10 Travel Tips

I wanted to share some insights I had from my recent travels. In my quest to live intentionally and with fewer items, I am continually testing new ideas. My most recent was that of traveling sans purse. I've mentioned many times how much I adore bags, totes and purses. I admit it is an addiction! I don't know that I will leave home without some sort of bag in the future. I'm still chewing a little on #2.

#1 Foldable Backpack
One of the best items I've added to my travel repertoire is a foldable backpack. I wanted one that would fit into a larger backpack but wouldn't take up space. I went with this Gonex 30L Lightweight backpack. I did a lot of research to determine what would be the best fit. We used it every day of our trip and were very happy with it. It held water bottles, sunglasses, scarf, cap, gloves, phone charger, travel logs and wallets.




#2 Downsize the Purse
I decided to forgo my usual Keen bag. This works great for for Urban hiking, I fold it up and put it inside my backpack I left it home this time and just used this small wallet. I'm still on the fence here. I love the convenience but I did miss having a designed bag to put my things in when we went out to dinner. I am so used to carrying a purse that honestly, I felt a little bare without it.




It took a bit to get used to using this wristlet. I stopped carrying change. Since I am frugal and it feels wrong to ditch it, I keep a ziplock bag in the car and use it when I am running through a drive through. Every so often I will empty the collected bag into a big jar and when that gets full I will cash it in. Change is heavy so not packing it around is very freeing. This little guy is surprisingly roomy, I can fit my cell phone in here too. I used this when we went out to dinner. During the day and hiking these are the items I had with me.

*Travel Journal/pen
*National Parks Passport
*Lip balm SPF 50
*Sunglasses
*Wallet
*Water bottle (when flying I take an empty water bottle and fill it up after going through TSA).
*Snacks
*Scarf. This is probably one of the most versatile items. It can be used as an eye shield, leg warmer, pillow, light blanket/shawl and a seat cover. I use one on chilly mornings and then put it in the pack when it warms up. (Depending on the weather I also take a beanie and gloves.)

#3 Buy it when you get there 
This applies to both flight travel and car travel. I usually don't bring much and if it is something I truly need like toothpaste or shampoo, it's not hard to find/purchase that. When traveling by car, we will often go to a grocery store and buy what we are going to need for the duration of the trip. Water, wraps and Red Vines are the top three on the list. This is where having a water bottle comes in handy. I pack mine around with me and add the greens and electrolytes as needed.

#4 Layer Up
I hate being cold so I tend to bring several layers. I pretty much wore my tank top and base layer the entire time we were gone. I added a long sleeved 1/2 zip top and then my jacket. I also pack a scarf and a beanie. Covering my head helps. I've been known to sleep in caps and socks if I'm staying in a cold room.

#5 Functional Shoes
Traveling with comfortable shoes is a must. I wore hiking boots and decided to pack them instead of wearing them. I also brought black Tieks. I like these because they are light and foldable. They're great for an evening out, but I cannot wear them in all day situations. I got by this time, but post-hike I was really craving my Birks. I deemed them too heavy to bring along, but they were certainly missed.

The black Tieks are folded and so is the red backpack.
I use packing cubes for other items. 

#6 De-jewel
I used to wear and pack along a lot of different jewelry. Different earrings, necklace and rings for each outfit. Now I pick my favorite silver pair and I wear them every day. I have some really nice pieces and I do try to rotate when I am home, but in all honesty, I could really downsize here. Like majorly downsize. I don't want to throw jewelry  away, that seems terrible, but I would be most happy to re-home the majority of my collection.

These are the ones that made the flight this time!

#7 Convertible Clothes
I have learned to pack very minimally. For example, sometimes if I am traveling in the evening and won't be in the clothes long, I will wear the same clothes back on a Sunday (new undies of course...because I'm sure you wanted to know that).
My favorite pieces are ones that reverse or convert. The bottoms of my hiking pants zip off to become shorts. I also have this skirt from Title Nine It can be stripes or solid and the color goes with everything! My newest favorite is this Travel Dress from REI. It's light and packable. Right now it's a bit too chilly so I wear a base layer and leggings with it. The pockets are great and it's very comfortable.


#8 No Fixing Flats
Tires are the exception here! I am speaking of hair. When I am traveling I always bring a cap. If it is not on my head, it's clipped to a bag. This works great for horrible hotel hair/crappy water and sun protection. I don't really "fix" my hair on a daily basis. I wash it, put some mousse in it and go. Most of the time it is still wet when I leave the house. When I am traveling, the same applies. I stick to a very minimal facial routine too; sunscreen, mineral powder and mascara. Boom! My hair is often flat and meh when I travel. I don't know if I am sensitive to the water (or whatever is in the water)? I doesn't seem to work to well. I don't spend much time trying to rectify it, I just go with it. 

My go-to look, whenever I can get away with it!

Current favorite cap, liked it so much that it became my latest tattoo!

#9 The Right Kind of Memory
It's customary to want to take parts and pieces of the locations we travel to back home with us. One of our favorites is to buy books and then mark them with the National Park stamp. We've found some great books on our travels and they are fabulous reminders of where we've been. It's really wonderful to open up a book and read it when we are homebound and unable to get away. I've long been a fan of "taking a trip around the world" with a book. However, books pile up as do t-shirts, trinkets and other mementos. Since I've spent a considerable amount of time de-cluttering, I am keenly away that what I pack home will have to have a place. The solution: a travel journal + National Park Passport book.




One of these alone would suffice. In fact, I could use just the travel journal and place the stamp in there, but I do enjoy both and they don't take up much room. I like having words to describe and document the trip, especially years later when I struggle to remember the details. It's cool to look back on that. The Parks Passport is a fun thing that I started back in 2016.

Buying an America the Beautiful Pass is a great idea if you/your family are into visiting National Parks. We sure are. Joe had the idea to get the pass after we were at Red Rocks. By the time we ended our trip, the entrance fees we would have payed were $10 away from covering the pass. Yay! Here's the link for the National Park Pass.

#10 Re-entry:
In my experience longer travels should include a re-entry plan that allows you to ease back into your daily routine. Coming back in the afternoon, on a day when there isn't much going on allows us to unpack, put clothes in the wash, and re-organize. Trips don't always work that way. I didn't have the opportunity this time and I also didn't tear into the normal routine of unpacking and putting things away this time. Instead I went for a walk and enjoyed the warm weather. Things are a bit messy and out of order but I know I will get them back into alignment. It's really nice to come home to a clean, neat, tidy house (with the exception of Marley getting into the trash and having some fun with egg shells...)

Traveling is definitely my passion. If I could do it full time, I totally would. I've known since I was riding around the ranch on my my little red dirt bike with my backpack that seeing the country was what I most wanted to do. I've accumulated a lot of "stuff" and I have thoroughly enjoyed the collection process. Traveling has certainly taught me to discern what I most need, what I enjoy and what I am willing to pack around with me. When the time is right to downsize even further, I will be ready to do that!