So recently I went to London for a day trip with my family, and I realised that I wasn't the most sensible of travellers. I would describe myself as the queen of overpacking. Seriously, my bag is the embodiment of the Tardis. So while on the train journey back home, I thought I'd write a blog post about travel tips. Now for a quick disclaimer, this tips might just be tips that work for me so please don't go crazy in the comments if you've never heard of these and if you disagree with me.
So lets get started!
Take a reasonable sized bag:
So when you've been travelling and on the move all day, the last thing you want is to be carrying a massive mountaineering sized backpack. I'd advise you to take either a medium sized handbag or backpack. The bag I took was the Zara Shopper Bag in black.
This is your average shopper bag and I would say is a solid staple for a traveller. It has one big compartment with two small pockets and on the outside has two pockets that shut with poppers. I like this bag as it fits all my stuff and is fairly secure but the outside pockets are useless as you can't really put much in and if you do they don't shut.
(This is the bag filled with things I took with me to show you how much it can hold)
(Sorry for my body spray and deodorant making a cameo, I need something to hold the bag up!)
Secondly, the large strap is very thin and can hurt the shoulder. Personally, I would recommend taking some kind of backpack as then you can balance the weight on both shoulders. Take only what you need:
Like I mentioned in the opening paragraph, this is something I fail at. When you are rushing to catch a train you don't want to be carrying the equivalent of a 10 tonne bolder in your bag. I would say my essentials are my phone and iPod with headphones. When I am sleeping the headphones I use are the my sleep phones which are brilliantly nicknamed pajamas for your ears
They are super comfy and fit really snugly, they also double up as a sleep mask. Another great thing up about them is that they roll up and take up barely any space but be careful as this sometimes makes the connection dodgey. The only bad thing about them is that everyone around you can hear your music but when your on a train or plane, no one really cares.
Another thing I regarded as an essential is to have everything I need in a emergency or just-in-case in one place, so for this I have my trusty little black bag.
I don't know where this comes from but you could use any old spare makeup bag so long as it isn't too big. In my little black bag I keep...
So I'll do a small summary for each of the products so that this part isn't the equivalent of War and Peace!
Body Shop nail file- this is something I recently added as I bite my nails, safe to say this product is fairly safe explanatory. Just a quick heads up, the link for the nail file isn't the one I have as I got mine in their advent calendar for 2014
Piriteze allergy tablets - these are the non-drowsy version and are a summer staple for me as I get bad hayfever and am allergic to grass. I carry them with me incase I forget to take them.
Strawberry Hand Cream- again, another product from the Body Shop advent calendar. I use this after using my hand sanitizer to stop them from being sticky.
Halls Soothers- a staple for me all year round as I talk a lot and am a singer, I need to take care of my throat so I always have some on me.
Kleenex Tissues- these are to go with the hayfever tablets and plus you never know when you're going to need a tissue.
Soap and Glory Hand Maid- this is for the times when you are rushing and don't have time to wash your hands. Also when you're rushing around, you're bound to pick up some germs. It's also good if you are eating on the go and don't want to get dirt on your food.
Baby Lips Peach Kiss- not only does this keep your lips nice and moisturised, it's a very pretty shimmery nude colour. Perfect for summer and smells edible.
Nasal Stick- this is for the days when I am feeling blocked up and this helps me feel unblocked.
Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes- these were in the June edition of Glossybox: which if you want me to write a review, I will. But back to the point, these are to take make-up and are in a handy travel size, I haven't used these yet so I will let you know what I think.
Lemsip Cold and Flu tablets- I only ever take this when I have a cold, self-explanatory. These are handy as with the sachet ones you can't make them on the go.
Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes- I have these in case I don't want or have time to use the Hand Maid.
Hair Grips- I don't have to say much about this, these are just standard hair grips.
Tic Tacs- I have a mini pack of Tic Tacs to keep my breath minty fresh, plus it's super cute and handy.
Next, I have two wallets. This may seem weird but I was in London and I didn't want to get out my big purse with my cards in as London is famous for it's pickpockets. The smaller one has my oyster card in whereas the other just has the rest of my cards. The larger one is from Amazon.
And finally, I have my phone case- which by the way, isn't it adorable? I definitely need to name, comment down below what I should call my little phone case. I recommend you get a case like this as it protects your tech and is padded which prevents them from getting scratched. It has a little pouch which I either keep my normal headphones in or my camera battery in.
Wear minimal or no makeup
When I am travelling, I usually never wear makeup but I usually carry some with me. I recommend you don't wear any as travelling isn't something you need to look pretty about. Also you don't want to spend 30 minuets painstakingly applying it and then to rub your eyes and ruin it- trust me this has happened to me lots. I take with me ...
Body Shop Mini Brush Kit- I take this for the mini concealer brush and also in case I have other makeup with me. It has four mini brushes which are Blusher brush, Eyeshadow brush, Slanted brush and Lip/concealer brush. It retails at £13.50, which is a bit pricey but because it's from the body shop I don't care.
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair- although lots of beauty bloggers regard this as a holy grail, I don't rate it that highly but for all I know I could be using it wrong- I am in no way an expert in these things. I use this over my No7 concealer to brighten my eyes.
No7 Match Made Concealer in Calico- I prefer this to the other concealer as it does the job a lot better although this is the more pricey option it's worth the money. To apply it, I use the No7 Concealer Brush as it gets right in the creases.
Sleek Full Fat Lash Mascara in Black- this mascara is one of my favourite mascaras of all time as it makes my eyelashes look large and opens them up so much, although I have never tried the Benefit Roller Lash I would say it was a cheaper dupe, but that's just me.
No7 Lip Crayon in Daydream- this is a shiny pink-nude and I took it because it is my favourite lip product. It's easy to apply and just gives you a nice coverage.
Be Organised
This is probably the most important tip I have told you so far. But there are several steps to this tip.
Step One- Pack before you go:
The last thing you want to do on the night/morning before you leave is run round getting your bag together. So before you leave, get everything together and then in the morning you won't feel stressed.
Step Two- Plan your outfit the night or morning before:
Again, like the previous step you don't want to spend ages picking the perfect outfit. My advice is wear basic clothing. When I went to London I wore some plain black high-waisted skinny jeans, my converse, a black hoodie and a salmon pink t-shirt from the brand Mango.
Step Three- If you are going for more than a day, get a guide book and a filofax.
This helped me so much as it had a map for the Tube (the underground train system in London) and is travel sized. My filofax is something I can't live without, I have become so much more organised and time efficient. It allows me to have everything I need in one place.
So those are my tips! Few, that was an almighty long post. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Carenza x
All photos are my own and are taken on a Canon Powershot SX500IS
