Traveling Nightmares! They just don't have to be!

So next week I will be traveling to Dallas to the NFB National Convention. I will be there for a week and I am so excited!!

For many people however, packing and getting ready for a trip can be frustrating; from deciding on what to wear, to forgetting an outfit or vital product at home. Trips should be a fun time to relax or when traveling for work, to learn something new.

Over the years I have become a sort of packing expert. I feel like Mary Poppins. I can carry clothes, shoes, accesories, hair supplies and other items, and pack them all in one small suitcase. Don't get me wrong, it is heavy as heck, but with having to pay to check in a bag, I would much rathr not pay a dime! (yes I am frugal). But I have a rolley bag, so most of the time, it is a breeze!

So here are some tips to make traveling more of a breeze.
1. Make a list of everything you think you may need. I divide my list into catogories such as outfits, makeup, toiletreses etc. Start this list days ahead of the time you are going to start your flight or road trip. As the days go by, you will think of new things to add to your list (this always tends to happen to me while I sleep).
2. I normally pack the day before, because I want to make sure I don't leave anything behind.
3. Now I take my list and put my things in piles, putting all of the things from a category together. I make sure everything from my list is available, and if so, I may do a load of laundry to get everything I need.
4. Now comes the fun part: Packing! I start off by taking the larger items of clothing. I fold them and then Roll them up like a burrito. The tighter you fold the clothes, the better. And don't worry about wrinkles, the better you fold, the less wrinkles you will get. Rolling them is the key to the whole proccess!

(this is the basic idea)

5. As I put an item into my luggage, I mark it off my list.
6. I start making a base with clothes at the bottom of my suitcase. I make sure there is no space, and if there is, I fill it with a smaller piece of clothing.
7. I do this to all of my clothing. Except maybe really nice dress pants, or a suit top. I wait till most of the clothes is rolled up and place them on top of the other layers. They will keep them in place.
8. You want to place your shoes like a puzzle throughout your suitcase. You may even want to place small items in your shoes for better packing.
9. If you have a suitcase with zippers that is cloth. Wait till you think it is full, close the zippers and tilt the whole thing to one side. open the zipper on the side, and you will still be able to fit in more clothes. Do this to both sides of the luggage and You will get more things in.
Thats it!

Soem helpful hints to remember:
*Try to pack outfits that you can reuse, such as a pair of jeans that you can use more than once, or a tank shirt that you can use as a going out shirt.

(This shirt can be used with shorts, or dressed up)

*I just bought a travel steamer and I am in love! I will be able to fold all of my clothes into my suitcase and steam it when I get to my destination as if I had taken my clothes to the dry cleaner. You can buy them for $20-$70 at Target.
*Try your outfits on before you pack them, then you will really know if you love them or not.
*Go through every single day that you are going to be on your trip and lay your oufits out by day, that way you won't have to worry later about what outfits to wear on what day.
*Try to decide how you will be doing your hair and what accessories you will be using so you can pack accordingly!
*When flying and checking in a bag, mark your suitccase with something that is distinguishable for you> It will bbe easy to spot and get you out of there faster!

Best of luck, safe travels, and see some of you in Dallas!