Infographic: Who Packs Better - Men or Women?

I'm always fascinated by the differences in packing strategies by different people. One of the biggest packing differences are between men and women. I travel enough to have stopped trying to take half my closet and 22 pairs of shoes. I have realized I don't need that much variety, especially since I rarely would use that much I brought. Even packing just about the bare minimum now, I find I don't wear all of it. If you look at your patterns, you may find you're the same, or you're a guy that could use a little more variety, because you actually pack less than necessary. You probably don't need a tuxedo on your trip, but is is possible that a sports jacket would help you out in some situations? 

The Art of Holiday Packing infographic

You can view my tips on how to pack for a weekend getaway and for a week or more, both in a carry-on. It's doable and my husband and I usually pack all our stuff together, so if you think it can't be done for just one person, think again. You always want to start with a packing list. Trust me. It's a necessity to ensure you pack everything you need, but don't pack a bunch you don't. Hint: don't tick stuff off until you've actually packed it in your bag.

What's the most important thing you've forgotten to pack on a trip? Ours was socks and our iPod charger. We were never able to find socks on the cruise or any ports and, oddly, no electronics place in Ecuador had an iPod adapter, but the awesome head cook at the hotel restaurant was nice enough to loan us his charger.

The Awesomeness of Vacation Rentals

I love a good vacation rental. They offer so much more than a hotel ever could, all with one rate. This past weekend we spent in Vegas. It was just our luck that they had the hottest temps in 100 years, but you can never know what's going to happen when you plan your trips ahead of time. At least we flew back home before they cancelled many flights out of the airport due to the heat wave. If we found it too hot to go out, we could easily have holed up in our rental. It had everything we needed and then some.

The property was right across the street from some restaurants, it had a small market on-site and they had a shuttle bus that ran to the grocery store for guests to stock up their kitchens. As you can see, we had a large bedroom, washer and dryer, a nice dining area and a good size kitchen. not only that, but we had a huge balcony overlooking the pool, with more than enough seating and a grill. If we wanted to grill more than our little BBQ could handle, there were shared grills downstairs in the common area. In fact, other guests were down there making some racks of ribs.

We had a perfect view of the lazy river on the property. Nearby was also a play area for kids and a play area for adults - a game room with pool, ping pong, an arcade, a lounge and movie rentals. The resort had a spa where you could get a massage and also a gym (which I didn't get to). 

I was pretty impressed with all the amenities on the property. The market itself contained almost anything you could want. In fact, it was the only place I was able to find running shorts, which I had somehow left at home. I don't run, but I do use them to both sleep in and as a swimsuit bottom. Now I have an extra pair to keep in my carry-on. The market sold bathing suits, board shorts, cover-ups, Las Vegas souvenirs, every grocery staple you could need, sunscreen, essential toiletries and a coffee shop that sold Starbucks coffee drinks. 

A vacation rental is one of the best choices for families or groups, because they offer so much and give you a ton of room to spread out in. It's like having a house at your destination. You have everything you need at your disposal and can save a ton of money by using your kitchen, entertainment and washer/dryer. When you can do your own laundry, you don't have to take much clothing, meaning it's so much easier to pack light and avoid baggage fees. We packed everything for our weekend in one large carry-on, but we could have packed just a few more things and been good for a whole week or two. More on what we did in Vegas later.

Where to find vacation rentals: Airbnb | FlipKey | VRBO | RedWeek | HomeAway

What are your favorite parts of a vacation rental?

Review: Dream Water Sleep Aid

I love to travel. That's no secret. Even though I can pretty much sleep at any time and almost anywhere, there are times when I have issues sleeping. Oddly enough, I can sleep for hours all scrunched up on a plane in coach, but once I get to my destination, the first night is always a restless one for me. It takes me forever to fall asleep, then I toss and turn all night and I wake up insanely early and can't doze anymore after that. I guess it's just the change of scenery, since I can swap hotel rooms and beds and never have that problem after the first night. Is this just me? Maybe it's the excitement of being on vacation!

Dream Water reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in trying their all-natural sleep aid drink. It comes in one of those bottles that is a quick shot, so it's less than the 3 oz. that is the maximum for any container allowed in your 3-1-1 bag. On our quick trip to Vegas, we got all our liquids in one bag and then used our second bag for our Dream Water. Eric is just a terrible sleeper in general. He wakes up fifty times in the night, even though he falls asleep fairly quickly. Being a really light sleeper is not a great thing when on a trip, because all the noises going on can be different from at home and keep you from sleeping well.

On our first night, we did our normal bedtime stuff, then popped our bottles of Dream Water. I crawled into bed and read a chapter of my book and Eric watched some stuff on ESPN. The directions say to drink your sleep aid 30 minutes before you go to bed, but I found that 15 worked out just fine. I put my book down, didn't have issues with thinking a million things before I fell asleep. I succumbed to deep sleep for about six hours, which doesn't sound like a lot, but I didn't wake up once in the middle of the night, was able to doze off and on for another two hours and felt completely rested when I finally got up.

I got up with a load of energy and felt ready for the day. When I asked Eric about his experience, he said he also slept really well, didn't wake up until it was light out and also felt super rested. In my mind, that's a win, since we are the total opposite when it comes to sleep patterns. It made a great start to the beginning of our long weekend.

Dream Water in Snoozeberry, NighTEA Night and Paradise PM

Dream Water comes in three tasty flavors, has zero calories and contains no drugs. In fact, it is all-natural, made from a mix of ingredients including melatonin, a popular sleep aid. Because the ingredients are natural, so getting a good night's sleep is also healthy. That little 2.5 oz. bottle helps you relax, destress and enjoy some quality sleep. 

On our way back home, I stopped into a shop at the airport and while I was waiting to pay, I found a little display of Dream Water with the other "impulse" buys, like candy and gum. This is totally smart, because maybe you've realized once you got to the airport that you need to get some sleep on the plane, and if you normally can't do that - I think I'm in the minority there - then grab a bottle or two to bring on board with you. Use one on a long flight and then another when you get to your destination and are trying to deal with the dreaded time change. I'm thinking Dream Water may be a great addition to my 3-1-1 on my trip to Europe this fall, because I would love to fall asleep at a reasonable time, sleep well and possibly avoid jet lag, so I don't lose a day or more when I've already lost one to get where I'm going to begin with.

What are your biggest sleep issues on vacation?

Additional information

Where you can buy it: On the Dream Water website, Amazon and other retailers

How much it costs: $2.99 each, but they also come in 4-, 12- or 24-packs. Order now online and get free shipping.

Flavors it comes in: Snoozeberry (pomegranate-blueberry) | NighTEA Night (lemony tea) | Paradise PM (tropical pineapple)

Other specs: 2.5 oz., o calories, all-natural, drug-free

Disclosure: I was provided with a 4-pack of Dream Water for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.