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Shoutout to American Airlines for being my go to airliner! You guys rock!
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First time travelers are very easy to spot within an airport and for seasoned travelers like me, I like to make a game of how late they will be to getting to their gate. Traveling is a bitch. No if ands or buts about it, security is long, customs are even longer, and chances are that you will encounter at least one asshat of a airport worker. So a few tips that I have learned through my experiences are to prepare for the trip BEFORE you try to leave and pack last minute like so many of us are known to do. Don't lie, you're all procrastinating sinners and know what I'm talking about.
I like to start packing a few days early all according to the extended period of my vacation or work related travels. Some other key factors that plug into packing are concerned with the weather, activities, the places you will be eating at, and etc. For example I just took a weekend trip for my birthday to London and needed three days prior from take off day in order to pack lightly. I packed everything from my Accessories to my Zara pre-planned outfits. I tend to take packing very serious because I have frequently found myself in situations where I have forgotten necessities and have had to use my extra spending money that I had been saving for great wine and champagne and instead used it for toiletries and even occasional missing underwear (don't judge, you've forgotten too).
One thing about me though is that I am certainly not an organized person. But I have learned recently that I needed to become one, at least just for traveling purposes. So I do what everyone tells you to do when planning anything, I make a list. Oh yes the dreaded list that I always think I won't need and then end up proving later that I do when I can't remember if I had gotten travel size shampoo or nah. So take it from me, a visual learner, that I do need to write down "bring good panties" or sometimes I'll forget and last minute pack the old grannies that all of us females have when we use up all the good ones and get too lazy to do the wash (again don't judge I know I'm not alone on that one).
So often have I been a victim to the big 'O' of packing, that is 'Over-packing'. You go for five days to Florida and expect to be in your cute bikini 90% of the time. But then why do we end up packing for a month long ski trip in the alps? I swear I think it's in our blood sometime for us women to over think situations and so when we are throwing things in the ole luggage we think "oh I bet I'll need this sweater" even though you very well know that you checked the weather and it'll be high 80's and 90's for the duration of your stay at the beach. Or the classic "I'll need my laptop because I'll def try to work on some work/homework later in the night" (ha). But we never do need these unwanted items so they make your luggage ten times heavier than you needed it to be and you pray to God when you get to the airport that it does not exceed the over 50 pound limit. If this occurs then you will either be forced to 1. Pay the hefty fine for your heft bag or 2. Play the switcheroo game and let the whole airport know all your dirty secret in your black roller bag.
Lastly is the importance of what to bring in your carry-on. This is an essential and I can't stress to you how much this will make or break your flight. Even if its just a three and a half hour flight, you should still treat it as an eight. Everyone is different so I will just tell you what I always pack. Since I have become such a 'master packer' as some of my friends call me, doing this has just become routine for me. I know to put my Dramamine in my carry on along with my Advil for all intents and purposes to plan for at least one screaming kid/baby/fighting couple on the plane. (Wild Card: Once I was coming back from New York and this guy puked the whole trip as soon as we took off and even noise cancellation head phones could not stop me from hearing that wrenching.) So even if you aren't such a big pill taker you hippy you, I would still suggest even bringing melatonin which is al' natural. Next I like to pack some gum, mints, and a bag of chips. The triple threat and so greatly under appreciated in my opinion. I am a lover of books (English major) so of course I have to pack a hard copy which is my preference but sometimes I don't have time to make it to my local bookstore so I'll just quickly download something I haven't read yet on my beloved Kindle. Now if you aren't a big book person then a Kindle can still be good for you seeing as how you can still download movies and TV shows or apps, Kindle works with amazon so if you're a part of the amazon cult then I would seriously start thinking about purchasing one of these babies. And then you say "I'm already paying for this expensive trip no way in hell am I going to download movies when I can watch them for free on Netflix." Then I tell you to sit down and read a magazine since you really want to be so financially hard all of the time, sheesh.
But everyone can agree that no one enjoys the dirty process of traveling abroad and being stuck on planes for longer than they have to but by sticking to these guidelines it will make the trip that much easier. T is for Traveling and Truck stops but both are necessities in life so I'm not complaining. My whole life is to be inspired about the world around me and never staying in one place long enough to get bored and for some people they can sympathize with that, others well, I don't really associate with so I'm not too sure how they feel about it.
All in all I wish you a happy day and safe travels for you and your kind.
-The World Traveling Brunette
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| (Taken in the Caribbean somewhere right before I illegally took a little dip in my birthday suit) |
