Review & Giveaway: Travelon Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit

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So, I don’t know about you, but when I travel, I like to have all my toiletries together and organized. I am not one to just toss a bunch of stuff in a bag and assume it’s everything I need. I have a list of every necessity and then add a few non-essentials to make me feel pretty. At the end of this month we are going to Las Vegas for three days and I am starting to pack already.

Travelon set me up with their Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit, which is perfect for taking the necessities – and then some – for one person and most likely large enough for several people going on a long weekend (or a longer trip if the majority of your stuff is liquids and goes in your 3-1-1 bag and you are good at paring down everything else). Usually when I travel, I take the regular size hanging toiletry kit, but I find it can be a little large if I’m going alone or we go for a short trip.

Look at all this stuff that fit in there!

This kit is definitely compact, but it has a lot more room than you think it does. Look at all this stuff I was able to get into it. Half of it will go in my 3-1-1 bag, but when I get to my destination, I like to have everything in one place, so keeping it all in the bag is really convenient, because I don’t have to search a bunch of places. It’s easy to keep organized, too. There is one large compartment, which is where we stash things like our toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant. Items that we need to find more quickly, like sunscreen and shampoo, can be slipped into the elastic loops – and it keeps bottles from turning over and spilling on everything by accident.

There are two zipper pockets, one mesh on the top that we use for small things that we might need: bandages, tweezers and stain remover towels. In the front is a PVC pocket that is good for things that might make a mess. I like to use it for little things that I use a lot, like my lip balm and contact lens cases.

 

When we get to our room, the compact toiletry case is never in the way. Closed, we can hang it on a hook in the bathroom by the attached loop on the back. When we are actively using the bag, we can unzip it and use the sturdy hanger to hang it on that same hook, from a towel rod or anywhere else it might be fitting. Your necessities can always be at your fingertips, and if someone is using the bathroom, you can hang it somewhere else in the room and have access to your toiletries.

As you can see, once my liquids have been put into my 3-1-1 bag, there is a considerable amount of free space in the toiletry kit. I probably could fit my mini flat iron in there or some hair accessories. It’s the perfect size for my trip later this month, and both Eric’s and my stuff fit into it. It won’t take up much room in our carry-on either, which is important when we are just trying to take the bare essentials and still have some room left to bring purchases home. And you know there will be some, because I’ll be wandering the Forum Shops for a while during the NBA Draft. Eric isn’t going to shop at H&M or drool over Jimmy Choos and I can only watch so much of the Draft before I fall asleep, so there will probably be a few buys to go back home.

We’ll also be staying in two different places within three days, so being able to pack up quickly will be very useful. Since everything can fit into my toiletry kit, I can zip it up, toss it back in my carry-on and then hang it up at my next destination. Easy peasy! Can you tell I love this bag? I think you will, too.

More information

Where you can buy it: Travelon online

How much it costs: $25.00

Colors it comes in: black | blue steel | snake | leopard | zebra

Other specs: 420 D. Polyester fabric that is easily wiped down if you spill on it – the snake print comes in crinkle nylon fabric, 9 X 7 X 4.25 

Want to win your own Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit from Travelon? Enter below!

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Disclosure: I was provided with the Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Review: Snugg iPad Mini Case

So, what do you do when you go on a trip and want to take along your iPad mini? If you’re like me, the first thing you do when you get a new electronic gadget that seems fairly fragile is get a case for it. TheSnugg.com contacted me and asked if I would like to review their popular cases. How could I refuse? For a few minutes I contemplated calling everyone I knew to see if they had a more recently produced iPad that I could borrow for a day to review one of their awesome headrest cases for the car, but I decided instead that most people I know now are all into their minis, since they are more portable and easier to travel with, so I asked if I could review the Snugg mini in a fun color.

I think I’m becoming a case snob now and I’m excited to have several different ones to choose from. I like items that coordinate, too. My netbook that I travel with is royal blue and I asked Snugg to send me the baby blue case to go with it. I figured Eric would be none too thrilled if we got a pink case and it didn’t match with anything. I did like that it was an option though.

Snugg claims they have sold their leather cases all over the world and to many celebrities, so if you want to be like Justin Timberlake – and now me! – you can buy one after you read about how great these protective and stylish cases are. They are available for all generations of iPad, iPad mini and iPhone.

Snugg makes cases that are sleek and colorful. I love the variety of hues they come in and you can be sure that they are sturdy, since they are made of leather. The case has a magnetic closure that keeps it from flapping open if you have it stashed in your bag. Once open the mini is kept in place by a snug (ha!) frame and a convenient Velcro closure that is hidden behind your device. You tuck the tab in to stick it together. I tested its security by waving it all around me and my mini didn’t budge at all. That’s pretty great, especially if you are a one-hand-user or your kid(s) uses it.

The inside cover is soft and sueded to protect your screen, though you can buy special screen defending sheets from Snugg, too. You’ll also find a handle that you can slide your hand under to help you hold onto your mini even better. Slide the cover into the back slot to make it more ergonomic for book or email reading. The handle is soft underneath and is also elasticized to keep it comfortably tight to your hand, so it can’t accidentally slide off and onto the floor. Plus, it’s easy to use if you are right or left-handed.

You don’t have to just hold onto your mini. Once the back has been fit into the slot, it angles the case to be able to use it hands-free in two different positions. You have both a low angle and a steep angle, so it can be used in any way that is comfortable to you.

Another great feature of this case is that your mini does not need to be taken out of the Snugg to be able to use the camera/video function or FaceTime. You can happily snap away while out and about and still keep your mini safe. There are also convenient cutouts for all the iPad features: volume, power button, headphone jack, power jack and microphone. And if you like to use a stylus pen instead of your finger to work your screen, it has a handy little slot to stash it on top, which means you never have to fumble around in your bag for it, because it’s always right at your fingertips.

Even though the Snugg is sturdy and made of leather, it is still not as thick as many other cases are, which makes it easier to pack into any bag you carry, as it is lightweight and doesn’t take up much more room than your actual mini. Do you have a bag with a slot specifically for your iPad? This should fit perfectly in it.

All their cases are attractive, stylish and can be both fun and professional looking if you use your mini for business purposes. I chose the baby blue, but you can chose from anything from basic black to a pixelated camo print and every color in between. If you are looking for a gift for your gadget-loving dad for Father’s Day, there’s still time to pick up one of these nifty cases for his iPad/iPad mini. He’ll love that you were thoughtful enough to get him something to protect one of his most versatile electronic items.

More information

Where you can buy it: Snugg online

How much it costs: $24.99-29.99

Colors it comes in: Black, Baby Blue, Electric Blue, Pink, Orange, Red, White, Distressed Brown, Camouflage, Denim

Other specs: Soft inside with PU leather outside. Automatic sleep/wake function: Open the case to wake your iPad mini, close it and Sleep mode is activated. Lifetime guarantee.

Like Snugg and their great products? Find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.

Disclosure: I was provided a Snugg Mini for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Getting Personal with Alpacas

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When we travel, we always look for the free things to do at our destination. There are cool things to do everywhere that cost little to no money and we practice finding such things by doing them in our own city. I subscribe to a ton of email lists, one of which is LocalHarvest.org that will tell you all the cool farm-related activities happening near you. Normally this includes farmers' markets that are opening and gardener talks, but a few weeks ago it also included a meet and greet at an alpaca farm that was just a few minutes away from where we live. We grabbed our friends and their kids and jumped in the car and went to learn about alpacas and possibly buy some fun stuff for gifts.

As an avid animal-lover, I have always been confused by my wariness of alpacas and llamas. Somehow, I feel like I can't read their body language, so I was also going to EasyGo Farm to get over my fear of these adorable creatures. Once there, I learned that they only have teeth on the bottom, so they can't really bite you (though they can try, as I found out later). For just $1, we got a pretty good size tub of alpaca treats to feed them and they were pretty gentle snuffling it out of our hands, though they got pretty excited and tried to push each other out of the way a bunch of times. 

Alpacas are super soft and some amazing stuff is made from their wool. It doesn't hurt that they are even cuter with short hair and little afros on their heads. Right now, they are all the rage on home farms, because they are very social pets and also help keep the grass low. Plus, you can get yourself a spinning wheel and make your own yarn that you can then turn into clothing if you want. I'm not that motivated, but I did have a good time interacting with them for practically free, and the kids were really into it, too. Enjoy the photos.

This one got a little too grabby and "bit" me when she felt she should get to eat the food in my hand instead of her friend. I was bruised, but it was only pinchy.

On the way back home, we found some other fun stuff to do on other days and stopped at a giant gardening store. We are definitely going back to visit with the alpacas again (and get better pictures). What are some of your favorite free activities either where you live or that you found on vacation?