Packing & Traveling Tips for the World Traveler

2014 marked the year of world travel for us. If you remember back, we traveled to South East Asia: Singapore, Cambodia, and Thailand. It was such a blast to see a new part of the world and experience it firsthand. Traveling really gives you a sense of appreciation for where we live here in the United States.

As much as we would like to jet set off to another foreign location, building our house has taken precedence this year. But we are getting out of the North Dakota tundra to enjoy some sunshine in Hawaii! Anyway, after our trip to SE Asia, it was such a learning experience about travel. And I never blogged about it! So what better time to blog about packing and travel than on the eve of a new trip? 

Let me first say, I have this history of being a horrible packer. Honestly, it’s so hard for me. Deciding what you really need and what you don’t is tough. Being a world traveler and Harley trips have made me better at packing. Being forced into a smaller suitcase and tight on space makes you really evaluate what you NEED versus what you WANT. 

And honestly packing lighter has made my packing life so much easier. So here’s a few packing and travel tips for the world traveler… Or domestic traveler too! 

1. Invest in Packing Cubes

I did a TON of research before we embarked for SE Asia and one of the things I found which CHANGED my life was packing cubes. Packing cubes are amazing!! I found mine on Amazon (eBags Packing Cubes – 3pc Set) They actually cut down on wrinkly clothes and keep your clothes so organized and “packed”. 

 We were gone in SE Asia for over two weeks and here’s what I packed: 2 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of capris, 2 skirts, 3 dresses, 6 tank tops, 3 t-shirts, 3 fancy tops, 2 full sets of workout clothes, my dainties, and 2 swimsuits. And of course my “traveling clothes”, I wore layers on the plane (pants, tank with a top over it, light cardigan, light scarf).

By rolling and utilizing those packing cubes, it left a ton of room in my suitcase. I also packed one pair of super comfy sandals (Keens), one fancier pair of shoes, some flip flops, and a pair of tennis shoes. We did a TON of walking so comfortable shoes were a MUST. It doesn’t seem like many clothes for 17 days but we did laundry. It was so warm there that you could lander clothes in the sink or bathtub if you didn’t have access to a washer and hang dry them outside.

2. Streamline Toiletries, Utilize Samples

Trying to streamline beauty products for a girl is… well, it’s almost impossible. On a daily basis I probably use upwards of 20 different products from my hair to my makeup. And bringing them all with me on vacation is pretty much a no-go. Since we travel and Harley quite a bit, I started keeping a toiletry bag packed all the time. That way whenever we go anywhere, I can just grab it and go. 

For toiletries, I try to pack all sample sized stuff (Thanks Birchbox!) and if I need to bring my own I use humangear GoToob Travel Bottles, they ROCK! I often times don’t even bring my blow drier or straightener. When we Harley it is pointless and in SE Asia it was so humid  it wouldn’t have helped anyway. I simply use a curl creme every morning when I got out of the shower and let my hair air dry. 

For makeup, I bought an eye palette I keep in my travel bag all the time and the rest I have sample sized makeup products of eyeliners, tinted moisturizers, mascaras, etc. 

Since all my toiletries were sample sized and met TSA liquid guidelines, I was able to put all my toiletries in my carry on. This worked out great as we were stuck in Chicago both on our way to SE Asia and on our back. It helped to have my toothbrush, etc. in the hotel room with me in my carry on. I also pack a change of clothes in my carry on for this purpose. 

3. Don’t Overload Technology

This one is really hard for me as I use a mix of film and digital photography. And if I could, I would bring a whole suitcase full of cameras. Actually, funny story, one of my first fights with my husband was over how many cameras I wanted to bring on the Harley. It was quite comical. Anyway, I always struggle with what to pack to capture our vacation memories. 

In the end, my DSLR typically ends up winning out. I just can’t trust my film cameras when it comes to documenting important trips. It stresses me out not to have a backup. For SE Asia, I brought my DSLR, one small film camera (my husband carried), and my phone! I brought one lens (18-200 mm) which isn’t my favorite but it was so versatile it worked the best. Pro tip: be sure to bring multiple SD or Compact Flash cards!! Do NOT put your whole trip on one card in case the card has an error and you whole trip will be lost. 

I use my phone to take photos as well as notes. It honestly takes as good of photos as a point and shoot camera. We also brought one tablet and one laptop. I blog much better on a laptop than a tablet so it was a no brainer for us. It also made it nice to dump photos on, backup to Dropbox, and clear my compact flash cards And most of the time we travel, I need reading materials so I also bring my kindle along to read on versus multiple books. 

4. Acclimate to the Time Change

Especially when you are traveling abroad, many people try to take a nap during the day or on the plane to make up for lost time. Don’t do this. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received was to acclimate to the time at your destination when you get on the plane and when you get there, don’t sleep during the day. If it is nighttime where you are traveling and will be arriving in the morning, feel free to get your shut eye on the plane. However, if you will be arriving in the middle of the day, try not to get all your sleep on the plane and try your best not to take a nap when you get there! You don’t want to be up half the night before you slept during the day! We acculmated very well to the 14 hour time change in SE Asia as we got in at midnight and went right to sleep. Planning travel times, if you can, certainly helps. 

5. Stay Well Hydrated and Moving

One of the leading causes of jetlag is dehydration. Many times so I don’t have to pay a fortune for water, I pack an empty re-useable bottle. Many domestic airports have water filling stations just for this reason. Most international flights keep you fairly well hydrated so they are constantly coming through the cabin with water. Drink it. I know it means you will have to get up and use the bathroom, but that is beneficial too! Our flight from Chicago to Tokyo was 12 hours. I made sure to get up and stretch every couple hours to keep my feet from swelling up. I also was sure to drink plenty of water and take meals when they offered them to me. 

If you are going to be landing in the morning somewhere and having to spend your whole day awake, it helps to have some toiletries packed to “refresh” yourself before landing. I don’t know about you but I get really dry when I fly so in my toiletry bag, I always carry lots of hydrating things for my face, hair, skin, and of course my toothbrush. 

I hope these tips help the next time you go on a trip whether it be across the world or a few hours from home!

What are some of your favorite packing and travel tips?