A big congratulations to Janine on winning the book Unglued from the Giveaway! I have emailed you and look forward to sending you a little summer reading.

So we arrived back home yesterday after 10 packed days of travel and adventure. We stayed in four different hotels, took many modes of transportation (ranging from taxi, to subway, to train, to plane) and enjoyed two spectacular cities in two different countries. I’ll be sharing more about our fun times very soon.

After just unpacking from this trip I wanted to pass on some of my little travel secrets. I did a full post not too long ago  that gave you my full list of how to organize your travels, but today is a snapshot of three things I did that really helped as we moved through our trip as a family of five!

 

#1 – Pack your Cords in a Bag

Traveling means bringing along those cords, chargers, and headphones. All things you want to keep track of! My simple tip to keep them all corralled, is to use a cute bag. I mean a cute bag just makes organizing easy. (Notice I carry a universal charger, something you must have when traveling internationally.)

A cute bag will also help you to remember to grab your cords and such when checking out of your hotel room. It’s a real pain to forget and leave your charger behind. #cutebagwillsavetheday

#2 –  Pack your Meds in a Case

Nothing is worse than traveling and being sick and I’m not happy to report that the cold I had before we left on our trip carried on throughout our entire trip! I was that lady, coughing uncontrollably and popping cough drops like they were going out of style. Yuck. However, it was not as bad as my stomach woes in Morocco, so I’ll stop complaining.

Avoid packing along bottles of pills and boxes of medicine and opt for a small case such as the one I used below.

Fun fact, I’ve had this case since college. I got it as a gift from 24 Hour Fitness where I was working and teaching classes. The logo on the top has worn off, but I can’t part with this perfect sized container. I keep it in my purse at all times on a regular basis. Then for trips, I make sure to re-stock.

Having what you need, when you need it, can make a world of difference. (No matter where you are in the world, ha!)

#3 – Pack your Liquids according to the Law

It’s a good idea to know ahead of time what your airline requirements are for all things, including liquids! We flew on three different flights, and we each were only allowed to bring on ONE carry on, not even an extra purse or backpack. (Well, we could have paid more and checked more bags, but we didn’t want to.) So, in an attempt to streamline the security measures I have learned to plan ahead. I store face lotion, hair cream, and sunscreen in small containers. Then I opt to buy the mini sized hair spray bottle and toothpaste. (I just keep refilling the hairspray.) Then this handy bag that I received from a charity event, works perfectly to whip out all of my liquids when I have to go through security.

I saw a poor boyfriend in Paris, who was sending off his girlfriend and she was handing him four or five LARGE bottles of lotions and hair products, at the security line, to take back with him. The sweet boyfriend was going to have to lug all of those fine products back to the car and she was now going to have to figure out how to find replacements, while on vacation???

Plan ahead, it’s worth it. Condense any and all of your favorite products into smaller containers and you’ll be a lighter traveler, be able to breeze through that security line in no time, AND look really good on your trip, which is what it’s all about right? 🙂

Happy travels & happy organizing!