Listen Up: A Travel Sleep-Saver

[trip style = any]

Newsflash: unless you're staying in a sound studio or a dungeon, no accommodation is 100% soundproof.

Maybe it's the street noise or the guy coughing in the room beside you, maybe it's the night-owl couple stumbling in at 3am or the service staff chatting in the hallways in at 7.30am. Whatever it is, when you're hanging at a hotel, noise happens, and there's nothing a Do Not Disturb sign can do about it.

Enter my cheapest and most comforting travel find: earplugs. It's amazing what a pebble-sized piece of foam can do. For me, it means both peace of mind, and the difference between a rude awakening and a good sleep.

Over the years I've used a gazillion forms of foam to stop sound. One set stands out as the MOST comfortable and foolproof. They cost less than a chocolate bar, and are made by 3M, the brainiacs behind the world's first foam earplugs.

Earplugs are far from sexy {to wear or discuss}, yet, the reason I'm singing their soundproof praises is on my recent trip to Miami, I was staying at an updo hotel, aka: a vintage property made over as au courant. With soundproofing, or lack thereof, stuck in the dark ages, noises traveled.  For example, when someone walked by my room talking at a regular decibel, I could hear the conversation like I was part of it {even though my door was closed and my window was shut}. Strangely, this didn't freak me out because I was armed with my earplugs, aka, the $1 insurance policy I take out on a good night's sleep.

Trip Styler Tip :: Stash earplugs in your carry-on to "keep your peace" at 35,000 feet.

Buy them in bulk online at 3M or on Amazon, or in one- or three-packs at your neighborhood drug store or Staples.

[graphic assembled by @tripstyler]

Packing 3.0 - List It!

[trip style = any]

I interrupt this month's Oahu and Lanai programming to share a simple packing epiphany: make a list THEN assemble your "wears". Before you close this page in search of more important internet insights, hear me out; this trick can save you hours and a heavy load.

Packing is life for me this fall, so I'm having to be more efficient than usual. Instead of my right-brained approach standing in front of my closet waiting for a flash of fashion inspiration, I've become more calculated. Inserting my little left brain into the mix has saved a ton of time.

1/ Up to three days before my trip, I consider my trip style {ie. urban, tropical, etc.}, the destination and its weather. Then I list my days away, as well as clothing potentials in major categories like "pants," "jackets" or "tops".

2/ I give myself time to craft this list to allow for inspiration and refinement. For me, inspiration comes from fashion blogs and magazines. When I see a classic or on-trend look I like, I incorporate an element of it into my trip fashion. As far as refinement, seeing my list from a bird's eye perspective allows me to spot outfit repeat opportunities, and mix 'n match possibilities.

3/ Then I pack, confident that my approach has eliminated any need for frantic, last-minute editions, which always seem to tip my suitcase scale from collected to crazy.

For example, I'm headed to Portland this weekend for the second-annual Feast food festival {see my 2012 coverage here}. Knowing I'll be learning about food, exploring the town's tastes and going to odd after-party, I'm bringing a mix of denim, plaid---it IS Portland after all---my faux-leather pants and easy-to-walk-in booties. Here's what I'm channeling:

PS. I packed for Portland in 20 minutes.

[photos via google images]

Fash-Packing :: Summer Edition

[trip style = any]

Choosing clothes for summer travel means packing for hot days and campfire nights. I recently posted the above photo to Instagram of what I packed for a trip to Mexican wine country, and to my surprise, it spurred enough discussion to fill an LV travel trunk---and I thought pool and beach pictures were the Holy Grail. At that moment it occurred to me that packing is like playing a sport or an instrument, there's ALWAYS room for improvement, which is why many trip stylers are on round-the-world quests to edit and elevate their packing.

Trip Styler Tip :: Take a photo of your packing process. Documenting your belongings is a good way to keep a tally in case of loss, as well as recall what outfits worked well, so you can do a packing reprise next time you take a similar trip style.

For my duo trip to San Diego and Mexico { _______ --> insert your sunny destination here}, I brought a few basics and augmented them with mega scarves and light---highly packable---sweaters to keep warm at night. Here's a snapshot: 1/ Dress-it-up-or-down top. 2/ Blue jeans {for travel days or cool evenings}. 3/ Hat, a sun protection MUST. 4/ Long, silk top, wearable as a pool cover-up, a dress, or half-tucked with jeans or cutoffs. 5/ Jean shorts {a summer staple + tips on how to wear them}. 6/ Casual, wear-anywhere dress. 7/ Shoes, er, the kicker. Because they take up the most space, wear your biggest pair on the plane, and pack as few pairs as possible. Coordinating your shoes with your clothes eliminates the need for 10 soles in your sack. 8/ Sizable scarf to wear on the plane, in air conditioned restaurants and at night. 9/ A long, one-tone dress with a simple silhouette for accessorizing {or not}. Could be worn as day-casual, or night-sleek. 10/ Loose, crewneck sweater, wearable with almost everything. 11/ Bathing suit cover-up that doubles as a breakfast outfit. 12/ Tank tops. This is the ONE thing I suggest over-packing. They are small, take up less space than underwear, and go with almost any garment. 13/ Bathing suit. 14/ Day-to-night shorts. Wear with a casual t-shirt by day and flowy tank at night.

Trip Styler Tip :: Notice my flip-flops are wrapped in a shower cap. Do this with all your shoes to keep your clothes clean.

Gents, in case you're interested, here's my MASTER-packer husband's duds for the same trip:

More Fash-Packing Spring into Denim The Winter-to-Spring T-Shirt 5 Rules for Polished Packing Travel Staple :: The White Shirt NOT Packing For An Overnight-cation ***Want more travel style? See our regular Fashion Friday column.***

[photo by @tripstyler]

Fash-Packing :: Spring Into Denim

[trip style = any]

Having just returned from country western grand central, I'm a little cowboy and cowgirl curious. Looking back on the western emporiums I moseyed on into as I clippity-clopped between Tennessee and Texas, I'm kicking myself in the bee-hind for not buying a pair of cowboy boots to go with dresses and denim cutoffs this summer. I guess I'll just have to go back!

Speaking of denim, fashion's true blue is on my mind {and in my suitcase} more than ever, so when I saw these jean inspiration boards by Piperlime, I had to share them as spring and summer packing inspiration for y'all.

Denim never goes out of style. I got a pair of the most perfect Levi's on the planet---high-waisted and fitted with a slight stretch---in NYC a few years ago, which I'll likely take with me to the grave. Back to the present day, jeans or cutoffs {and usually a denim shirt too} make it into my suitcase on e-v-e-r-y trip style. What about you?

Trip Styler Tip :: Deconstructed denim is a spring and summer packing must.

More Fash-Packing The Winter-to-Spring T-Shirt 5 Rules for Polished Packing Travel Staple :: The White Shirt NOT Packing For An Overnight-cation Men's Travel Style :: Summer To Fall Packing Inspiration ***Want more travel style? See our regular Fashion Friday column.***

[photos via piperlime]

Packing Tip :: First Aid Kit

[trip style = any]

I think my mom, Janet {who my sister and I call Juanita to add some spice to her name}, would approve this message. She's ALWAYS prepared. In this spirit...

Do you bring a first aid kit on every vacation? If not, YOU SHOULD, whether your trip style = weekending, beaching it or adventuring.

What prompted this case of clinical concern was a sunset ocean swim, cut short by my foot jabbing a piece of lava rock lurking below water. The cut wasn't a huge deal, but it happened at the beginning of my trip to Hawaii, so I had to make sure the mini-wound wouldn't get infected with sand or the like.

On past trips, I've toted a trusty medical kit, but I haven't been as diligent of late. Aside from a few key supplies like alcohol wipes and band-aids strewn throughout my bag---in nooks and crannies I always forget---they say you don't think about something until you need it. Truth!

Starting now, whether I'm headed to Vegas or Venice, I will bring a first aid kit---even on close-to-home overnighters.

Since I've been home for a few weeks, priority numero uno is to create a medi-kit for travel. Here's what I'm putting inside: 0/ Hand sanitizer 1/ Band-aids of all shapes and sizes 2/ Polysporin 3/ Wipes 4/ Flashlight {always keep one beside your hotel bed in case of emergency} 5/ Pills: gravol, antacids, and cold and flu medication (I learned this lesson the hard way in Kenya when I got sick and had to buy $25 imitation Tylenol cold and flu that didn't really work!)

Don't just take it from me, a non-medic; the Canadian Red Cross suggests you ALSO put the below items in your first aid kit: - Roller bandages and triangular bandages, which can be used to make an arm sling or hold dressings in place - Adhesive tape - Fibre supplements for constipation, laxatives and diarrhea medication - Eye patches - Sterile gauze pads in small and large squares to place over wounds - After-sun lotion - Antifungal skin cream - Disposable nonlatex gloves - Scissors, tweezers and safety pins (check destination's security regulations to determine if this is allowed) - Thermometer - Emergency blanket - Single-use instant ice packs that stay cold for 20 minutes after you squeeze them - Pen and small notebook

[photos sources online and assembled by @tripstyler]