The 2020 Travel Goods Show

So, I'm headed back from the Travel Goods Show in New Orleans, and I've got a lot product recommendations and reviews coming at you, but for now I wanted to give you a peek of some of the cool products I saw. If you're following my Instagram, you may have seen a bunch of these already, or you may have missed them in my stories.

Unfortunately, the Coronavirus made travel pretty impossible for a lot of people, so the show was smaller this year and pretty quiet. For me, personally, that was great, because I didn't need to make any appointments and could just walk into booths to speak to merchants.

Standley, from Denmark, is a company that makes wonderful bags. Their motto is 'Watch more sunsets', and they made a bag to do just that. It has a stand that pulls out, and a seat pad that attaches so you can sit comfortably and enjoy wherever you are. They also have great cooler bag for picnics.

Ever find your keys to be big and bulky? Keysmart turns them into a sort of Swiss Army knife. They even have one equipped with Tile for those that often lose their keys.

So many hotels have crummy lighting in the bathroom. Riki from Glamcor makes awesome makeup mirrors of all sizes with built-in lighting that you can adjust to different levels for your preference. This one us carry-on perfect, allowing you to mix and match your favorite palette pieces inside

Have I told you about YaY Novelty? These bags do great things and also look great. Each bag purchased gives money to Cambodian genocide survivors. I've used these for groceries, shopping, extra stuff coming back from trips, laundry, and even gift bags. So cute and versatile!

Pocketalk is one of the coolest products out there for world travelers. It translates 74 languages, converts currency, and fits right in any pocket!

This revamped boarding bag from Walter + Ray is not only chic, but so useful. Slip your flight accessories inside and you're ready to fly!

I met the lovely folks from True Dark, who make stylish blue light-reducing eyewear. They help reduce eyestrain and also help you sleep better when you might experience jet lag. They come in three different levels for different light and times of day, and each come in styles that will suit everyone's face.

Sick of packing your own 3-1-1 bag? Travel Pakt allows you to customize your bag with natural brands, them they put it all together in a flight compliant bag and ship it off to you. Boom! Ready to go!

This isn't all the cool stuff I brought back, tested, or will be reviewing, but it's a good sampling. What products are your travels lacking?

How Are You Feeling?

It's been a while since I've done a "what's going on" post, where I tell you all the things I'm liking/hating/looking forward to. I think I'm going to start doing these each time I'm on a trip, because it's pretty awesome in getting a really quick feel for a place and my state of mind there or getting there. 

Here's my "what's going on" for New Orleans, where I'm attending the Travel Goods Show and doing some sightseeing with my mom. You can follow along with my travel on Instagram.

Making: New connections at the Travel Goods Show. 

Drinking: A lot of water, chicory coffee, and (limited) happy hour drinks.

Listening: I've gotten back into podcasts. I'm binging all the McElroy casts, mostly the new episodes of The Adventure Zone, which is a D&D RPG hybrid podcast the three brothers do with their dad. Even if you don't like D&D, but you like funny dudes and great storylines, it's definitely one to try. I'm on Graduation, but I highly recommend going back and starting from the beginning with their first campaign. And if that doesn't sound like your jam, but you do like terrible advice shows, check out My Brother My Brother And Me. (MBMBaM is legit NSFW.)

Looking: I'm checking out new travel goods and in between looking at historic buildings.

Wishing: Wishing I had a bit more time in town to see and eat more things. 

Enjoying: All the historic buildings everywhere you look and the beautiful splashes of color.

Wondering: Why some people need to spend their entire plane ride drinking. The whole row of people behind us on the plane were rowdy and drinking all the alcohol. I was a bit surprised that none of them got sick during our very turbulent turbulence. 

Watching: Mostly people. We saw an impromptu parade coming back from dinner.

Hoping: I can get a last-minute reservation at Commanders Palace for lunch.

Marvelling: At the fact that people find that during a time of massive turbulence is the perfect time for getting up and rooting around in the overhead bin. Plus side, a woman across the aisle and I had a mutual eye roll moment. (My personal opinion is the overhead is to remain closed unless there's an emergency. All your necessary items should be on you or in a bag under your seat. Nobody wants a butt in their face or a bag falling on their head.)

Needing: A few more days here to see the sights. Guess I'll have to come back.

Smelling: So many pralines and also boiling crawfish.

Wearing: My Arcopedico Mary Janes and Aerosoles sandals to keep my feet happy.

Thinking: There are way too many bad neck pillows that are very similar and/or very bad.

Buying: Duh. Beignets. What else?

Disliking: I'm sorry, I can't like jambalaya. I want to, but I just can't.

Feeling: Full from all the delicious foods here.

Obviously, I'll be writing a lot more about this trip, but wanted to a bit of a departure from the norm this week. What are your favorite things about New Orleans?

Getting Ready for the Travel Goods Show

The Travel Goods Show is coming up, which means I'm all packed and ready to go. It's a bit tricky to pack for, because I tend to come back with much more than I left with (samples and whatnot), and I don't like to check a bag unless I absolutely have to. 

There seems to be a rule that every other year they send you home with a full-size wheeled carry-on. This is an off year, so I'm bringing a wheelie bag that unzips to become full-size, plus a personal size carry-on that I stuffed inside and will use on the plane. This way, when I come back, I'll have a full bag to stuff with goodies, and all my clothes and toiletries will fit in the smaller one.

I'll only be in New Orleans for two full days and half of a Saturday, so I don't need much, but I  will be meeting with travel industry peeps for two days and might need to dress nicely for at least one dinner. I'm packing the following:

• 4 tops
• 1 dress
• 1 pair of lightweight black pants
• a pair of sandals
• 1 rain jacket
• 1 pair of joggers to wear for bed (which I will pair with the tee I'm wearing on the plane)
• necessary undergarments

Travelon World Travel Essentials 3-in-1 Crossbody
Conair travel-sized flat iron

On the plane I'll be wearing a pair of black denim jeggings, a gray tee, and a lightweight jacket. I'm wearing my Arcopedico Vegas Mary Janes, since they are closed-toe and heavier than my sandals. I picked black as a neutral, so everything I take will go together. (I'll take photos of each outfit while on my trip.)

Lewis N Clark compression packing cube

The key to packing light is choosing a small mix-and-match wardrobe. Black is good for pants, because unless something terrible happens, you can wear them multiple days in a row without washing. My lightweight pants are Columbia and moisture-wicking, plus don't appear to hold odor. They are quick drying, so if I do need to wash them, they will be ready to wear the next morning from just hanging them up.

I also am making use of two packing cubes: one for my clothing, and one for my undergarments that actually can be used as a purse when I arrive. Since I won't have to share my bag with anyone, I'm going old school and was able to get everything I needed for toiletries in a simple zippered bag (which has a waterproof lining). 

They all fit perfectly into the back of the bag, then my personal size bag easily scrunches on top, and it has my Airplane Pockets, charging cords, snacks, rain jacket, Barrier Method scarf, and my iPad. My small purse will be able to fit inside too. As always, I'll be bringing a reusable water bottle.

Hopefully, this helps you pack a bit lighter. I'll follow up with some more in-depth photos, so you can see how each outfit comes together, what toiletries I decided were absolutely necessary, and if I can recommend this wheelie bag at all. LOL! I, honestly, bought it for just this purpose. I can already tell you the Timbuk2 bag that's a personal item size is definitely a winner. 

What are your favorite items to help you pack light?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may be financially compensated and you'll also be helping to keep this blog running, so thanks!