In My Bag // Travel Essentials

Florida, I’m coming for you. Traveling always makes me anxious, but in a good way. Of course, I’m never truly at ease between taking off and landing ( safely ) from one location to the next, but prepping for a trip always brings about excitement for what’s to come.

I’m a big believer in getting the most bang for your buck in terms of a carry on. Go big or go home. For me, that means filling a large tote with all the essentials I’ll need on travel days as well as the rest of the trip.

I recently discovered the Rue La La Handbag Guide which describes totes as totally essential ( and the term tote is derived from a word meaning “to carry” – how fitting ), and I couldn’t agree more.

The three main features I look for in a tote are space, structure, and style. The perfect tote should be big enough to fit everything you need for a weekend getaway and be structurally durable – not too thin, but not overly stiff either – kind of like your favorite lived in t-shirt. Little details like textured fabric, studded trim, or funky zipper pulls take a tote from functional to fabulous.

Here’s a peek at some of my travel essentials. I like to keep things neat and organized with little pouches and try to minimize added weight by downloading books and magazines to my iPad instead of lugging around a stack of reading material.

Headphones are necessary as you never know who you’ll be seated next to. Lip balm, a healthy snack, and a notepad/pen are essential too. I also always fly with chargers and cords in my carry on because running out of juice on travel days is just not an option.

Mexico

You win, Mexico. Nearly a week later and I still feel exhausted from all the fun. Our quick trip to Mexico was a success. We indulged in the all-inclusive food and over-indulged in the all-inclusive alcohol. We soaked up what sun we could ( there could have been more sun ). And we witnessed two great people say I do.

The Resort All-inclusive. Adults only. Infinity pool. Swim up bar. Gorgeous rooms, cute restaurants, and unlimited room service. You be the judge.

The Ceremony The weather for the ceremony turned out to be great. The venue was beautiful and overlooked the ocean making it a lovely place to tie the knot. After the ceremony we had a celebratory dinner outside at one of the seafood restaurants where they served a wonderful multi-course meal. After that, the party started (or maybe it was just a continuation of the past few days?)...and it pretty much continued up until the minute we needed to head back to the airport.

The Fun We participated in a variety of activities, though our favorites were water aerobics, bingo, and blackjack. One morning we took a bike tour to the downtown area and shopped the local markets and walked along the pier where the boats come in. We also took advantage of the spa and tried a fish therapy treatment (yep, the one where they nibble at your feet!). I'm glad to say I've tried it, but I don't think it's something I'll need to do again. Oh, and can't forget about that bucket list item a few of us checked off our list.

Paris, France

Where to begin. The past week or so has been absolute bliss. Traveling to France and exploring the city of Paris and all it has to offer was an unforgettable experience. We were fortunate to have (mostly) beautiful weather, which made walking (lots and lots and lots of walking) to and from various destinations much more enjoyable. 

Our days were full of sights, museums, walking, metro rides, wine, and fresh bread. Perhaps my favorite part of Paris was just witnessing the day-to-day life of the locals. Parisians dress effortlessly chic on the daily. They strut around the city carrying fresh baguettes and pick up fresh produce and fresh flowers from the street markets. 

The way of life in Paris (in June, anyway) is much more laid back than in the States. No one seems to be rushed, stressed, or flustered. In fact, you can sit down at a cafe and not even have a waiter acknowledge you for a good ten minutes (we experienced this first hand). It's definitely not what we're used to, but sometimes a relaxed attitude can do the body and mind some good. 

Naturally I want to write a book about all of the things we saw and experienced, but instead I'll try to touch on some of my favorite moments:

01. Sacre Coeur / A church located in Montmarte on the highest point of the city. It's sort of trek to get to the top (unless you take the cable car, which we somehow missed), but the view is definitely worth the hundreds of stairs. The area surrounding the Sacre Coeur features a ton of cute shops and adorable cafes.

02. Pantheon / Located in the Latin Quarter, this (massive) structure once served as a church, but currently functions as a mausoleum and contains the remains of many distinguished French citizens which are kept in the crypt underground. The colossal columns and doors are worth seeing on their own. Plus, the Luxemburg Garden and more affordable shops are nearby.

03. Pompidou / This industrial building houses the Museum of Modern Art which was by far my favorite of the museums we visited. We didn't spend a whole lot of time in the area around the museum because it was raining outside, but if you like modern art, this is a great way to kill an hour or two.