Travel Wardrobe Staple: The Wrap Dress

The wrap dress was made famous by legendary Diane von Furstenberg in 1973 and the dresses just don't go out of style. They are also the perfect garment to pack for just about any trip. While they come in a variety of materials from silk to wool, the best for traveling are the ones made of synthetic materials. They just don't wrinkle and they wash easily in a hotel room sink. The wrap dress, especially a black one, is so versatile that it can move from day to night or from sight seeing to a business meeting with ease. You can dress them up or dress them down, depending on your needs. This classic dress flatters nearly every figure and covers a multitude of sins. While the DVF wrap dresses are gorgeous, the one shown is the classic Julian, there are also more economical options like this one from Macys. Once you find one you love, you won't want to leave home without it!

Packing tips from Real Simple

This short video from the Early Show from a couple of years ago has some great and simple tips for simplifying your packing and sticking to a 22" suitcase. While that suitcase is too big to carry on an international flight, the tips are applicable for any size. My favorite tips are rolling your clothes (I do this and it definitely keeps wrinkles at bay) and utilizing dry cleaner bags to separate clothes from the rest of your bag.

Multitasker Mondays: Hydrotint Duo

One important way to minimize what you pack so it fits into a carry-on bag is to use products that serve more than one purpose. Multitasker Mondays will feature a tip or product that does just that. I already shared with you one of my all time favorite multitasking products, Lotion-to-Go, an all purpose moisturizer. Today's product is more of a beauty product. We all want to look great, even if we are tired and jet lagged and this product works wonders. The Pixi Hydrotint Duo is five products in one tiny package. The main tube contains moisturizer that doubles as a foundation because of its subtle tint, sunscreen with SPF 20, and has anti-wrinkle ingredients too! The top is a solid lip and cheek tint and together, they can help you look refreshed and glowing in minutes. Pack this product with mascara and a pot of cream shadow and you have a complete face routine in very little space! Pixi is the fabulous London-based cosmetics company recently made famous in the U.S. because their new collection for Target. Unfortunately this product isn't a part of their Target collection, but you can get it on Amazon here.

Traveling Commandment #1 - Never Check Luggage

After many years of traveling all over the world and carefully watching and interviewing other travelers, I have come with a list of "Traveling Commandments" to share with you that I hope will help you enjoy traveling more and reduce much of the hassle. The Traveling Diva's first commandment is to never (or almost never) check luggage with an airline. Here are just a few of the reasons why you should choose to limit yourself to carry-on luggage only.

* You can check into your flight from home and head right to your gate on arrival at the airport, which means you spend less time at the airport
* If one of your flight segments is delayed or canceled, it's much easier for a gate agent to quickly book you on another flight if you haven’t already checked luggage
* The airline can't lose your bag!
* Many airlines now charge up to over $100 for checking a bag
* Your bag is in your control at all times, eliminating the risk of an airport worker with sticky fingers (this is an especially big problem in foreign countries)
* If you get delayed at an airport overnight, airlines will frequently not enable you to retrieve checked luggage, leaving you without the basic comforts like clothes, toiletries, etc.
* When you arrive at your destination, you don't have to waste time at baggage claim
* You can move more quickly with less (and the right kind of) luggage, which gives you more flexibility for your whole trip
* Your sanity

For trips one week or less, this is a no brainer. DON’T CHECK LUGGAGE! If you are wondering how on earth you can cram all of your stuff into a carry on suitcase, never fear, future posts will cover just that. You will wonder why you ever wanted to carry anything bigger! Packing for trips greater than one week in length will be covered in a future post. Traveling light is one of the nicest things you can do for yourself in order to enjoy your trip more and be better prepared for the bumps in the road, and that's what this blog is all about!

INTL 101: Identification

These days, no matter where you go out side the continuous 48 states, you will most likely need a passport. Almost all cruises now require them, and even Canada too. One of the worst things that can happen to you on your trip is to have your passport lost or stolen. To prevent being stuck in a foreign country because you lost your ID and have to hang out at the U.S. Embassy for days, follow this tip...

Photocopy your passport and keep copies in several places like your purse, suitcase, and with a friend back home. This way, you have some identification to facilitate the process of getting your ID back in case of the worst. If possible, leave your passport in your hotel safe during the day and carry only the copy. Another option is to take a photo of the passport with your digital camera and keep digital copies (as well as paper copies) in your email or some other online service that you can get to from anywhere in the world. You can even take a photo with your camera phone as long as the camera is good enough to make the text on your passport clear and readable. If your camera phone doesn't take excellent photos (mine doesn't), you can always sync the photo from your computer to your phone or email it to your phone, depending on your phone's capabilities. Bottom line- don't leave home without copies of your passport!

Lotion-to-Go

One way to tackle your travels (or just simply your day) with composure is to make yourself more comfortable. My favorite go-to product is an all natural lotion stick that has so many wonderful uses. I initially bought it because I wanted a hand cream to carry that was solid so I didn't have to declare it as I went through airport security. I did not expect to like it this much but it's fantastic! I use it a lot on my hands to moisturize them after I wash and it is exceptionally moisturizing. It also doesn't leave a greasy residue to rub off on whatever I touch next. It stays put and feels great. You simply glide the stick all over your hands and then rub our hands together. The friction from your hands causes the lotion to melt a little and spread all over your hands. Lotion-to-Go has more uses than I can count, but this is what I (or my friends) have used it for...

- hands

- cuticles

- fly aways

- blisters

- rubbing on heels or toes to keep you from getting blisters with new shoes

- baby bottoms

- chapped lips

- stuck zippers

- crazy eyebrows

- blending makeup

It comes in several scents (or unscented) but my favorite is lavender. It's so relaxing that sometimes I rub it on my hands simply to inhale! You will be amazed how much better you feel after just smelling this stuff! Best of all, it's only about $10 and you can pick it up at most Whole Foods. If you have tried it and have more uses for it, please let me know in the comments.

INTL 101: Carry-On Luggage

Carry-on bag requirements have gotten quite ridiculous in recent years. You used to be able to carry on just about anything, as long as you could physically carry it. These days, the number and size of bags continues to decrease and the contents of your bags are under increasing scrutiny. Internationally, the requirements are quite different. In the U.S. suitcases listed as 22" like in the first photo, are considered to be "airline-approved" for its ability to fit in the overhead bin of most commercial plans. In Europe and elsewhere in the world, showing up to a plane gate with a bag like that will get you a long, well manicured finger waved in  your face and a repeated "NO!" in a french accent. (At least it did for me!) In most countries outside the U.S. the standard is 19" or 20" for a carry-on suitcase. The pink suitcase in the photo is the type you will mostly find in Europe. The bags are almost always hard sided, which means you really can't over stuff them as I like to do on my suitcases. The upside to this limitation is that the 19" hard sided suitcases come in tons of fabulous bright colors and patterns. They also frequently have four small "spinner" wheels that can rotate 360˚ instead of two fixed wheels. This allows for much more maneuverability when racing through a eurorail station and makes the bags more stable when standing so they aren't constantly falling over is your bag is unbalanced (which mine always does). Ebags has a special section of their website dedicated to international carry-on bags and the one shown is currently only $80. If you sign up for their email list, they frequently email discount coupons for 20% off. 

In future posts, I will talk about why it's important to pack everything as a carry-on and to not check luggage, if at all possible. I will also cover how you can pack for a week in a small suitcase like this and still look fabulous!

Introducing...

Welcome to The Traveling Diva! The Traveling Diva is a labor of love and many years in the making. My passion for travel, organization and fashion have all lead up to this day and I am so excited to introduce you to this new resource for you!

Traveling these days can be incredibly stressful and emerging at your destination with a smile on your face should be a new Olympic sport! Despite the delays, jet lag, tiny plane seats, terrible food, and lost luggage, we still do it! Whether you are a business traveler, adventure seeker or simply a mom zipping from school to work to soccer and back again, this site can help you excel at navigating your mobile lifestyle with comfort, style and grace.

My dear friend Kris unknowingly inspired me to finally start this blog after many years of encouragement from friends and family. Kris is preparing to make her first international trip in April when she and her husband celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary in the city of lights, PARIS!!! In honor of her, over the next few months I will be doing special posts for any new international travelers. INTL 101 will cover everything beginner travelers need to know before they head overseas. If there is a specific topic or question you would like to see covered here, please email me at thetravelingdiva@gmail.com

Welcome!