well with me, so i have devised that layers are an absolute must. most all of my eight tops are a sweater-ish type and i've brought plenty of leggings to wear underneath jeans if need be. but for some fun days or nights i managed to squeeze in three dresses. undergarments and even a swimsuit fit nicely in the top zipper. then for accessorizing i brought a few cheap sunglasses, a small purse, few head wraps, a beanie and a scarf. i had quite a bit of extra room left so i stuck a jacket i was planning on having to wear during flight in the bag as well. even then i managed to have a nice bit free sooo i stuck in my pillow in one of the side compartments. oh dear i know what a diva but honestly i just don't sleep well and hey it fits. (*you can hardly call it a pillow, it's flat as flat can be and older than i care to admit, but none the less with my stiff neck i know now to work with it) the system of this bag is beyond brilliant and convenient and i can't help but rave about it! i hope it serves me as well during my trip!
personal item
along with your carry on luggage you are allotted one personal item, generally a backpack, a purse, laptop bag etc. i downsized on my purse choice last minute and then found a clever little backpack that it happened to fit in. so my personal item consists of a backpack and inside it holds my everyday purse, camera, ipad mini, earbuds, one pair of sunglasses and snacks galore. i'm pretty sure i'm aloud to bring my own food, goodness i hope so. I went to trader joe's and stalked up on a bunch of healthy snacks. no one wants to spend and entire day eating bags of lays.
wear it on
saving me space will be by wearing my bulky items on flight. i will definitely be needing a jacket and that will easily double as a blanket while on the plane -- i mean i've heard those stories about some of those blankets, meh, no thanks. a light zip-up sweater under that because layers are everything this trip plus, I can use it as a pajama top for cooler nights. a sweater-y top, thick workout pants which work wonderfully to keep me warm but also so so comfortable and my trusty boots to help me do a lot of walking.
well, i think that's a wrap folks. thanks for letting me be excited and rant about something as simple as organization and packing. bon voyage!
update: all photos from the original post have been lost :( but I continuelly use my tom bihn bag and will try to feature it again soon!
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