10 Best Gifts for Your Traveler - Under $50

Luggage Tag - A great way to help your traveler find their black roll aboard bag in a sea of black roll aboard bags.  I love the pink, but they have green too.

Lucha Libre Luggage Tag - $12

Perfume/Cologne Atomizer - I have several of these. They make great stocking stuffers for anyone who carries a suitcase, gym bag, baby bag, anyone who wears perfume or cologne.

Silver Atomizer - $12

Noise Canceling Headphones - Or as I like to call them, loud-flight-sanity-savers!

Skullcandy Fix Headpones - $31

Adapter/Converter Combo - Packing light mean consolidating as much as possible.  This little gadget is my best friend when I travel overseas.

Travel Smart TS253AD Adapter Converter - $30

Portable Charger/Battery - Charge any USB device?  Juice up your nearly dead smartphone?  Yes please!

iGO Charge Anywhere - $40

Gadget Car Charger - Two outlets and a USB port, perfect for the road tripper....And how cute is the coffee cup shape!

Gadget Car Charger - $50

Personalized Leather Jewelry Case - Tangled free jewelry in a  feminine, yet sturdy case.

Leather Travel Jewelry Case - $40

36 Hours - 150 Weekends in the U.S.A. and Canada (by NY Times) - The ultimate layover travel guide.  This is on my list!

36 Hours - 150 Weekends in the U.S.A. & Canada - $40

Deluxe Travel Kit - This 8-piece ready to fill travel kit in a slim, sleek bag will get through TSA and won't take much space in their suitcase.

Sephora Deluxe Travel Kit - $36

Leather Passport Holder - Important documents have never looked so cute.  I love this one by Brookstone... They come in a lot of different colors and have an extra pocket.

Brookstone Passport Holder - $31

Busted! Personal Item

I recently got busted for my carry on allowance.  I had my roll-aboard bag, my laptop, and a small, cross-body wallet.  When I got to the gate I was told to consolidate immediately or be refused entry.

At first I was confused, becase I'm pretty good about not wanting to be THAT person who holds up the line, but at the same time I didn't have anything out that I haven't flown with dozens of time. So I asked the gatekeeper what she meant.  She gave me a scathing look and pointed to my cross body purse and told me I was trying to be sneaky.

I have to say I was a little surprised.  My wallet, if you can call it that, measures 5 inches long and 3.5 inches high.  Normally I think it is perfect because it keeps my boarding pass, id, and a few dollars in easy reach.  Meaning, I don't have to dig my full wallet out of my laptop bag.   Its also teeny, I mean I cant even fit a lipgloss or phone in it, so I was honestly surprised to be called out on it.

I would be ok with the TSA and gate agents being vigilant about enforcing the carryon rules but they dont do it equally.  Obviously I've been able to board many time with my little cross-body wallet.  I've also seen people with kids on the plane toting more bags than I personally own.  Also people board with a roll-aboard, backpack, king size pillow, and grocery bag full of food.  If that doesn't exceed the one bag and one personal item then I'm missing something.

I fly often and didn't want to cause delays so I quickly stashed my wallet into my laptop case, but I do wonder why it suddenly became an issue.  Maybe the gatekeeper is very strict about the rules, maybe she was having a bad day or is a control freak, or maybe I was just trying to be sneaky as she suggested?  Either way, I didn't mind putting my wallet away, I just wish everything was enforced equally to everyone.

COS Review: Travelo

Carry-On Style Review: Travelo Perfume Atomizer

I cannot remember where I first read about Travelo, but I've had it bookmarked in my "To-Buy" tabs for at least six months.  I finally decided to order one when I ran out of my sample size perfume I got at Christmas time.

The first time I used it I was SO glad I bought it!  It is one of THE best things I could have ever bought for my suitcase.

It is very simple to use, you simply take the top off your perfume bottle and literally pump your perfume into your Travelo.  It takes about one minute to fill it up.  When using it, the nozzle on the Travelo gives a good spritz and hasn't clogged yet.  The plus side?  The atomizer is about the size of a lipstick, so its small enough to get through TSA but holds more than enough to last for a week long trip.

I bought it to go in my carryon suitcase, but really it is perfect for anyone who wears perfume (or cologne).  It fits into a purse, gym bag, or pocket with ease.  They seem really well constructed (meaning they are not glass) and have a window so you can see the level of your perfume. While I got mine in pink they come in a variety of colors.

I really only have two scents that I wear but you can easily fill them with water "Hello cool summer sprtiz!" to rinse them out.

Perfect gifts for anyone (men or women) who goes to the gym, travels, or is simply breathing.

Packing for a Conference

One corporate event I look forward to is my company's annual conference.  However I dread packing for it.

I should be used to packing for business trips, after all I do it every week, however going to the annual conference requires a different packing list.  Along with day sessions and training (in chilly conference rooms), I now have to think about what to wear for dinners, receptions, a team outing, and a wine social somewhere in there.

Here is the general schedule of the conference:
Saturday: Travel Day
Sunday: Training Sessions/Informal Reception
Monday: Sessions/Awards Dinner
Tuesday: Sessions/Dinner/Group Activity
Wednesday: Sessions/Travel Day

One thing that is good, is even though some of these sound like they will be dressy events, my company is relaxed, generally business casual is the most dressed up you need to be.  I plan to

Packing List:

• White slacks (Sessions & Sunday Reception)
• Jeans (Travel Days & Group Activity)
• Tan skirt or slacks (Sessions)
• Charcoal slacks  (Sessions)
• Silk button down shirt (Sessions)
• Printed silk top (Sessions & Sunday Reception)
• Cowl neck blouse (Sessions)
• Short-sleeve top  this and/or this (Sessions & Group Activity)
• Neutral color cardigan (Sessions & Travel Days)
• Crochet Dress (Awards Dinner) 
• Tan Pumps (Sessions & Dinners)
• Black Pumps (Sessions & Dinners)
• Flats or Flat Sandals (Travel Days & Group Activity)
• Coordinated jewelry 

I always end up packing one more outfit than I actually need and this list would get me at least one more day.  Some think this is over packing, but I've had heels snap, spills, and tears, so I like to have a Plan B.  I will bring items that I always travel with such as workout clothes, workout shoes, and all the rest. 

Boarding Zone

Boarding Zone 1 by carryonstyle featuring summer tops

Dorothy Perkins cotton dress, $69
Monki summer top, €30
Damsel in a Dress jacket, £104
Vera Wang Lavender Label leather flat, $175
Carvela stiletto pumps, £75
Shoulder bag, 60 AUD
Cotton scarve, £50

Client Meeting: This bold dress can be a little too bold for meeting with the clients, the colors and stripes are beautiful but may be a little over powering for meetings, especially for a first client meeting.  I would pair it with a black blazer and a pair of sleek black pumps.

As for accessories, because the dress has a lot going on, I would keep those to a minimum. For jewelry I would wear simple earrings and a bracelet, but for a tote, I love this bag to carry my laptop or iPad.

For the hair, I would wear it half up and half down, with some light waves.

Flight Home: For the flight home, comfort is key, so when I get to the airport I'm going to try to get as comfortable as possible without a complete wardrobe change.  I love cardigans because they pack easily and provide a bit of warmth on the cold flight.

This cream and coral scarf is a staple for me, it coordinates with a lot of outfits, has a kick of color.

While I love heels as much as the next woman, I will slip into some flats as I'm making my way though TSA.  These beige little flats are perfect for travel. They pack easily, are neutral in color, and comfy! 

For the hair, I would probably take my hair all the way down, so I can be a little more comfortable as I make my way home.

Traveling Credit Woes

I travel a lot and just when I think I am a Pro, something happens that makes me re-evaluate what I carry. In this case it was my credit card!

I was recently out to dinner on a business trip, when I went to pay for my meal with my trusty credit card. The waitress comes back with a sympathetic expression on her face and whispers, "your card was declined".  I was embarrassed because I thought I had checked it before I left to make sure my last payment went through, but maybe I had forgotten.  So I gave her my debit card (I know you're not supposed to do that).  She came back a few minutes later that the debit card too was declined.  Now I wasn't embarrassed I was worried!!  One card declined is an “oops”, two cards declined means something is wrong.

Luckily I had the cash to cover the bill, but still two cards.... denied... not good.

I contacted the bank and found that because I've been traveling in and out of the country so much and some of the spending had been erratic (I shopped a LOT in several countries) they thought my card had been stolen and put a fraud block on it so they could verify some of the purchases.  I then learned they DID try to contact me on a couple of occasions, but since I generally don't answer the phone if I don't recognize the number (will henceforth drop this habit) AND when I didn't respond they blocked my credit card.

Well then why was my debit card blocked too?  Well it turns out many many YEARS ago when someone stole my debit card and wiped out my checking account, it took me a bit to get everything back in order and I checked an option somewhere on a form that said something like "if one card is under suspicion for fraud them block access to both" or something like that.  My reasoning was, since I carry I sometimes carry my debit and credit card in the same wallet then it’s entirely possible for someone to get access to both cards and its easier to just block them both in cases like this.  (BTW both cards are issued by the exact same bank, not sure if this option is available in all areas).  It is a great idea until something like this bites me on the butt.

The moral of the story is that 1) Carry enough cash just in case something happens to your cards 2) Fraud protection is a good idea 3) Have a card on hand from a different bank, but don't carry it in the same place as your main card.

Surviving a Long Flight

This spring, I will be going Europe for about a month.  It will be a half business/half vacation trip.  I don't want to think about packing yet, but I've started to think about being comfortable on a long flight.  Flying from East Coast to West Coast to East Coast a LOT has given me time to refine what makes me comfortable on a long flight.

Layers, Layers, Layers. To me dressing comfortably is the most important thing.  I'm not one to wear sweats or yoga pants, so I will often wear leggings/tights, dress, cardigan, and a scarf (think cashmere).  If I'm going straight to my hotel I might wear a tunic instead of a dress.  I'll wear whatever shoes look good with the outfit, because I always take them off and put on chenille socks for warmth and comfort.  As with all long flights DVT is a risk, so sometimes I will wear compression socks under my leggings.

Fun Sleep Mask

Overnight flight? Think SLEEP!  I am lucky, I am one of those annoying persons who can sleep just about anywhere.  Even though I can sleep anywhere doesn't mean I don't want to be comfortable, so I always carry a sleep mask and ear plugs in my carryon bag.  If I know I'm going on an overnight flight, I will bring an easily-packable travel blanket.  It took me a while to find the perfect blanket and I actually found it at a sporting goods store.  Travel pillows....I don't carry one because I've never been able to use it comfortably, but I know people who SWEAR by them, so try it out, see if its good for you.  

Always in my carry on

Beauty. There is nothing like an airplane to dry out your skin!  So, I recommend taking along a few must have beauty essentials.  First on my list is a good moisturizer.  If I'm going to be on a long flight I will actually wash off all my makeup (in the airplane lavatory), then slather on my nighttime moisturizer, put on a hydrating lip balm, then go to sleep.  When I wake up, I will use (in the lavatory) a hydrating mist (like Evian Brumisateur or my normal skincare toner), apply my daytime moisturizer, Colgate Wisp Mini Tooth Brushes (I carry them with me all the time and love them!), quickly reapply my makeup and then deplane. 

Entertainment. You're probably not going to go to sleep right upon takeoff , so make sure you have enough to read, do a crossword puzzle, watch a video, or listen to music.  Also make sure you have headphones and enough batteries/battery life to get you though. I like to crochet, and there is no better place to work on a project than at 30, 000 ft.  If you're traveling with kids, there is no such thing as bringing too many activities.

Snacks, snacks, snacks. You want to stay hydrated on a plane, so buy a bottle of water at the airport.  Also if you have a favorite snack, like nuts, granola bars, trail mix, beef jerkey (good protein) bring double what you think you might need.  In my experience with airplane maintenance and weather delays, a traveler cannot have too many snacks in their carry on.


- Cindy