10 Fun and Flirty Travel Accessories

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1. Garden Getaway Scarf - ModCloth – 19.99 USD

Garden Getaway Scarf

Scarves are quietly ones of the best travel accessories a gal can have. They add comfort, style and can transform an outfit from drab to eye-popping.  What makes the Garden Getaway Scarf great is that its bright imagery make it perfect fro the spring and summer, while the darker background colors suit the cooler months.

Great over a simple white t-shirt to add color or over a navy-blue blazer for a more sophisticated look, this scarf’s excellent color palette make it a versatile piece more than worthy of luggage space. Garden Getaway Scarf

2. Glycerin Soaps - MUJI – .99 GBP

Glycerin Soaps

Sometimes luxury comes in the tiniest of packages. These colorful bars of soap are perfect for travelers who don’t want to depend on the mysterious jams and jellies offered by hotels.

The soaps come in four scents – Avacado, Citrus Wood, Lemon and Madarin.  At .99 GBP, trying all four certainly won’t hurt the budget. Glycerin Soaps

3. Birdy Make Up and Wash Bag Set – Oliver Bonas – 29.63 EUR

Wash and Make Up Bag

The 50s are a timeless decade when it comes to design and will always be in fashion.  This set of bags will compliment any travel collection and is sure to add a splash of perkiness and color to bland hotel bathrooms.  Birdy Make Up and Wash Bag Set

4. Moleskine Ruled Page Black Small Cahier – Paperchase – 13.50 GBP

Moleskine Black Cahier

Sometime simplicity and quality go hand in hand. Moleskine has long been the golden standard of journals and notebooks and there’s no going wrong with the classic black edition of their cahier. It comes with both lined and unlined paper, built-in bookmark along with a soft-yet-rugged cover. It’s also small enough to carry in a purse or day bag.  Moleskine Black Cahier

5. Universal Adaptor – Flight 001 – 25.00 USD

Universal Adapter

Who says chargers have to come in dull, boring white?  This bright blue universal adapter is perfect for the international traveller.  Not only is it stylish, but it’s easy to operate as well.  Just slide the knob to you part of the world and you’ve got a perfectly configured adapter.  Universal Adapter

6. Silk-Printed Sleep Mask – Flight 001 – 22.00 USD

Sleep Mask

Stay chic while you sleep!  Sleep masks often help weary travelers catch some zzz’s and this one lets you rest in style. Silk-Printed Sleep Mask

7. Cast One Carryall – Anthropologie – 106.00 EUR

Cast One Carryall

This bag screams beach getaway or a breezy weekend break abroad.  The perfect carry-on luggage, it’s stylish yet functional.  Keep all your travel must-haves in this flirty carryall which would go splendidly with a maxi or wrap dress. Cast One Carryall

8. Golden Rolled Sandals - Anthropologie – 71.00 EUR

Golden Rolled Sandals

Summer holidays and sandals go hand in hand.  Ditch the worn out flip-flops and opt for something a little more glamorous on your next travel excursion.  Go for a stroll with these golden rolled sandals on a beach promenade with a sarong, or pair in with linen trousers to explore the Rome’s ancient ruins. Golden Rolled Sandals

9. F1 X-Ray Passport Cover – Flight 001 – 16.00 USD

X-Ray Passport Holder

Add some spice to airport immigration lines with this colorful passport holder from Flight 001.  If pink is not your style, choose from bright green, orange or yellow.  X-Ray Passport Cover

10. Solid Wrap Dress - The Gap - 54.95 USD

Solid Wrap Dress

When it comes to travel, versatility is key. This wrap dress is simple and casual enough for the daytime but sophisticated enough for a night out. Paired with tights and a knit scarf, it works for colder climates too!                Solid Wrap Dress

Best Skincare Products for Travelers that won’t Break the Budget

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Roaming the world certainly has its advantages.  The exposure to new cultures, foods, people, feeling of freedom – it’s all great.  There are, however, a few downsides to a life spent on the road.  One of the smaller, albeit annoying ones is skincare.  As magical as it is to travel between the snowy and windswept Swiss Alps to the hot, muggy beaches of Phuket, you’re skin is likely to be just as confused as your circadian rhythms by the time you land.

Several years of heavy traveling combined with insanely sensitive skin has allowed me to hone in on a fairly reliable skincare regimen for my life on the road, which I feel compelled to share.

Daily Routine:
In lieu of a normal moisturizer, I opt for after-sun moisturizing cream with aloe.  This is especially helpful following long airplane flights or when your skin is feeling a bit dry.  I apply it twice a day – once before bed to keep my skin hydrated throughout the night and once in the morning.  If I’m staying anywhere for more than two weeks, I tend to buy a bottle at my destination to avoid any air-travel issues.  However, they do come in 4oz bottles or smaller which are perfect for weekend getaways.  Make sure to buy the lotion, not the gel.

Unless I’m off to a special event, I leave the makeup behind when I travel and just take BB cream.  BB stands for blemish balm and combines concealer, foundation, moisturizer and sunscreen all in one package!  BB cream has revolutionized my travel life and I don’t know how I lived without it.  One application in the morning is enough to last the rest of the day and it actually improves the complexion of the skin over time.

I haven’t been able to test the difference between the higher-end brands and the drugstore versions, but for me the most important element is the sunscreen – I look for SPF 15+ UVA/UVB at the very least.  Those with fairer skin (I’m Asian) might was SPF 30+.

Dry Skin:
Dry, patchy and unruly skin is inevitable when traveling.  My ultra-sensitive skin responds horribly to airplane travel, dry air and just gets irritated very easily.  For this, I employ two solutions.

Sensicure is a bit of an indulgence at $35/bottle, but provides a protective coating on irritated skin and calms it down faster than anything I’ve ever tried.  For problem spots, I use a dab of calamine/zinc cream which treats raw or windswept skin really well and is available at most drug stores for a few dollars.

Oily Skin:
Somehow I managed to inherit skin that is both prone to dryness AND oily. I travel to Thailand a lot and this wreaks havoc on my sebaceous glands. My best solution for this has been using simple, cheap, drugstore blotting wipes. I often buy them at 7/11 in Thailand for a dollar or two. A quick blot every few hours manages my oily skin fairly well. About every other day, I use an apricot scrub to help scrub away any layers of sebum regular soap and water won’t penetrate. There are scrubs with acne medication for those that suffer from acne as well.

Aside from Sensicure, all of the products mentioned can be found at most drugstores for $5/bottle or less.  I’ve found that when it comes to skincare on the road, the simpler, the better.

Tips and Advice for Planning Weekend Getaways

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Those precious two (and occasionally three) day spans of time when us 9-to-5-ers are unshackled from our desks make for wonderful opportunities to travel.  Weekend getaways should be a refreshing and revitalizing experience, not a stressful and strained ordeal.This, I’ve learned from experience.

Between spending years tantalizingly close to California and the last 19 months or so in London, I’ve more than dabbled in the weekend getaway department and discovered for myself what works and what doesn’t, and what is and isn’t worth it. So here goes:

Flight Times
Weekends always feel too short and those of us who are eager travellers sometimes pounce on the red-eye Friday night or super early Saturday morning flights.  This is a definite DON’T.  Friday night flights means one extra night in a hotel (cha-ching!), plus late night airport transfer which usually is in the form of a taxi (double cha-ching!) since most public transport does not run 24/7.  As for early morning flights, by the time you get to your destination you’ll be ready for a nap and chances are it will be too early to check into your hotel.

While it may seems like wasting away your Saturday, choosing a flight that leaves at a reasonable time means that you’ll arrive at your destination refreshed and awake.  Proper planning will ensure that you don’t waste too much time worrying about logistics and you can get started with your holiday.

Choose a Theme

Unless you’ve ventured into one of those one-stoplight towns, one weekend is not going to be enough to see everything in a city so matter how hard you try.  Instead, try to pick a theme for your trip and run with it.  For example, I chose architecture during my weekend trip to Barcelona, on Jersey Island it was nature and in Belgium it was food.  Picking a theme helps you choose what to fit into your two precious days and of course does not preclude you from adding in a few side items.

Architecture-Themed Weekend in Barcelona

Don’t get too wound up in not being able to see or experience everything you want.  You can always return to the destination again in the future and choose a different theme!

Pack Light

This one should really be a no-brainer considering there is an accessory called the weekend bag hanging around most department stores.  If you take a look at said weekend bag, it’s not all that large.  Basically, if it doesn’t fit into a moderately-sized backpack and purse (for the ladies . . .because let’s face it, we have more stuff), then leave it.  Pack the essentials like a clean pair of underoos and basic toiletry items, but try and keep it to not much more than that. Additionally, if you’ve got a wi-fi enabled smartphone and you’re not part of a secret government agency or spy ring, keep the laptop at home.  Your smartphone should be more than enough to check e-mails, maps, etc. whilst on your trip and the last thing you need is to find yourself or your partner wasting away a Saturday night watching adorable kittens on youtube.

Me with my 1 Backpack on a Nature-Themed Weekend on Jersey Island

Do your Due Diligence
Planning is one of those love it or hate it things.  Some people enjoy flying by the seat of their pants, while others are much happier creating a master plan or itinerary.  Between the two, I naturally fall on the side of planning, but I also recognize the need for a dose or spontaneity, especially when it comes to weekend getaways.  Planning a completely regimented weekend can make the break feel more like a chore, so my advice would be to pick out a few must-see/must-do items, and leave the rest to fate.  I’ve found that it is in these moments of pure, unbridled spontaneity that the best travel memories are made.

Turning a fleeting weekend into a full, enjoyable and stress-free weekend getaway is no small feat. However, if you front load the key travel and itinerary points (i.e. booking hotels, flights, major events/activities), this will help to relieve a lot of the usual worries.  From there, choose a theme, plan a few key activities around it and remember to remain flexible throughout the trip.  While this may not guarantee a problem-free weekend, it’s definitely a good start.