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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Frequent flying women need super hero skills to keep up their beauty routines on the road. It has become a great challenge to maintain skin, hair, nails when you are living out of a suitcase and rushing from one point to another.
Organization is a must as you have to pack clothes, shoes, and grooming essentials into one carry-on and one personal item. The first key to efficient packing is lightening your load. A well-packed suitcase should ideally contain coordinating pieces that resist wrinkles, no more than three pairs of shoes, and room for your one allowed Ziploc bag of micro toiletries. Eliminate non-essential items wherever possible and minimize your clothing allowance by selecting a monochromatic (one or two) color scheme. Most people won’t notice if you wear the same black skirt or slacks two days in a row, if you change your tops, jackets or accessories. Make use of extra space wherever you can find it; tuck lingerie into shoes, accessories into purses, electronics into corners. Rolling clothes takes up less space than folding. If you have done all you can to limit what you have to fit into your suitcase and you still can’t get it closed, you have only two choices; take another bag, or take more stuff out and leave it behind.
It takes careful planning to avoid getting nailed for overweight luggage, which can be costly now that airlines are imposing extra fees at every turn. Even if you have the lightest, largest piece of luggage, you can still end up overweight at the airport. If you take the maximum amount of luggage allowed per person (1 or 2 bags depending on the carrier and class), go with medium sized bags to avoid paying extra on the weight. Weigh your suitcase before you head to the airport to be sure. Luggage scales can be found at any hardware store.
Smart women have trained themselves to get on a plane with a single wheeled carry-on and an oversized handbag that fits neatly under the seat in front. Most women who fly frequently never check a bag if they can avoid it – mainly because they can’t afford to be in a different city than their luggage and they don’t have an extra 45 minutes to spare to wait for their bag. Flight delays that cause missed connections can leave you without your bags even when you do finally get to your destination. Another big advantage of limiting yourself to one carryon is that your rebooking options remain open in the event of a flight delay.
Look for travel sizes of your favorite products, and always ask for samples when you buy or order online. Single use packets of skin care, roll-on perfume, nail polish pens, and other clever inventions can save your life. Keep a supply of 1, 2 and 3 ounce plastic bottles and containers on standby to pack your own. You can purchase most of the beauty basics you need, but that takes up time you may not have. It is the comfort of brands you love and specialty products that you miss most when you’re away from home. Men don’t always understand that not all shampoos are alike. Sure you can pick up some shampoo at any airport, or use the little bottles in your hotel, but they pale in comparison to your delicious Fekkai Technician Shampoo and Conditioner that smells like fragrant flowers and makes you hair feel like silk. Having your personal things with you on the road is a must for women. This can be something as simple as a travel candle in your favorite scent or room freshener to make your hotel smell more cozy.
FREQUENT FLYER LIFESAVERS
· Only pack liquids, gels, creams in your 3 ounce TSA approved plastic bag. Keep a few extra clear plastic bags with you in case it tears. Separate any beauty items that do not fall under TSA scrutiny and store in a separate bag; nail file, combs, pills, tampons, etc. Pack your TSA bag in the outer pocket so it is easy to grab and put in a separate tray. If they don’t see your bag, they are more likely to search your bags for toiletries.
· The perfect rollaboard is 20-22 inches and fits front to back in most overhead compartments. Look for durable nylon, with extra hidden pockets that can be stuffed so you can check it on the way back if you shopped along the way.
· Look for one of the TSA friendly laptop or netbook cases so you don’t have to pull out your equipment and risk scratches and dents going through the scanner.
· If you live in fear that the airlines will lose your bags, think Fedex or UPS. It may end up being cheaper to use a commercial carrier and buy insurance, than to enlist one of the private luggage carriers to ship your bags ahead to your destination.
Wendy Lewis is President of Wendy Lewis & Co Ltd, Global Aesthetics Consultancy, and author of 10 beauty books, including Plastic Makes Perfect., and the Founder of www.beautyinthebag.com www.wlbeauty.com, www.twitter.com/WLCO
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