Caroline's Path of Grace

I feel like for most people, traveling is a headache. I, however, was the kid in school who thrived under pressure, so I truly enjoy every moment of planning and taking a trip. Since I started my new job in February ‘22 as well as meeting Kevin’s family that same spring, I have done more traveling in a short amount of time than I had probably ever. If I had to pick a worst part, it would probably be the actual buying of the tickets, which I do two months in advance minimum, if possible. I am traveling this weekend, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about my most/least favorite parts about traveling, my routines, what I wear to the airport, and some of my travel favorites. 

Starting off strong, I like booking my tickets a month to two months in advance and almost always fly in the afternoon or at night. You will not catch me on a flight earlier than 9 am 99% of the time. I'm sure there is all kinds of research on “best days to book” and how far out you should go to get the best deals, but let's be real, domestic flights are obscenely expensive anywhere you go right now. For example, our flights to Milwaukee in May were around $600 round trip, which costs a third more than my trip to LA in August. The math isn't mathing. 

Once I book my tickets, I almost immediately start my packing list. I use Notion and modified either a template on the website for packing lists or maybe I borrowed one from Jules Acree who I discovered on TikTok and got me into using Notion. Anyways, for each trip, I duplicate my page and start fresh with clothes. I have 3 different views for my packing list: the first is based on the day of the trip, the second is types of items (shoes, jackets, clothes, etc.), and the third is where the items are actually getting packed into (backpack, medium packing cube, etc.) As mentioned in my bio, yes, I am a virgo. 

I typically tend to pack up to 5 days before a trip, mostly because the anticipation of the trip gets me so excited that I can't help it. I am a carry-on girlie through and through. If a flight is already costing me $60, you can bet your behind I am not paying to check a bag that there is a 50% chance will get lost. No thanks. For that reason, I bought myself a Beis Convertible Weekender bag and a Beis Carry-On Roller. Best Bags. Ever. I also have a travel backpack from Amazon that is the perfect carry-on. I usually like to pair a smaller bag (backpack or Weekender) with a large bag (suitcase or weekender) to make the most out of my space. As Emma Chamberlain would say:  I am not an overpacker, I am a prepared packer. 

On the night before/day of the trip, I make sure I have clothes laid out to wear or change into (planned in Notion, obviously). This uniform usually consists of a pair of joggers, cropped leggings, or bike shorts (depending on the season), a random t-shirt or tank, a hoodie, a baseball cap, and either Birkenstocks or sneakers. I like to be comfy when I travel, so wearing sneakers just makes me feel so prepared and secure, can't explain it. I don't usually use a blanket on the plane, so a hoodie is a must. I am all about layers. 

If my flight is at 8 pm, my trip preparing usually begins at 4 pm. Here's a glimpse into my logic: flight is at 8 which means they start boarding around 7, and I need an hour for security so I need to arrive at the airport by 6, which means I need to leave by 5, which means I need to leave work at 4. I can't really explain why, but it's just easier to give myself an hour for everything, that way I can be prepared and have a buffer built in if necessary. You can imagine how fun this must be for Kevin when he travels with me. 

To make this entire travel thing run as smoothly as possible for me, here are some things that are always in my personal item for the plane. I usually travel with my iPad, although lately, I haven’t been using it likeI thought I would, so I am leaning towards leaving it at home. I like to bring my Switch, which is especially exciting for this weekend's trip because I just got the new OLED one in March and downloaded Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom yesterday. Perfect for a 4 hour flight!! Also bring my Kindle everywhere. I always have good intentions to read on the plane, but always end up playing my switch because my attention span is weird on a flight. I try to read for at least an hour while in the air. 

Other items of note are my charger pouch which has a 3-in-1 charger for my watch, phone, and airpods, a charge for kindle and headphones. I always bring both my airpods and over-ear noise canceling Sony headphones. I keep a water bottle of some kind to fill in the airport, usually my Nalgene. The last thing I make sure to have on me is this pouch I carry in all my bags that has hand sanitizer, Liquid IV, a scrunchie, Tic-Tacs, chapstick, a TideStick, hand lotion, and Advil. You can never be too prepared!!

Well, that was insanely long winded. As I’m sure you can tell, I really enjoy thinking about every detail. It makes me less stressed, and I refuse to run through an airport ever, so these things just help make me as comfy as possible when I travel 🙂 What are some of your travel tips and tricks? Let me know!!

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