Taking the Show on the Road

Since the season of holiday travel is officially upon us, the question that gets asked frequently is, how do you stay looking chic but comfortable? I am of the opinion that you can look good and not feel confined by your clothing if you make the right choices when it comes to travel attire. There will be none of that pajama bottom wearing foolishness going on over here, nor shall track suits be making the cut. I cannot condone that nonsense even for children who are traveling. Airports are still places where you will be seen last time I checked, so why do folks think it is appropriate to don attire best left for nocturnal travels?

Plane travel for me calls for three major things, warmth, comfort and pretty. Since everyone knows that planes are notoriously chilly, I must have layers that I can peel off and on as my needs arise. When I travel I am normally going from a cold climate to a humid, hot one so I wear clothing that can morph. My go to outfit is a maxi dress that I can layer a tshirt underneath, add a cardigan or a wrap, throw on a bold necklace, simple silver hoops (you may want to leave the jewelry off until after passing through TSA.) Some pieces of jewelry set the scanners off and you DON’T want to be the one holding everyone else up… can you say dirty looks. Finish the look off with ballet flats= instant polished! When I arrive at my destination, off comes the cardigan, tshirt and flats to be replaced with a pair of thong sandals stashed in my carry on and I am ready to embrace the gorgeous weather.

Road travel has most of the same requirements as airplane travel but I feel comfort is even more important. A plane ride is usually just a few hours where a road trip can be at least a day or longer. I took a mini road trip this past weekend to Canada, so a few minor tweaks were needed to maintain the pretty and stay comfortable. I never venture to cold weather locales (I am a hot house flower, lol) but friendship trumps personal desires sometimes, so we hit the road and headed up North. Since there was not a bit of warmth on the horizon, I took great care to stay warm while being stylish. A nice, chunky knit sweater with my skinny jeans tucked into knee high wedge heeled boots served me well, topped off a with a flyaway cardigan that I wore here. It was an 8 hour drive each way, so comfort was the name of the game, nothing constricting or tight allowed. I can truly say I felt relaxed the entire trip, never uncomfortable and looking good.

While traveling make sure you are prepared for delays, emergencies and entertainment by stocking your boarding bag with a few goodies. How I wish this was my boarding bag! My boarding bag is separate from my carry on, I carry all my immediate needs in there so I am not caught lacking, better safe than sorry. I never leave home without a travel roll of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, travel pack of Clorox Wipes and seat covers. These items became important when stopping at rest stops that were not the most hygienic. Snacks, communication/music (for me its all in one on the Blackberry) Kindle, change of clothing, and travel documents are in there to provide me with hours of entertainment if need be. Depending on the type of trip and length, the laptop may even need to ride and of course no travel is complete without a camera to document momentous occasions.

I pray that those who are fortunate enough to travel this season, stay safe and travel stylishly!

Weekend Edition: News Flash….I am officially old

I have been missing for a few days but this time I have a good reason, I was taking a little weekend road trip with my husband. We drove up to Canada to attend the wedding of a childhood friend of my husband and had a fabulous time. The first night we arrived my husband’s friends wanted to take us out since it was our first time in Canada. We went to a club that confirmed, I am a mature woman. I swear I was the oldest person there but I held my own…I can dance and I know I looked great, lol so I didn’t have any qualms about that. It was just a little weird…I guess I felt out of place but I survived and actually had a great time. I don’t have any photos of me that evening but here are a few of me at the wedding. I am behind with my posting, so expect my Friend Friday post shortly.

Pack it up

As I am preparing for my upcoming trip, gathering my essentials to pack for the plane is mandatory. I try not to check luggage and since my trip is less than a week, I can manage to bring just a carry on and tote. I’m a weirdo because I love reading what other people carry in what I call my “boarding bag”. I scour websites looking for blogs that talk about it (told ya I was different), however I must not be alone as The Jet Set Girls devote a regular series of posts about it. My boarding bag is a brown moc croc patent leather tote by Totes. It has a a padded pocket for my laptop, a spacious area for magazines, snacks, etc., attached pouch on the inside for what nots, a large outer pocket to hold travel wallet for easy access (it closes securely) and best of all…it’s on wheels! The hidden telescoping handle allows me to roll it through the airport effortlessly or carry it on my shoulder when the handle is hidden in its slot.

I get all packed up in my black Hollywood Intution bag everything carefully folded then rolled to maximize space

The family jewels (ok maybe they are not exactly heirlooms but they are precious to me) are protected in this travel roll

I will admit , I am a bit obssesive when it come to packing, I don’t want to take more than is necessary however I hate the feeling of not having something that I need. To combat my “slightly” OCD tendencies, I draw up a list of items to pack. I have a list for the boarding bag, one for the carry on and one for my little ones packing requirements. I mentally retrace the steps of the day to assure that nothing is left behind and actually lay out and style each outfit to be taken (even the kiddos clothing) down to the jewelry and accessories. Don’t look at me like that, you may not do it but you should…it prevents over or under packing! I use a purple leather travel wallet that doubles as a clutch for passports, travel documents and other items. Happy Travels!

Help me pack

I know today is Talkative Tuesdays and I am supposed to have something to say profound but guess what….I don’t. I am multitasking like crazy today, planning our annual trip to Jamaica, downloading apps for my Blackberry to make me even more superefficient than I already am, reading blogs and working all at the same time. Since I am so focused on trip planning, I am going to turn the tables on you today. What things are essentials that must make the cut when you are traveling? Do you check your luggage or are you strictly a carry on type on girl? What type of bag do you use? and what is your method of packing? I am a carry on gyal because I refuse to pay $ 25 per bag to check it, which means I have gotten really great at packing a bag to maximize its efficiency. It is really easy to do carry on only if it is just me but when the kiddos are involved, it becomes a bit more challenging. To help solve that problem, they each have their own rollerboard suitcases (of course HRC won’t be rolling her own) plus the little boy will have a back pack with his toys, books and snacks for him and his sister to keep them entertained. We are really laid back and casual when in Jamaica, so clothing consists of shorts (for the kiddos, never ever for Mommy),tshirts, swimsuits, sundresses and flip flops most days unless we are going out for the evening. Such lightweight items take up very little space, so I should be able to get everything in that is needed. My true challenge is my boarding bag, I hate to be bored, so I take a variety of things to keep me entertained. I also have to share my boarding bag with HRC so space is at a premium with her diapers, wipes and snacks taking first preference. My laptop, Blackberry, and Kindle must come with, gotta have the travel wallet with all the travel arrangements within, and I refuse to use an icky, germy airline blanket even if you can find one, so my blanket also wants to come to the party. See what I mean, so this will be a a bit tricky but I think I can pull it off. Please share your must haves and travel packing secrets with me…I promise I won’t tell.