Happy Holidays!

I know it's only the 23rd, but I'm taking some time for myself and family over the holidays. I hope you all have your gifts taken care of, or you had a great Hanukkah, or you just have a wonderful weekend if you don't celebrate. 

I'll be back after Christmas to bring you more travel tips, but for now, here are some quick, last-minute tips for traveling at this time:

• Wear a mask on the plane and probably in the airport. It's crowded out there and half the people I know are sick with something. Being sick while traveling is the absolute worst. Wash your hands frequently and bring hand sanitizer, too.
• Get to the airport early: 3 hours early, if you can. You don't want to get bumped because you got stuck in traffic or the security line is 3 miles long or any number of other things.
• Pack snacks! 
• If you're checking a bag (which I do not recommend, especially during this time of year), make sure any meds you need are in your carry-on.
• Don't wrap your gifts if they're in your carry-on.
• Pack your patience! This is the busiest time to fly and it's not going to be pretty. There will be delays. There will be cancellations and rebookings. They might be your flights. Be prepared. Everyone's doing their best and it's not the flight crew or the desk attendant's fault. Please don't take it out on them.
• Did your mom make enough food for 3 households and is now trying to make you bring leftovers home? Here's how you can take them on the plane.

While you're waiting at the airport for 17 hours, get a jump start on your next big trip and learn a new language with Babbel. It's easy and fun and you can buy a lifetime subscription, so you can be fluent in all the languages you want for all the trips you plan to take. Take 60% off now until January 15th.

If you're driving, please be safe. With over 115 million people expected to travel, and almost 90% by car, it's going to be crazy out there. For more driving tips, AAA has you covered.

I hope the end of this year is a welcome sight to those of you who had a hard year, and I hope 2024 is much more gentle on everyone. (If you must spend this time with problematic or unkind family, here are some ways to help you power through.) If you want to see more of my last-minute holiday activities, you can follow me on Instagram. 

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through them, I may be financially compensated. This is free to you and helps me continue to run this blog, so thanks in advance.

My Magical December

December is my birth month and we've been doing a lot of magical things during that time. As you know by now, I'm a huge Potterhead. I follow the many Harry Potter events that travel. Years ago we went up to Seattle to see the Harry Potter Exhibition, because that was a close as it was coming to us in Portland. Last year, Yule Ball fell on my birthday. This year, I was lucky enough to have a birthday where I didn't have to work an event.

Yule Ball Butterbeers!

Here's how magical my last month has been:

Harry Potter: Magic At Play

When I saw the Magic At Play coming to Seattle, I told Eric that's what I wanted for my birthday and he got us in the second day of the exhibit. For those of you not in the know, Magic At Play brings all the cool parts of Harry Potter to life through interactive sets and games. You enter through Privet Drive, which has a structure much like they have at a fast food play area. It's probably meant specifically for children, but that didn't stop us. We crawled in through the Dursley's fireplace, zig zagged up and across and down a fun slide. It's probably the most fun anyone ever had at Number 4. 

Inside, you visit Platform 9 3/4, "ride" the boat across the Black Lake to Hogwarts, enter the Great Hall, get sorted, learn spells, do potions, become a moving portrait, play Quidditch, ride a broom, cast a Patronus, visit The Burrow, walk through the Forbidden Forest, and enter the Triwizard maze. There are a lot of photo ops and it's pretty quick, since it's geared toward little people (yet there were a ton of adults there). We spent a little less than 2 hours walking through and then browsing their gift shop and then we went to get lunch and drove the 3 hours home. It was a great day.

Sweet Honeydukes Birthday

Since I come up with a new theme for every Harry Potter birthday party in July, and it takes me a good chunk of time to decorate the house, I transition it all through Halloween and Christmas. My birthday falls inside that time, so I give it a magical twist. This year we did a Honeydukes party, where I asked people to dress as something sweet. One came as a Pepper Imp, one a Chocolate Frog, another was Dots. It was a fun theme and we did a candy bracket, where I picked 16 of the best-selling candies in America and had people fill out a bracket to decide who they picked for #1, then I had people vote until we had a final winner. Spoiler: Reeses peanut butter cups are never going to lose. The person who had the most correct on their own bracket won a prize.

And what's a party without food and treats? Because it was a Honeydukes theme, I had to serve sweets, but I also did mini chicken and leek pies, veggie pies, toad in a hole, and onion tarts. Desserts consisted of Chocolate Frogs, Ice Mice, gingerbread cakes with peppermint icing, cranberry chocolate Christmas cakes, and mince pies, plus an assortment of other goodies, like candy canes, Hershey kisses, marshmallow gummies, shortbread stars, blue raspberry gumballs. As always, we had people guess how many Bertie Botts jelly beans were in a container, and the winner of that got to choose a mystery prize or the container. 

I dressed the tree in "gingerbread" holly leaves, cookies, macarons, peppermints, and topped it with a giant Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean box with cascading beans coming out of it, which I made myself with foam clay, then painted, and attached to wire lights, so they would look like they were coming out of the open box. Lockhart's "office" had cotton candy garland, and I also did a garland with Honeydukes candy boxes, and another with generic candy twists. 

Yule Ball

December isn't over until Yule Ball has popped off. This is the biggest fundraiser of PDXpelliarmus (the Portland chapter of Fandom Forward) and is always a ton of fun and a ton of work. We raise money for charity through ticket sales and raffle sales. This year, we completely ran out of tickets, because people were spending $40-80 to have a chance to win some amazing prizes, but also help our chosen charity, Friendly House, which helps support the elderly LGBTQ+ community in Portland. 

I helped set up in the morning, then went home, changed and then we both went back to run the raffle table while the feast was happening, dance a lot, made some new friends, took a lot of pictures, hung around to help tear everything down and pack it up, and then we hung out and had wine and cheese to decompress and talk about our feelings, which were almost entirely positive. So glad it's over, but also can't wait for next year.

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Bonus: Sippin' On Sixth with Santa

Not Harry Potter magical, but Christmas magical. On my actual birthday, we had brunch at a Christmas pop-up called Sippin' Santa. It's a tiki pop-up restaurant that happens across the country where you can indulge in holiday-themed tiki drinks and even meet Santa. The food was fine, the drinks were great, the vibe was perfect, and we got our picture taken with tiki Santa and Mrs. Claus. I also went home with the most perfect Santa tiki mug. If you're looking to indulge in some tiki vibes during the coldest and rainiest/snowiest, part of the year, check out if there's one near you next year. They have special events throughout the month, like Ugly Sweater Party. I loved it.

I hope your December is also magical. What magical things have you been filling your life with right now?

10 of My Favorite Travel Items

Now that everyone is traveling again, now's the time to stock your travel bag or help others stock theirs. I travel mostly the same way every time I go anywhere, no matter where I go. I have perfected my packing list and having a packing plan that works for me and makes life so much easier. Part of my plan is taking the same things every trip, because it's familiar and it works. Here are the things I'm always packing, wherever I go.

Ziploc bags

You  never know when you'll need to separate something from something else, but also when you want to take a bag of cookies with you or keep your wet bathing suit from getting your rental car seats soggy or have an emergency diaper situation. I bring a handful of zipper bags with me anywhere I go. I've used them for snacks, for dirty clothes, for leftovers and for receipts and brochures. They are multipurpose and take up almost no room in your bag. 

I have started replacing single-use bags with silicone Stasher bags. They are heavy-duty and can be used for everything, plus they're freezer-, boil-, oven-, and dishwasher-safe. They're great for keeping liquids in, since a spill inside your bag would be nearly impossible with them.

Back-up bag

Usually when you go on a trip, you buy stuff. That means you may not have room to pack it on your way home. Well, I try not to overpack my carry-on, but it's still just a carry-on. Because of that, I bring along a back-up bag to use for all my overage. I have this one and this one and they are both awesome. Just depends on how much you are willing to spend, but also how much you're restricting yourself on souvenirs when you travel. Sometimes I know I will be buying gifts, so I bring a bigger bag than normal.

Mesh pop-up hamper (laundry detergent)

Whether or not I'm on a long trip, I don't like living out of my suitcase and I don't like mixing my clean and dirty clothes. I have a great pop-up hamper that also works as a laundry bag that I put in the corner of my room to throw all my dirties. Then, before I go home, I can schlep it to the laundry room (or just drag it to the washing machine). I always have a small bag of dry detergent and a stash of quarters, so I'm ready for whatever the situation calls for. I have this one, which has really sturdy handles and four pockets, so you can even take along a book or game to pass the time. It's served me well for at least a decade so far.

Reusable grocery bag

I am a grocery shopper. I don't go out for every meal if I can help it. I generally show up at my destination and take a trip to the store on the first day to shop for breakfast foods, because that's the easiest meal to make and the least exciting to me to eat out. If you want to skip the back-up bag above, you can definitely use your grocery bag to bring back items from you trip. You can also use it as a laundry bag if you don't have that much. I've used it for both of these things before, since they usually have sturdy handles and nice flat bottoms. 

I have bags similar to these, and they're great, because they pack down very small, so you can keep them in your pocket or bag and then use them to carry any purchases your have, or your coat (like we've used them for when the weather is finicky). 

Packable rain jacket

One time I didn't pack my rain jacket and it was a mistake. I've since learned that I should never leave it at home, even if I'm going to Vegas or Orlando. In fact, when it rains in places where it rarely rains, it often pours harder than you're used to, which sucks hard. I know lots of people like to bring umbrellas, but I don't, because a rain jacket is multipurpose. It doesn't take up as much room as an umbrella, but you can pack it down into your day bag and also use it if you happen to get chilly. You never know when a cold snap will present itself, even when it comes in the form of really insistent air conditioning. This is also why I always bring a scarf or wrap with me on the plane.

Sunglasses

The sun can really wreak havoc on your eyes. Even when it's not super sunny, you need protection from its rays. While you probably don't forget the sunscreen, make sure you don't leave your sunglasses at home, because you don't want to have to pay 3 times as much as usual by purchasing them at your destination, or looking squinty in all your pics.

Snacks

Do you get hangry? I know I do! I always have snacks in my bag, because sometimes things don't go as planned and you aren't always in a place where you can get into a restaurant to sate your hunger. Toss a couple of granola bars or a piece of fruit or a bag of trail mix into your bag, just in case. You'll be happy if you have need it and sad if you do and didn't pack it. I also suggest a reusable water bottle, which I also count as a snack. We use this one.

Compression socks

Walking is hard on your feet, not to mention your ankles and legs. Most of us walk a lot more on vacation than we do at home, which can make our ankles swell and really hurt us at the end of each day. I pack a really good pair of compression socks in my bag that I can either wear under pants during the day or put on the second I get back to the room. I've been known to sleep in them when I've had sad, swollen ankles, and they help immensely. I swear by these Zensah socks.

Tablet

I don't always bring my laptop, and when I do, I only use it in my room. I always bring along my iPad Mini though, because I can read on it, take notes, listen to music and podcasts, play games and even check and answer emails. It's perfect for finding directions for your sightseeing before you leave the hotel and great for watching Netflix when there's nothing good on TV and you need to just unwind.

Back-up battery

Nothing sucks worse than when your phone battery dies as you're trying to call the hotel or get an Uber or take a picture of something awesome. You need a back-up battery. I have this one that will recharge my phone 2 1/2 times before it needs to be recharged. We actually have two, and we each carry one. This way Eric can play games on his phone all day and I can take all the pics I want and text with my mom. Because I can use any cord with this one, I can also use it to charge my camera or share with someone else to charge both our devices at once.

There you have it. The 10 things I don't go on vacation without. I keep a lot of these things in my carry-on all the time, so my bag is halfway packed with all the things I know I'll always need. 

What do you never leave home without on your trips?

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated monetarily should you make any purchases through these links. I thank you in advance if you do.