Getting Your Fave Products in Miniature

It has been a really long time since I've traveled with a full-size health or beauty product that I brought from home. (I've had to purchase a few things along the way.) I know I don't need a giant bottle of shampoo for two weeks, so why pack it and have to pay to check my bag when I don't have to? When you travel, you need to learn to be a little bit flexible, and that extends to the products you bring. Instead of seeing the TSA rules as an obstacle, I think of it as a way to help me pack light and more efficiently. When someone says "You can't fit everything you need into a quart bag!" I respond with "Challenge accepted!" You know why? Because when you're creative, you can get everything you need into that little bag. 

There are lots of places you can find small sizes of your favorite products that will make your travel bag lighter and will allow you to fit everything you need into you 3-1-1 liquids bag.

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The Makeup Counter

If you shop the makeup counter for your beauty products, make sure to plan your visit when there's a free gift (Clinique and other large beauty companies advertise these several times a year). This is when you'll end up with trial sizes of some of the products you already use. Pop them in your travel bag and leave your large sizes at home. I find that most trial sizes, even if they are really small, still have enough for a week or two. 

Sephora always offers minis when you spend a specific amount (whether you shop online or in-store). Become a Beauty Insider (if you aren't already) and accrue points for purchases that you can trade in for deluxe samples. Before you get to the check-out, you can find tiny versions of some of their popular products, which might also be items you use everyday. This might be a dangerous way to shop while you're waiting in line, but it can also be useful.

Drugstores

I go to Target all the time, but maybe you frequent Rite Aid or CVS or Walgreens. They all have a travel size aisle. I find these the best place to find deodorant, bottles, toothpaste, contact solution and other generic minis. If you use regular shampoo brands found in drugstores, you can often find travel sizes of these, too, like Loreal, Pantene and Garnier. 

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3floz.com

Looking for more upscale brands? 3floz specializes in these, but in sizes that specifically fit into your travel bag. Whether you need a small packet of facial wipes, a fancy eye cream or makeup remover, you can find them on this site that ranges from selling natural brands like Yes To... to more expensive products from Dr. Dennis. You can pack a miniature spa in your carry-on to help you feel at home and pampered wherever you go.

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Minimus

So, there are lots of products you can't find at a drugstore even though they exist. You are almost guaranteed to find them at Minimus. Not only can you find a huge range of beauty products here, but you can also find health items (aspirin, antibacterial cream, anti-diarrheal chews, vitamins) and even food products (single-serving snacks, salad dressings, condiments).  I have bought quite a few things from Minimus, including a variety of useful medicine cabinet necessities to put together an emergency kit for when my sister-in-law went off to college.

Decant

I have a collection of travel bottles, spray bottles and jars. If I can't find a travel size of my fave product, I decant. And sometimes you just don't need all that much of something, like moisturizer where a little goes a long way, so you don't need a large jar of it, so you can downsize even further by putting it a contact case or something similar.

With these tips, you can easily fit everything you absolutely need in your 3-1-1 bag and toiletry bag to help you go carry-on only. What's your favorite way to stock your travel bag with minis?

My next newsletter is only a few days away. It'll have tips on where to travel in April & May that are budget-friendly. Don't forget to sign up for it, as this won't be available on the blog. (Find the short form right underneath my social media buttons at the top of this post.)

Get More Vacation By Avoiding Jet Lag

Jet lag. Is there anything worse? Well, probably. Getting robbed or attacked by a bear or losing your passport. Those are all worse actually. There's a really low chance of most of those things happening to you, but jet lag is really common...and annoying. You can lose hours or days of your trip because of it, which is kind of like being robbed, because you're paying for vacation you don't get to use. Going west to east is worse than going east to west, but it depends on how many time zones you're crossing. The best way to avoid jet lag is to start combating it before you even leave home. Here are some tips:

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Adjust Your Schedule

The sooner you can get on your new schedule, the better. If you can do so before you leave home, that's optimal, but if you have to work and can't really do that, then start on your plane ride. Immediately set your watch to what the local time will be and do what you normally do at that time. If it's time to sleep, then sleep, but if it's not, make yourself stay awake as much as possible. I take a quick nap, but occupy myself reading, watching a movie, playing a game or coming up with new post ideas (maybe you journal instead). If you are traveling with someone, break out a card game and make them play with you. In other words, keep your brain busy. When you get to your destination, stay on schedule. If it's daytime, do some sightseeing. If it's nighttime, then go to bed. Simple! And don't forget to eat on time. Have problems getting on a new schedule? Try an app like this one!

Stay Hydrated

Not getting enough liquids in your body can cause you to be sluggish. Bring a big bottle of water with you on the plane, avoid dehydrating drinks like soda and alcohol, and continue drinking extra of water for the first couple of days of your trip. This can also keep you from getting sick.

Eat Light and Healthy

Eating is really important, but you don't want to eat a huge meal before getting on the plane. You also don't want to eat fried and junk food. Find something light and healthy (or as much as possible) to eat before your flight that'll keep your going, but not weigh you down and make you sleepy. You'll also want to bring snacks. Protein-packed, healthy foods like nuts or fruit are great options. 

Need more advice? Check out this informative infographic that gives you eve more ideas on how to stay awake and on course on your vacation.

If you want to know more about a jet lag "diet", see my post here. I didn't try it like I meant to, but I found that getting on schedule ASAP worked really well. I was really tired that first evening, but after a good night's sleep, I was good to go and made the most of all my vacation days.

Have you ever been a victim of jet lag?

My Travel Bucket List

I kind of hate the term “bucket list”, since it’s a little morbid. I’d prefer to call this my Travel Life List, because I like to live life to the fullest and travel certainly helps me do that. I know I probably won’t get to everything on my list, but that’s okay. In my next life, I’ll work towards the ones I didn’t cross off. Yes, I totally believe that’s how it works and we learn each time we come around. Here’s a short list of places I want to visit and some of the things I want to do there.

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Greece & Malta

If you’ve ever seen a picture of the gorgeous Greek seaside, you won’t wonder why this is on my list, or really anyone’s list. Between the Mediterranean, the food and the people, this is really quite high up on my Life List. And since Malta is, literally, right there, there’s no reason to skip it. I blame old World’s Strongest Man competitions for making me drool over this destination. It’s small, it’s beautiful and it invokes a little bit of Greek heaven. I guess I better get to work on the elliptical, so my legs can handle the millions of steps I'll have to climb on my trip.

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Spain

How am I ever going to test out my Spanish if I don’t go anywhere that speaks it? That can’t be the only excuse to visit Spain though. The buildings, the history, the landscape. I just want to wander the villages and eat tapas my whole vacation.

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Turkey

This is the ultimate budget travel destination on my list. Once you fly there, everything is quite affordable, plus it’s not like your typical European destination. I want to visit Cappadocia and sleep in a cave hotel and go on a hot air balloon ride and take a ride on a yacht. I mean, don’t all those things sound just the coolest? Everywhere else this would cost a fortune, but not in Turkey!

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Stonehenge

I adore London, but I acknowledge that there’s so much more outside the city too. We almost made it to Stonehenge on our last visit, but a freak hurricane (I wish I was kidding) hit too close to the city and messed up the trains. Coupled with an unfortunate life choice of one who ruined everyone’s commute by jumping on the underground tracks, there was no way we could get to the station to catch our bus. Ah well, next time we’ll get there, along with Bath and the Cotswolds.

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Drive around Ireland

I don’t know why I think this is a good idea, but the lush green hills of Ireland and the fact that you may just have to stop and wait for animals to cross the road before you can continue on your way just sounds very appealing to me. I also feel like the laid back feel of the whole country will make for an incredibly relaxing trip.

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Tokyo Disneyland

Ah yes, Tokyo itself sounds really amazing, and I’m going to make it there one day, but one of the attractions I am dying to see is the Japanese version of my favorite theme park. It’s so different, yet I know it will probably still feel like home, but probably with more politeness. How can this not be on my list? Also, is it weird that I kind of want to spend a night in a capsule hotel? Yes? Okay then.

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Australia & New Zealand

I know these aren’t the same, but when I go to one, I’m going to the other. If I’m spending $2,000 per person on airfare, I’m probably only going to do it once. I feel like a three-week trip is in order here and will give us almost enough time to see the most important points of our must list. I want to see the desert, the amazing animals and giant spiders (hopefully from a very far distance), the cities of Melbourne and Sydney and try Vegemite (or not), then see both sheep and the high-rise buildings of Auckland.

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French Riviera

As much more as I still have to see of Paris, I also want to spend some time on the beaches of France, sipping aromatic coffee and viewing some of the rolling countryside. I feel like I’m going to do a great job learning my French and this is going to be a crazy awesome and beautiful trip.

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Panama Canal Cruise

I’m not even sure why I want to do this, except paying just $500 for a two-week cruise sounds like a giant bargain to me. Plus, I really know nothing about the Panama Canal except that the views are amazing and it’s used for imports and exports. Can I use my Spanish here?

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Galapagos Islands

We’ve been to Ecuador before, but we went the complete opposite route of the Galapagos. We stayed in Quito, visited the cloud forest and enjoyed a trip to Otavalo with its lively markets, historical buildings and food, glorious food. We also spent a lot of time getting lost. A trip to the Galapagos, while allowing us to view unique animals up close, will also cut down on the chances of getting lost for hours at a time – unless it doesn’t, in which case, we might be doing it wrong.

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The Mall of America

Maybe this is a dumb thing to put on a list, but I can’t help but want to see a place where you can spend over a week in a mall and never see everything there is available. Between shops, theme parks, entertainment, dining options and people watching, the only thing really missing is fresh air and sunshine. This is the kind of vacation where you take a day trip just to go outside.

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Reykjavik

Oh man. Can I even tell you how much I want to sit in a geothermal spring and eat cod that was cooked by the same thing that heated the water? Why does that sound so intriguing to me? I don’t know, but the fact that the people of Iceland also believe in elves and I can see the Northern Lights there, I’m willing to try to figure out how to pronounce some of their gigantic words and also eat some gross fish dishes at unreasonable prices.

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Tour castles in Scotland

Not that there isn’t fabulous other things to see in Scotland, but I’ve been corrupted by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts and all the stunning photos of the tons of castles in Europe and the UK, so there’s no way I’m headed to Scotland without traveling the Highlands and visiting at least a handful of crumbling castles. It sounds like a brilliant way to spend a week or two of life.

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Castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Germany

Yes, I’m going to head to Berlin and maybe get on the Autobahn and stuff myself with red cabbage and see Checkpoint Charlie in person, but if I miss out on seeing the historic Castle Neuschwanstein – the inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle – then my trip to Germany is a fail.

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Transylvania

Am I one of those weird people that love Dracula? Yes, I am, but doesn’t Romania just sound exotic? I want to see the home of Vlad the Impaler, catch sight of some wild bears and just immerse myself in a culture that is so far removed from what I’m used to that it will be a true travel adventure.

Okay, so this is hardly my whole Life List. I also want to go on African Safari, eat pasta in Italy and watch the fisherman bring in their hauls in Maine, but not everything can fit in one blog post and my list is forever evolving. I know you have a bucket or life list of your own. What are some of the things and places that will help complete your travel adventures?