Packing Tips on Saturday Travel Chronicles

I must admit that I am really jealous of all my designer friends who are in Paris for Maison & Objet right now. Seeing their pictures on instagram have stirred up fond memories of my time there last September. This picture was taken just before I entered Maison & Objet. Can we say “happy girl”? For those that aren’t into the design world, Maison & Objet is the furniture market in Paris. The experience is amazing. I was able to mark it off my bucket list, but not off my mind. I can’t wait to return. In pondering my time in Paris, and perusing through my photographs, I realized I never posted about so many of the events and details of my travels.

If you follow the blog on a regular basis you know that I have done a lot of traveling over the past couple of years for work both domestically and internationally. I am constantly getting emails with questions about what to pack, recommendations of restaurants, hotels or sightseeing, as well as various other questions about travel, so I have decided to post travel tips, recommendations, about trips I’ve taken and so forth on Saturdays. Do I know everything there is about travel? No! Do I have all the answers? No! I will be able to share about my travels and things I have enjoyed on trips. Hopefully, this will spark discussion from all of you about suggestions of things you have done or recommend. Please feel free to comment with your own experiences.

They say it is always best to start at the very beginning, so today I’m talking about how to pack. I’m bearing my soul here, as this is actually my bedroom with a bed full of clothing. I admit my first attempt at packing typically begins just like this! This was a actual picture taken in my bedroom while packing for a trip. I know it looks haphazard, but it works for me. I am such a visual person, that putting it all out there together opens up wardrobe options I wouldn’t see otherwise.

1) Events of the trip– How many outfits are needed for the events of your trip? casual, cocktail, dinners, sleepwear, workout clothes, underwear,activities, etc.

2) Classic bones create the foundation – Just as a good sofa anchors a room, the basics in your wardrobe offer the foundation from which to build your travel wardrobe. Chose a base color and build from there. Often black is my base but sometimes it is brown, tan or cream but also a neutral that can be paired with other colors.

3) Accessories rule – to get a multitude of looks from your travel wardrobe,the right accessories will make your base pieces seem special. Accessories are smaller and lightweight, so in packing several scarves, necklaces and statement pieces of jewelry, your wardrobe suddenly seems special even if you are wearing black pants and a cream blouse.

4) Shoes are important – there is nothing more miserable than packing the wrong shoes. If you feet aren’t comfortable, even the most exciting events can be ruined. Make sure you pack comfy shoes for walking and save the sexy stilettos for evening only events when taking taxis and not walking.

5) Outerwear – you must prepare for rain or travel in cooler climates. Today there are so many options for lightweight, easy to pack jackets, there is no reason not to pack one.

I use the same principles in packing a travel wardrobe, as I use when designing a room.

I consider all my options and then edit! It’s that simple. I consider all the events and make sure that I cover all my needs.

One of my favorite travel tips I learned from my friend Norma Carol who is a travel pro.

I blogged about it here if you want to see what that tip was. Also, I found several travel capsules on Pinterest which I found very helpful. Check those out on my travel board here.

This is going to be fun! I can’t wait to share all the fun things I have learned about traveling!

If you really want to get the up close and personal view of my travels make sure to follow on instagram here. KBIS in Los Vegas is happening in a week and I will be there with Blogtour Modenus. I will be posting about all the cool things I see and behind the scenes happenings at KBIS. I will also be one of the moderators for the Design Tech Summit at Design & Construction Week while in Los Vegas. It’s going to be an exciting time!