I love flying. I am one of those types whose travel lust has not been squashed by too much work travel, constant unfavorable weather, lost luggage or unprofessional airline staff. I used to hate flying. Or, rather, I was terrified of flying. And, to be perfectly honest, I haven’t flown in years without the aid of Xanax and wine, both of which I can no longer take as I’m pregnant. So, I’m a bit nervous about hopping onto a plane in a few days.
That said, my uber-organized side gets its kicks preparing for travel. That is, unless I ignore said side and spend the night before my departure doing anything but packing, forcing myself to wake up at 4am the next morning and shove random crap into my luggage while simultaneously blow-drying my hair or brushing my teeth.
I doubt this will be an issue with our trip to Hawaii, as we leave on a Monday. So, I have the entire weekend to do laundry, buy last minute toiletries and pack. No excuses. When I do manage to pack in advance, I usually lay out my plane outfit and any bits I want to bring with me on the plane.
What To Wear
I veer away from dresses and skirts when flying and I never, under any circumstances, wear sweats (and yes, Juicy velour pants are sweats) or, God forbid, Uggs. Occasionally if I have a long flight and I have room in my carry on, I will pack my short Uggs, especially if it’s a red eye.
I usually opt for a pair of ankle-length jeans with some stretch and multiple layers on top. Shoes should, obviously, be easy to remove, so I wear either flats, heels or slip on boots. For this flight, I plan on wearing black jeans with an airy top and my new linen motorcycle jacket from H&M’s garden collection (shown above). I will pack a J Crew cardigan in my carry on as I find them more comfortable on the plane. A scarf, of course, is an absolute must. Sometimes I wear a scarf and pack a cashmere wrap, but I doubt I will for this trip. I got an adorable pair of basket-weave oxfords (also shown above) that are easy to slip off for security. I tend to stay away from jewelry, but if I do wear something I choose a ring or bracelet, both of which are easy to remove.
Toting My Crap
I always use a cross-body bag for travel, so I will likely bring my Tano Mona Lethal purse and use my Kale turquoise tote as my carry on (both bags shown above). I’m always careful to remove and bag any of the liquid makeup in my purse for security as I absolutely hate having to toss expensive makeup. My essentials for the plane are Kiehl’s Lip Blam #1, Stila Convertible Color and L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Creme.
On The Plane
When booking and if traveling with Todd, we always select an aisle and window seat in the same row and cross our fingers that the flight is not full and no one claims the middle seat. This way we can spread out a bit. When traveling alone I always try to select an aisle seat, simply because having to climb over two people in order to get out and pee (which happens because I drink a lot of wine and…now I am pregnant so I pee every 5 minutes) is annoying.
I generally don’t pack snacks but seeing as how I am constantly hungry these days, I may rethink this for our Hawaii flight. I am absolutely addicted to Archer Farms fruit strips, and I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that my mother will board with a huge bag of raw almonds.
Entertaining Myself
If I know I am traveling I try and put aside my favorite magazines (any international issue of Vogue, Saveur, etc.) for the plane. I always bring a book. For this trip I am deciding between Guns, Germs & Steel and The Demon Haunted World, for the plane ride. I have no clue why, but I prefer more serious books while flying. One of the main reasons I own a laptop is for traveling, so I always try to have movies or television shows spooled up in my iTunes. For this trip, I am thinking of Coco Before Chanel, An Education and A Single Man. I am totally addicted to playing Scrabble on my phone, so I am sure Todd and I will indulge in a few games.
Here’s hoping the flight is smooth and short, and that I don’t miss the cheap wine selection too much.
What do you love about traveling? Do you prefer flying or driving? What are your travel secrets, or must-haves?
Feel free to share in the comments!
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How perfectly appropriate since I am getting on a plane tomorrow. I’m wearing similar jeans in blue with a comfy J Crew v-neck and a slouchy cardigan (I might belt it) with a big floral scarf and I’ll probably end up wearing my black suede flats (even though I would LOVE to wear my oxford pumps, it’s a red eye with a lay over so I don’t think it’s going to happen).
I bought a new carry on tote from christystudio on etsy that is perfect for a couple books and magazines, my ipod, a compact mirror and some touch up and snacks of course (though I’m a sucker for airport food courts).
I always treat myself to one new book and bring one old paperback classic that I know I love (in this case it’s Mansfield Park). The new book will hopefully last me the whole day, but if it doesn’t catch my interest in the first hour I at least know I have the old stand-by to fall back on.
I also bought a big pair of lemon yellow headphones that are kind of my “yield sign” to talkative seatmates when I travel alone. ;)
I also take Xanax before I even get in the car to drive to the airport.
hmmm…I like to carry a backpack. It’s not super stylish but I just find it easier to lug around a huge airport than a shoulder tote, plus there’s usually helpful compartments.
have pillow will travel…I unfortunately take my pillow where ever I go.
its a burden but nice to have when I get to my destination…also a good book, and snacks. It seems the peanuts aren’t enough on the plane. Traveling with my mom she will somehow get a whole lunch in her bag…;) for both of us.
we are deciding whether to fly or drive to Dallas when we move this summer- it’s a 20 hour drive but we have 2 furry friends coming with us. I also get really anxious flying, though people tell me that statistically flying is safer. I used to take 1 valium and 1 dramamine and pass out while we were taxiing for takeoff, but now I fly drug-free and can’t sleep to save my life. I’ve also given up reading or watching movies, since I often start laughing (reading Dave Sedaris) or crying (watching the Blind Side) and the people around me give me funny looks. I’d highly recommend Guns, Germs and Steel. Haven’t seen the Chanel movie but the other 2 are really exquisite-in an era of really crappy movies, they are both beautifully made.
we flew last weekend and EVERYONE on the plane was sick, so I’d suggest taking extra vitamins- I take Airborne, not sure if it’s safe for pregnancy- and drinking a lot of water. always take extra socks if you aren’t wearing them, since most people take shoes off and step on the floor barefoot-eeeewwww!
and ^ I love the idea of headphones to deter talkative row-mates- that’s brilliant!
I wish I still loved (or was at least indifferent to) flying but after starting a travel heavy job, in which Mon-Fri projects are the norm, I absolutely hate it. I have to get to the airport at 6 a.m. on Monday morning in business clothes with a carry-on filled with my clothes for the week and a large handbag for my laptop/work things, desperately try to sleep in flight, and then arrive only to put in a full day of work. Ugh.
But this tips are wonderful, Penny! And I will try to shed my grumpiness and incorporate some of them and try to feel lucky I am racking up miles for a fun vacation in the future.
Since starting the new job, I’ve been traveling much more. The commuter flights used to be fine (and my carryon would fit easily in ala’cart) but now that I’m going cross-country more often, I’ve found my anxiety running on High more often.
I’ve started listening to my i-pod right before boarding, usually with the buds still in as I board. Lately, Jeff Buckley’s Grace has been very helpful but when that doesn’t work, I switch to Helio Sequence. It calms me down so I can board easily.
I always have a magazine with me to read before the plane takes off, something new and fun that I wouldn’t usually subscribe to – it keeps my attention off the plane and on the layouts. I used to get Nylon but now I’m more interested in Marie Claire and Real Simple.
My only problem now (and a major source of anxiety, unfortunately) is how to get a week’s worth of clothes, documents and a laptop onto the plane as just one carry-on and underseat bag without running the risk of losing my bag to the Checked Baggage monster. Dilemma.
I always travel with some kind of toning mist…my go to is Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir. It helps you look fresh post-flight (I have a lot of short flights to Seattle/Portland for work where I get off a plane and head to a meeting/hearing) and keeps your skin hydrated. Others I have used are the Evian Mist and the Aveda toning mist.
This is awesome. I travel all the time (too much) and my travel necessities look a lot like yours. How did you make such a cute collage?? :)
P.S. My first time to your blog. Love. :)
xo Nina
Nina, welcome!
I use Photoshop and sometimes InDesign to make collages :-)
“An Education” and “A Single Man” are both such great movies – I am SO on board the Carey Mulligan love train (maybe not so much that I’d pay to see the “Wall Street” sequel, though…), and you can never go wrong with Colin Firth.
I used to be totally terrified of air travel, and I still don’t love it, but I became lots more comfortable with it after I worked for a company that required me to fly at least twice a month. One of my most treasured accomplishments in life so far is that I have managed to figure out how to pack enough clothes for a 4-day trip into a large purse and an under-the-seat-sized overnight bag. My key rules are to stick with one color scheme (usually black), wear lots of layers, and only bring one pair of shoes if I possibly can ( <3 ballet flats). I would have even more room in my bag if I didn't have to tote around my hair dryer and diffuser to the ends of the earth, but my hair is very temperamental.
I'm headed to Seattle to visit the BF next weekend, and I plan to wear one pair of slim dark jeans and pack a second pair of dark gray ones, bring 2 tees/tanks, one cardigan, my black blazer, a lightweight jersey dress that rolls up and doesn't wrinkle, a colorful scarf, and my black leather ballet flats. The hardest decision for me is always what to read on the plane, and I'm trying to decide between "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and a book about the evils of Urban Sprawl.