Review: Travelsox Compression Socks

By now you know I'm a big advocate for compression socks. The good ones work and work well. The bad ones don't work at all and probably have a price that makes you wonder what the difference is between them and the expensive ones until you wear them. Of the many things at the Travel Goods Show, I was very interested in trying a new (to me) brand of compression socks and Travelsox easily agreed to be that company. 

If you find yourself with swollen feet and/or ankles when you travel, either from long flights or just extensive walking, then you need to get yourself a pair of good compression socks. We've finally gotten to the point where they are more common and therefore come in a lot of fun designs as well as the classic colors you want. They don't look like old people socks anymore, so you won't feel weird wearing them. 

The days at the Travel Goods Show were long with lots of walking the convention center and standing talking to vendors. I won't complain, because it's fun, even though it's work. Travelsox had a ton of fun designs, many of which are new, and I was interested to see how well they worked for my legs at the end of a long day of walking. When I got back to my room and settled in for the evening. I slipped these on and left them on, even after I went to sleep. They massaged my legs in all the right places and I could feel it helping to get my blood flowing again.   

My legs, ankles and feet all began to feel less swollen and achy (always a plus when you have more days of walking ahead of you). I left them on halfway through the night until I needed my feet to be cooler, but those hours of use really made my legs feel much better and ready for the next day.   

Since coming back from Vegas, I've been wearing these regularly on workdays where I'm standing for 8 hours at a time and they have made a world of difference. Usually, standing that long makes me feel like I want to cut my feet off too, but these help with the pressure, because they make sure that my legs and feet don't swell at all. 

And after a long day, my feet don't feel sweaty and they aren't stinky either, because Travelsox uses a patented fabric called Silver DryStat, that uses silver to make your socks antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial and anti-fungal. That's awesome, right? They also use  their own fiber called MICROSupreme to give your socks moisture-wicking properties. 

These hug your legs and feet in just the right way and aren't bulky at all, so you can wear them with all your favorite shoes, even slip-on ones like my work tennies above. In the cold warehouse they make sure that I'm warm, but not hot, and keep my feet happy even after hours of standing on a concrete floor. I don't know about you, but this is invaluable to me. I know that when I travel, I can wear them all day without issue and even if I just wear them when I'm back in the room, while I won't get the full benefits of wearing them while I'm actually active, they will they take down my swelling and hit all my aching points, so I have fresher feet the next day. And because of their anti-odor properties, if I can't do laundry for a couple days, I can wear them a second time with no problem. I'm guessing I'll just order another pair or two. 

Know someone who has bad circulation or do you need help on long flights yourself? These are half the price as some of their competitors and they are just as efficient, if not more. They come in fun colors and patterns or classic colors, plus you can get shorter socks if you aren't a fan of the knee-high version. Just know that they won't give you the great calf massaging benefits that you get with the taller ones, but maybe your issues are ankles and feet. If that's the case, then those shorter socks are perfect for you. 

Other Specs

Where to buy: On Travelsox website or Amazon

How much: $20-30/pair

Colors: Pretty much anything you're looking for. I'm wearing the TS1167 Travelsox Stripe OTC in brown.

Fabric: Composition: 75% Drystat, 15% Lycra, 10% Nylon, Care Instructions: turn inside out, machine wash warm, tumble dry cool, do not bleach, iron or dry clean.

Loving Travelsox's sock innovation? Find them online: 

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Disclosure: I was provided with a pair of Travelsox compression socks for the purposes of this review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Review: The Kameleon Ultimate Travel Dress

Don't you wish you had a piece of clothing that could morph into other things? Like one top that was actually 10 or more? Think of how much room you'll save in your luggage! I'm all about traveling light and an item like that would go above and beyond in helping me save space in my bag and maybe even let me take a smaller one.

Well Kameleon Rose has come up with your new favorite thing. It's the Ultimate Travel Dress. It's a great strapless dress, but you can flip it around and make it a bunch of different shorter dresses. I knew this was a must for any lady's travel bag, because it can transform into anything you need at the time, except for trousers really. It's perfect for beach vacations, city vacations, cruise vacations. 

poncho | draped top | strapless dress

The fabric is flowy, it doesn't snag (which I would have been able to do by now if it did) and it's breathable. I picked up my Ultimate Travel Dress (UTD) on the last day of the Travel Good Show and then I was ready to wear it that evening when I went out with family and friends to celebrate a cousin's birthday. Even though the weather was mild, I didn't find the fabric too heavy (though it's substantial, so you can't see through it like a lot of lightweight garments) and it didn't make me sweat. You can see the way I styled it as a top in the middle pic above. That's how I wore it out, because we were being casual and that seemed cute and comfy.

harem pants | midi skirt | tank

So, how exactly does the UTD work? It's a pretty easy idea. It has a series of buttons that you can use in different ways in order to get it to configure into different styles. I wore a top that had a lot of coverage, but you can switch it up to make it less modest. Make it a tank, let it hang off the shoulder, give it a deep v, make your own cold-shoulder top, have a higher neck. Really, you're only limited by your imagination.

one shoulder top | low back tank | tank dress

You can do the same as a dress just by pulling the waistband down to make a skirt (like in the 3rd picture above). Flip it over and wear as a midi skirt, pull it down further and make it a maxi mermaid skirt. Pull it back up, close all the buttons and make it into really comfy and cool harem pants. There's nothing about this one-piece that doesn't work on practically everyone. It comes in a range of sizes (I'm wearing the medium, though I could probably have gotten away with a small). 

I feel like this is how all Vegas pictures should look after a night of drinking (sorry to my family for posting this)

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of me out and about wearing the Kameleon dress that were any good, so you can have this "arty" pic that my camera took while we were all laughing and being very uncooperative.

I was leaving bright and early the next morning, so I took the UTD off, shoved it in my bag with no regard for wrinkles and it stayed in my bag for well over 18 hours that way. When I took it out, it barely had any creases, and the ones it did, shook out pretty immediately. Bonus! It is made to roll up and even comes with its own compression loop, making it easy to pack wherever you are.

The fabric is quick-drying, so if you want to wear it multiple times and need to wash it, it'll be dry by the time you're ready to put it back on. You can also leave your purse at home if you don't feel like carrying one, because this dress has a hidden zipper security pocket that will hold essentials for you (a credit card, some cash, your lipstick). It's big enough to hold a passport and it's pretty inconspicuous. This is one piece of travel clothing you're going to want to keep in your carry-on, because it can be almost anything you want it to be.

Other Specs

Where to buy: On the Kameleon Rose website

How much: $80

Colors: Red | Black | Khaki (shown) | Blue |  Sizes: XS-XL

More Details: made in Madagascar from smooth jersey of 96% polyester/4% elastane

Love the Ultimate Travel Dress? Find out more ways to wear it by following them online: 

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Disclosure: I was provided with the Kameleon dress for the purposes of this review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Easy Ways to Save For Travel

What's your number one problem with traveling more? Well, I'm going to guess that it's money, otherwise you probably wouldn't be here. I'm just like you guys. I have to pay for my own travel. We don't have unlimited funds. I rarely get "paid" to travel, though I know people think that, because I get asked about it a lot. I wish I got paid to travel, but then again, you probably wouldn't trust anything I said if I did, right? I know I wouldn't. So, how can you save for travel when it seems like you don't have any money to spare?

Believe it or not, it can be easy to save, even when you think you can't. I have a lot of ways I've used, with much success. I've lived paycheck-to-paycheck most of my life, too, so don't think you can't do it. You might also remember my best friend who has six children and live on one income (because they'd need 5 incomes to pay for childcare, so instead her husband stays home), they pay two mortgages, and vacation at least a couple times a year. When I last wrote about how they did a Disney vacation they only had four kids, which is still more than most people I know. They haven't slowed down their traveling and they are creative in how they do it. If they can do it, then you can do it!

Here are some easy ways you can save for your travel dreams:

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Pay yourself first

You know how when you invest in something like a 401-K and it gets taken out of your paycheck before you even see it? And you never miss it? Do this with your vacation fund. You know when you get paid, so set up an automatic deposit, either through work or on your own online, to go to that separate account. Even just $50 per paycheck can quickly add up and it's not so much that you'll notice it's gone. If you can afford more, change the dollar amount that goes, even if this is a one-time occurrence or permanent. A few dollars more is better than no dollars more.

Tip: Have a separate account is key. Don't make it the same as your regular savings account or checking account. Make it harder for you (and everyone else contributing) to spend it!

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Open a high-yield checking or savings account

Just like I say above, make sure it's separate from your everyday account. While your money is just sitting there, you could be earning more each month for doing nothing more but keeping it in the bank. Free money is good!

Use a fantastic saving app

I've just started using a new app called Qapital. It's really changing the way I spend and save. You set up a goal, or multiple goals, and then set up rules in order to save for them. I've been using this app for three weeks and have saved nearly $30 just by doing things I normally do. I have two rules set up (because I can't go too crazy and my "goal" is far off): One is the $2 round-up rule, so any time I use one of the cards on file, they round up to the nearest $2. That means if I spend $4.50, $1.50 will go into my Qapital account, to make up $6, which is the next denomination of $2 after $4.50. I also have an IFTTT rule that says anytime I check into a place and use the hashtag "coffeetour", it puts transfers another $1 to my account. 

You can change your rules at any time (and there are a lot of them to choose from), the app is free to use and super secure, you can take your savings out whenever you want/need, so you can use it at will, and if your balance on your debit card dips below $100, your savings are paused in order to avoid overdraft. You can use it on both Android and iOS. Start saving now!

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Make a list and stick to it

When I go grocery shopping, I make a list. I try to plan my meals around the same ingredients with some variety. Chicken, noodles, potatoes, carrots, beef and beans are all great staples, because you can make a ton of things with them. Buy enough to make twice as much as you plan to eat and freeze so you have dinners for future nights and can save money in the coming weeks, or have easy food to make when you return from vacation. 

Don't forget coupons and store rewards programs. Use those apps and coupons to guide your shopping for the week or month to save even more. Tally up how much you saved and put that money in your vacation fund!

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Keep the change

If you're like everyone, you have a ton of change just sitting in your car or the bottom of your purse. Make a jar or container at home to throw all that change in at the end of each day. You wouldn't know it, but all those cents can add up over the months and you might find you have a spare $100 or so that you can use as spending money!

Fill your free time

Do you find yourself sitting in front of the TV for an hour or two? Earn points through Swagbucks. You can use these points to earn money and gift cards. It's easy to accrue a lot of points in an hour or so and you can trade them in for travel cards, Amazon gift codes and even Paypal cash. Download the app on your phone to earn even more. It's super easy and totally mindless. 

Get cash back

You're going to buy stuff. You just are. Ebates lets you save money on your online purchases by offering you a set amount of cash back on participating retailers, including a lot of travel sites. If you're going to spend money, you might as well save as much as possible. Ebates sends you cash back payments four times a year, either by check or deposited to your Paypal account. It's super easy, and those payments can be used as spending money on your trips. Want to know more about how it works? I wrote a whole post on it!

Drive past the coffee shop

Getting your morning coffee can set you back $3-5, which easily adds up to $60-100 over the course of a month. I love a professionally-made cup of Joe as much as the next person, but I know they can really be expensive. If you want a fancy cup of coffee, think about investing in an espresso maker or French press and frothing whisk. You'll work the cost off by the end of the year and might even find you like your own coffee better. You'll definitely save calories. Don't worry, I think it's perfectly acceptable to break out once in a while and splurge on a grande triple macchiato with whip. (Yes, I know, I'm one to talk, but you aren't writing a blog post series, are you? Even so, I make my own coffee 85% of the time.) Maybe your weakness is fast food or going out to lunch. Plan your meals ahead of time and/or bring your lunch to work instead. You'll be surprised by how much you spend.

You don't have to totally turn your whole life upside down to save money for your travels. Once you do a few of these things, you'll find it easier to incorporate other ways to save without feeling like you're missing out on anything or being too restrictive. Maybe instead of going to the movies one night, you pick up a Redbox or find something old that's streamable on Netflix. Soon you'll have a little pile of money that grows into a bigger pile of money that will surprise you.

I'd love to know what destinations are on your travel wish list! What trip are you saving for next? 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which help me keep the blog running.