Solving Every Travel Problem!
part one: 27 tips for packing, long-haul flights, hotel rooms, and souvenir shopping
Since June, I’ve logged some serious travel miles, both in the air and on the road: so much so that I’ve christened this my Hot Jet Lag Summer.
I’ve toggled between three time zones while visiting beaches, islands, mountains, small towns, and cities in Australia, Greece, Connecticut, North Carolina, and the Adirondacks. I’ve eaten the world’s best Greek salad and fresh-caught seafood, sunned myself on speedboats, fishing boats, and ferries, hate-watched an entire season of Billions on a transatlantic flight, celebrated the milestone birthdays of close friends, and reunited with family (and friends who feel like family).
While I delight in experiencing different cultures and visiting beloved friends in familiar places, traveling can feel like a grueling endurance sport. From the complex geometry involved in packing suitcases, to tummy troubles, jet lag, and the dreaded post-vacation blues, I’ve put together a two-part guide filled with tips and tricks for making every trip the best it can be.
This week: advice for packing, long-haul flights, hotel stays, and souvenir shopping. Next week’s issue will cover my twin travel nemeses: jetlag and the post-vacation blues.
And of course, I’d love to know: what are your best hacks for happy travels?!
Packing
Take inspiration from the iconic Joan Didion, and keep a list of the items you need for every trip somewhere handy (I have a note in my iPhone). Unlike Joan, I pack PG Tips tea bags in lieu of cigarettes and bourbon; some of the other essentials on my list are chargers, air pods, Kindle, toiletries, underwear, pajamas, workout clothes, sneakers, a fleece sweater, and socks. I keep the chargers for my small devices (Kindle, Air Pods, phone, Fitbit) in the same drawer as my makeup and toiletry bags in my bathroom, so they’re easy to grab when packing.
Keep a travel toiletry bag permanently stocked with your basics. Mine contains face wash, moisturizer, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and a razor. I never pack shampoo, conditioner, or body moisturizer: it’s fun to browse local pharmacies (especially in Europe!) to pick up exotic products.
Pack a mini-medical kit of over-the-counter drugs to anticipate common issues: I typically include antacids, antihistamines, painkillers, cold and flu medicine, and tissues.
If you’re checking a bag, take a large one. There is no need to skimp on size if you’re checking!
Pop a lavender sachet (or sprig), cedar chip, or dryer sheet in your bag to keep it smelling clean and fresh.
When selecting clothes for a trip: trust the weather forecast! My biggest packing errors have resulted from deluding myself that it will be hotter or colder than the forecast predicts. If you have friends or colleagues at your destination, ask them how they’re currently dressing for the weather.
Ensure the clothing you’re packing works together: pick a limited color scheme (3 colors are ideal), and if you have time, take pictures of yourself in various outfits before you pack them, including shoes!
A fleece or washable, comfortable sweater is a must on every trip. Even in steamy places, air conditioning can bring on the shivers.
Place the big, bulky things, such as shoes, toiletries, and makeup cases, into your bag or suitcase first, then fit everything else in around them.
Roll, don’t fold, clothes to maximize space. You can use the advanced “Ranger Rolling” technique or simply roll each piece of clothing as tightly as possible, eliminating wrinkles as you go. Then stuff small things like socks, underwear, and swimsuits into shoes, and the nooks and crannies left after packing all the big stuff.
Pack a mini steaming iron and fabric hangers for trips where you need to look your best, like weddings and important celebrations. If possible, opt for silk special occasion clothes, as they take up less space and resist wrinkling.
I repeat this mantra to prevent over-packing (it’s true almost anywhere in the world these days): if I forget it and really need it, I can buy it when I get there!
Long-Haul Flights
On long flights, dehydration is the enemy and water is your ally! Carry your own refillable water bottle, and do not drink alcohol at the airport or on the plane.
Eat light: plane food is typically packed with sodium which adds to dehydration.
Pack snacks, especially if you have food intolerances or, like me, get hangry in between meals! I always take macadamia nuts for salt, crunch, and protein, plus my favorite milk chocolate as a pick-me-up.
Pack disposable slippers (see below: pick them up in hotel rooms!) for wearing to and from the bathroom during the flight.
Ensure you have a comfortable pillow and warm blanket: even Business Class pillows and blankets can be flimsy so it’s best to take your own. These Trtl pillows are not overly bulky (or ugly!) and I do not travel without my trusty White and Warren throw.
Ditto anything else that helps you sleep, including earplugs and sleep masks. It may be embarrassing according to my teenaged kids, but I always pack my mouthguard to prevent grinding my teeth and waking up with a headache.
Hand-luggage must-haves: a phone charger; any evening/morning medications and vitamins; and painkillers, just in case. Also: books, magazines, or a Kindle for the times when the Wi-Fi/entertainment is off: it happens!
Hotel Room Hacks
After long flights, put a soaked towel in front of the vent in your hotel room to create a humidifying effect.
Use the shower caps provided in hotel bathrooms to wrap dirty shoes or leaky liquids.
Pack a bottle of Poo-Pourri to place in hotel room toilets. This is especially important and nice to have when you’re sharing a room…
Keep your travel shoes in the hotel safe and you’ll never forget to collect your valuables before you leave!
Take hotel slippers with you to wear on long plane rides (especially to the bathroom – ew!)
Take nice mini toiletries and toothbrushes home to offer your house guests.
Souvenirs
My favorite strategy is to pay close attention to what the locals are wearing, eating, decorating, and doing, and bring as many of those ideas home with me – to make the vacation magic last longer!
If I do buy souvenirs, I like to keep them as physically small as possible to avoid creating end-of-trip packing stress. I have amassed quite extensive collections of egg cups and Christmas tree decorations from many of the countries I’ve visited!
📖 What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: I love a book that solves a problem, and in this case,
has turned her wildly popular newsletter into a cookbook by the same name. The book takes its mission seriously: it’s organized by how much time you have to cook, from 15’ish minutes to over an hour, and includes helpful (and realistic) advice and hacks for getting a healthy, delicious dinner on the table, even when you really don’t feel like it.📺 Unstable: it is never easy to find a show that pleases the teenagers and adults in our home, and this week, I was very surprised that this workplace/family comedy starring Rob Lowe and his real-life son, John Owen Lowe, delivered. 17-year-old Sadie, a tough critic, laughed out loud several times at the ridiculous antics of Ellis Dragon, an eccentric biotech billionaire who regularly compares himself to a god. The show centers on the relationship between Ellis and his 20-something son, Jackson, and the tension between parental criticism and support. Is it the greatest TV show I’ve ever watched? No! But when my teenaged daughter asked to watch another episode because she was “intrigued,” I swiftly pressed play.
📖 The Wedding People: at the outset of this wise and funny novel, our heroine, Phoebe, is at the lowest point in her life, having lost her husband, her cat, and her will to live. She’s decided to treat herself to one last decadent splurge at a grand Newport beachfront hotel but finds her plans upended when she’s the only hotel guest not part of an enormous, elaborate wedding. Phoebe improbably befriends the bride-to-be, groom, and other members of the wedding party, and, as at many weddings, drama ensues. The fascinating and memorable parts of this book are the insightful, unfiltered conversations Phoebe, as a complete stranger with no agenda, engages in with the “wedding people” - leading to life-changing revelations and a satisfying ending.
📨 The Performance Plan: is a free newsletter by
, who describes herself as an “anxious mid-30s mom of two with a day job in tech who likes to make people laugh in my spare time.” Nicole skewers regular life with wit and pathos, and I recognized myself in her hilarious recent issue, What I Wore On My Summer Vacation, where, despite packing carefully for a family trip, she wore the same shorts and sweatshirt Every. Single. Day. 😂
📆 August 2024 Recs // 📖 Books // 📺 TV Shows // 🍿 Movies
In Case You Missed It: I have been down a very enjoyable Raygun rabbit hole this week and if you need a good laugh, please join me! Rachel Dratch got in on the act, as did this “apologist” // Loved this parenting advice c/o
, especially the concept of celebrating repetition not victories, “Victories are their own reward. They do not need any extra emphasis. Celebrating repetition, on the other hand, is not done often enough, because repetition has a bad reputation. We frequently connote it with drudgery. In fact, repetition is awesome. It’s the single most powerful way the brain builds new skill circuits.” // Yum: a plethora of great tomato recipes // A little too relatable 😅// Also relatable // Obama’s annual summer reading list // 🤣Imagined messages from dying plants, “I’m offended that you keep blurring me out of your Zoom background” // How to optimize your exercise to boost your mood //That’s it for me! Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next Friday with more travel tips! xo Amelia
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Re small souvenirs - I love to buy drinks coasters. Small, lightweight, cheap, and easy to fit into my everyday life to remind me of places I've been.
Fantastic tips! Shoes in the safe is a great one (and new to me)! I like to bring individual packets of instant coffee (because some coffee is better than no coffee) and electrolytes (to tackle the dehydration). I'm also a big fan of the collapsable water bottle because they are very lightweight and use a minimum of space. For warmth, I like wearing a cashmere sweater. Cashmere is warm and lightweight, like wool, but much softer. Plus it feels fancy and luxurious. Finally, noise-canceling headphones are a must on planes for me. It cuts out most of the plane noise and it's easier to hear videos and music without cranking up the volume. It makes the journey more peaceful.