Travel is back and demand is surging higher than ever. Many of us are craving both domestic and international travel to make up for lost time. We may be slightly out of touch with our former well-practiced travel and packing routines. While I may not be rusty enough to forget to take my laptop out of my bag through the security checkpoint, it did take me a moment to get back into my hyper-optimized packing routine. Even if I’m traveling to Europe for two weeks, I’m very minimal and solely travel with a carry-on bag. This means I have to be incredibly mindful of what I pack and what I leave behind. Here is where I engage in packing optimization.

Packing Optimization 101

Clothing & Shoes

I’m actually not one to do a ton of shopping for new outfits prior to a trip. I prefer to pack tried and true favorite pieces that I know I’m comfortable in and that I photograph well in. I tend to pack a lot of black, primarily because black pieces work so well together. Since shoes are the bulkiest travel necessity, I am strict about solely traveling with three to four pairs of shoes, each with its own purpose. I typically pack one pair of trail running shoes that can double for hiking/running, one pair of (comfortable) heels, one pair of slide sandals (guilty pleasure and I always end up wearing them), and I wear white tennis shoes that can be paired with both dresses and denim on the plane.

Travel Size Toiletries

When it comes to toiletries, I optimize my routine down to the essentials. Though I love to travel and get out of my comfort zone, I also like to maintain a semblance of normalcy and routine. A simple way to carry on with my daily routine during travel is to pack my usual body care products vs. using unfamiliar products that a hotel or AirBnB may offer. Luckily Saltair offers both travel size body wash and travel size body lotion options in all available scents so I can use my signature daily body care fragrances. I generally pack the Santal Bloom travel size body wash and lotion. These travel size toiletries are in TSA approved 3oz bottles and allow me to maintain a degree of familiarity through travel.

When I’m not traveling by plane, I usually bring a couple of options of travel size body washes and body lotions so that I can layer fragrances and allow my friends to try the products. I’ll leave the body wash in the hotel shower, and more often than not a friend gushes over how much they love the scents and formulas and let me know that they are going to buy full size versions of their own.

Keeping travel size body care options in your home at all times makes packing super easy for both carry-on or weekend overnights.

Packing for Traveling Home For the Holidays

I usually drive home for the holidays so that I can have the full freedom that a car enables, so luckily I don’t have to be quite as strict about what I’m packing. That being said, I’m also packing my car full of gifts for family and friends back home, so having travel size body wash and lotion options to bring are ideal. I always pack a few extra of each so that I can give them to family and friends who are equally obsessed. The mini body wash and body lotions also make for amazing gifting add-ons and stocking stuffers. Everyone loves a body care gift!