Image via browneyedbellejulie
So I’d like to think this is what I look like when I travel.
But everyone who travels regularly (bless your road-weary hearts) knows that it is not glamorous and romantic.
Sure, sometimes you get to visit new cities, see the sights and stay in great hotels. But it’s tiring, stressful and exhausting, too. Long lines, cranky travelers, bad food. There’s a lot to be said for staying home.
Let’s just say that after a whirlwind work trip and a week-long road trip vacation, I’m staying put for quite a while. The grocery store seems too far away for this homebody.
On my recent adventures — I visited five cities in seven days — I traveled up in the air, and put in long hours on the road. So it gave me some time to think about what I needed to survive a travel-heavy schedule.
First up is a reliable and somewhat fashionable laptop bag. For those who travel via airplane with a laptop, and who happen to be female, you’ll know why this is so challenging. One carry-on plus “one personal item” means you have to choose between handbag and laptop bag. Panic!
You must decide to either pick a very large bag that will contain your computer plus all your personal items, or you decide to pack your trusty handbag in your suitcase, and carry the essentials in your laptop bag.
I chose the latter option because I found a new laptop bag that was semi-stylish and had a handy zip flap in the front for my cell phone, etc. It was a little tight, but it was light as a feather so it worked.
Still, I’m such a handbag “collector” — I have a constant rotation of two or three bags on any given week — that it felt so strange. I constantly thought I had lost my purse.
Just a day and a half after I came back down to earth, I set off on a long road trip. For this outing, we had many stops to make. I ended up over-packing and using four or five bags (including all my husband’s stuff).
I had too little room on the air trip, and too much room on the road trip. Next time, I’ll be prepared. Here are the essentials that every busy traveling woman needs with her on the next work/family trip.
In the future I won’t leave home without a good laptop sleeve for airport security, a jewelry case (I lost my favorite and most sentimental necklace somewhere between Denver and Houston last week!), and a reliable charger for all my electronic devices.
What are your favorite travel accessories?
1. Laptop sleeve, City Collection, in off white), Built NY
2. Go Toobs plastic dispensers with suction cups, The Container Store
3. Laptop sleeve made from recycled billboard, NottyPooch store, Etsy
4. Jewelry travel case, Stella & Dot
5. Dual USB wall charger, IGo, Amazon
6. Laptop attache, Case Logic
7. Madison leather lindsey satchel, Coach
Happy travels!
Kim A
Kim is a public relations pro by day, homebody by night. Kim worked as a newspaper features writer for more than a decade and she has written hundreds of stories on others' homes. But she is still discovering her own style. Kim and her husband are renovating their late-1950s home, making it their own. For Kim, staying home is a destination. She frequently entertains friends and family, so keeping it simple and comfortable is important (with the exception of her closets – her shopping and bargain-hunting habits take up some serious space). Kim’s perfect place is snuggled up in her PJs eating a homemade meal in front of the TV with her husband.
Follow Me:
Great article, looks like an interesting place to visit. I would like to see more pictures