Work Travel Tips from a Newbie

I travel a lot or a little depending on the rotation that I am in currently. I went on a stint of 6 weeks living out of a suitcase for several projects and I've went to conferences with the tiniest bag to push myself out of overpacking. As this post is posting on the blog, I am on a plane to SF! In all of these instances, I've gathered 5 tips that help me feel at the top of game during a trip.

1. Make sure to have travel sizes of the types of products you may need. For me, I cannot live without hand lotion, facial oils, and masks. I have various types hand lotion but I always go back to L'Occitane as favorite one. I love the vanilla and the rose scents. For oils, I use Sunday Riley UFO oil, Desert Essence Tea Tree Skin Ointment, and Korres Wild Rose Brightening Oil. For masks, I love anything with clay to draw out an gunk that gets in my pores at the plants or acids to peel the dead skin off my face. My go to masks are Aztec Healing clay which I put in a small jar from the Muji Store, GlamGlow Super Clearing Treatment, and Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber mask. I travel with all of these on all of my trips and it truly makes a difference in my skin.

2. I only pack fabrics that do not wrinkle easily. For plants, I pack DryFit polos or thick cotton t-shirts. For more formal situations, I love blouses or silky t-shirts. I tend to go more casual on the top and formal on the bottom. For bottoms, I love Gap Skinny Pants or Athleta Wide Leg Destination Pants. I have multiple pairs of each and they have changed my life for the better.

3. I love packing cubes when traveling with a carryon bag. I have several packing cubes - I do one for work clothes, workout clothes, and casual clothes. I also do one for underwear, one for dry toiletries like wipes or powders, and one for shoes. Pack in these packing cubes and roll each outfit together. When you get up in the morning at your destination, you just have to pick a bundle that will not be wrinkled and go in the morning. This lets me sleep in 15 extra minutes and that is worth it!

4. Always bring a fun book and a work related book on the plane. Plane rides are the best time to catch up on things that you don't have time for and that don't require internet. I love to catch up on reading, movies, and practice languages via apps while flying.

5.Always bring snacks and drink mixes. I have powdered coconut water packets, matcha packets and mushroom coffee packets that I always travel with because water is not expensive! For snacks, I like Luna bars or Lara bars because they have them almost everywhere but Square Bars and Perfect Bars are becoming my new favorites.