Many times, we tend to underestimate the importance of everyday little things in terms of how they add up to impact our lives in a very big way. I’m a big fan of finding little gems that make my life easier, one small bit at a time. Gradually, all those small bits culminate into a large amount of time saved, a big improvement in how I do things, or exponentially more comfort in my life.
As a multi-national businesswoman, I travel quite a bit. During my earlier years when I was a student but also a consultant, it didn’t matter much to me how long the trip was, how uncomfortable the flight + accommodation was, or how far I had to travel, I was simply happy to travel frequently. Now that I’ve advanced a bit in my career, and of course now that I have children, I care a lot more about small comforts while traveling and being organized to the extent I can.
There are a few items I bring with me for every single trip I take, whether for work or with family. These items may not be life-changing, but they are part of that group I deem “small-wonders” that just add a little extra ease and impact to how you live. All items are linked, so just tap on the name to go to the websites of their direct retailers.
Tights
Tights have been an enormous part of my life ever since I started running on an athletic club at the age of 9. Running has always come naturally to me, and a big part of running is your running attire. Every runner knows that short shorts may be great for feeling easy, breezy, beautiful [CoverGirl], but when your thighs begin to chaff and bleed from incessantly rubbing together, you’ll happy accept tights as your best friend.
I probably have over 30 pairs of athletic tights. They range in price from around $20 to nearly $150. A good number of them are from Nike (my serious running tights), many others are from Alo Yoga (my tights for looking extremely cute), and a few are from random vendors. In an attempt to find the perfect pair of tights for travel, I ventured to Amazon and searched for tights with the highest rating from the most number of people.
That’s how I came across the 90 Degree by Reflex High Waist Interlink Yoga pants as well as their Power Flex Yoga pants. I looked at the price point and at around $40, they were relatively inexpensive as compared to the Alo Yoga pants that many people in the reviews were comparing them to. Let me just say that after my first day wearing the tights, I was sold and went back to Amazon to buy another pair! These are the most perfectly stretchy and comfortable yet firm and supportive tights that anyone can use for both running and looking cute. All the tights have superior tummy control and really grab all your body parts into place. They were amazing.
Moreover, the Power Flex Yoga pants have pockets. Pockets are really instrumental in making it easier for me to not have to worry about fumbling around with my phones when I travel. I simply place one phone in each pocket, and I’m all set. These tights are truly fantastic. I can’t say enough good things about them. I wish they came in more styles, perhaps akin to the Alo Yoga look, but for the price, I cannot complain at all.
Over coat
It took me a little while to figure out what would be my staple airport travel uniform. In the past, I’ve worn either long jeans and a blazer (with heels), or a full suit (trying to “belong” in business/first class). After I had my kids, I realized that the most versatile and comfortable travel attire is simply a pair of quality tights, stylish sneakers, a tank top, and a light overcoat. This combination usually gets me through just about any weather. I often go from blazing hot 90-degree weather directly into chilly autumn or winter temperatures, so the overcoat with a tank top under generally makes both climates bearable.
I found this SHEIN Waterfall Collar Pocket Front Wrap Coat through an ad that popped up as I was scrolling on Instagram. I’d never heard of SHEIN, so I ignored the ad the first ~10 times I saw it, but for some reason I finally clicked and decided that I’d take a gamble due to the relatively inexpensive cost. When the coat arrived, I was very happy with the quality and the design of the over coat. It looked even better than it did in the photos. After many months of wearing the one I bought over and over again, I bought 4 more in various colors. And just like that, my airport uniform was all set!
Makeup organizer
For women who wear makeup, it’s sometimes difficult to pack a travel makeup bag that’s separate from all your day-to-day makeup. I would say I have an average amount of makeup, but my perception is likely heavily skewed based on the drawers and boxes full of makeup I see beauty influencers hoarding. Over the past few years, as I refined my taste in makeup and my beauty products grew a bit, I needed a more organized way to put all the items together. Most importantly, I wanted to be able to grab everything and go at the drop of a hat, in case I had to hurriedly pack and rush to the airport for a last minute trip.
So about 2 years ago I went on Amazon and searched for the top rated and most effective makeup organizer. Many of the ones I saw simply didn’t fit the bill, but I stumbled across the makeup carrying case category and found exactly what I was looking for.
The ROWNYEON brand makeup bag has actually been a gamechanger for me in terms of how easily I can store all the makeup I have. My makeup doesn’t leave this case. The medium size is large enough to carry every single day-to-day makeup item of mine (except my rather large lipstick collection). I absolutely love this makeup bag because it serves just about every purpose that I need it to solve. I can categorize items, make the sections inside the bag larger or smaller depending on the products’ specific needs, and even store nearly all my brushes easily. I highly recommend it for anybody on the go. However, do note that if you want to pack many clothes into a carry-on bag, you won’t be able to fit this organizer as well. This is more for people like me, who pretty much always check their luggage! I’m not one to leave my lotions and creams behind for TSA to confiscate.
Those are a few of the items that have been extremely helpful to ease my frequent travel over the past couple of years. Of course there are many more that I’m missing, so if you know or use anything that you’ve found to be particularly useful, please do share in the comments below. I love learning about new things!
