The business travel post on Corporette yesterday got me thinking…..while I have done a lot of topic-specific posts, I haven’t yet done a general tips post. So, here are my best general travel tips. By topic, because I just can’t help myself.

Clothes:

• Flat, slip on shoes  are best for day of travel. They allow you to move quickly through the airport, go easily through security, and be comfortable on the plane.
• Bring a scarf or pashmina for the plane–as a blanket, a pillow, whatever you need.
• If you can at all avoid it, don’t bring anything that wrinkles or that you have to iron. Ironing will just waste time and stress you out
• Bring clothes that fit into one color scheme, i.e. black or brown. This way they all match, and you have to bring less pairs of shoes.

For the plane:

• Don’t throw your bag in an overhead bin that is way in front of your seat if you can at all help it.
• If it’s a long flight, bring an eye mask and earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.

Packing:

• I bring my own shampoo/conditioner, just because I travel so much if I use whatever random products the hotel puts out my hair gets mad; a GREAT source is 3floz.com, as is Sephora
• Eagle Creek packing cubes are so helpful for the small items (underwear, socks, hose, etc); they will help you save a ton of space
• I have three small bags for my toiletries–one for liquids (that gets taken out at security), one for non-liquids (toothbrush, deodorant, etc), and one for make-up. This allows me to fit them in my suitcase wherever they will go instead of taking up a lot of room
• And don’t forget about my new favorite tip! Use spare contact lens cases for small amounts of liquids, such as face soap, moisturizer, eye makeup remover, etc.

General Tips

• Emergen-C! I take it every day when I travel, sometimes twice. I also bring SoyJoy bars with me everywhere in case food is hard to find (or I’m stuck on a plane).
• I use my White Noise iPhone app a lot in hotels, especially when the walls are thin, there is a highway outside nearby, or the air-conditioning unit is super loud off and on.