Sweep hair up, throw on dangling earrings and a scarf and you have dinner attire!
Often times when traveling, things can be a bit rushed and you don’t always have time to hit the hotel for a costume change before dinner. Next time your schedule is tight, be sure to wear a day dress and pack some jewelry and accessories in your cross body bag. This way, when you’re out of time and scrambling to make your dinner reservation, glam it up by throwing on earrings, a scarf, and by twisting your hair into a loose updo. Add a little gloss, tuck that cross body strap into the bag to make it a clutch and voilá…dinner attire.
Our Healthy Eating En Route includes Luna Bars
Vacation is often a time to let loose…late nights out, excess shopping, a break from your exercise routine, and my personal favorite, indulging in decadent meals. Calories don’t count on vacation, right? We’re all for it! Sounds great…until that crummy feeling comes over us on day 2 or 3. We know it’s half of the fun, but resist the super rich foods a couple meals each day and munch on healthy snacks in between. Make the memories about where you are and who you’re with, not about how terrible you’re feeling.
The week before your trip, head to the grocery store specifically for food for your trip. The airport and hotel may have a small selection of healthy eats but you know it’s never the best of what’s out there. So do yourself a favor and stock up on healthy favorites before you head out. Here are a few things we love…
Luna Bars Nutz over Chocolate and S’mores
Brothers-All-Natural Fruit Crisps
Sabra Classic Hummus with Pretzels Single Serve
Back to Nature Honey Graham Sticks
Sunmaid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins
…and most importantly, WATER! Lots of it especially for re-hydration on the plane and in higher altitudes. It’s always the best choice and zero calories! Now, just remember to pack your goodies in your carry-on and have a little snack before you hit the security lines. This way those salty pretzels and gooey cinnamon rolls in the terminal won’t tempt you…well, not as much anyway.
I still had an amazing trip, despite having my bag stolen. It wasn't too difficult with a view like this at the Broadmoor.
Something stolen from your luggage? Some credit cards will cover the loss. When I was traveling to my friend’s wedding in Colorado Springs, I brought my new Tory Burch black resin clutch with me for the rehearsal dinner. Only when I arrived at the hotel, I opened my suitcase and sadly found an empty dust bag. What a quick way to put a damper on our trip! I felt violated and irritated that my things were rummaged through and taken. Then I remembered that credit cards will sometimes cover your loss. Three of the four major credit cards offer card members a benefit called “purchase protection.” This means if you’ve charged the stolen item on your credit card, chances are they will reimburse you for it. Note though, usually there are limits to dollar amounts per item and annually for each card member, the items are only covered within 90 days of purchase, and sales receipts must be provided. If everything lines up though, like it did for me, you’ll have a replacement in no time.
We love The Container Store for fab gift bags. This one is perfect for the little guys.
Traveling to a shower, a birthday, the holidays, or to stay at a friend’s house and need to pack a gift? Save the wrapping until you get there. The contents of wrapped packages can be seen when scanned just as the contents of your luggage are. However, if an alarm goes off while scanning and further search of your bag is required, the TSA has no qualms about unwrapping that gorgeous gift. So save yourself the frustration and pack a gift bag and tissue paper and wrap it when you arrive. Besides, have you ever seen a gift come out of a suitcase not looking like it was run over?
Travel Tip: Repack after you unpack
Once you’ve finished unpacking from that fabulous holiday, repack your suitcase with all of your travel accessories. If possible, put your carry-on suitcase in your bigger 30″ luggage that gets checked. In the carry-on, now pack your shoe bags, laundry bags, luggage scale, travel hairdryer, neck pillow, eye mask, and packing cubes. You won’t need them until you need the luggage anyway. If you store your suitcase in an air-conditioned space, you can even throw in your travel-sized beauty products. This way, you know exactly where it all is and you’re already half packed for your next journey. After all, isn’t packing half the battle?
Magic Paint Posters keep the tots busy while you dine out
With young kids, even a trip to my favorite restaurant in the neighborhood can seem too exhausting at times. But I’ve found that if I come well prepared, I get to enjoy at least half a glass of wine and don’t regret dining out half way through. I ALWAYS bring my bag of tricks for my 2 year old son…a lifetime supply of wipes, disposable dinosaur or Mickey place mats, matchbox cars, my iPhone loaded with apps and videos, a few crayons, and coloring pages. But after a while, even I get tired of pulling out the same old things. This week I found a new trick to add to the assortment…Magic Paint Posters! They’re not really posters but instead a pad which includes 12 different sheets (about 6″ x 8″). Each sheet has it’s own non-toxic watercolor Magic Paint Palette at the bottom. Dip a cotton swab in that extra water on the table and paint away! We’ve already gone through most of Rocco’s pad in the last few days so I’ll be hiding the remaining sheets (and a bag of Q-tips) in my trunk for the next unexpected trip to dinner. This treasure can be found at Toys R Us. My little guy prefers the “Mega Machines” theme but there are animal and unicorn paint pads for little girls too.
Meet Ashley
Former NYC fashion industry girl, forever traveler, foodie at heart, and now Mom in Miami. My blog, Arrive Chic, covers the style I find in everyday life both on the road and at home, often with my two energetic little boys in tow.
