I’ve been living out of a suitcase and a carryon for the past two weeks. I tried to make this a test run for my weeks and weeks being on the road. How’s that going, you ask? Well, I’ve packed some things I haven’t needed yet, but on the flipside, I have also left behind some things I would like to have with me right now. Here is what I’ve concluded:
1. I need either my CHI or a haircut. I left my CHI at home for this trip to see how my wild hair would respond to rockin’ the curls all of the time, but it’s not going well. Either my hair is too long (I think it’s the longest it’s been since I’ve been an itty bitty girl) to curl nicely, or my hair is exhausted from curling so much and it’s begging me for a break. Since I won’t be hacking inches off my hair anytime soon, I need to dig up my CHI from the storage unit and make room for it somewhere. Hmm… where did I put it? Hey, memory. This would be a good time for you to work. If I find it, this means a pair of shoes may need to be sacrificed. Gasp!
2. I might, just might, have to pick either a black outfit ensemble or a brown one for the sake of space. But I can’t choose! I really like brown clothes, and if there is any a time to wear brown, it’s the upcoming fall season. But even though I love earthy tones, I don’t have enough to make three weeks’ worth of attire. Another pro to choosing either black or brown is space is saved because fewer shoes have to be packed. So this is something to think about, but it’s a difficult decision to make. I’m too stubborn to not at least try both color schemes.
3. I shouldn’t have given my lettered shirts away. Can I borrow those back, please? See. This is why I generally keep things. You never know when you’ll need them again.
4. Carrying a water bottle while traveling will be incredibly helpful. Lately, I haven’t been drinking much water, and I can’t see this being much different if I’m running from building to dorm to meeting to plane ride. If there is just enough room for a water bottle, it will help my overall health. There are so many scary stories about gaining weight while on the road due to all of the dining out, late dinners, and overall poor quality food. I think drinking more water will help combat this, and there is no way I will be purchasing bottles of water everywhere I go when a reusable one can fit right in with my belongings.
5. Big shampoo and conditioner are a must. On this test run, I brought along travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Well, this didn’t work out wonderfully—thanks super long and thick hair. I had to purchase full-sized shampoo and conditioner, so that looks like what I’ll be traveling with. The minis can just go into my carryon for now. The usage of less hair care products is another logical reason to chop my hair shorter, but nope. It is definitely not happening.
Traveling out here for training was good practice and is helping me learn what I use most on the road and what I don’t have with me but will need. Once I master the fine art of packing, I will post the secret tips and tricks of the trade.
We get our chapter assignments and make travel plans this week! Wooooooooo!!!
1 - Can you CHI fit in a pair of shoes? Because I feel like that would be an awesome solution to fix both 1 and 2's problems.
ReplyDelete2 - I don't wear browns. So I have no comment about that. See above about the shoes.
3 - Not giving things away = the reason I needed to buy a house for all my stuff!
4 - Here's my two recommendations. Buy a reusable water bottle that has a filter built in. So you can have refreshing, clean water from any faucet or drinking fountain. Or use a plastic insulated travel mug. You can put more than water in it and you can easily clean the inside (and/or use that empty space in the mug to pack in). I pack either an empty bottle or mug/cup in my carry-on so I don't have to buy a bottle of water in the airport. And if you ask the flight attendant, they might fill it with their bottled water on the plane too!
5 - HOORAY for long hair and not cutting it.