Here’s what I have on the hotel bathroom counter. This does not include the Giovanni D:Tox facial scrub in the shower, nor the Michael Todd True Organics face mask I’ve since moved from the stash to the bathroom to remember to use it weekly.
Yes! I brought a stash with me in a little trunk that I keep in the closet. In the little trunk and not pictured: backups of floss, body lotion, contact lens solution, two boxes of foam hair color, sunscreen, and facial depilatory cream.
When did I get so fussy? Is is a function of age? When I was 28 I backpacked around Europe for three months with just a carry-on travel pack. Seriously! The one thing I was sure to pack with me then was a full-size bottle of contact lens solution since it seemed to be outrageously expensive in Europe. (Those were the good old days of travel when you could carry on liquids/gels more than 3.4 ounces.)
On that trip, I just bought stuff as I needed it – shampoo/conditioner, body lotion, Dove soap, hair color (coloring my hair in a youth hostel in Naples is a story I should really blog).
Going to foreign pharmacies/grocery stores for toiletries is one of my most favorite things to do while travelling so it was fun for me (even though basic toiletries seemed crazy expensive in Europe).
Here are the reasons excuses why I brought so many supplies much crap:
- I am supposed to be here for 2-3 months, so I wanted to be comfortable and have my favorites.
- My flight arrived at 3:30pm, and I had a meeting at 5pm. (It lasted all of 10 minutes, but still)
- I wasn’t sure where the hotel/worksite was and if there were stores nearby, so I didn’t want to have to scramble for supplies.
- We have a l-o-n-g working day, so I didn’t know when I could find time/places to buy stuff I needed. Imagine the horror of realizing you’re out of deodorant when you’ve got to be in the office in 10 minutes. So I brought two kinds…just in case.
As you can see from the photo below, the hotel provides quite nice toiletries. I may or may not be stowing these away in my suitcase every day so I have a stash to fall back on when I run out of my own stuff.
I’m already glad that I’ve stockpiled the hotel body lotion because I’ve already used up all of mine.
Do you pack light when you travel? Or do you plan for every eventuality like I did?
This is one of my biggest problems! I have the hardest time finding my products in small sizes then have to buy them there and throw them away
I guess you could decant into travel-friendly bottles, but I go 3 oz of hair conditioner in a day and a half so that’s a no-go for me!
It totally depends on where I am going when it comes to packing. However, now that I have a baby, I feel like I bring the whole house with me haha!
Holy moley, I bet you have to travel with a ton of stuff when you’ve got a baby!
I’ve got a business trip coming up from July 14-17th & I’ll be doing the same thing. Even if it’s only 4 days, haha. I like to be comfortable as well. I think you’ve got the basics though. Haha. Happy Thursday!
Right?! What I’ve got is just the basics. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
I travel a lot but I don’t pack light…I think I’m too high maintenance, my toiletries and makeup almost need a suitcase of their own LOL and I always bring too many shoes and outfits.
I’ve got waaaaaay more toiletries and makeup than I do clothes and shoes!
I am on the go a lot for work…packing is more or less a necessatiy but I never likes it cuz I am very iffy bout what I want and like…so whenever I know there is Peter Thomas Roth in the hotel, I am actually relieved….
http://jezzdallasmakeup.blogspot.com/
Peter Thomas Roth is quality stuff – I’m really lucky to have it here as a backup!