pulling it together

Summer Travel

I wasn't always like this. When I was in college, I could just throw a change of clothes and a couple of blank notebooks in a duffle bag and go.

Now that I have not only a “real” job but also a real family, my packing habits have been compared by my husband (who I should note is a man), to Barnum and Bailey.

Why, my husband asks, if I only need one bottle of shampoo for a week at home do I feel I need three just because I'm taking the kids to visit my sister in San Diego? And don't they sell shampoo in San Diego?

I can't blame it all on the kids either. On a recent business trip to New York I packed five pairs of shoes for three days of meetings. The irony was that four of the pairs of shoes I packed had been purchased on a previous trip to New York. It wasn't that I had forgotten to pack shoes on that trip, or even that I didn't have the shoes that matched my bag. I bought the shoes because I was in New York. Who goes to New York and doesn't go shoe shopping?

Well they say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, and while I may someday have to recognize compulsive shoe-shopping as a vice, today's topic is travel.

Whether it's a family vacation, a weekend together, or you're flying in to see your client's new facility…many of us tend to over-pack and under-organize. It's a bad habit and one that's easily corrected with a little planning, and a few helpful items from See Jane Work.

Since my first trip with a baby I have had the idea in my head of designing a spreadsheet that would be a check list of everything you need when traveling with a child. My baby is now 10-years-old, and while I have scribbled some things on a note pad next to my bed at 3am, I have never actually designed that spreadsheet. I was delighted to find that someone, who evidently sleeps even less than I do, not only compiled the list, but even designed a note pad just for the purpose of packing and traveling with kids. The Snookus “Let's Go Kids!” Pad lists everything from socks and undies to travel games and even a sense of humor…which let me tell you is critical when you are traveling with someone whose idea of sightseeing is visiting every public restroom in the airport, train station or bus depot.

If you're traveling without the kiddies, Snookus has a note pad for you too. The Snookus “Let's Go…” Pad reminds you to bring a lint remover, and some pepto to get you through that episode with the airline chili. They also offer a brilliantly designed outfit planner called the Style Planner. You can plan and pack exactly what you're going to wear every day of the week. This pad is also very helpful to have on hand when you're getting dressed for a 7am meeting on the east coast, and your body and brain are still sound asleep in Pacific Standard Time.

The trick to traveling with children is to keep them busy. Once they've checked out the airplane bathroom, and made inappropriate comments about other passengers (“Yes, Sweetie he probably is bald under that ‘hair thingy', but let's not discuss it now.”), they'll need something to do besides fidget. Barcelona Bags come in two sizes. The Pencil Bag can hold a deck of cards, a box of crayons and postcards with stamps for sending. If you're traveling with two or more kids, the larger Travel Bag can also contain electronic video games and accessories, a small notebook or note pad and markers for coloring.

When you go visiting it's always nice to bring a gift, and as a dear friend of mine who once had a duty-free bottle of Kahlua break in her suitcase can attest, it's best to bring something that isn't heavy or fragile. Cavallini & Co. has a gorgeous selection of Notebooks featuring vintage illustrations on the cover. If you have the good fortune to be invited to a friend's beach house, consider bringing the one with the red coral pattern on the cover. (A set of matching File Folders is also available.) Or save a few cubic inches in your luggage and have See Jane Work gift wrap it, and ship it for you.

Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, one thing you can practically guarantee is that you, or one of your traveling companions, will trip on the sidewalk, lose a button, or at the very least break a nail. Minor Emergency Kits fit in your handbag and hold miniature scissors, extra buttons (Sewing Set) and a nail clipper (First Aid Kit).

Air travel means you will have several hours with nothing to do but watch a badly edited movie. Make better use of this “free” time by organizing the contents of a desk drawer, going through vendor catalogs, or perhaps just reading up on celebrity gossip with the relative anonymity that being a stranger in a strange land affords. Jane Marvel Pouches are moisture resistant, and zip closed. Use them to carry periodicals, catalogs, brochures, mail, or items that need to be reviewed and sorted. While you're flipping through pages, use Punctuated Page Markers from Bob's Your Uncle to save your place or a mark a page you need to come back to later.

If you're using travel time to get caught up on work, make sure to keep a set of Project Envelopes on hand. The Velcro closure keeps paper work from falling out and they're stain and moisture resistant so documents are protected even when the guy next to you knocks over your soda getting up to use the restroom for the seventh time in a two hour flight.

It's a physical law I've never seen explained, but somehow it is virtually impossible to fit all of your possessions back into the same suitcase you used to bring them. Even if you've restricted each traveler to one souvenir, and left behind used-up toiletries, empty snack packages and most of the cash you brought with you, you'll still end up with more than you can ever get back in your bags. Don't walk through the hotel lobby carrying plastic grocery bags, or try to sneak on the plane with your carry-on unzipped and your undergarments stuffed in the mesh pockets. The Instant Carry-All Bag fits neatly into a compact nylon pouch, and then unfolds into a stylish and moisture resistant 20” x 16” handled bag.

Your flight was delayed and you sat on top of a deafening jet engine for four hours. Now your head aches and even though you're getting ready to spend a week with your mother-in-law IN HER OWN TERRITORY, the thought of getting anywhere that isn't an airport sounds pretty good. Get your bags and get going with brightly-colored Luggage Tags from Pamela Barsky. With clever little comments like “I'm Pretty Sure This Isn't Your Bag” and “Nothing Worth Stealing in Here” on the front, and space for your contact info on the back, you'll find your bags quickly and be sitting in the back of your father-in-law's Buick before you know it.

Bon Voyage!

If one of our ideas or products works for you, or if you have a solution you’d like to share, please let us know at ideas@seejanework.com.