We had such, SUCH a great time this past weekend in Breckenridge, Colorado. I’m reminded how vital it is to connect with your friends, share laughs and memorable times outside of the "normal routine". It’s like a big shot of happiness. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in I don’t know how long….it was a four day laugh-fest and my stomach muscles and cheeks muscles are sore. One of the funniest moments? Sitting at dinner on a Saturday night and across from me is my friend Jason, who is wearing a snap front hipster western-esq shirt. Under the shirt, at the neckline you can kind of make out something that looks like maybe it could be a tie. So Bryan, my friend sitting to my right, says, “hey man, are you wearing a TIE under that shirt??” Jason proceeds to “un-snap” his shirt, and below it is a fitted (very fitted) tee-shirt that looks just like a suit jacket with a tie. That was his shirt for the rest of the night, which you couldn’t even look at without cracking up.
After doing my first travel jaunt of 2017 I think we should dedicate this week to Packing 101 class. This trip was one of my more successful packing attempts and the benefits were nice. I managed to have everything I needed, and that is a first for me. So I want to repeat my brilliance (or, more likely, my luck), by having a thought out strategy (and getting everyone else’s tips). Ava and I head to Mexico in another couple of weeks and I want to be ready and well packed.
We’ll start with the basics; equipment. Here’s what I know about having the right packing equipment.
- Packing cubes are great. Love them. They help organize stuff, and make it easy to unpack...plus they force to think in categories (i.e. top cube, pant cube, pj cube).
- I always bring a plastic bag for dirty laundry (if you are tight on space, a compression bag is even better). AND a zip lock bag for anything wet coming home (in my case this weekend, it was a swimsuit that didn’t completely dry).
- Put everything liquid in a zip lock bag. I secure every toiletry in a zip lock bag. Everything looks shut and secure until it’s not and you have shampoo all over everything.
- Have a great toiletries bag
- A refillable water bottle
- Emergency pill box in your purse. Tylenol, cold pills, allergy pills etc.
This trip, we were short on space. John brought all his ski equipment and it took up two suitcases AND a ski bag (and it’s kind of amazing how much you have to bring just for a long weekend so we were really cramped for space). I tried to pack nice and tight, and light. I rolled everything I could roll. Using tissue paper to fold in between clothing that might wrinkle will help the wrinkles stay out too. I rolled things, and stuck them in my packing cubes and it was super easy.
I bought this toiletry bag last year and it’s the best thing EVER. It looks small but carries a deceptively large amount. I feel like for any trip more than 24-36 hours, you really want your normal regime products, my skin does better when my routine isn’t erratic.
The other thing I will say, is that with this no sugar January, I really should have brought my own food to the airport. Our departures both ways were right smack in the “I’m hungry” zone and let me tell you, it was not easy to find something to eat that was gluten AND sugar free. That category doesn’t exist in airports. I bought beef jerky and nuts for the trip, and then got on the plane to find that actually beef jerky DOES have sugar in it. Annoying. Note to self, bring my own snacks.
I also think, in the category of “equipment”, one has to make sure they do their homework. One thing I did NOT do was to Google anything about Breckenridge. I should have, because if I had I would have found out that at 9,600 feet up, most people can expect altitude sickness on some level. One of the things you need to do constantly is drink water. I forgot my water bottle and that should have been on my checklist. Not only do you get dehydrated flying, but coupled with high altitude and exercise….guaranteed dehydration (which equals headaches and overall malaise.) I sprayed a lot of my Mario Badescu's rosewater spray for face rehydrating--that stuff is fantastic after a flight.
Because of said altitude malaise, we hit the Oxygen bar on Friday, and sat like patients at a hospital getting our fill of oxygen with subtle aromatherapy notes…you could pick Joy, Relaxation, Energy (and a couple of others I’ve forgotten). I picked joy, who doesn’t need more joy? I had never gone to an oxygen bar before and it was kind of novel. Not sure if it actually helped (hard to say either way), but it was hugely popular so I’m guessing it must really help. We did cross-country ski the next day, and none of us died of a heart attack, so that seems like a good sign and at least some proof that the Oxygen bar worked.
Here's to an easy, highly productive and happy week....I played hard this past weekend, so rumor has it I have to work hard this week. Stay tuned, more packing tips and strategies to come this week.....
Signed, ME {lv}
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