3 Days in NYC {What I Packed}

[trip style = urban]

Whether I'm packing for an urban escape, spa weekend, or fam-jam beach trip, I edit and re-edit my suitcase contents as meticulously as Anna Wintour analyses the pages of Vogue before print. To me, packing is like fashion Tetris: When everything fits—in every sense of the word—it's beautiful. 

Following up on the Only Packing Tricks You Ever Need to Know hints I wrote about yesterday, my toddler is the one who inspired me to decode the details of how I packed for my three-day trip to New York. While he's more an aviation fanatic than a Tom Ford-in-training, he always wants to see photos of everything I do, see and taste when I travel. With his interest as my inspiration, I give you New York... through the eyes of my wardrobe. More NYC updates to come.

A snippet of my suitcase style based on the weather and my NY wanderings. 

My Vancouver --> New York airplane outfit, a go-to getup that is similar every trip {other than a few tweaks based on destination and trip type}. Slip-on shoes for security, comfy jeans, a soft T to "up" the cozy-factor on my red-eye flight. I finished it off with a lightweight blazer to befit my surroundings in Cathay Pacific's gorgeous YVR Lounge, in my Cathay Pacific business class seat, and my arrival the Four Seasons New York Hotel Downtown. 

Post-flight: Same jeans, new top. I love it when hotels offer a place to freshen up when you arrive in the AM before your room is ready. Here I'm in the Four Seasons' spa all spiffed following an early arrival.
Photo by @NomNomYVR

Loose and lightweight dress for a day of sightseeing starting at the Oculus transportation hub and upscale shopping space. Believe it or not: these shoes are very comfortable for the miles logged traipsing around New York's urban jungle. 
Photo by @NomNomYVR

In denim, yet again, on floor 101 of the One World Observatory at the top of the One World Trade Center.
Photo by @NomNomYVR

What I packed into my New York carry-on:
- Running shoes and workout gear
- Going out/chic sightseeing shoes
- Skirt
- 5 dresses
- Jean shorts
- 4 tops
- Other: toiletries, jewelry, belts, scarves, bathing suit, "crushable" hat, camera, hair straightener, clutch purse

Other Dispatches in this Series
Next Up :: NYC
Cathay Pacific's GORGEOUS New Lounge at YVR

[Photos by @TripStyler, and @NomNomYVR's incredible photo skills where listed]

The ONLY Packing Tricks You EVER Need To Know

[trip style = any]

Last week I met up with some travel industry friends who are on the go so much they put the jet in setter. The topic of "how we pack" for trips came up. I told them I almost always galavant with a carry-on—whether it's three days in Santa Barbara or three weeks in Stockholm. 

"Wait, how do you do it?", they asked. "What about your tech and toiletries?" I told them that for me, packing light comes down to one major factor: A highly edited suitcase {which includes decisions such as small toiletries and efficient camera and computer gear}.

With this, here are my rules for achieving an ultra-edited suitcase. And guess what? Even with my choosy packing, there are still outfits I don't even wear...

5 Rules for Packing an Edited Suitcase  
1/ Check the weather
The forecast will largely influence your travel wardrobe picks. Get a sense of the weather a few days in advance, and re-check a day before leaving since conditions can change.

2/ Review your itinerary {or major vacation to-dos} and pair outfits with each event
Last week I was in NYC. Since I had a pretty good idea of the activities I'd do each day, I chose an outfit to "suit" each Manhattan must-do, which helped guide the garments I placed in my bag.

3/ Shoes are your biggest opportunity
One of the basics of a well-packed bag is limiting large {or copious amounts} of shoes. Shoes take up too much real estate, so only bring footwear that will work with a few of your chosen garments.

4/ Select a go-to airport outfit
A go-to airport getup takes the guesswork out of getting out the door. On this topic, I tend to wear my biggest shoes and/or jacket on the plane, so these items don't add too much bulk to my bag. FYI: If you ask nicely, most flight attendants can hang up your coat for you. 

5/ The hack of all packing hacks: A portable washing bag
If your trip is longer than five days—about the amount of clothes you can fit into a carry-on—start to mix, match and repeat outfits. As things get dirty use this quick portable washing machine technique {hint hint: it's with a freezer-size Ziploc bag}.

[photos by @tripstyler] 

Creating Home Comforts On The Road

[trip style = any]

Over the past few months something strange has happened: On a few occasions, Blue Styler {now a toddler} has reminded us of his love for home, literally saying "go home" when we're out for awhile. This caught me off-guard for a number of reasons, namely because he's n-e-v-e-r longed for home while we're traveling. Not once. 

When we're on the road we try very hard to create the comforts of home and routine {while at the same time enjoying our destination and attempting to bring up flexible children}. I've never counted the number of different hotel rooms and cribs Blue Styler has slept in since he was 7 weeks old, but I've lost track—maybe 70? 

Routine
When he was a baby, creating the comforts of home while traveling was simple. He was so little that all he needed was milk, swaddle blankets and a crib. Now that he's a toddler, he's started to appreciate the comforts of home and routine. Whether we're in Mexico, Hawaii or Italy, we've learned to keep his eating, nap and bedtime schedule similar to what it is at home, and adjust to the time zone as soon as possible. Sure, it takes a few days to get his {and our} rhythms sorted, but generally he always falls back to his 7pm bedtime no matter where we are in the world. {We've done this method with Pink Styler, too, and she's adjusted well.}

Creature Comforts
In addition to routine, we also create "home" on the road by toting a few essential creature comforts for him: 
- Pillow {To save space we just bring the pillow case and stuff it with a hand towel}
- Sleep sack and sleeper
- Water bottle
- Stars- and moon-projecting nightlight
- One of his fave stuffed animals
- Two of his books du moment
- Soother {Yep, so "soo" me that he still has one}
- Small toys he's partial to, right now, his cars

How do you create comfort on the road? For me, it's my go-to toiletries and my iPhone {so I can communicate with people}, as well as my "routine" of regular exercise. After all, without these things, I long for home, too.

[Photos by @tripstyler]

The No. 1 Airport Apparel MUST

[trip style = any] 

Do you have an autopilot airport outfit? If not, you NEED to get onboard with the concept!  

Every frequent flier I know AND follow has a travel-day uniform, yet it was initially Mr. Trip Styler—who can pack and get out the door in 30 minutes—who inspired me to select my "getaway getup." Think: A neutral outfit comfortable enough for a 14-hour flight and classy enough for a last-minute upgrade.

Autopilot Outfit
WHO has time to figure out a new set of threads for every trip, especially seeing as airports and airplanes usually have similar temperature ranges, anyway?!? Plus, having a consistent wayfaring wardrobe shaves a ton of time off the packing process, and is one LESS thing to think about as you're rushing to the airport. With so many variables at play on a travel day, it's the one thing you can put on "autopilot." 

The Swap
Because every trip style is different—ie: urban, sun, adventure, spa—Mr. Trip Styler and I always wear a similar base {see photos below}, and swap our jackets, shoes or sweaters depending on the season or destination. For example, we both wore our warm coats to Sweden, instead of the jackets shown below, to save space in our bags.

What We Wear to the Airport

For most trips I beeline for black or blue jeans and a white T as my travel uni base. Depending on the trip's "fancy-factor," whether the little stylers are in tow, or my immediate plans when I arrive, I'll add jewelry. I never leave home without a scarf, and often pack a small sweater depending on where I'm headed. For shoes, it's always booties as for their easy-on, easy-off design. Socks are a must, too, so my bare feet don't touch the ground at security. On top, it's usually my leather jacket, which goes with everything in my suitcase.

Mr. Trip Styler also likes jeans as his base. On his feet he goes with a smart pair of lace-up booties, making sure he wears his biggest shoes to create more suitcase space. On top, he dons a white V-neck T, a button-up shirt, and a cashmere sweater, which he can add or subtract depending on the climate. For outerwear, his favored coat is his trench because it doesn't wrinkle and has lots of pockets to stuff airline tickets.

Trip Styler Tip: Find more packing pointers, check out my guides in the Expedia Viewfinder: 7 essentials for carry-on cool, 10 packing tips for blending comfort and class, and How to get from the plane to the pool, pronto!

[photos by @tripstyler]

10 Days > 2 Cities > 1 Carry-On

[trip style = urban + sun]

Last week I jetset to LA, Palm Desert and Palm Springs with Mr. and Baby Styler to escape the West Coast rain and give Baby Styler his first taste of travel {see sitting poolside in a mini speedo}! 

{It was Baby Styler's first flight! We purposely chose a short ride as his first flying experience so we could test his reaction to the skies. I was very nervous how he'd react to take-off and landing; thankfully he was a dreamy traveler.}

Not wanting to give up my obsession with traveling light now that there's there's a baby in tow, all three of us brought carry-ons for our 10-day, multi-city, multi-trip-style trip. While there we experienced every weather pattern {save for snow} from torrential downpours in LA to hot days in the desert to cold spells at night. My small-batch packing got me through all of it, and not once did I feel like I needed to run to the store to pick up something I'd missed.

One jacket, two scarves and a blazer kept me warm during cool Cali nights. I wore my warmer tops, jeans and booties in downtown LA. And in Palm Springs I packed jean cut-offs, tanks, flowy pants and pool cover-ups that double as tops. All in all, I felt I had almost too many options!

Moral of the story: Packing light is easily doable for 10 days, multiple climates and various trip styles. If you bring an edited wardrobe and wear the big stuff on the plane, you'll zip through the airport, unpack and pack up faster and spend less time figuring out what to wear. 

What I packed
- 1 jacket {wear on the plane}
- 1 kimono-blazer* 
- 1 long and lightweight kimono {wear with jeans, shorts and to the pool}
- 1 sweater {wear on the plane}
- 4 tank tops {1 cropped, 1 jersey, 2 fancy}
- 4 tops {2 flowy blouses, 1 chambray, 1 Tulum Embroidered Top*}
- 2 necklaces* 
- 2 scarves*
- 1 dress
- 3 pairs of pants {2 jeans, 1 flowy}
- 2 bathing suits
- 2 pairs of shoes {sandals, booties (+ one pair of washable slippers)}
- 1 purse
- 1 clutch
- 1 pool bag
*items that can be purchased in the Trip Styler Store. Reminder, 20% off everything thru December 24th, use Promo code: TSholiday2014. 

Trip Styler Packing Tips
- wear big stuff on the plane {I wore my jacket, scarf, sweater, chambray, jeans, booties} 
- bring clothes in a complimentary color palette that can be paired together
- big scarves are a great alternative to bulky sweaters 
- limit your shoes, and wear the biggest pair on the plane
- bring a fold-flat tote as a pool bag, or to stuff things into when you're moving hotels or need an extra bag 

{photos by @tripstyler}