Wednesday, June 30, 2010

My Favorite Things - p.25

I am leaving for Branson on Sunday. Wahoo! In honor of that little adventure, I wanted to share a few of my favorite things used for/with/while traveling.

iGo - whoever came up with this, I want to give you a BIG hug (and also a little smack, but we'll get to that). It's so very convenient to be able to just take one charger with me for everything I do. All you have to do is change out the little tips. Right now I have one for my Blackberry and one for my Kindle. I need the tip for my iPod and one for Jeff's phone. We have already been through two different tips for his phone. The first didn't fit. The second fit but wouldn't charge. GRRR. They also don't make a tip for our GPS which is quite unfortunate. I do enjoy having a splitter where I can charge multiple things at once. Overall, a very handy thing to have.
3-in-1 shower gel - I'm really loving this because it's that many less tiny bottles I have to keep up with. I'm trying to convince myself that I love the whole ecological impact of less packaging and production (and I do) but my driving motivation is simply convenience. The stuff I'm currently using is Strawberry Mint. I have my eye on some from Philosophy (pictured above). I'll let you know how that works out for me.
Soft-sided luggage - Yes I recognize that generally all luggage is soft-sided now. I am talking more specifically here about the quilted stuff that doesn't have much structure on its own. I am not the neatest re-packer in the world. In fact, I am generally a pretty horrid re-packer. My stuff always seems to expand on the way home. And no, I do not fold my dirty clothes. That's how I know they need to be washed - I can't just put them back into my drawer or closet! But I have discovered that, although generally smaller, the soft luggage tends to be a bit more forgiving and will allow for some creative shoving and the addition of a few souvenirs. The photo here is not of anything I own. I do happen to have a small duffel this style, but in a different pattern. However, as nice as this is, it's not my favorite. My favorite bag is a square bag from a collection called Gloria Rae that I can't find anywhere anymore. It holds enough for at least three days and makes the perfect "carry-on" for bigger trips because it then sits perfectly on its flat bottom atop my rolling bag!
Cross-body purse - this is becoming less a vacation thing and more a life thing. I love having a purse that can go across my body. For one thing it frees up my hands. For another it makes me feel more secure about it, and number three I don't have to worry about setting it down and something happening to it or my forgetting it because it never leaves my body. The only down side is that it doesn't hold as much, but with a little creative arrangement it works for almost anything! This is a picture of my current favorite purse (which happens to have been my anniversary gift). It is the "Saddle Up" style from Vera Bradley in the "Caffe Latte" print. The strap does adjust so it can go all the way around you, but is certainly cute carried as-is. I think the fabric has now been discontinued, but I am pretty darn certain I will buy this bag again in another fabric eventually.

Do you have any favorite goodies that make your traveling life easier?

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