Well, y'all, I hate to say it, but it looks like it's going to be a while before I'm able to travel again. Especially because my favorite travel buddy (my mom) is over 60 and especially high risk for contracting COVID-19. Luckily, I got in one convention in February, right before the world completely shut down. So, while my blog posts are typically about a specific trip or city, I figured this would be a great time to share my travel favorites and essentials!
Fashion
Obviously, your fashion basics will differ based on your destination and the season. However, I've found that any dress from
The New Blak is perfect for travelling. Their dresses are made from super soft black bamboo material; it's light and breathable but also quality. That means it's casual enough to wear on a plane with some cute leggings, but you can definitely re-wear it later on the trip and dress it up! If dresses aren't your style, they also offer bodysuits and tops, including a one-size-fits-most top called
The Carrie (named after the fabulous Carrie Bradshaw of course). It's made of the same comfy bamboo material and can also be worn several different ways, making it a great travel piece. Plus, it doesn't have a tag in the back, so it can be worn forwards or backwards! So, if you spill a little food (or wine) on it on the first day of your trip, you can still turn it around and wear it again if you need to.
Another wardrobe essential of mine is my jean jacket! It might seem like an obvious essential, but it really comes in handy! My favorite jean jacket is from Kate Spade, but there are definitely cheaper, more accessible options out there that you're sure to love. Jean jackets are
great for travelling because, no matter what you're wearing, you'll always have pockets available. I love to wear my New Blak dresses as well as fun, flowy pants when I travel, but those options never seem to include pockets. With my jean jacket, I can stuff my plane tickets, phone, headphones, or airsickness meds (haha) in my pockets and not have to worry about locating them later. It's also a convenient and stylish way to layer, especially in cities where the weather changes frequently.
Shoes always seem to be an issue when I’m travelling. I have
an intense, mostly unwarranted fear of checking my baggage, so every time I travel, I try to stuff
everything into my Kate Spade duffel (ten out of ten do NOT recommend). That
usually means I have room for one extra pair of shoes. If you’re travelling to
a walking city like New York, that extra pair had BETTER be sneakers— I’m not
kidding. Conventions also involve a lot of standing around and waiting in
lines, so you might not necessarily need sneakers, but comfy shoes are a must.
My new go-to sneakers are my Allbirds, a comfy shoe craze that began with, yet
again, Sarah Jessica Parker. I swear, these shoes are so comfy, it’s almost
like you have nothing on your feet at all. As for a more stylish pair of shoes, you can’t go
wrong with a fabulous pair of Birdies. These flats are my absolute favorites. They’re
insanely comfortable and can be dressed up or down. Now, if you’re looking for a
pair of boots, I took a gamble and brought my hot pink Dr. Martens to L.A., and they
were absolutely perfect. I had, of course, broken them in by that point, but
they held up well, even as I rode a bike through Venice. The only issue there
is that the backs of Dr. Martens will definitely chafe against your calves if
you’re not wearing high socks or pants that are long enough to cover the backs
of your entire leg. I opted for thick crew socks as well as long pants and didn’t
have any issues.
Accommodation
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Holiday Inn Expresses
are (almost) always the best option. You’ll have limited services compared to,
say a Marriot, but the rooms are a fraction of the price. I’ve stayed at a lot
of different hotels over the past three years. When I attend a convention, I
nearly always stay at the host hotel where the con is being held. Because of
that, I’ve stayed at Westins, Hiltons, Marriots, and more popular names. I can’t
honestly say that Holiday Inn Expresses are always better.
However, I’ve stayed
at a Hilton in Orlando that was probably double the price of a Holiday Inn
Express, and the room and shower were disappointing at best. In my opinion, the
only major advantage those swanky hotels have over a Holiday Inn Express is a
nice bar and/or restaurant. I’ve only had one slightly negative experience at a
Holiday Inn, and it was rectified immediately. Their buildings are all modern
and renovated, they have comfortable beds, and their mirrors and showers are
next level. If you travel a lot, you know the pain of getting a bad hotel
shower, especially one with no pressure or too much pressure. Not to mention
the showers you just can’t figure out how to operate. While they may not be the
fanciest of hotels, if you’re on a budget and aren’t spending much time in the
room, Holiday Inn Expresses are a fantastic option.
But…what about AirBnB, you say? Look, I think AirBnB is a
great option for most people. It’s affordable and you can even get a whole
house or apartment to yourself. Sounds perfect, right? Well, not if you ended
up stuffed in the attic of Mother-in-Law suite outside of Boston…with no
central air conditioning…in August. My only other experience with an AirBnB was
in California when my retreat director booked a house for our team to stay in. It
was lovely, of course, because it was in a swanky neighborhood in Venice. I
mean, I almost got hit by a television star when I was in that neighborhood, so
of course it was nice. The point being, it would’ve been difficult to find a “bad”
beachfront home in Venice. So, alas, AirBnB is not for me. But if you love it, then go
for it! It’s certainly a great option.
Luggage
As I mentioned before, cramming all of your belongings into a duffel bag is not really the best option, unless you have severe anxiety about the airline losing your belongings like I do. If that's the case, a duffel is a great option because it will always fit under the seat in front of you. So, even if you get a full flight, you'll never have to gate check your bag. However, it does get pretty heavy loading everything
into one bag, and it's twice as heavy on the way back with souvenirs. When you're making your way through an airport, the strap definitely weighs heavily on your shoulders. So, you probably want to opt for a rolling carry-on and risk having to gate-check it every now and then.
Now, you've probably heard this before, but definitely be sure to pick out a suitcase that stands out from the rest. My duffel is black with white polka dots; not particularly striking, but it's different enough. An even brighter, more easily identifiable color is a better option. It will help you get through baggage claim more quickly and prevent anyone from accidentally grabbing your bag. The one-and-only time I've checked a bag was when I traveled to Ireland and knew I needed the extra space. When I borrowed the black suitcase pictured to the left, I knew I needed to make it stand out more, so I tied lots of colorful thread around the handles and added a personalized hot pink "V" luggage tag.
Airsickness
So that quip about needing pockets to stash my airsickness
meds? It’s painfully true. Here’s a horror story for you youngins— once you reach
a certain age, your metabolism is shot, and your whole body chemistry changes.
So, for example, at nineteen I could fly across the ocean to Ireland and back,
with what a stewardess called severe turbulence, without a single urge
to recreate a scene from The Exorcist.
But by the time I was 21, my metabolism
slowed, and I discovered I could no longer eat garbage and make it through even the shortest 45-minute
flight to Chicago without totally embarrassing myself and everyone around me. After
that, I tried everything. Boarding early, booking seats on the wings (where it’s
said to be steadier), closing the plane window, staring at a fixed point for the duration of the flight, eating light, and in the end, not eating at all before a
flight. It took me a long time to discover that dehydration was the cause
behind my airsickness. So, I loaded up on anti-nausea pills, slapped a patch
behind my ear, and drank almost a gallon of Smart Water before my most recent
flight. Worked like a charm.
These are just a few of my most essential travel tips, recommendations, and tricks. If there are any more you'd like to see featured, let me know in the comments!
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