If you travel a lot for work, you have probably developed some packing tricks.  Personally, my biggest trick is to bring some of the comforts of home with me.  Check out my packing tips:

Travel Drawer

Keep your passport, toiletry case, plug adapters, money belt, etc. all in one place. This is key if you travel often so you don’t waste valuable packing time searching for your passport.

Travel Toiletry Case

Not every hotel carries L’Occitane or Aveda products.  For this reason, I travel with mini duplicates of everything and keep this stowed in my travel drawer.  The only dupliates I don’t have are my make-up (which is already stored in a cosmetic bag in my bathroom) and pricey hair products. Yes, the mini sizes aren’t cost effective, but you can refill them with the products you already have. Ensure your toiletry bag is also waterproof to save spills from your clothes.

Ziplock Bags

The pressure in the luggage area of airplanes may cause your products to leak or explode.  Any product that doesn’t fit in your waterproof toiletry bag should be placed in a ziplock bag.  You don’t want that new white shirt for your meeting tomorrow morning to be smeared with hair straightening lotion.

Thin Robe

I recently purchased a damask patterned, polyester robe from Winners for $24 that I store in my suitcase. This way, when the hotel doesn’t provide a robe, I always have one that is wrinkle-free!

Thick, Cozy Socks

On the airplane when your feet get cold or when you want to walk around the hotel room and didn’t bring slippers, cozy socks are just what the doctor ordered!

Travel Hairdryer

Hotel hair dryers just aren’t powerful enough for me, therefore, I purchased a small, yet mighty, hairdryer.

Scented Candles

When it’s -26 in Ottawa, Canada and you can’t open the window to let fresh air in or you are on a romantic trip in Mexico with your partner, it’s nice to light a scented candle. I prefer traveling with soy or beeswax candles as they burn the longest.

Room Spray

For those well-meaning boyfriends who inadvertently smell up the open concept washroom in a small space.  Enough said.

Corkscrew

Sadly not all hotels are created equal and some won’t provide an in-room corkscrew for that bottle of wine you just picked up at Duty Free.  Now all you have to worry about are the wine glasses, but hotel mugs work in a pinch when you just can’t wait for In-Room Dining to deliver that glass.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Tagged as: Travel