I've done quite a bit of traveling in my time and I love exploring new
and interesting places. I try to make my everyday life as beautiful as
possible and traveling is no different. You won't find me in sweat
pants and thongs (or flip flops for my American readers), I want to
feel as pretty leaving a 7 hour flight as I do going out to dinner!

So with my recent trip to Singapore I thought it was the perfect time
to show you all how I travel in style. This is a compilation of tips
I've picked up on my travels and my "must have" items for along the way.


First thing's first...

Take something lucky
I'm not a superstitious person by nature but there's a story behind
this one! The day before we went to Singapore James and I were doing
some last minute shopping in the city. I was feeling a little light
headed so we stopped at McDonalds for some fries. As I was walking away
I checked my change and what should be there but a Singaporean 10 cent
piece!!



I was so surprised, normally if I get anything foriegn in my change
it's New Zealand currency. This seemed so random and fateful that I
kept it in a special compartment in my bag the whole trip!



On the plane:

Take some good headphones (and an ipod if you want to listen to *good*
music). I hate airplane headphones, they are usually uncomfortable and
don't block outside sounds. Also they aren't anywhere near as cute as
mine! Headphones are super easy to deco, even if you have little ear
bud ones a few diamantes will jazz them up nicely!




Keep hair and make up simple but elegant.
If you want to do make up, take a kit with everything you need for
touch ups before landing. Keep in mind that you might need to sleep in
what you're wearing. I love false eye lashes because they are hard to
mess up even in your sleep! On flights to and from SG I wore little
individual lashes on the corners of my eyes for a little punch with no
effort (review on the lashes soon). I did my hair in Kitty Rolls which
were comfortable, survived sleeping but still looked cute.

Below are some of my travel essentials. Clear zip pouch with make up
and liquids, letter writing kit, wet naps, face washer, mini sewing kit
and bag tags for checked in luggage.




A cute travel document holder is an essential.
I would be forever loosing my boarding pass or passport if I didn't
have something this bright to remind me! I deco'd this one myself.



/>And of course a matching passport holder helps too ;) These are all
made of suede so they feel soft enough to be used as a pillow if it's
an emergency!



A sleeping mask
Something overly cute suits best! I want to be adorable even when I'm
asleep so I picked the sugariest thing I could possibly find ^_^


A jacket
Take it on the plane with you, seriously. Even if you're going to a hot
destination the plane is always freezing and those little blankets
don't help. Good protection against the rain too.


Things to keep you entertained.
I take pens, note book, DS and games and well as my little UFO hand
massager which is awesome for when you just want to relax. I am a very
fidgety person so I take as many little things to play with as
possible. With this I can continue my Japanese lessons on the DS then
practice kanji or sentence structure in my note book.


Candy!
Candy is good to pop your ears in the plane and also tastes great. And
they are a good conversation starter if a cute boy is sitting next to
you ;)

Beating the climate bug

- Pick clothes that are appropriate for your situation. Fabrics that
don't wrinkle or require ironing are great for long flights but
synthetic fabrics are horrible in hot climates! On the plane to SG I
wore a cotton printed cord dress with a lace cardigan over the top.
- Fabric choice is important. While in the heat in SG I wore thin
stockings, cotton dresses and cardigans. Everyone was sweltering in the
heat, even though I was wearing more layers I was cool because I was
wearing fabric that could breathe.
- Layering is the key to being ready for any weather! Cardigans are
awesome, you can dress them up or down, take them off if you're hot or
add a jacket if you're cold.


Weapons of choice:
A fan
I picked this one up for $0.70 and added bows, diamantes and lace. They
are compact and can be invaluable in the heat. They can also be used to
hide yawns behind in boring situations, keep your coughs or sneezes to
yourself or whisper gossip to a friend ;) Keep it in your hand bag!



A singlet
Singlets are the ultimate versatile piece of travel clothing. Wear
during the day if it's hot, layer with a cardigan to go out to dinner,
use as pajamas or as swimmers if you're in a pinch. Cute pajamas are
surprisingly important, if you have luck like mine you'll end up
outside at 2am for a fire drill chatting to the other hotel patrons so
this is probably not the right time to sleep in the nude ;) Be prepared
for anything because holidays are all about going with the flow!


Sun protection eg. a sun hat, sunscreen etc.
The sun is mean and evil, stay away from it! No one likes sun burn,
it's icky. Don't stop protecting your skin just because you're on
holiday. 'Nuff said.


Sunglasses
... ok maybe not "'Nuff said"... These are only half for the sun
protection though. The other half is looking damn good! There is
nothing classier that popping on some nice sunglasses when you're not
feeling 100%. Hide the bags under your eyes from the 7hr flight and
look like a rock star ;)



A handbag sized umbrella.
These fold down so tiny there's not much of an excuse not to have one.
This one has an aluminum frame so it's super light and is perfect in
unpredictable weather or in place of a parasol.


A scarf
I carry a scarf and a face washer with me pretty much all the time. The
face washer was a gift from a friend in Japan, the lady's bathrooms
there don't have hand towels so most girls carry their own but it's
also useful for mopping up spills on nice dresses, fixing make up,
using as a small pillow and the list goes on!

The scarf is not only useful but looks damn stylish hanging off a
handbag! Did your hair get ruined? Then wear it like a 50's movie star.
Forget the hot rollers? Use it for pin curls. Sudden hay fever attack
and not a tissue in sight? Well you get the idea...



Other travel musts:
Gifts for the new friends you meet!
I didn't get to hand any of these little babies out because we were
just so busy but I really wanted to give them to the organizers at
Nuffnang. It's a really great idea to take something from your home
country. These little kangaroo and koala toys didn't cost much but I
hand glued a bow and diamante to each to personalize them. That way
your friends will have something cute to remember you by :) And you
won't feel awkward if someone gets you something nice because you'll
have something give back!


Slippers
You never know where you're going to have to walk in your hotel.
Whether it's for that proverbial 2am fire drill or you want to visit a
friend down the hall, you never know who's icky feet have been there
before you. Cute little ones like these only cost me $10 and they fold
up to practically nothing in your suitcase.


Nail repair kit
I am a big believer in preparing for any situation, James says I should
have been a girl scout. That's why I carry a nail repair kit with spare
nails, glue clear polish and anything else you might need.


Bags within bags within bags within bags...
/>This is important because it keeps everything nice and separate in your
suitcase, no searching through the make up bag for a hair band because
they have their own bags! Being organized is key to a fantastic
wardrobe, if you are well organized you can find all the right
accessories at a glance... and there are is always room somewhere in
here for more little bits and pieces you buy along the way.


Tiny cute bottles.
These cost $1.50 per pair and they are some of the best things I've
ever bought. This way you can take all of your usual bathroom liquids
with you. You can even get ones with spray lids for things like curl
enhancer. Very cleaver.


Business cards:
You never know who you're going to meet while out and about and if
you've got a blog or business then it's a great idea to have a couple
of business cards with you. Mine are double layered so there is my blog
card on top and by graphic design card on bottom. They stand out
because they are fastened with a bow in the top corner ^_^


Foreign currency
Don't go anywhere without it. Some places don't accept credit cards etc
so make sure you check before you go, it's always useful to have some
foreign currency on hand for taxis etc anyway.


A bag full of cables for your various gadgets.
Definitely important so you can charge your ipod/laptop/phone etc. A
power point converter is also a great idea. The most important part of
this is the bag, don't bother going searching through your whole
suitcase just grab the bag. On the way home the bag also be used as
carry on luggage for all that extra shopping ;)


Luggage:


I hate not being able to find my luggage at the other end. I'm also
paranoid because I've had luggage stolen before and no matter what
compensation you get there are some things which can't be replaced. So
if it can't be replaced, don't pack it. I also hate that all luggage
pretty much looks the same. Ideally I would have liked one of these
babies by Hideo Wakamatsu but as we only discovered how broken our old
cases were the day before we left, I didn't really have time to shop
for a new one :(... It's made my dream list for next time though, in
fact I would go as far as to say that this is my dream suitcase! (click
the image for the specs)


So in lue of one of those beauties we borrowed plan old suit cases from
James' parents. To make it more memorable I tied some old crappy
acrylic lace around it several times. James laughed at me but it
worked, we spotted our bags in like 2 seconds at the other end and were
out of there!



Super bright bag tags help too if you can't afford a whole new suitcase.



When you get home...


Unpack everything as quickly as possible otherwise you'll get lazy and
it will never get done! I've left a suitcase for weeks before because I
was tired when I got home and then got busy at work, don't fall into
the trap! It only took me like half an hour to unpack both of our cases
this time.



So hopefully you've enjoyed some of my silly tips and they make your
next trip even more fun!

Do you have some fun tips to share with me?